How Do Signal, Scan, and Solutions Work Together?

Signal, Scan, and Solutions form a complete business visibility flywheel: Signal diagnoses AI/SEO gaps, Scan identifies technical fixes, Solutions validates strategic decisions. Each product feeds insights into the others.

Reading time: 13 minutes

What you’ll learn:

• The complete flywheel in action: Signal shows 22% Presence Rate → Scan finds missing schema/broken links → Solutions validates “emergency vs maintenance” positioning → Re-run Signal shows 58% Presence Rate
• Four detailed workflow examples: new business launch, SEO troubleshooting, competitor displacement, and quarterly business review
• How Intelligence Tokens connect all three products for automated dashboards tracking AI visibility + technical health + strategic decisions
• Recommended frequency for each product: Signal monthly/quarterly, Scan quarterly, Solutions as-needed, Complete Visibility Suite quarterly
• When to use which product combinations: Signal+Scan for content+technical, Signal+Solutions for visibility+strategy, Scan+Solutions for technical+strategic

The flywheel: Signal reveals problems → Scan provides fixes → Solutions stress-tests implementation → Re-run Signal to measure improvement → Repeat.

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The Surmado Flywheel

Step 1: Diagnose (Signal)

What Signal reveals:

• AI Presence Rate: 35% (mentioned in 18 of 51 queries)
• Ghost Influence: 68% (features described but attributed to competitors)
• Top gap: “Emergency service” persona has 0% presence

Diagnosis: Buyers searching for emergency services don’t find you via AI.

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Step 2: Fix Technical Issues (Scan)

What Scan identifies (based on Signal gaps):

• Missing FAQ schema markup (AI can’t parse Q&A content)
• No “emergency service” content on site
• Broken links on service pages (link equity lost)
• Core Web Vitals failing (slow site = poor rankings)

Fixes prioritized:

1. Add FAQ schema to emergency service page
2. Create “24/7 Emergency Service” landing page
3. Fix broken links
4. Optimize images (improve Core Web Vitals)

Time to implement: 4-8 hours (developer or Webflow/WordPress)

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Step 3: Validate Strategy (Solutions)

Strategic question: “Should I invest in emergency service content or expand to new city?”

Solutions 6-AI debate:

• CFO AI: Emergency content costs $2K (copywriter). New city costs $50K (location, staff). Emergency content has better ROI.
• COO AI: Emergency content feasible (4-8 hours dev work). New city risky (operational complexity).
• Market Realist AI: Emergency service searches = 40% of HVAC queries. High demand, worth targeting.
• Game Theorist AI: Competitors weak on emergency positioning. Opportunity to dominate.
• Chief Strategist AI: Emergency content aligns with core business. New city is distraction.
• Wildcard AI: Emergency content can be launched this month. New city takes 6+ months.

Recommendation: Prioritize emergency content (high ROI, low risk, fast execution). Defer new city to Q3.

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Step 4: Measure Improvement (Signal Re-Test)

After implementing Scan fixes + Solutions recommendations:

• Re-run Signal 60 days later
• Compare before/after:
  • Presence Rate: 35% → 58% (+66% improvement)
  • Emergency persona: 0% → 72% (dominant position)
  • Ghost Influence: 68% → 32% (cut in half)

Validation: Strategy worked. AI now recommends you for emergency services.

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Workflow Examples

Workflow 1: New Business Launch

Scenario: Launching new website, want to maximize visibility.

Step 1: Run Scan (pre-launch)

• Audit website before going live
• Fix technical issues (broken links, missing schema, Core Web Vitals)
• Ensure WCAG compliance (accessibility)

Step 2: Run Signal (post-launch, Week 4)

• Test AI visibility after Google indexes site
• Identify persona gaps (which buyer types don’t find you)
• Benchmark vs competitors

Step 3: Run Solutions (Month 2)

• Evaluate content strategy (“Should I invest in blog vs paid ads?”)
• Validate pricing (“Is $50/month too low for this market?”)
• Stress-test go-to-market plan

Step 4: Re-run Scan + Signal (Month 6)

• Scan: Verify site quality maintained (no new issues)
• Signal: Track visibility improvement (Presence Rate growth)

Outcome: Launch with clean technical foundation, measure AI visibility growth, validate strategy with data.

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Workflow 2: SEO Troubleshooting

Scenario: Traffic declining, rankings dropping.

Step 1: Run Scan (diagnose technical issues)

• Check for broken links (404 errors killing link equity)
• Test Core Web Vitals (Google ranking factor)
• Validate schema markup (rich snippets lost?)
• Accessibility check (ADA compliance issues?)

