Can I Customize Surmado Reports?

Yes. Signal lets you customize personas (write your own buyer queries), Scan lets you select specific pages to test, and Solutions accepts any strategic question. You control what gets tested.

Reading time: 13 minutes

What you’ll learn:

• How to write custom Signal personas with specific buyer intent: “My furnace is making loud banging noises at 3am, I have a newborn who can’t sleep” vs generic “HVAC repair”
• Scan Pro’s custom page selection feature (focus on key landing pages vs random blog posts from 2019) and priority checks (performance-focused, accessibility-focused, or SEO-focused audits)
• Solutions customization for multi-option comparisons: “Should I hire 2 AEs (Option A), 2 engineers (Option B), or 1 AE + 1 engineer (Option C)?”
• What you cannot customize and why: report format (standardized for consistency), AI platforms tested (always 7 platforms), metrics calculated (always Presence Rate/Authority Score)
• Agency/enterprise customization options: white-label reports, bulk pricing, custom Intelligence Token endpoints, dedicated support

Customization level: High for personas/questions, moderate for testing scope, low for report format (standardized for consistency).

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Signal Customization

What You Can Customize

1. Persona Queries (Full Control)

Standard option: Use Signal’s built-in persona templates

• Example: HVAC gets “emergency repair”, “maintenance”, “system replacement” personas automatically

Custom option: Write your own persona queries (exact buyer language)

Example custom personas:

Persona 1 (specific pain point):

“My furnace is making loud banging noises at 3am. I have a newborn who can’t sleep. Need emergency HVAC repair in Phoenix. Who offers same-day service on weekends?”

Persona 2 (budget-conscious):

“I need AC maintenance but I’m on a tight budget. Which Phoenix HVAC companies offer affordable service plans under $200/year?”

Persona 3 (quality-focused):

“I don’t care about price, I want the best HVAC company in Phoenix with certified techs and 5-star reviews. Who’s the top choice?”

Why customize: Test exact language your buyers use (not generic queries).

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2. Number of Personas (3-15 queries)

Minimum: 3 personas (quick test) Standard: 5-7 personas (balanced) Maximum: 15 personas (comprehensive)

Trade-off:

• Fewer personas = faster (10 minutes), less comprehensive
• More personas = slower (15-20 minutes), more thorough

Recommendation: 5-7 personas covers most buyer types without over-testing.

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3. Competitor List (Optional)

Standard: Signal auto-identifies competitors from AI responses Custom: Specify 3-5 competitors to benchmark against

Why customize: If you know your top competitors, Signal can focus benchmarking on them specifically (not random mentions).

Example:

• Standard: Signal finds 8 competitors mentioned, reports on all
• Custom: You specify “Benchmark against Competitor A, B, C only” → Signal focuses analysis

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4. Geographic Focus (Location-Specific Testing)

Local businesses: Add city/region to personas

• Example: “Best HVAC Phoenix” vs “Best HVAC Las Vegas”
• Tests AI visibility in specific markets

Multi-location: Submit separate personas per location

• Persona 1: “Emergency AC Phoenix”
• Persona 2: “Emergency AC Tucson”
• Persona 3: “Emergency AC Flagstaff”
• Result: See which locations you dominate vs weak

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5. Language (50+ Languages Supported)

Standard: English personas Custom: Submit personas in any language

Example (testing Spanish-speaking market):

“Necesito reparación de emergencia de aire acondicionado en Phoenix. ¿Qué compañías ofrecen servicio el mismo día?”

Signal tests: How AI platforms respond to Spanish queries (are you mentioned to Spanish-speaking buyers?)

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What You Cannot Customize (Signal)

Report format: Standardized PDF layout (can’t change sections or order) AI platforms tested: Always tests 7 platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Meta AI, Grok, DeepSeek) Metrics calculated: Always includes Presence Rate, Authority Score, Ghost Influence Intelligence Token format: Standardized JSON schema

Why: Consistency for trend tracking (compare Month 1 vs Month 2 apples-to-apples)

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Scan Customization

What You Can Customize

1. Page Selection (Scan Pro)

Scan Basic: Tests up to 30 pages (auto-selected by crawl) Scan Pro: Test specific pages you choose (up to 100)

Use case: Focus on key landing pages

• Homepage
• Top 10 product pages
• Blog posts that drive traffic
• Checkout flow (e-commerce)

Why customize: Test pages that matter most (not random blog posts from 2019).

