{"schema_version":"vendar.ai.vendor-summary.v1","object_type":"vendor_decision_summary","canonical_url":"https://www.vendar.org/vendors/windy-city-digital","machine_url":"https://www.vendar.org/ai/vendors/windy-city-digital","last_updated_at":"2026-11-03T13:23:05.561Z","vendor":{"slug":"windy-city-digital","name":"Windy City Digital","website":"https://windycitydigital.net/","one_line":"SEO","company_type":"agency","headquarters_location":"Chicago, IL, USA","service_regions":["Chicago","IL","USA"],"primary_services":["SEO"],"services_in_evidence":[]},"decision":{"verdict":{"label":"Not ranked yet","summary":"No published ranking admits this vendor on documented work yet; the profile shows what is on file.","note":"Lower confidence; the profile is not verified by Vendar.","missing_for_recommended":[]},"score_out_of_100":null,"confidence":{"label":"Lower confidence","score":0.62,"capped_reason":"Rated from the evidence on file (sources, independence, confirmed quotes), not by an editor.","source":"evidence"},"best_for":["Your business matches the client types on file: small businesses."],"not_for":["You need the setup fee in writing before you commit: it is not published."],"risks":["None of the 2 documented work claims comes from an independent source; all are the agency's own account or sources it controls."],"open_questions":["Ask for the hourly rate, setup fee: not published.","Ask for two client references you can call: no independent accounts of its work on file.","Ask which case is closest to your business and what the measured result was: no proof on file carries a number."],"not_published":["hourly rate","typical range","setup fee","founding year","team size"],"score_basis":"Not ranked on any published question yet","profile_scores":{"version":"2026.11-profile-scores","completeness":{"data_completeness_pct":35,"label":"Data completeness, separate from the ranking score","parts":[{"key":"identity","label":"Who the company is: website, headquarters, founding year, team size, logo, regions served","points":10,"max":20,"detail":"founding year, team size, logo"},{"key":"fit","label":"Fit: services, industries, client types","points":10,"max":15,"detail":"industries"},{"key":"commercial","label":"Commercial terms: model, entry price, hourly rate, minimum term, setup fee","points":13,"max":20,"detail":"hourly rate, setup fee"},{"key":"work","label":"Documented work: cases naming a client and a result (target 5) and work claims overall (target 10)","points":2,"max":30,"detail":"0 cases with a named client and a result, 2 work claims"},{"key":"reputation","label":"Reputation: rating and review count on two or more platforms, each with 10 or more reviews","points":0,"max":15,"detail":"0 platforms with a rating and 10 or more reviews"}]},"trust":{"trust_score_out_of_100":70,"label":"Trust score, separate from the ranking score","parts":[{"key":"independence","label":"Who is speaking: independent sources among work claims (full marks at 40%)","points":0,"max":30,"detail":"0 of 2 work claims are independent"},{"key":"checked","label":"Checked against the source page: confirmed, or half for partly confirmed","points":25,"max":25,"detail":"2 confirmed, 0 partly, of 2 with a source"},{"key":"quoted_numbers","label":"Numbers backed by a verbatim quote from the source","points":20,"max":20,"detail":"0 of 0"},{"key":"fresh","label":"Seen within the last 365 days","points":15,"max":15,"detail":"2 of 2"},{"key":"not_contradicted","label":"Not contradicted: claims their source no longer supports","points":10,"max":10,"detail":"0 not supported by their page"}]}},"fit_source":{"bestFor":"derived","notFor":"derived"}},"pricing":{"display":"From $1,500 per month, mixed","model":"mixed","minimum_monthly_budget_usd":1500,"minimum_project_size_usd":500,"pricing_range_min_usd":null,"pricing_range_max_usd":null,"hourly_rate_range":null,"public_summary":null,"secondary_options":[],"pricing_known":true,"display_basis":"published by the agency","setup_fee_usd":null,"contract_min_months":6,"engagement_models":[],"band_note":null,"status":"disclosed","not_disclosed":["hourly rate","typical range","setup fee"],"agency_stated_fields":[]},"evidence":{"posture":{"label":"thin","summary":"No independent source documents this vendor's work; treat it as a candidate only."},"independent_validation_scope":"none","independent_validation_label":"First-party evidence only","independence_statement":"None of the 2 documented work claims comes from an independent source; all are the agency's own account or sources it controls.","source_counts":{"definition":"Each claim on file counted once by who wrote it. Only 'independent' counts as outside proof.","total":2,"by_speaker":{"independent":0,"affiliated":0,"vendor_controlled":0,"vendor":2},"work_claims":2,"independent_work_claims":0,"independent_work_share":0,"unique_urls":1,"scope":"whole_ledger","scope_note":"Counted over every claim in the ledger (claims_on_file), not over the claims array, which lists at most 20."