(FORTUNE Small Business) – Exemplary advice is priceless, but getting it free can't hurt. That's why, when we heard that Actinic.com (a supplier of e-commerce software and consulting services) was offering free e-commerce assessments online, we took them up on the offer. Tagged a virtual consultant, the session is the outcome of 30 questions that survey your business' specific makeup, including most-targeted demographic, product base, estimated site budget, and projected revenues. Complete the survey, and the site immediately spits out how your proposed e-commerce site rates--using a five-star system--in the areas of customer base, market potential, and overall. Not bad--especially when it's followed by a five-page, tailored e-mail report on how to improve your site--and it's free.

Sound too good to be true? It is. We filled out the same form five different ways, using deviating site criteria each time (sometimes radically)--and got the same recoiled appraisal in each instance. The report always includes Actinic's phone number and a product list--e-commerce solutions for the ample-budget crowd.

But ignore the heavy-handed sales pitch, and notice that the regurgitated information isn't bad advice. Chris Barling, Actinic's president, says that "the objective of the five-page assessment is fairly standard. It's informative about basic e-commerce." Suggestions such as keeping the number of mouse clicks to complete a task on the site to a minimum and providing a phone number are useful tips that even some of the best-known sites don't heed.

Our complimentary advice: Cop the free tips, and decide for yourself what the site's information is worth.

--Maggie Overfelt