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2. Priority Checks

Standard: All 150+ checks run Focus mode (optional): Emphasize specific category

Example focus modes:

• Performance-focused: Extra Core Web Vitals testing, mobile performance
• Accessibility-focused: Deep WCAG audit, screen reader testing
• SEO-focused: Technical SEO, schema, indexability

Why customize: If you only care about accessibility (ADA compliance), focus there vs running full audit.

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3. Browser Testing Scope

Standard: 9 browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Brave, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter in-app) Custom: Select specific browsers to test

Example:

• E-commerce: Focus on Instagram/Facebook in-app browsers (social traffic)
• B2B SaaS: Focus on Chrome/Firefox (professional users)

Why customize: Save time testing browsers that matter to your audience.

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4. Crawl Depth

Standard: 3-click depth from homepage Deep crawl: 5-click depth (finds orphaned pages)

Why customize: Some sites have content buried 4-5 clicks deep. Deep crawl finds issues on hidden pages.

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What You Cannot Customize (Scan)

Checks included: 150+ checks always run (can’t disable specific checks) Report format: Standardized PDF layout Scoring algorithm: Overall score 0-100 calculated same way every time Intelligence Token format: Standardized JSON schema

Why: Consistency for quarterly comparisons (track improvement over time).

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Solutions Customization

What You Can Customize

1. Strategic Question (Full Control)

You write the question. No templates, no restrictions.

Examples:

• “Should I hire 2 AEs or 2 engineers?”
• “Is this partnership deal fair? 30% revenue share, no upfront cost.”
• “Competitor launched freemium. Should I match or stay paid-only?”
• “Which city should I expand to: Las Vegas or Tucson?”

Format: Any business question requiring strategic analysis.

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2. Context Depth (100-1000 words)

Minimal context:

“Should I raise prices 20%? Current price: $50/month, 200 customers.”

Detailed context:

“Should I raise prices 20%?

Current state: $50/month, 200 customers, $10K MRR, 8% churn Competitor pricing: Competitor A $75/month, Competitor B $40/month Customer feedback: 30% say price is a concern, 60% say no problem Team capacity: Can’t handle more than 250 customers without hiring Question: Raise to $60/month to slow growth + increase revenue?”

Why customize: More context = more nuanced recommendations from 6-AI debate.

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3. Comparison Options (1-3 Scenarios)

Single question: “Should I do X?” Comparison (Solutions Pro): “Should I do X, Y, or Z?”

Example:

“Q4 hiring: Should I hire:

• Option A: 2 AEs ($240K annual cost, target $500K new ARR)
• Option B: 2 engineers ($280K annual cost, ship enterprise tier)
• Option C: 1 AE + 1 engineer ($260K, balanced approach)”

Solutions evaluates all 3, ranks by strength, provides rationale.

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4. Time Horizon

Short-term: “What should I do this quarter?” Long-term: “What’s my 3-year strategy?”

Solutions adapts analysis:

• Short-term: Focuses on execution feasibility, quick wins
• Long-term: Focuses on strategic fit, optionality, competitive moats

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5. Constraints

Specify limitations so AI models consider them:

Budget constraint: “Budget: $50K max” Time constraint: “Must ship by end of Q2” Team constraint: “Only 2 engineers, both junior” Market constraint: “We only serve US customers”

Why customize: Solutions recommends within your constraints (not fantasy scenarios).

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What You Cannot Customize (Solutions)

6-AI model perspectives: Always CFO, COO, Market Realist, Game Theorist, Chief Strategist, Wildcard Synthesis algorithm: Recommendations always prioritized HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW Report format: Standardized PDF layout Intelligence Token format: Standardized JSON schema

Why: Consistency in strategic framework (every Solutions report uses same 6 perspectives).

