Frequently Asked Questions

Surmado builds and runs websites for small businesses. Surmado Sites is our flagship: we rebuild your website, host it, monitor it, and make your updates when you ask in plain English. You approve the rebuilt site before you pay anything.

Scout is the AI that runs it. Scout uses three kinds of research Jobs, and you can buy any of them on their own:

• AI Visibility: How seven AI platforms talk about your brand, persona by persona, platform by platform.
• Site Audit: Speed, SEO, security, accessibility, and schema. Prioritized actions, not raw data.
• Strategy: Seven AI platforms debate your decision. Python runs the math. Exit triggers included.

Surmado Sites memberships start at $99/month billed annually. Research Jobs are $50 each. Learn more about pricing

Surmado’s flagship is Sites, and Surmado Code Review is the guardrail engine inside it. Code Review is also available as a standalone product for GitHub teams ($15/month for 100 PRs). Audits and research Jobs power the managed website offer.

No. Surmado uses deterministic code as the foundation, machine learning for matching and analysis, and LLMs only at the orchestration layer for synthesis and explanation. Most AI startups do this in reverse: LLMs as the foundation with thin code wrappers. Surmado's order is the opposite, by design. The architecture is the product.

No. Surmado Sites is an agent that manages your website. AI website builders (Lovable, v0, Bolt, Framer AI) are tools customers learn to use themselves. Surmado Sites is the opposite frame: Scout rebuilds the site, hosts it, monitors it, and keeps improving it for you. There’s no editor, no template gallery, no learning curve. Use Wix or Squarespace if you want to build your own site. Use Surmado Sites if you want your website handled for you.

Yes, that's a fair label. An AI webmaster is the old webmaster role done by an agent: Surmado Sites rebuilds your website, hosts it, monitors it, and makes your updates when you ask in plain English, with a human checking the work. Some people call this an AI-managed website or website as a service; Surmado calls it having your website handled.

ChatGPT gives you one perspective designed to make you happy. Scout uses multiple AI models for strategic synthesis and research. Python and statistics handle precise calculations and structured analysis. You get the depth of consultants without the retainer.

No. Surmado is not an AI listing service. Scout cannot submit your site to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Meta AI, Grok, or DeepSeek, and we do not sell placements. Scout tests how these systems already talk about you, then gives you a plan to improve your visibility.

Most reports are ready in about 15 minutes. No sales calls required. Just results.

No. You give Scout a brand name and a URL. It handles the research, the audit, and the recommendations. If you can fill out a form, you can use Scout.

Yes. Scout reads every report and remembers your brand. Weekly monitoring tracks changes persona by persona, platform by platform. The more you use it, the sharper the recommendations get.

“SIR-mah-doh” like sir + ma + dough.

Yes. Those are common misspellings and all redirect to Surmado. We’re at www.surmado.com.

Surmado Sites is for small business owners who want their whole online presence handled, not another website project. If you run a small or local business and just need customers to find you, understand what you do, and contact you, Sites is a fit. You don’t have to think about your website, SEO, AI visibility, translations, security, or any of the technical work underneath.

Most rebuilds are ready within 24 hours. Our AI process and team rebuild the site, a human checks every migration against our 42-point QA process, and you approve it before launch. We take that time on purpose, so you never have to check the work yourself. Not every site qualifies — if yours is unusually large or complex, we scope it with you first.

We rebuild your site free and send you a preview link. Pro is $99/month billed annually ($150 month to month) for hosting and ongoing technical care, with one additional language, five research Jobs, and weekly monitoring included. Pro+ ($199/month billed annually, $250 month to month) adds a custom chatbot that answers questions and captures leads, up to five additional languages, weekly blog posts, and ten Jobs. If you need a domain, that’s included too. You pay nothing until you approve the rebuild and your domain moves.

We carry over everything that matters: photos, copy, contact information, brand colors, fonts, page structure, URLs, redirects, and metadata. We remove unused code, broken add-ons, spam injections, and security holes. The rebuild uses your real content, not templates.

Describe your business and we build from scratch. No existing site required. Share your services, hours, and contact details. Our AI agent turns that information into the page structure and design. If you need a domain, one is included.

You can make changes in plain English. Ask our AI, “Make the hero darker,” “Swap that photo,” or “Add an FAQ about same-day service.” It makes the change and you approve it—no dashboard or editor to learn.

