1. Does prospective SEO make guarantees, as in ranking promises?

NO Seo can make any future ranking guarantees.

The only ranking guarantees an Seo can legitimately claim are of his or her PAST results. No Seo can predict the future nor tell a search engine to change its algorithm. Don't hire a Tarot Reader or a Gypsy. Hire an Seo who can admit that although it's a science and skill, much can change overnight.

2. Does the prospective SEO use automated submission tools?

Automated submission tools are likely to have your site penalized or banned altogether.

Very spammy and useless for seo value. Considered a nuisance by search engines and other repositories due to repetitive persist settings.

3. Does prospective seo offer "free" services such as hosting, domain names, and monthly maintenance services?

TANSTAAFL: Acronym for "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch". You're paying for it somehow, what's the problem? Why not be forthright?

Does the service not have enough value to stand on its own? if not, why? Gimmicks are a turn off, not to mention intellectually insulting.

4. Does the seo website offer "packages" and/or online payment and sign-up forms for "bundles" such as "silver", "gold", and "platinum" packages?

if so, Wow! They know nothing about you, your business, goals, or website ... but they will take your money now, and see if they can help you later? Maybe you have discovered a Super-Seo. Even if you just have a "coming soon" page with no content, that Platinum package will send it to the moon on Google, right?

Are you comfortable with someone commencing work on your website without asking pertinent questions, analyzing the project, learning your goals and history, assessing the scope of work necessary to meet your expectations (if possible), researching the competitive landscape, and providing an estimate tailored to you and your website's budget, timeline, and Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI)? Yikes.

5. would you like to apply for a Walmart Visa card?..and save 10% off today's purchase?

5. Do all the "package" prices end in "99"? Such as "$599", "$899" "$1199"? Yes? And you can add-on a gallery for $99? And a logo for $59?

Yes? Okay. You've discovered Website-Walmart. And your designer might moonlight as the greeter (but only when it's slow). If you have Walmart level expectations, and you're aware of the compromise, then no "see the writing on the wall" warning. However, If you're expecting a website that can compete in a competitive keyword industry, it won't be yellow tagged.

One or two featured offers that are priced "$xxxx99" shouldn't throw up a red flag and ascertain that you're dealing with "Big Lots", but keep in mind the last item you bought at Kmart probably "CameApart", didn't it? Don't nickel and dime your website budget if you really want to show off your company ... if it's cheap and leaves too much to be desired, your sales staff will hate it and always present it with excuses and apologies. Not exactly a positive way to initiate or respond to a sales call.

6. Will you be dealing with a sales person or "project coordinator" who has no clout or decision making authority when it comes to details, requests, revisions, and issues that fall within a "gray" area of their "terms"?

If so, you may need a touch tone phone (a fully charged battery), a strong dose of extra patience to endure unnecessary gaps in communication, ideally several credit cards (with room for $$$), and accept being told "no ... that's against our policy", and "okay, I asked my boss and we can fulfill what it is I think you're asking, for another $599 ... $599.99 to be exact"... "would you like to pay with your Visa again, or did we tap it out with the last "add-on"? okay... let's hit your American Express again...that's okay, you don't need to give me the number...I still have it from the last charge. Is there anything else I can help you with? No? Is it okay if we send you a short survey regarding the customer service you've received today?....hello...sir?...sir?"

Unfortunately GoDaddy has quite a few "Website Tonight" affiliates. This checklist would be incomplete without at least a few cautionary words about your website project making its way to India, directly, or not quite so clearly...

7. Are you dealing with a company outside of the U.S.? Or is it possible you think they're in the U.S. cause they've got a North American address, but their website content is peppered with a peculiar misuse of plurals and pronouns ... replete with missing (disposable?) words? As if it was just too much trouble to get the damn thing to pass the spell-check AND a grammar-check?

Yes? You've found yourself one of the the WORLD-WIDE-WEB agencies. Look a little closer. Is there something a little odd about their presentation? We recommend you read through the site thoroughly. ESL (English as a Second Language) can't be to blame for everything, can it...?

You might be surprised to find out those "too good to be true" terms, are ... well, going to come true on some other day. "Tomorrow? No...tomorrow, no. It's a holiday. The next day? No, I am ill. The day after that? No...my wife is ill. The next day is another holiday...no, no...not the day after...that's a HOLY DAY!" "...day after that...Holy-holi-day (combined)...no, after that is the weekend!"

8. Does the web agency's website require that you "choose" a style, color, and layout from the "selection" before proceeding further?

This is self explanatory (even to a Neanderthal)

If you're going to construct your own website from a template, what do you need them for? To charge you when you're done? You're on your own until you're satisfied with the outcome, at that point they'll let you pay for it (as they cautiously emerge from hiding...or, ahem...unavailable status).

9. Is the prospective web company absolutely stuck on ranking alone? To the point they will butcher up the aesthetics in an effort to force an increase in search position? Or stuff the site with keywords that read awkwardly to the site visitor?

If so, your site could become a "waste of space", a site that shows up in the SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages), but never sells or converts, therefore it's a dud.

I've actually had websites that were hard to find produce more sales than sites that ranked in the top 3 or 4 for their prime keyword phrases. Sometimes a low-profile site will rank on just enough long tail keyword phrases to position it perfectly in front of its ideal target market and triple the profits of the client's revenue prior to having the site...only to have another seo company take over and destroy the balance, look, feel, layout, and appeal. The site had more exposure, yet the client nearly went bankrupt. He had to part with an employee in order to afford my seo and web services fees on the rebound.

10. Does the company directly stress quantity over quality?

Whoa. I'm sometimes pressed to find 200 qualified backlinks over the course of several years. Uh...ahem...it's common knowledge that adding a plethora of links waves a red flag to Google.

Not only the red alert, but if the seo company ever possibly lived up to the 20,000 link claim, it would result in your site something altogether new: a different domain and identity. Junk links are just that. Junk. And they're a nuisance, regarded accordingly.