Complete Beginner’s Guide to Surmado

Quick answer: Surmado has 3 products. AI Visibility ($50, 15 min) tests how often ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and 5 other AI platforms mention your business organically. Site Audit ($50, 30 min) audits your website across 9 browsers for performance, accessibility, SEO issues. Strategy ($50, 20 min) analyzes strategic decisions with 6-AI adversarial debate. Start with AI Visibility if AI visibility is priority, Site Audit if website needs audit, Strategy if you have strategic decision to make. All three give you Intelligence Tokens (API access for automation).

Reading time: 8 minutes

What you’ll learn:

• Three product overview with key metrics: AI Visibility tests AI visibility across 8 platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Meta AI, Grok, Perplexity, ChatGPT Search) delivering Presence Rate (0-100% how often mentioned), Authority Score (0-100 how strongly recommended), Ghost Influence (features discussed without credit), competitive ranking #1 vs #5 vs #20 in market, platform variance breakdown showing ChatGPT 52% vs Claude 38%, delivered in about 15 min; Site Audit audits website across 9 browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari iOS/macOS, Edge, Brave, Instagram/Facebook in-app) delivering Overall Score 0-100, category scores for Performance/Accessibility/SEO/Security, cross-browser results, Core Web Vitals per page, delivered in about 15-30 min; Strategy analyzes strategic decisions with 6-AI adversarial debate (CFO, COO, Market Realist, Game Theorist, Chief Strategist, Wildcard) delivering prioritized recommendations, risk assessment, scenario analysis based on your AI Visibility/Site Audit tokens, delivered in about 15-20 min
• Decision framework for which product to start with: start with AI Visibility if asking “Do AI platforms know we exist?”, “Why do competitors rank higher?”, “Should we invest in AI visibility?” (you’ll learn baseline like 28% Presence Rate = mentioned in 28% of buyer queries, competitive position #5 of 40 brands, biggest gaps low presence vs weak positioning vs attribution issues); start with Site Audit if asking “Is our website ready to launch?”, “Why is site slow on mobile?”, “Are we WCAG compliant for ADA lawsuit risk?”, “Does our site work in Safari and Instagram browser?” (you’ll learn overall health 55/100, high-priority issues count, cross-browser bugs like layout breaks Safari iOS); start with Strategy if asking “Should we invest in AI visibility or traditional SEO?”, “Should we hire in-house vs agency?”, “Which market should we expand to first?” (you’ll learn multi-perspective CFO says X Game Theorist says Y, risk assessment top 3 risks + mitigation, prioritized recommendation #1 option based on consensus)
• Three workflow examples showing products together: Workflow 1 AI Visibility Optimization (AI Visibility finds 28% Presence Rate + 42% Ghost Influence gap → Site Audit finds schema markup incomplete → fix schema → wait 4-8 weeks → AI Visibility again showing 28% → 38% improvement → optional Strategy for next investment decision, total cost $75-150), Workflow 2 Website Launch Audit (Site Audit staging finds 55/100 score with 15 high-severity issues → fix issues → Site Audit staging again showing 55 → 75 improvement → launch → Site Audit production verifying no new issues → optional AI Visibility 4-8 weeks later measuring if improved website helped AI Presence Rate, total cost $75-200), Workflow 3 Strategic Planning (AI Visibility finds 18% Presence Rate #12 of 40 → Site Audit finds 62/100 score missing schema → Strategy analyzes both tokens answering “Budget $50k: prioritize AI visibility $30k vs website rebuild $30k vs split $25k each?”, total cost $100-150)
• Pricing structure with use case guidance: pay-per-use (AI Visibility $25 8 platforms core metrics, AI Visibility $50 strategic recommendations + PowerPoint, Site Audit $25 30 pages 9 browsers, Site Audit $50 100 pages + content gaps + 3 competitor benchmarking, Strategy $50 flat 6-AI debate, use for occasional testing 1-2 reports/quarter); Agency Portfolio (Portfolio plan ($500/mo, 20 jobs) AI Visibility/Site Audit/Strategy any mix + clean-label + priority support, breakeven 20+ Pro reports/month or 40+ reports/month, use for agencies 10+ clients high-volume testing)
• 30-minute quickstart guide step-by-step: Minutes 1-5 choose product (AI Visibility if AI visibility priority, Site Audit if website audit, Strategy if strategic decision, unsure start AI Visibility cheapest option), Minutes 6-10 submit order (AI Visibility enter 3-7 personas like “Emergency AC repair Phoenix same-day”, Site Audit enter URL choose /Pro, Strategy enter strategic question optionally provide prior AI Visibility/Site Audit token), Minutes 11-25 wait for delivery (AI Visibility about 15 min, Site Audit about 15-30 min, Strategy about 15-20 min, receive email from hi@surmado.com with PDF + Intelligence Token), Minutes 26-30 read report (AI Visibility read page 1 Presence Rate + Authority Score + ranking then page 3-5 platform variance then identify biggest gap, Site Audit read page 1 overall score then page 2-4 high-severity issues then identify #1 priority fix, Strategy read page 2-3 prioritized recommendations then page 4-6 debate for consensus then page 6-8 risk assessment then choose Recommendation #1 or #2-3 if strong reason)

New to Surmado? Start here.

