Lorel - 1:57 am on May 30, 2006 (gmt 0)

Ask for samples of their work and then look at the source code. 9 times out of 10 you will find some version of spam or black hat activity. Also search for doorway pages, not necessarily on the same site.

I had one of those scammers call me a few weeks ago claiming to be able to get one of my client's sites to top 10 position (he was already ranking in top position so this person hadn't even looked at the site). I asked for samples of their work. Their text was bordering on gibbersih..I.e., keyword stuffing, which visitos will not put up with and can get the site penalized. They only charge $3000 a year for this "service".