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Customization Limits

What you CANNOT customize across all products:

1. Report branding: Surmado logo, header, footer (can’t white-label)

• Exception: Agency partners (contact sales@surmado.com for white-label options)

2. Metrics calculated: Presence Rate, Authority Score, Ghost Influence formulas are fixed

• Why: Consistency for benchmarking (your Presence Rate calculated same as competitor’s)

3. JSON schema: Intelligence Token format is standardized

• Why: Automation tools expect consistent JSON structure

4. AI models used: Signal uses specific AI platforms, Solutions uses specific 6 models

• Why: Quality control (tested, validated models vs experimental ones)

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Customization Workflow

How to Submit Custom Personas (Signal)

Step 1: During Signal purchase, select “Custom Personas”

Step 2: Write 3-15 persona queries in text box

• One query per line
• Use natural language (how buyers actually search)
• Include location if local business

Step 3: Submit (Signal tests your custom personas instead of templates)

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How to Select Specific Pages (Scan Pro)

Step 1: During Scan Pro purchase, select “Custom Page List”

Step 2: Submit URLs to test (up to 100)

• Homepage: example.com
• Product page: example.com/product/widget
• Blog post: example.com/blog/how-to-use-widgets
• (One URL per line)

Step 3: Submit (Scan tests only those pages)

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How to Submit Custom Question (Solutions)

Step 1: During Solutions purchase, write strategic question in text box

Step 2: Add context (optional but recommended)

• Company stage, revenue, team size
• Constraints (budget, time, team)
• Options you’re considering

Step 3: Submit (Solutions runs 6-AI debate on your question)

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Agency/Enterprise Customization

For agencies managing 10+ clients:

White-label reports: Your branding instead of Surmado Bulk pricing: Discounted rates for volume Custom Intelligence Token endpoints: Private API access Dedicated support: Slack channel, priority processing

Contact: sales@surmado.com for agency partnerships.

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The Bottom Line

Customization levels:

Signal: High (personas, competitors, language, location) Scan: Moderate (page selection, browser focus, crawl depth) Solutions: High (any question, any context, comparison options)

What’s standardized: Report format, metrics calculated, Intelligence Token schema (for consistency).

You control WHAT gets tested. Surmado controls HOW it’s analyzed (for quality and consistency).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change report format to match my brand?

Standard reports: No white-labeling (Surmado branding) Agency partners: Yes (contact sales@surmado.com)

• Requires: 25+ reports/year minimum
• Includes: Your logo, colors, branding

Can I test only ChatGPT (not all 7 AI platforms)?

No. Signal always tests all 7 platforms:

• ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Meta AI, Grok, DeepSeek

Why: Platform diversity shows full AI visibility picture (not just ChatGPT).

Can I add custom metrics to reports?

No. Metrics are standardized:

• Signal: Presence Rate, Authority Score, Ghost Influence
• Scan: Overall Score (0-100), category scores
• Solutions: HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW priority recommendations

Why: Consistent benchmarking (your Month 1 vs Month 2, your Presence Rate vs competitor’s).

Can I exclude certain checks from Scan?

No. All 150+ checks run every time.

Why customize (if you want to focus on accessibility):

• Run full Scan (all checks)
• In report, prioritize accessibility section
• Ignore other sections

You get all data, choose what to act on.

Can I get raw data instead of PDF?

Yes, via Intelligence Token:

• Every report includes JSON Intelligence Token
• Access structured data (no PDF parsing needed)
• Build custom dashboards, reports, visualizations

Example: Fetch JSON, extract Presence Rate, chart over time in Google Sheets.

Can I request additional analysis in Solutions?

Not after report delivered. Solutions is one-time analysis (15 minutes).

If you need more:

• Submit new Solutions question (refine based on first report)
• Cost: Additional $50

Iterative workflow: Question 1 ($50) → Read recommendations → Question 2 ($50, more specific) → Repeat.

Can I combine Standard + Custom personas in Signal?

Yes.

Example:

• Use 3 standard HVAC personas (emergency, maintenance, replacement)
• Add 2 custom personas (budget-conscious, quality-focused)
• Total: 5 personas (3 standard + 2 custom)

Benefit: Standard personas cover basics. Custom personas target your unique buyer segments.

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Questions about customization? Email hi@surmado.com or specify custom options during report purchase.