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The Three Products (5-Minute Overview)

AI Visibility: AI Visibility Testing

What it does: Tests how often AI platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Meta AI, Grok, Perplexity, ChatGPT Search) mention your business when people ask buyer questions.

Example question AI users ask: “Best emergency AC repair in Phoenix with same-day service”

AI Visibility tests: Does ChatGPT mention your business? How about Claude? Gemini?

What you get:

• Presence Rate (0-100%): How often you’re mentioned
• Authority Score (0-100): How strongly AI recommends you
• Ghost Influence (0-100%): Features discussed without crediting you
• Competitive ranking: #1 vs #5 vs #20 in your market
• Platform variance: ChatGPT 52%, Claude 38%, Gemini 41%, etc.

Delivery: about 15 minutes, PDF + Intelligence Token (API access)

Price: $50 (includes strategic recommendations and PowerPoint export)

When to use: You want to know if AI platforms recommend you when customers ask questions

Learn more: What Can AI Visibility Tell Me

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Site Audit: Website Audit

What it does: Tests your website across 9 browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari iOS/macOS, Edge, Brave, Instagram in-app, Facebook in-app) for performance, accessibility, SEO, security issues.

Example issues found:

• Homepage loads in 4.2 seconds on mobile (too slow)
• Images missing alt text (WCAG violation, ADA lawsuit risk)
• Schema markup incomplete (AI can’t understand your business details)
• Layout breaks in Safari iOS (20% of users see broken design)

What you get:

• Overall Score (0-100): Aggregate website health
• Category Scores: Performance, Accessibility, SEO, Security (each 0-100)
• Issues list: All problems found, tagged by severity (high/medium/low)
• Cross-browser results: Which browsers have issues
• Core Web Vitals: LCP, CLS, INP per page

Delivery: about 15-30 minutes, PDF + Intelligence Token (API access)

Price: $50 (100 pages + content gaps + competitor benchmarking)

When to use: You want website audit with 150+ checks before launch or quarterly check-up

Learn more: What Can Site Audit Tell Me

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Strategy: Strategic Analysis

What it does: Analyzes strategic decisions with 6-AI adversarial debate (CFO, COO, Market Realist, Game Theorist, Chief Strategist, Wildcard perspectives).

Example question: “Should we invest $50k in AI visibility optimization or $50k in traditional SEO?”

Strategy provides:

• 6-model debate: CFO focuses on ROI, Game Theorist on competitive dynamics, Wildcard on edge cases
• Prioritized recommendations: Top 3 options ranked by consensus
• Risk assessment: Key risks + mitigation strategies
• Scenario analysis (if you provide AI Visibility/Site Audit token): Recommendations based on your actual metrics

Delivery: about 15-20 minutes, PDF + Intelligence Token (API access)

Price: $50 flat (no tiers)

When to use: You have strategic decision and want unbiased multi-perspective analysis

Learn more: What Can Strategy Tell Me

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Which Product Should You Start With?

Start with AI Visibility If…

Your goal: Understand AI visibility (are ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini recommending you?)

You’re asking yourself:

• “Do AI platforms know we exist?”
• “Why do competitors rank higher than us in AI responses?”
• “Should we invest in AI visibility optimization?”

What you’ll learn: Your current AI visibility (Presence Rate 28% = mentioned in 28% of buyer queries), competitive position (#5 out of 40 brands), biggest gaps (low presence vs weak positioning vs attribution issues)

Next step after AI Visibility: Run Site Audit (if website is the issue) or Strategy (if you need strategy for improving Presence Rate)

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Start with Site Audit If…

Your goal: Audit website health before launch or identify technical issues

You’re asking yourself:

• “Is our website ready to launch?”
• “Why is our site slow on mobile?”
• “Are we WCAG compliant (ADA lawsuit risk)?”
• “Does our site work in Safari and Instagram in-app browser?”

