Which Surmado Product Should I Use?

Quick answer: Signal diagnoses AI visibility, Scan fixes technical website issues, Solutions validates strategic decisions. Most businesses start with Signal ($50) to understand AI visibility gaps, then use Scan ($25 or $50) to fix technical SEO, or Solutions ($50-75) to stress-test strategy.

Reading time: 17 minutes

What you’ll learn:

• The decision framework: “Are AI platforms recommending us?” → Signal, “Why isn’t our website ranking?” → Scan, “Should we do X or Y?” → Solutions, “Need comprehensive assessment” → Complete Visibility Suite
• Seven common scenarios with specific product recommendations: local service business (Signal + Scan Basic), e-commerce (Scan Pro + Signal quarterly), B2B SaaS (Complete Visibility Suite quarterly), agency managing clients (Signal monthly + Scan quarterly)
• Why Surmado uses base-25 pricing ($25, $50, $100) instead of psychological pricing ($49, $99): clean multiples reflect honest value for commoditized insights
• Frequency recommendations backed by use cases: Signal monthly if AI is primary acquisition channel, quarterly for most businesses, Scan quarterly to prevent tech debt, Solutions as-needed for strategic decisions
• The product comparison table showing time (10-30 min), price ($25, $50, or $100), output format, and best use cases for each

Complete Visibility Suite ($100) includes all three products for comprehensive visibility assessment.

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Decision Framework

Start Here: What’s Your Primary Problem?

Problem 1: “Are AI platforms recommending us to buyers?” → Use Signal ($50, 10-15 minutes)

Problem 2: “Why isn’t our website ranking or converting?” → Use Scan ($25 or $50, 15-30 minutes)

Problem 3: “Should we do X or Y? Which strategy is smarter?” → Use Solutions ($50-75, 15-20 minutes)

Problem 4: “We need comprehensive visibility assessment” → Use Complete Visibility Suite ($100, 45 minutes total)

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When to Use Signal

You Should Use Signal If…

Scenario 1: AI visibility unknown

• You don’t know if ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity recommend you
• Buyers are using AI search but you’re not tracking it
• Competitors might be dominating AI platforms (you don’t know)

Scenario 2: Content strategy unclear

• You’re creating content but unsure what resonates in AI
• You want to reverse-engineer competitor content strategies
• You need to validate messaging before spending on ads

Scenario 3: Competitive benchmarking needed

• You want to compare your AI Presence Rate vs competitors
• You’re entering new markets and need competitive landscape analysis
• You’re losing deals and suspect AI recommendations favor competitors

Scenario 4: Brand positioning validation

• You’re rebranding and want to track AI adoption of new name
• You’re launching a product and need to validate category positioning
• You’re in crisis mode and need to monitor AI reputation

Example use case:

Local HVAC company spending $5K/month on Google Ads. Zero idea if AI platforms recommend them when buyers search “emergency AC repair Phoenix.” Run Signal → discover 22% Presence Rate (low) → fix content strategy → re-run Signal 90 days later → 58% Presence Rate.

Signal tells you: What AI platforms say about you, how often you’re mentioned, how you compare to competitors, and which personas you dominate vs lose.

Signal does NOT tell you: Why your website is slow, whether you’re ADA compliant, or which strategic decision to make (use Scan or Solutions for those).

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When to Use Scan

You Should Use Scan If…

Scenario 1: Website not ranking

• Google Search Console shows impressions but no clicks
• Competitors rank higher for same keywords
• You’ve done SEO work but haven’t seen ranking improvements

Scenario 2: Website feels slow

• Bounce rate high (over 60%)
• Users complain about performance
• Core Web Vitals failing in Google Search Console
• Page load time over 3 seconds

Scenario 3: Pre-launch or post-migration audit

• About to launch new website (catch issues before going live)
• Just migrated to new CMS (validate nothing broke)
• Redesigned site (verify technical SEO held up)

Scenario 4: Accessibility compliance needed

• ADA compliance requirements (healthcare, education, government)
• Worried about accessibility lawsuits
• Want to expand addressable market (15% of users have disabilities)

Scenario 5: Buying or selling website

• Acquiring website, need technical due diligence
• Selling website, want to fix issues before listing
• Valuing website, need technical debt assessment

Example use case:

E-commerce site with high traffic but low conversions. Run Scan → discover 890 images missing alt text, LCP 6.2 seconds (target: 2.5s), 67 WCAG violations → fix hero image compression, add alt text, improve accessibility → conversions increase 24%.