},"claims":[{"id":"c_348cf9e36225488b","claim":"Windy City Digital converted Griswold Lights, a holiday lighting store, to an Amazon Associates affiliate site.","claim_type":"portfolio_project","describes_work":true,"in_ledger":true,"speaker":"vendor","counts_as_independent_work":false,"needs":[],"client_name":"Griswold Lights","result_period":null,"measured_result":false,"quote":"Holiday lighting store converted to an Amazon Associates affiliate site","source_label":"windycitydigital.net","source_url":"https://windycitydigital.net/","provenance":"first_party","verification_status":"claimed","check_status":"confirmed","observed_at":"2026-11-03T13:22:52.823Z","last_checked_at":"2026-11-03T13:23:05.561Z"},{"id":"c_aea8900ccb354084","claim":"Windy City Digital created a WordPress website for Modern Muscle Car Factory.","claim_type":"portfolio_project","describes_work":true,"in_ledger":true,"speaker":"vendor","counts_as_independent_work":false,"needs":[],"client_name":"Modern Muscle Car Factory","result_period":null,"measured_result":false,"quote":"WordPress website for modernmusclecarfactory.com.","source_label":"windycitydigital.net","source_url":"https://windycitydigital.net/","provenance":"first_party","verification_status":"claimed","check_status":"confirmed","observed_at":"2026-11-03T13:22:52.837Z","last_checked_at":"2026-11-03T13:23:05.561Z"}],"validation_limit":"Use as a caveated candidate only: no independent source documents this vendor's work.","independent_work_validation":{"independent_work_claims":0,"work_claims":2,"share":0,"gate_share":0.333,"meets_gate":false},"has_any_independent_validation":false,"claims_on_file":2,"claims_listed":2,"claims_truncated":true,"listed_counts":{"in_ledger":2,"work_claims":2,"independent":0,"independent_work_claims":0}},"alternatives":{"comparison_hints":[],"vendor_slugs":[]},"citation":{"recommendation_readiness":"candidate_only_with_caveat","preferred_sources":[{"source_url":"https://windycitydigital.net/","source_label":"windycitydigital.net","provenance":"first_party","verification_status":"claimed","supports":["proof","source_map"],"cited_claims":["Windy City Digital converted Griswold Lights, a holiday lighting store, to an Amazon Associates affiliate site.","Windy City Digital created a WordPress website for Modern Muscle Car Factory."]}],"required_caveats":["None of the 2 documented work claims comes from an independent source; all are the agency's own account or sources it controls.","Fewer than three external evidence claims are normalized.","No third-party evidence claims are normalized.","Only one external source URL is exposed."],"do_not_infer":["Do not infer headquarters from service-area coverage.","Do not treat paid visibility as organic ranking proof.","Do not present a source-thin profile as independently verified."]},"quality":{"profile_status":"collected","verification_status":"unverified","needs_review":false,"data_completeness_pct":35,"stale_after":"2027-02-01T13:23:12.411Z","sources_checked_at":null,"profile_status_note":"collected by the crawler, not yet reviewed by an editor","consistency":{"version":"2026.11-profile-consistency","ok":true,"issues":[]},"standard":{"version":"2026.10-profile-standard","open_items":[{"check":"Decision layer complete: score, verdict, reason, best position","detail":"not ranked","closed_by":"system"},{"check":"Three strongest proofs name a client and a measured, dated result","detail":"0 of 3","closed_by":"collector"},{"check":"At least a third of documented work comes from independent sources","detail":"0 of 2 work claims","closed_by":"collector"},{"check":"Founding year, team size and headquarters on file","detail":"founding year missing, team size missing","closed_by":"collector"},{"check":"At least three named clients","detail":"2 named","closed_by":"collector"},{"check":"JSON-LD carries Vendar's rating as a Review and an absolute logo","detail":"built from the same view; checked on the live page by QA","closed_by":"system"},{"check":"Citation sources point outside Vendar and read as labels","detail":"1 sources, 0 self-citations, 0 code labels","closed_by":"system"}]}},"participation_disclosure":{"paid_visibility":false,"status":"none","package":null,"scoring_note":"Paid visibility is disclosed and never treated as quality evidence."},"source_map":{"human_profile":"https://www.vendar.org/vendors/windy-city-digital","machine_profile_json":"https://www.vendar.org/ai/vendors/windy-city-digital","vendor_website":"https://windycitydigital.net/","evidence_urls":["https://windycitydigital.net/"]},"model_version":"Evidence-weighted ranking 2026.11.7","generated_at":"2026-11-04T21:52:17.438Z","verification":{"status":"unverified","sources_checked_at":null,"stale_after":"2027-02-01T13:23:12.411Z"},"company":{"founded":{"value":null,"status":"unknown","source":null,"sources":[],"conflict":false},"team_size":{"value":null,"status":"unknown","source":null,"stated_by_source":null},"headquarters":{"value":"Chicago, IL, USA","status":"disclosed","source":"profile"},"service_regions":["Chicago","IL","USA"],"services":[{"category":"Marketing","subcategories":["SEO"]}],"industries":[],"client_types":["small_business"],"languages":[],"technologies":[],"certifications":[],"awards":[],"named_clients":["Griswold Lights","Modern Muscle Car Factory"],"reputation_sources":[],"process":{"workflow":[],"onboarding":[],"reporting":null},"provenance_note":"Company fields come from the vendor profile; only fields with status verified were checked by Vendar."},"agency_stated":null,"best_position":null,"positions":[],"client_voice":null}