What you’ll learn: Overall website health (score 55/100 = needs work), high-priority issues (15 high-severity issues), cross-browser bugs (layout breaks in Safari iOS)

Next step after Site Audit: Fix high-severity issues, run Site Audit again to verify improvements

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Start with Strategy If…

Your goal: Get strategic guidance on specific decision

You’re asking yourself:

• “Should we invest in AI visibility or traditional SEO?”
• “Should we hire in-house vs agency?”
• “Which market should we expand to first?”

What you’ll learn: Multi-perspective analysis (CFO says X, Game Theorist says Y), risk assessment (top 3 risks + how to mitigate), prioritized recommendation (#1 option based on consensus)

Next step after Strategy: Implement recommendation, run AI Visibility/Site Audit for quantitative validation, run Strategy again in 3-6 months to review results

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How the Products Work Together

Workflow 1: AI Visibility Optimization

Step 1: Run AI Visibility ($50)

• Learn: Presence Rate 28%, Authority Score 68, Ghost Influence 42%
• Gap identified: Low Presence Rate (missing schema markup)

Step 2: Run Site Audit ($50)

• Learn: Schema markup incomplete, missing LocalBusiness fields
• Action: Fix schema markup (add areaServed, serviceType, reviews)

Step 3: Wait 4-8 weeks, Run AI Visibility again ($50)

• Measure: Presence Rate improved 28% → 38% (+10% from schema fix)

Step 4 (Optional): Run Strategy ($50)

• Question: “Presence Rate improved to 38%. Should we invest $30k more in content creation or wait for organic growth?”
• Get: Strategic recommendation with ROI analysis

Total cost: $75-150 for full optimization cycle

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Workflow 2: Website Launch Audit

Step 1: Run Site Audit on staging site ($50)

• Learn: Overall Score 55/100, 15 high-severity issues (performance, accessibility)
• Action: Fix high-severity issues (compress images, add alt text, enable HTTPS)

Step 2: Run Site Audit on staging site again ($50)

• Measure: Overall Score improved 55 → 75 (+20 points)
• Verify: High-severity issues reduced to 0

Step 3: Launch site to production

Step 4: Run Site Audit on production site ($50)

• Verify: No new issues introduced during deployment
• Learn: Production performance matches staging (or identify production-specific issues)

Step 5 (Optional): Run AI Visibility 4-8 weeks after launch ($50)

• Measure: Did improved website (schema markup, performance) improve AI Presence Rate?

Total cost: $75-200 for complete launch audit cycle

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Workflow 3: Strategic Planning

Step 1: Run AI Visibility ($50)

• Learn: Presence Rate 18%, competitive ranking #12 out of 40
• Context: Weak AI visibility

Step 2: Run Site Audit ($50)

• Learn: Overall Score 62/100, missing schema markup
• Context: Website has technical gaps

Step 3: Run Strategy with both Intelligence Tokens ($50)

• Question: “AI Visibility shows 18% Presence Rate, Site Audit shows 62/100 score. Budget is $50k for next quarter. Should we prioritize AI visibility ($30k schema + content) vs website performance ($30k rebuild) vs split budget ($25k each)?”
• Get: Recommendation based on your actual metrics (not generic advice)

Total cost: $100-150 for complete strategic planning cycle

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Pricing Overview

Pay-Per-Use

• AI Visibility: $50 (7 AI platforms, strategic recommendations, PowerPoint export)
• Site Audit: $50 (100 pages, content gaps, 3 competitor benchmarking)
• Strategy: $50 flat (6-AI debate)

When to use: Occasional testing (1-2 reports/quarter)

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Agency Portfolio

• Portfolio plan ($500/mo, 20 jobs): AI Visibility, Site Audit, Strategy (any mix)
• Includes: Clean-label reporting, priority support, extra jobs $25 each

When to use: Agencies with 10+ clients, high-volume testing

Learn more: Agency Bulk Pricing

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30-Minute Quickstart

Minute 1-5: Choose Your Product

Pick one:

• AI Visibility (if AI visibility is priority)
• Site Audit (if website audit is priority)
• Strategy (if strategic decision is priority)

Unsure? Start with AI Visibility ($50, fastest way to assess AI visibility)

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Minute 6-10: Submit Order

For AI Visibility:

1. Go to surmado.com/signal
2. Enter 3-7 buyer personas (examples provided)

• “Emergency AC repair Phoenix same-day service”
• “Moving companies DFW area reliable teams”

3. Choose ($50) or Pro ($50)
4. Submit order

For Site Audit:

1. Go to surmado.com/scan
2. Enter website URL (https://yoursite.com)
3. Choose Site Audit ($50, 100 pages)
4. Submit order

For Strategy:

1. Go to surmado.com/solutions
2. Enter strategic question

• “Should we invest $50k in AI visibility or traditional SEO?”