A website builder gives you tools you still have to operate: an editor to learn and maintain. Surmado Sites does the work for you. Ask our AI agent for changes anytime, reach real people when you need them, and leave hosting, monitoring, and technical upkeep to us.

Yes. Every Surmado Site is a fully customizable, complete website, not a template. We can keep the look your customers already recognize or take the design somewhere new, and you can ask for any change in plain English.

Your domain, content, images, and written copy are always yours. If you cancel, we provide your content and image assets, a full URL map with redirects, your metadata, and a DNS checklist so your next provider can pick up where we left off.

AI Visibility shows how seven AI platforms talk about your brand when your customers search for your services, differently depending on who’s asking, where they are, and what language they speak. Included with every plan. Learn more about AI Visibility · Glossary

No. Scout does not sell AI placements and cannot submit your site to AI platforms. No one can. Scout tests how these systems already talk about you and gives you a plan to improve it.

Ghost Influence measures how often AI discusses your capabilities but attributes them to a competitor. It’s the visibility you’re losing without knowing. It’s one of the most actionable metrics in the report.

AI doesn’t give the same answer to everyone. A budget-conscious homeowner and a commercial contractor asking the same question get different results. That changes by location and language. Scout tests as your actual customer types so you see what they see.

SEO tools optimize your site for Google. Scout shows how AI platforms talk about you, differently depending on who’s asking, where they are, and what language they speak. But they’re connected: AI mirrors your digital visibility. Scout shows the full picture.

No. Scout queries seven AI platforms simultaneously: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Meta AI, Grok, and DeepSeek. Each platform has different training data and different biases. A single-platform check misses the picture.

Scout runs real research: querying seven platforms simultaneously with persona-aware prompts, analyzing the responses, generating competitive benchmarks, and producing client-ready deliverables. That’s ~15 minutes of compute, not a queue.

Yes. AI mirrors your digital visibility. If your site is broken, confusing, or inaccessible, AI reflects that right back. Site Audit and AI Visibility work together. That’s why Scout connects both. Site Audit

Scout audits your site for speed, SEO, security, accessibility, and schema, then prioritizes what to fix and why it matters. Prioritized actions with business context. Included with every plan. Learn more about Site Audit

No. Scout combines Google PageSpeed Insights, Chrome UX Report real user data, Pa11y accessibility testing, browser compatibility checks across 9+ browsers, and structured data validation. Then it synthesizes everything into prioritized actions with business context.

Yes. Every finding comes with source data and methodology. The report includes a full methodology appendix. When a client asks where a number came from, you can show them.

A prioritized action plan with up to 10 fixes ranked by impact and effort. Technical SEO audit, performance testing with real user metrics, accessibility compliance, security review, and browser compatibility. PDF, slide deck, and structured JSON included.

Yes. Every Job includes structured JSON output alongside the PDF and slide deck. Use it to build custom dashboards, feed your own tools, or integrate via the API.

Yes. The Jobs API lets you trigger Site Audit Jobs programmatically and receive results via webhook. API access is included with every plan. View API Docs.

No. AI mirrors your digital visibility. If your site is broken, confusing, or inaccessible, AI reflects that right back. SEO and AI visibility are connected. That’s why Scout handles both. AI Visibility

Yes. We use Google’s PageSpeed Insights API, which renders JavaScript just like real users see it. Works with React, Vue, Next.js, or any modern framework. We also test browser compatibility across Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and social media in-app browsers.

Strategy puts seven AI platforms in a room and makes them argue your decision from every angle: CMO, CFO, CTO, Product, Risk, Growth. Then Python runs 1,000 Monte Carlo simulations on the financials. You get a plan with math, not vibes. Learn more about Strategy

ChatGPT gives one AI’s opinion. Scout runs seven platforms, each assigned a specific business role. They debate your decision, challenge assumptions, and synthesize a recommendation. Then Python runs 1,000 Monte Carlo simulations for all financials.

We provide strategic analysis to help you think through decisions. You’re responsible for all final choices and should consult qualified professionals for specific financial, legal, or medical guidance. This is a decision tool, not a replacement for human judgment.

~15 minutes. Scout runs real research: seven platforms debating, Python running simulations, strategic synthesis across multiple perspectives. That’s actual compute, not a queue.

Even better. Scout uses your numbers as inputs for the Monte Carlo simulations. Real data in, real projections out, with probability distributions, not point estimates.

