How Zeus scans work (monthly and Summon Zeus)

Zeus can scan a client two ways: automatically once a month (free, included in your plan), or on demand when you press Summon Zeus (5 credits). Use the monthly scan for every active client, and Summon Zeus when you need fresh findings now, for example right after a big change or before a client meeting.

How to set up the free monthly scan (Enable free monthly scans)

A new client isn't scanned until you set Zeus up for it. Until then the client shows an Enable free monthly scans button: at the top of its Zeus tab, in the client page header on the other tabs, and on its card in the Clients list.

1. Click Enable free monthly scans. A window opens.
2. Google links. Zeus checks whether the client has Google Analytics (GA4), Search Console and Google Business Profile linked. Anything missing has a Connect button with the note "We recommend connecting these before setting up Zeus. His first scan is much more useful with them." Connect opens the client's Google Integrations (on Client → Details) in a new tab, with the right picker already open. If Google itself isn't connected for your agency, it says so and links to Settings → Google Connection first. Link what you can, come back and press Check again. Or press Continue without them. If everything is linked, the window goes straight to the settings.
3. Zeus settings. The same settings as the Zeus tab (see Zeus settings below): Auto-scan monthly is shown on, plus Local Map Rankings and the Map scan settings. Change anything you need.
4. Click Save and start the first scan. It's free. The settings are saved, monthly scans are switched on, and Zeus starts his first scan straight away. The window says "Zeus is scanning … Results show on the Zeus tab in a few minutes, and the bell lets you know when he's done." You can close it. This first scan is written up straight away, like Summon Zeus, so it takes a few minutes, not hours.
5. When the first scan is done, the bell shows Zeus finished his first scan of … with a link to the Zeus tab.

After that Zeus scans the client every month, free. The button is gone for good, even if you turn Auto-scan monthly off later. You can also switch the monthly scan on yourself: Zeus → Settings → tick Auto-scan monthly (it saves straight away). That also counts as set up; the first monthly scan then starts within the hour.

The first scan is this month's free monthly scan, not a Summon Zeus: it never uses credits, and Zeus won't run a second monthly scan for the same month. Clients that were already using Zeus (Auto-scan monthly on, or scanned before) count as set up and don't show the button.

Once it's on, Zeus scans the client once every 30 days. Upcoming scans show on your Dashboard under Coming up → Zeus runs. While the scan runs, the Zeus tab says "This month's automatic scan is running" with what Zeus is checking. While he writes up the results you may see "Zeus is thinking". The new findings replace the list when they're ready. The write-up of the later monthly scans can take a while longer than Summon Zeus (it's sent at half price); only the first scan from setup is written up straight away.

The monthly scan refreshes anything older than a week: keyword rankings, citations, competitors, the schema and FAQ audit, Google Business Profile and reviews. It also runs Zeus's map scan, reads Search Console and GA4, and reviews Google Ads if the account is linked. Then it writes the findings and this month's drafts for approval. The monthly scan also switches on weather alerts for weather-driven trades.

How to Summon Zeus

1. Open the client and go to Zeus.
2. Check the line under the button, for example "Map scan: 5×5 grid, 3 mi radius (auto), 9 keywords". Click Change to edit it (see map scan settings).
3. Press Summon Zeus. The price shows on the button and is taken once. The button changes to "Zeus surveys the kingdom...".
4. A window shows what he's checking, for example "Zeus is checking keyword ranks 45 of 100, map points 120 of 225", and how many parts are done. Click Close — Zeus keeps working if you don't want to wait. The scan carries on even if you leave the page. Click Show progress on the Zeus tab to open the window again.
5. When it finishes you'll see "Zeus has spoken. N findings (N edicts, N decrees, N omens)".

A scan takes a few minutes, longer for a client with many keywords or a big map. If a scan is interrupted on our side, it picks up from its last saved step within about 2 minutes, and nothing finished is paid for twice.

To keep the cost down, Summon Zeus only refreshes data older than 7 days. It reruns the map scan only when Zeus's last one is more than 7 days old.

You can also start a Zeus scan from a connected AI assistant. It shows the cost first in a dry run. See Connect an AI assistant.

Zeus settings

Click Settings on the Zeus tab. The card has:

• Auto-scan monthly: "Zeus scans the client once a month, free (included in your plan)." Off for a new client until you set Zeus up or tick it. Saves when you tick it.
• Local Map Rankings: "Controls whether map pack data feeds into recommendations".
  • Primary focus (local businesses): the map pack counts most.
  • Equal weight with organic (default).
  • Exclude from insights: no map data in findings and no Zeus map scans. The map scan line under Summon Zeus disappears.
• Map scan settings: scan center, map size, radius, keywords and service names. See Zeus's automatic map scans.

Nothing is cut short

Every keyword and every map point gets a real result. A scan that needs more time is saved as it goes and carries on, and it only counts as done when every part is finished. If a keyword or a map point fails at the data source, Zeus asks again, up to 3 times, a minute and then three minutes apart. If it still fails, he names it in This run with the reason, such as "The SEO data service didn't answer within 120 s". It's never shown as "not ranked", and a keyword is never left looking checked on its old rank. A citation search or People Also Ask lookup that fails is searched again on the next try, and the questions it found before are kept.