3. Optionally provide AI Visibility/Site Audit Intelligence Token for quantitative analysis
4. Submit order ($50)

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Minute 11-25: Wait for Delivery

AI Visibility: about 15 minutes Site Audit: about 15-30 minutes Strategy: about 15-20 minutes

You’ll receive: Email from hi@surmado.com with PDF report + Intelligence Token

What if something goes wrong? We have automatic refund systems. If that doesn’t work, reach out to hi@surmado.com - we’ll make it right.

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Minute 26-30: Read Report

For AI Visibility: Open PDF, read:

• Page 1: Presence Rate, Authority Score, competitive ranking
• Page 3-5: Platform variance (which AI platforms mention you most)
• Quick action: Identify biggest gap (low presence vs weak authority vs high ghost influence)

For Site Audit: Open PDF, read:

• Page 1: Overall Score + category scores
• Page 2-4: High-severity issues (red flags)
• Quick action: Identify #1 priority fix (security, performance, accessibility, or SEO)

For Strategy: Open PDF, read:

• Page 2-3: Prioritized recommendations
• Page 4-6: 6-model debate (look for consensus)
• Page 6-8: Risk assessment
• Quick action: Choose Recommendation #1 (default) or #2-3 if you have strong reason

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Common Questions

Do I need all three products?

No. Most businesses start with AI Visibility (AI visibility diagnostic) or Site Audit (website audit). Strategy is for specific strategic decisions. Use what you need.

Can I run AI Visibility/Site Audit/Strategy on competitor websites?

• AI Visibility: No (tests your business based on personas you provide)
• Site Audit: Yes (enter competitor URL)
• Strategy: No (analyzes your decisions, but you can ask about competitive strategy)

How often should I run these?

AI Visibility:

• If scores good (Presence Rate 40%+): Quarterly
• If scores rough (Presence Rate < 30%): Monthly (to track improvement)
• After major changes (new website, content push): 4-8 weeks later

Site Audit:

• Before launches: Immediately (staging site)
• After launches: 1-2 weeks later (production verification)
• Quarterly check-ups: Every 3 months

Strategy:

• As needed for strategic decisions (no regular cadence)
• After implementing recommendations: 3-6 months later (review results)

What if I don’t understand the report?

Read the “Now What?” guides:

• First AI Visibility Report - Now What?
• First Site Audit Report - Now What?
• First Strategy Report - Now What?

Or contact hi@surmado.com with your Intelligence Token and specific questions.

Do Intelligence Tokens expire?

No. Tokens never expire. Access data anytime via API: https://api.surmado.com/intelligence/{TOKEN}

Can I automate this with Zapier/Make/n8n?

Yes. All three products give Intelligence Tokens (API access). Automate workflows:

• AI Visibility → Google Sheets (automatic tracking)
• Site Audit → Slack (alert on issues)
• Strategy → Email (send to leadership team)

Learn more: API Integration Overview

What’s the refund policy?

7-day money-back guarantee. If report doesn’t meet expectations, contact hi@surmado.com within 7 days for full refund.

Can I try before buying?

AI Visibility ($50) and Site Audit ($50) are low-risk ways to test Surmado. If valuable, consider a Pro membership ($100/mo) for 4 jobs/month at $25/job effective rate.

I’m an agency with 10+ clients. What’s the best approach?

Start with a Portfolio plan ($500/mo, 20 jobs). Run AI Visibility + Site Audit across clients using your monthly jobs.

Learn more: Agency Bulk Pricing

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Next Steps

Today (30 minutes):

• Choose product (AI Visibility, Site Audit, or Strategy)
• Submit order
• Wait for delivery (about 15-30 minutes)
• Read report + identify priority action

This week (2-8 hours):

• If AI Visibility: Fix biggest gap (schema markup, expertise content, or brand attribution)
• If Site Audit: Fix high-severity issues (compress images, add alt text, enable HTTPS, fix schema)
• If Strategy: Create implementation plan (budget, timeline, team, metrics)

In 4-8 weeks (measure progress):

• Run AI Visibility/Site Audit again to track improvement
• Compare: Did metrics improve? (Presence Rate up, Overall Score up?)
• Adjust strategy based on results

Need help? Contact hi@surmado.com. If you’re stuck on a report, include your Intelligence Token for faster support.

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Ready to get started?

• Try AI Visibility free or Run AI Visibility ($50) (test AI visibility)
• Try Site Audit free or Run Site Audit ($50) (audit website)
• Try Strategy free or Run Strategy ($50) (analyze strategic decision)

Already have an account? Log in.

→ Related: Which Product Should I Use? | Understanding Your AI Visibility Report | Understanding Your Site Audit Report | Pricing Details