Scan tells you: Technical SEO issues, Core Web Vitals performance, accessibility violations, security gaps, mobile optimization problems, and browser compatibility issues.

Scan does NOT tell you: What AI platforms say about you, or which strategic decision to make (use Signal or Solutions for those).

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When to Use Solutions

You Should Use Solutions If…

Scenario 1: Strategic decision paralysis

• Team disagrees on roadmap priorities
• Founder stuck between Option A and Option B
• You need external perspective without hiring consultant

Scenario 2: High-stakes decision validation

• Considering pricing change (raise or lower?)
• Evaluating partnership deal (fair terms or trap?)
• Planning market expansion (which city to enter?)
• Hiring decision (AE vs engineer?)

Scenario 3: Stress-testing assumptions

• Building financial model, want to validate assumptions
• Creating investor pitch, need to anticipate questions
• Launching product, want to validate positioning

Scenario 4: Arbitrating team conflicts

• Marketing wants X, Sales wants Y, Product wants Z
• Leadership team has conflicting OKRs
• Need neutral third party to weigh perspectives

Scenario 5: Rapid strategic analysis

• Can’t afford $5K-15K consultant
• Don’t have time for 2-week engagement
• Need analysis in 15 minutes, not 2 weeks

Example use case:

SaaS founder considering freemium launch. Competitor just launched freemium. Should we follow? Submit to Solutions → CFO AI flags cannibalization risk, Market Realist AI questions viral growth assumptions, Game Theorist AI suggests competitor might be desperate (not smart) → decide NOT to launch freemium → avoided economic trap.

Solutions tells you: Strategic recommendations from 6 AI perspectives (CFO, COO, Market Realist, Game Theorist, Chief Strategist, Wildcard), prioritized action plans (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW urgency), and stress-tested assumptions.

Solutions does NOT tell you: What AI platforms say about you, or whether your website has technical issues (use Signal or Scan for those).

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Product Comparison Table

Feature	Signal	Scan	Solutions
What it diagnoses	AI visibility gaps	Technical website issues	Strategic decision quality
Time to complete	10-15 minutes	15-30 minutes	15-20 minutes
Price	$50	$25 or $50	$50-75
Output	Presence Rate, Authority Score, Ghost Influence, competitor rankings	Overall score (0-100), prioritized fix list, effort estimates	6-AI debate, prioritized recommendations (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW)
Use when	Need to understand AI visibility	Need to fix technical SEO, performance, accessibility	Need to validate strategic decision
Frequency	Monthly or quarterly	Quarterly or pre-launch	As-needed for major decisions
Intelligence Token	Yes (JSON export)	Yes (JSON export)	Yes (JSON export)
Best for	SMBs, agencies, local businesses, consultants	E-commerce, SaaS, agencies, pre-launch sites	Founders, executives, product leaders

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Complete Visibility Suite ($100)

What You Get

All three products in one package:

• Signal: AI visibility diagnostic
• Scan: Technical website audit
• Solutions: Strategic validation (one question)

Total value: $50 + $25 or $50 + $50-75 = $125-175 Suite price: $100 Savings: $25, $50, or $100 (20-43% discount)

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When to Use Complete Visibility Suite

Scenario 1: Comprehensive business assessment

• New client onboarding (agencies)
• Quarterly business review
• Board meeting preparation
• Investor due diligence

Scenario 2: Major inflection point

• Launching new product line
• Entering new market
• Rebranding company
• Preparing for acquisition

Scenario 3: “I don’t know what I don’t know”