Rankings, People Also Ask questions and citation searches are checked for the client's town, or the nearest place Google searches can target when the town isn't one (such as Hollis for "Hollis Center, Maine"), never the whole United States. See Which location rankings are checked for.

The monthly scan works the same way. If a monthly scan fails, Zeus tries it again the next day and keeps what was already done. The client isn't skipped for a month. One client's slow scan never holds up another client's findings.

Read "This run"

After a scan, a This run box lists what happened: whether the map scan ran or was skipped, whether Zeus found the client's Google Business Profile, and anything that failed after 3 tries, by name. If the profile wasn't found, click Set the profile link and paste the client's Google Maps link in Client → Details.

It also says what Zeus left out on purpose, so you can act on it:

• A map keyword whose top 3 are a different kind of business (for example IT companies for "troubleshooting services"). Change that keyword in the map scan settings.
• Directory listings the citation audit found that belong to another business, or are a search page. They count as not found, so the directory can show up as missing.
• Competitor keywords that aren't about the client's services, name towns it doesn't serve, or are the competitor's own name.

Examples

• New client onboarding: add the client, set their Google Maps link and services, link GA4, Search Console and the Business Profile, then click Enable free monthly scans → Save and start the first scan. You have findings for the kickoff call without spending credits, and every month after is free too.
• After a website relaunch: summon Zeus a week after the new site goes live to see which page and schema findings cleared.
• A dentist who only cares about organic search: set Local Map Rankings to Exclude from insights so Zeus stops map scans and map findings.
• A busy month: you start the scan, click Close — Zeus keeps working, and come back later to "Zeus has spoken".

Limits and what it can't do

• One scan per client at a time. While one runs, Summon Zeus is grayed out; pressing it again in another tab returns the scan already running, free.
• Summon Zeus is limited to 5 starts a minute and 50 a day per agency.
• Data refreshed in the last 7 days isn't fetched again; Zeus reuses it.
• The monthly scan runs every 30 days from the last scan. You can't pick the day.
• Findings you marked In Progress or Executed aren't raised again while Zeus measures them, and a defied finding stays quiet for 90 days unless it gets worse.

Credits

• Auto-scan monthly and the first scan from Enable free monthly scans: free (included in your plan).
• Summon Zeus: 5 credits per scan, charged when it starts. If the scan finally fails, the credits are returned and the Zeus tab says so. Asking again while a scan is already running doesn't charge again.
• Zeus's map scans inside either scan are free; they don't use map scan credits.

Who can use it

Anyone on your agency team with the Clients tool can turn on the monthly scan and change Zeus settings. The Enable free monthly scans button also needs the Zeus tool; it doesn't show for someone whose Zeus is switched off, and client people never see it. Summon Zeus also needs the Zeus tool: if it's switched off for you, the button is grayed out and says "Zeus is switched off for your account. Ask your agency owner." Members limited to some clients can only scan those clients. Client people can't: they get "Zeus is only available to your agency". Owners and Admins always have every tool.

Troubleshooting

• Zeus is switched off for your account. Ask your agency owner to turn it on.: your Zeus tool is switched off. An Owner or Admin can turn it back on under Tools on your row in Settings → Team Members.
• "Summon Zeus scan needs 5 credits — you have N. Buy credits to continue.": you're out of credits. Buy a credit pack or wait for your monthly credits, or use the free monthly scan.
• "The scan failed — your credits were returned.": the scan couldn't finish after its retries. Nothing was charged. Press Summon Zeus again later.
• "You're going too fast — try again in …": your agency started more than 5 scans in a minute, or 50 in a day. Wait the time shown.
• "This was already run. Start a new one to run it again.": that scan was already paid for and run. Press Summon Zeus again for a new one.
• "Could not check your credits right now. Please try again.": the credit check didn't answer. Nothing was charged. Try again in a moment.
• "Zeus is only available to your agency": you're signed in as a client person. Sign in with your agency account.
• "Tool access required": your Clients tool is switched off. Ask an Owner or Admin.
• Summon Zeus is grayed out: a scan is already running for this client. Click Show progress to follow it.
• The monthly scan didn't run: check Auto-scan monthly is ticked and the client is active. A failed monthly scan retries the next day.
• No Enable free monthly scans button: the client is already set up (Auto-scan monthly on, scanned before, or set up once), or your Zeus tool is switched off.
• "Zeus has already done this month's scan for this client. The next one runs automatically.": you saved setup for a client whose monthly scan for this month already ran. Monthly scans are on; the next one comes in 30 days. Press Summon Zeus if you need one now.
• A Connect link opens Client → Details but no picker: Google isn't connected for your agency yet. Connect it in Settings → Google Connection first.
• This run says the Business Profile wasn't found: click Set the profile link and paste the client's Google Maps link in Client → Details, then scan again.
• "Citations: N couldn't be checked this time (…) — …": those directories still couldn't be searched after 3 tries. They keep what they had (they're not marked missing), the scan finishes, and the next scan checks them again.
• A keyword shows as couldn't be checked: it failed 3 times at the data source. Its old rank is kept and it's not marked as checked. The next scan tries again.