Scout works with what you give it. Even rough numbers improve the output. Without hard financials, you still get strategic synthesis, risk analysis, and a prioritized roadmap.

Strategy gets surgical. Scout reads the AI Visibility findings and turns them into specific actions: which FAQ questions to add, which schema markup to implement, which platforms to prioritize. AI Visibility

Two memberships and a pay-as-you-go option. Pro is $99/month billed annually ($150 month to month) and includes your managed website plus five research Jobs a month. Pro+ is $199/month billed annually ($250 month to month) and adds a custom chatbot, up to five additional languages, weekly blog posts, ad and visitor tracking with built-in cookie consent, and ten Jobs a month. One-off research Jobs are $50. 7-day money-back guarantee.

We combine Machine Learning (ML) with traditional programming. Once the math is right, we pass the results to seven different AI models. Each tool does what it’s great at. The language models never touch math.

Other tools give you a dashboard to run your own analysis. Scout gives you finished work: reports, slide decks, email content, prospecting materials. ~15 minutes per Job, not 15 hours of dashboard-staring.

Yes. Every plan includes client-ready exports (PDF and slides), Scout access, and API. White-label reports are available for agencies. No hidden fees.

Jobs are our version of credits. Scout does work. When Scout does a complex set of work for you, it uses 1 Job. Scout always asks permission before using a Job.

PAYG Jobs ($50) never expire. Pro includes 5 Jobs/month and Pro+ includes 10. Monthly allowances refill each billing cycle. Members can buy extra Jobs for $25 anytime (valid 30 days).

Yes. Upgrade from PAYG to Pro or Pro+ anytime. PAYG Jobs you’ve already purchased never expire and carry over.

Pro and Pro+ members can buy extra Jobs for $25 each (valid 30 days). hi@surmado.com.

All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) through Stripe. PAYG Jobs are one-time charges. Pro and Pro+ are subscriptions, billed annually or month to month.

Yes. 7-day money-back guarantee on all plans, no questions asked. hi@surmado.com

For Surmado Sites, payment comes last: we rebuild your site free, you approve it, and your membership starts when your domain moves. For research Jobs, give Scout your website and answer a few questions; reports land in about 15 minutes. Learn more about getting started

No. Scout runs structured research across seven AI platforms simultaneously, audits your client’s site, then generates strategy using seven AI platforms that pressure-test each other. ~15 minutes of real work.

Yes. You set your margin. Jobs are $50 each, and volume pricing is available for agencies. Get in touch.

We sell the Pro membership to businesses directly, and we support agencies with white-label reports that remove all Surmado branding.

They can buy Pro at $99/mo billed annually, but they won’t get white-label reports, prospecting materials, or the volume pricing. The agency layer adds real value.

No. Scout does research. Agencies do relationships, strategy, and execution. We built white-label into the product on purpose. We’re building the research layer that makes agencies more competitive.

Because it’s doing real research: querying seven platforms with persona-aware prompts, running a full site audit, and generating strategy through adversarial AI models.

Reports, decks, and emails go out under your name. White-label removes all Surmado branding. Your client never sees our name unless you want them to.

Digital marketing agencies, SEO consultants, PR firms, and freelancers who serve multiple clients.

No. SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz show what Google sees. Scout shows what AI recommends. Different layer, different data. Most agencies run both.

SEO optimizes for search engines. GEO optimizes for AI answers. Scout automates GEO audits across seven AI platforms in ~15 minutes. Most agencies run both. GEO · AEO

No. Scout delivers finished reports and plain-English recommendations. Just tell Scout about your business and it handles the research.

Yes. Try the interactive demo at no cost. No login required. Every plan comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee.

PDF reports, slide decks, and a prioritized list of what to fix. In plain English.

Google Analytics shows who visited your site. Scout shows how AI platforms talk about your business and whether they recommend you.

Great. Share the report with them. It’s research they’d have to do manually otherwise. Scout for Agencies.

When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity for a recommendation, does AI mention your business? AI Visibility is how often and how accurately AI platforms talk about you.

No. Surmado uses Clerk for authentication and Stripe for payments. Your password and full card details are never stored on Surmado’s servers.

No. Surmado tests DeepSeek as an AI platform, but all queries are routed through Together.ai on US-based servers. Your data is never sent to DeepSeek-operated infrastructure. We use DeepSeek because it's one of the seven major AI platforms your customers are asking for recommendations on. We need to know what it says about you.