• First time using Surmado (want full picture)
• Suspecting multiple issues (AI visibility, technical SEO, strategy)
• Want comprehensive baseline before making changes

Example use case:

Agency onboarding new HVAC client. Run Complete Visibility Suite:

• Signal: 22% Presence Rate (low), losing to 3 competitors
• Scan: 67/100 score, missing LocalBusiness schema, LCP 4.8s
• Solutions: “Should client focus on emergency or maintenance positioning?” → Solutions recommends emergency (higher margin, faster close)

Agency has complete diagnostic in 45 minutes. Builds 90-day roadmap: Fix schema, compress images, create emergency-focused content, re-run Signal to measure.

Complete Visibility Suite tells you: Everything (AI visibility, technical issues, strategic validation in one comprehensive report).

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How Products Work Together

The Surmado Flywheel

Step 1: Run Signal (diagnose AI visibility gaps)

• Discover: 22% Presence Rate, Ghost Influence at 42%
• Insight: AI platforms describe your features but recommend competitors

Step 2: Run Scan (fix technical foundation)

• Discover: Missing schema markup, broken links, slow Core Web Vitals
• Fix: Add schema, fix links, compress images

Step 3: Run Solutions (validate strategy)

• Question: “Should we focus on ‘emergency’ or ‘maintenance’ positioning?”
• Recommendation: Emergency positioning (higher margin, faster close)

Step 4: Implement changes (schema, performance, content strategy)

Step 5: Re-run Signal (measure improvement)

• Result: 22% → 58% Presence Rate (164% improvement)
• Ghost Influence: 42% → 18% (57% reduction)

Intelligence Tokens connect all three: Use JSON exports to track trends over time, build dashboards, automate reporting.

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Common Scenarios and Recommendations

Scenario: Local Service Business (HVAC, plumbing, law firm)

Recommended: Signal ($50) + Scan Basic ($25)

Why:

• Signal: Local businesses compete heavily in AI search (“best HVAC Phoenix”)
• Scan: LocalBusiness schema, mobile optimization, Core Web Vitals critical for map pack rankings
• Skip Solutions: Most local businesses have straightforward strategies (emergency + maintenance). Strategic complexity low.

ROI: $75 investment → discover AI visibility gaps, fix technical SEO → increase leads 15-30%.

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Scenario: E-commerce (Shopify, WooCommerce)

Recommended: Scan Pro ($50) + Signal ($50) quarterly

Why:

• Scan Pro: E-commerce has 100+ pages (products, collections, checkout). Need audit covering performance, accessibility, SEO, security, and mobile.
• Signal: Product discovery increasingly happens via AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity). Track category positioning.
• Skip Solutions initially: Focus on execution (fix technical issues, improve AI visibility). Use Solutions when facing major decisions (pricing change, new category launch).

ROI: $100/quarter → fix Core Web Vitals, improve AI product visibility → increase conversion rate 10-20%.

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Scenario: B2B SaaS (Startup or Scaleup)

Recommended: Complete Visibility Suite ($100) quarterly

Why:

• Signal: B2B buyers use AI for software research. Track competitive positioning.
• Scan: Technical SEO and performance affect organic acquisition (20-40% of leads).
• Solutions: High-stakes strategic decisions (pricing, hiring, market expansion) require validation.

ROI: $100/quarter → comprehensive visibility assessment, validated strategy → reduce bad decisions, improve acquisition efficiency.

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Scenario: Agency Managing 5-10 Clients

Recommended: Signal ($50/client) monthly + Scan ($25 or $50/client) quarterly

Why:

• Signal monthly: Track client AI visibility improvements, show ROI in client reports
• Scan quarterly: Catch technical issues before they hurt rankings
• Solutions as-needed: When client faces strategic decision (rebrand, pricing change)

Agency pricing: Agencies can white-label reports (contact sales@surmado.com for bulk pricing).

ROI: $50-75/client/month → demonstrate measurable improvements, increase retention, justify fees.

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Scenario: Solo Consultant or Personal Brand

Recommended: Signal ($50) monthly

Why:

• Signal: Track how AI platforms describe your expertise. Personal brand = AI visibility.
• Skip Scan: Personal websites typically simple (blog, contact page). Less technical complexity.
• Solutions as-needed: Use for major career decisions (niche pivot, pricing change, partnership evaluation).

ROI: $50/month → ensure AI recommends you when prospects research your category → increase inbound leads 20-40%.

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Scenario: Pre-Launch Startup

Recommended: Scan Pro ($50) before launch + Signal ($50) 30 days after launch

Why:

• Scan before launch: Catch technical issues before customers see them. Fix Core Web Vitals, accessibility, schema.
• Signal after launch: Give AI platforms 30 days to index content, then test visibility.
• Solutions before launch: Validate positioning, pricing, go-to-market strategy before spending.

ROI: $150 total → launch with clean technical foundation, validated strategy, baseline AI visibility → avoid costly rework.

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Pricing Philosophy

Why Surmado uses base-25 pricing ($25, $50, $100):

Traditional pricing: $49, $99, $149 (psychological pricing) Surmado pricing: $25, $50, $100 (clean multiples)

Reason: Surmado reports are commoditized insights, not hand-crafted artisan analysis. No reason to use psychological tricks. Clean pricing reflects honest value.

Complete Visibility Suite discount: $100 for all three products (normally $125-175) = 20-43% savings.

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How to Decide

Decision Tree

Question 1: Do you know if AI platforms recommend you?

• No → Run Signal ($50)
• Yes, and we’re doing well → Skip Signal (or run quarterly for monitoring)
• Yes, and we’re doing poorly → Run Signal + investigate why

Question 2: Is your website ranking well and converting?

• No → Run Scan ($25 or $50) to diagnose technical issues
• Yes → Skip Scan (or run quarterly for maintenance)

Question 3: Do you have a major strategic decision to make?

• Yes → Run Solutions ($50-75) to validate
• No → Skip Solutions (use as-needed)

Question 4: Are you unsure where to start?

• Yes → Run Complete Visibility Suite ($100) for full diagnostic
• No → Pick specific product based on primary problem

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Frequency Recommendations

How often should you run each product?

Signal Frequency

Monthly: If AI visibility is primary acquisition channel (consultants, local businesses, competitive B2B) Quarterly: If tracking improvements or competitive landscape (most businesses) As-needed: After major content updates, rebrand, crisis events

Cost: $50/month = $600/year or $50/quarter = $200/year

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Scan Frequency

Pre-launch: Before site goes live (catch issues early) Quarterly: Prevent technical debt accumulation (most businesses) Post-migration: After CMS change, redesign, major updates As-needed: When rankings drop, performance degrades, or compliance needed

Cost: $25 or $50/quarter = $100-200/year

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Solutions Frequency

As-needed: Major strategic decisions arise (not recurring) Quarterly planning: Validate OKRs, roadmap priorities (leadership teams) Monthly: High-frequency decision-making environments (agencies, consultants advising multiple clients)

Cost: $50-75/decision (variable)

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Complete Visibility Suite Frequency

Quarterly: Comprehensive business reviews (agencies, board meetings) Semi-annual: Mid-year and year-end assessments (most businesses) Annual: Comprehensive baseline + year-over-year comparison (low-change businesses)

Cost: $100/quarter = $400/year or $100/semi-annual = $200/year

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The Bottom Line

Choose based on your primary problem:

AI visibility gap → Signal ($50) Technical website issues → Scan ($25 or $50) Strategic decision validation → Solutions ($50-75) Comprehensive assessment → Complete Visibility Suite ($100)

Most businesses start with Signal to understand AI visibility, then add Scan or Solutions based on what gaps emerge.

Products work together: Signal diagnoses → Scan fixes → Solutions validates → Re-run Signal to measure. Intelligence Tokens let you track improvements over time.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use just one product, or do I need all three?

You can use one. Each product is standalone:

• Signal works without Scan or Solutions
• Scan works without Signal or Solutions
• Solutions works without Signal or Scan

But they’re better together. Example:

• Signal reveals AI visibility gap
• Scan explains why (missing schema, slow site)
• Solutions validates which fix to prioritize first

Recommendation: Start with one (usually Signal), add others as gaps emerge.

Which product has the best ROI?

Depends on your constraint:

If AI visibility is unknown: Signal has highest ROI (reveals 10-100x opportunities for $50) If website is broken: Scan has highest ROI (fixes conversion-killing issues for $25 or $50) If making high-stakes decision: Solutions has highest ROI (avoids $10K-100K mistakes for $50-75)

On average: Businesses report 10-50x ROI on first Surmado report (any product).

Do I need Complete Visibility Suite, or can I buy products separately?

Buy separately if:

• You know your specific problem (AI visibility, technical SEO, or strategy)
• You’re testing Surmado for first time (start with one product)
• You have budget constraints (prioritize one product)

Buy Complete Visibility Suite if:

• You want comprehensive diagnostic (unsure what issues exist)
• You’re onboarding new client (agencies)
• You’re at major inflection point (product launch, rebrand, market entry)
• You want to save 20-43% vs buying separately

What if I buy the wrong product?

Contact us: hi@surmado.com within 7 days of purchase.

We’ll help you:

• Understand what your report reveals
• Recommend next steps
• Credit your purchase toward different product if truly wrong fit

In practice: Most “wrong” purchases still reveal valuable insights. Signal might uncover unexpected AI visibility gaps. Scan might find critical technical issues you didn’t know existed.

Can I run multiple products on the same day?

Yes. All products run independently:

• Signal tests AI platforms (no interaction with your website)
• Scan crawls your website (no interaction with AI)
• Solutions analyzes your question (no interaction with website or AI)

Complete Visibility Suite runs all three in parallel (45 minutes total, not 3 hours).

How do I know which product to start with?

Ask yourself:

“Are buyers finding us via AI search?”

• Don’t know → Signal
• Yes → Skip Signal (or run quarterly)
• No → Signal

“Is our website technically sound?”

• Don’t know → Scan
• Yes → Skip Scan
• No → Scan

“Do we need to validate a strategic decision?”

• Yes → Solutions
• No → Skip Solutions

Still unsure? → Complete Visibility Suite ($100, full diagnostic).

Do products work for international businesses?

Yes, all three products support global businesses:

Signal: Tests 50+ languages. Submit personas in any language (Spanish, German, Japanese, etc.). Scan: Tests websites globally. Works with any domain, any country. Solutions: Analyzes international strategies (pricing in EUR, market entry in APAC, etc.).

Can I use these for competitor analysis?

Yes:

Signal: Run on competitor’s business to reverse-engineer their AI strategy Scan: Run on competitor’s website to find technical weaknesses Solutions: Analyze competitor’s public moves (pricing change, freemium launch)

Legal: All use public data (ethical, standard competitive intelligence).

Cost: $50-100 per competitor for analysis across 7 AI platforms vs $10K-25K traditional research.

Are there bundles or subscriptions?

Current pricing: Pay-per-report (no subscriptions)

• Signal: $50/report
• Scan: $25 or $50/report
• Solutions: $50-75/report
• Complete Visibility Suite: $100/package

No monthly recurring fees. Pay when you need insights, not ongoing.

Agency/bulk pricing: Contact sales@surmado.com for volume discounts (25+ reports/year minimum).

Which product should agencies use for client reporting?

Recommended: Signal ($50) monthly per client

Why:

• Demonstrates measurable AI visibility improvements
• Easy to explain to clients (Presence Rate trending up = good)
• Intelligence Tokens automate client report generation
• Monthly cadence shows ongoing value

Add Scan quarterly to catch technical issues before they hurt client rankings.

Add Solutions as-needed when client faces strategic decision (rebrand, pricing, expansion).

Agency pricing: White-label reports available (contact sales@surmado.com).

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Still not sure which product to use? Email hi@surmado.com with your specific situation and we’ll recommend the best starting point.