1. Search Engines are in Control - SEO firms do not have control over how search engines algorithmically rank pages. They can identify the strong influencers and use what has worked in the past to achieve top rankings, but if a Search Engine decides to change the way it ranks pages, goes out of business, gets acquired, or adds/changes their source of search results data, there is really not much a SEO firm can do about that. However, a good SEO will proactively monitor industry trends, and ranking performance of its clients and so preemptive tactics can be applied to minimize traffic and ranking effects, if any, to the client site should a major search engine change occur.

2. it's about conversion, not ranking - The guarantee of top ten listings is really an attempt at a guarantee of results, or satisfaction with the service. Being listed in the top ten for an unpopular keyword will mean nothing to the bottom line for a web site/business. What is more meaningful from a return on investment standpoint is a satisfaction guarantee. That is, there is more to profitable online marketing than specific rankings. Expert SEO firms implement a variety of tactics to help clients reach the true objectives, like increased inquiries and sales, rather than a particular ranking.

The only way to legitimately guarantee a specific ranking is on a pay per click program where the primary determining factor for ranking is based on something the advertiser is in complete control over - the cost per click bidding price.

3. Practical SEO guarantee - Rankings are best used as a basic metric to document overall visibility trends. But rankings are just the start. It's also very important to report the increased number of unique visitors brought to the client as well as tracking conversions whenever possible. Effective conversion tracking documents the number of times a search engine ranking or a pay per click listing results in an inquiry.

Here is an example SEO guarantee that is not tied to specific rankings:

"Client satisfaction is guaranteed. We work closely with our clients to identify realistic goals and timelines and employ the appropriate mix of tactics to achieve them. If objectives are not met within the agreed upon timeline, we will offer to make it right within 30 days or offer to terminate our agreement and refund any unused portion of the contract."

4. Focus on what's important - Above and beyond a guarantee, other evaluation items of a search engine marketing company, SEO firm or consultant should emphasize: