You all make some very good points.

The most important thing for a small to mid-sized business is that they get exposure on the web and that there website allow people to easily order from them (whether they are selling products or services). I would say that the vast majority of website design companies just do not have the first clue about how to make this happen - which leads to a lot of unsatisified clients.

When we first deal with clients - we make sure that we understand their goals (many times helping them to define them) and then lay out a comprehensive plan to accomplish them.

The most important thing for website design or SEO companies it to make the client feel comfortable and confident that they will get the results they deserve!