Findings:

• 87 broken links (high priority)
• LCP 6.2 seconds (target: 2.5s) - very slow
• Product schema missing (no rich snippets)

Step 2: Fix issues identified

• Repair broken links (2 hours)
• Compress images, add lazy loading (4 hours)
• Implement Product schema (2 hours)

Step 3: Run Signal (test AI visibility impact)

• Before fixes: Presence Rate 42%
• After fixes (60 days later): Presence Rate 61%
• Validation: Technical fixes improved AI visibility +45%

Step 4: Run Solutions (plan next moves)

• Question: “Traffic improved 45%. Should I invest in more content or hire AE to capitalize?”
• Solutions recommends: Content (compounds), not AE (high fixed cost)

Outcome: Diagnosed problem (technical issues), fixed it (Scan), validated improvement (Signal), planned next steps (Solutions).

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Workflow 3: Competitor Displacement

Scenario: Competitor dominates AI search. You want to catch up.

Step 1: Run Signal on competitor

• Competitor Presence Rate: 78%
• Your Presence Rate: 35%
• Gap: 43 percentage points

Analysis: Competitor mentioned in 12 of 15 “emergency service” queries. You’re mentioned in 2 of 15.

Step 2: Run Scan on competitor website

• Find their technical strengths (FAQ schema, fast Core Web Vitals)
• Find their weaknesses (missing LocalBusiness schema, 45 broken links)

Insight: Competitor strong on content + speed. Weak on local SEO.

Step 3: Run Solutions (strategy to close gap)

• Question: “Competitor dominates emergency queries. How do we catch up?”
• Solutions recommends:
  1. Match competitor’s FAQ content (create 12 FAQs vs their 15)
  2. Exploit their weakness (add LocalBusiness schema, you’ll rank in map pack, they won’t)
  3. Target adjacent niche (preventive maintenance, where competitor is weak)

Step 4: Execute + measure

• Implement recommendations (2-3 months)
• Re-run Signal: Your Presence Rate 35% → 64% (competitor still 78%, but gap closing)

Outcome: Closed 29-point gap by studying competitor + executing strategic plan.

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Workflow 4: Quarterly Business Review

Scenario: End of quarter, review progress and plan next quarter.

Step 1: Run Signal (track AI visibility trend)

• Q1: 45% Presence Rate
• Q2: 52% Presence Rate
• Q3: 58% Presence Rate
• Trend: Growing +7% per quarter

Step 2: Run Scan (maintain site health)

• Quarterly check: Any new issues accumulated?
• Finding: 12 new broken links (content updates broke old links)
• Fix: Repair links before they affect rankings

Step 3: Run Solutions (plan Q4)

• Question: “Q4 OKRs: Should we focus on content, new features, or sales hiring?”
• Solutions evaluates resource conflicts, revenue impact, execution feasibility
• Recommendation: Content (30% effort) + sales hiring (70% effort). Defer features to Q1.

Step 4: Review Intelligence Tokens

• Pull JSON data from Q1, Q2, Q3 Signal reports
• Chart Presence Rate trend (visualize growth)
• Present to team: “AI visibility up 29% YTD”

Outcome: Quarterly data-driven review replacing 2-day offsites.

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Product Combinations and Use Cases

Signal + Scan (Content + Technical Stack)

Why together: Signal reveals content gaps. Scan provides technical fixes.

Example:

• Signal: “Emergency persona has 0% presence”
• Scan: “You have emergency service page, but no FAQ schema. AI can’t parse it.”
• Fix: Add FAQ schema to existing emergency page. Presence improves without new content.

ROI: $75 (Signal $50 + Scan $25) → identify quick wins (schema markup vs rewriting content)

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Signal + Solutions (Visibility + Strategy)

Why together: Signal shows current state. Solutions plans improvements.

Example:

• Signal: “Ghost Influence 68% (features described but attributed to competitors)”
• Solutions: “Why is Ghost Influence high? Should I rebrand or just add FAQ content?”
• Solutions analysis: FAQ content cheaper and faster than rebrand. Test FAQ first.

ROI: $100 (Signal $50 + Solutions $50) → avoid expensive rebrand ($50K) by testing cheaper alternative first.

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Scan + Solutions (Technical + Strategic)

Why together: Scan finds issues. Solutions prioritizes which to fix first.

Example:

• Scan: “87 issues found (broken links, slow Core Web Vitals, missing schema, accessibility)”
• Solutions: “I have 8 hours dev time this week. Which issues should I fix first?”
• Solutions prioritization: Fix broken links (2 hours, high SEO impact) + compress images (4 hours, Core Web Vitals). Defer accessibility (lower urgency).

ROI: $75-100 (Scan $25 or $50 + Solutions $50) → prioritize limited dev time for max impact.

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All Three: Signal + Scan + Solutions (Complete Visibility)

Complete Visibility Suite: $100 (save $25 vs buying separately)

Why all three: Comprehensive diagnosis, technical fixes, strategic validation.

