{
  "manualOnly": true,
  "providerRequests": 0,
  "locale": "en",
  "group": "seo-guarantees",
  "title": "SEO guarantees: questions to ask before trusting a ranking promise",
  "notice": "This is a manual planning aid, not a live audit, supplier catalog or ranking prediction. Examples are fictional. Nothing is fetched or submitted; downloaded files stay on your device.",
  "columns": [
    "Question area",
    "Ambiguity in the fictional offer",
    "Ask for",
    "Decision checkpoint"
  ],
  "rows": [
    {
      "id": "target",
      "title": "Target definition",
      "values": [
        "Page one is promised without named queries or result type.",
        "Queries, market, device, time window and organic-versus-paid definition.",
        "Do not compare results until the target and method are explicit."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "methods",
      "title": "Methods and access",
      "values": [
        "The supplier requests broad access without a change plan.",
        "Proposed actions, reasons, risks, access scope and approval responsibilities.",
        "An initial audit should not silently authorize unrestricted changes."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "baseline",
      "title": "Baseline and reporting",
      "values": [
        "A success screenshot is offered without a comparable starting point.",
        "Dated baseline, repeatable measurement and a record of changes.",
        "Keep rankings, referrals and business outcomes distinct."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "delivery",
      "title": "Delivery commitment",
      "values": [
        "A search position is treated like a task the supplier directly controls.",
        "Specific work, milestones, communication and evidence of completion.",
        "Evaluate promised work separately from uncertain ranking outcomes."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "remedy",
      "title": "Remedy and exit",
      "values": [
        "Refund or cancellation language appears only in a headline.",
        "Written conditions, exclusions, timing, fees and the process for ending service.",
        "Do not infer an enforceable remedy or recovery from the slogan alone."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "example": "In our fictional offer, a supplier promises page one in thirty days but does not identify queries or explain whether paid listings count. The checklist turns that slogan into questions. It does not establish fraud, enforceability or a right to a refund; those depend on facts and terms outside this example.",
  "decision": "Prefer a clear statement of controllable deliverables: reviewed recommendations, agreed changes, reporting and communication. Ask what will be changed, why it should help users and what access is needed. Google recommends read-only Search Console access for an initial audit; do not confuse an audit with unrestricted implementation authority.",
  "checklist": [
    "Define the exact result being claimed.",
    "Ask for methods and proportionate access.",
    "Save baseline evidence and agreed deliverables.",
    "Read remedy and exit conditions before relying on a promise."
  ],
  "reviewRecord": "Save the original proposal, baseline observations, agreed scope and change log. Compare like-for-like measurements and keep business outcomes separate from a single rank screenshot. Ask how missed milestones, cancellation, fees and any remedy are handled in writing; avoid assuming a headline describes all conditions."
}