Example workflow:

1. Signal: Diagnose AI visibility gaps (Presence Rate 35%, emergency persona missing)
2. Scan: Find technical issues preventing improvement (no FAQ schema, slow site)
3. Solutions: Validate fix strategy (“Should I add FAQ content or invest in paid ads?”)
4. Outcome: Faster diagnosis + prioritized fixes + strategic validation = efficient improvement

Best for:

• New businesses (comprehensive baseline)
• Quarterly reviews (track all dimensions)
• Major initiatives (website redesign, rebrand, market entry)

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How Intelligence Tokens Connect Everything

Signal Intelligence Token (SIG-2025-11-XXXXX):

• Presence Rate: 58%
• Top competitor: Competitor A (72% Presence)
• Ghost Influence: 32%

Scan Intelligence Token (SCAN-2025-11-YYYYY):

• Issues: 23 (12 broken links, 8 schema gaps, 3 Core Web Vitals failures)
• Overall score: 78/100

Solutions Intelligence Token (SOLUTIONS-2025-11-ZZZZZ):

• Recommendation: Fix broken links + add FAQ schema
• Priority: HIGH (quick wins, 2-4 hours effort)

Combined analysis:

• Pull JSON from all 3 tokens
• Cross-reference: Signal gap (emergency persona) + Scan issue (missing FAQ schema) + Solutions recommendation (add schema, not rewrite content)
• Insight: One fix (FAQ schema) solves Signal gap identified, addresses Scan issue, aligns with Solutions priority

Automation: Build dashboard pulling all 3 Intelligence Tokens monthly. Track trends.

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When to Use Which Product

Use Signal when:

• You need AI visibility diagnosis
• Tracking quarterly progress
• Benchmarking vs competitors
• Measuring content ROI

Use Scan when:

• Launching new website
• Traffic declining unexpectedly
• Pre-acquisition audit
• Quarterly technical health check

Use Solutions when:

• Deciding between 2+ options
• Validating strategy before execution
• Resolving team disagreements
• Stress-testing quarterly OKRs

Use all three when:

• New business launch (comprehensive baseline)
• Major initiative (rebrand, expansion, pivot)
• Quarterly review (track all dimensions)
• Competitor analysis (full competitive intelligence)

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The Bottom Line

Signal, Scan, Solutions form a complete flywheel:

Signal: Diagnoses AI visibility gaps and content opportunities Scan: Identifies technical fixes and performance improvements Solutions: Validates strategic decisions and prioritizes actions

Together: Faster diagnosis, data-driven decisions, measurable improvement.

Complete Visibility Suite: $100 (all three products) vs $125 separately (save $25).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need all three products?

Not always. Depends on needs:

Just Signal: If you only care about AI visibility (not technical SEO or strategy) Just Scan: If you need pre-launch audit or technical troubleshooting (not AI visibility) Just Solutions: If you need strategic validation (not visibility diagnosis)

All three: For comprehensive diagnosis + fixes + strategy validation

Can I run them in any order?

Yes, but recommended sequence:

Best order:

1. Scan (fix technical foundation first)
2. Signal (measure visibility on clean site)
3. Solutions (validate improvement strategy)

Why: No point measuring AI visibility (Signal) if site has 87 broken links (Scan). Fix technical first, then diagnose visibility.

Alternative order:

1. Signal (diagnose gaps)
2. Solutions (plan fixes)
3. Scan (implement technical fixes)

Both work, but Scan-first avoids wasting time measuring broken site.

How often should I run each product?

Recommended cadence:

Signal: Monthly or quarterly

• Monthly: Active optimization (track Presence Rate growth)
• Quarterly: Maintenance (monitor for declines)

Scan: Quarterly or semi-annual

• Quarterly: Active site development (new features, content)
• Semi-annual: Stable sites (no major changes)

Solutions: As needed

• Strategic decisions (hiring, pricing, partnerships)
• Quarterly planning (validate OKRs)
• Team conflicts (resolve disagreements)

Complete suite: Quarterly (all three together for comprehensive review)

Do Intelligence Tokens work across products?

Not directly (each product has own JSON schema).

But you can combine:

• Fetch Signal JSON (SIG token)
• Fetch Scan JSON (SCAN token)
• Fetch Solutions JSON (SOLUTIONS token)
• Build dashboard combining all three

Example dashboard:

• AI Presence Rate (from Signal)
• Technical Score (from Scan)
• Strategic Priorities (from Solutions)
• All in one view

Can I share reports across team?

Yes:

PDFs: Forward email or share downloaded PDF Intelligence Tokens: Share token (gives access to JSON data) Dashboard: Pull JSON via tokens, display in shared Notion/Google Sheets

Team workflow:

• Marketing runs Signal → shares findings with CEO
• Engineering runs Scan → shares issues with Product
• Founder runs Solutions → shares recommendations with team

All data shareable (no technical restrictions).

Is Complete Visibility Suite better value?

Yes, if you’ll use all three:

Separate purchase:

• Signal: $50
• Scan: $50
• Solutions: $50
• Total: $150

Complete Visibility Suite: $100 (save $50)

Savings: 33% discount vs buying separately

When to buy suite: Quarterly reviews, new launches, major initiatives

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Ready for complete visibility? Get Complete Visibility Suite ($100 - Signal + Scan + Solutions) and diagnose gaps, fix issues, and validate strategy in under 2 hours.