Surfer SEO Review (2023)

You’ve been on the lookout for an effective SEO tool and came across Surfer SEO.

There are hundreds (or even thousands) of SEO tools that all claim can offer you the best ways to improve your search results.

So how does Surfer SEO compare against the competition? 

Instead of doing all the research yourself, use this Surfer SEO review before investing in the software.

This blog post offers a comprehensive Surfer SEO review, answering questions like:

• What is Surfer SEO?
• What are Surfer SEO‘s key features?
• What are the pros and cons of using this SEO software?
• What are some Surfer SEO alternatives? 
• Is Surfer SEO best for my business? 

Using an SEO tool is an excellent way to improve your website’s organic traffic, keyword usage, and search engine rankings.

So let’s find out if Surfer SEO is the tool you need!

 

What is Surfer SEO?

Surfer SEO is an all-in-one SEO tool that helps users create SEO content.

Surfer SEO‘s mission is to make SEO accessible and easier for everyone, from beginners to experts within the industry. 

The Surfer platform provides several on-page SEO tools, including the following:

• A comprehensive research tool to help find keywords
• Content optimization
• Competitor analysis
• And more!

Surfer SEO also includes a content editor to help users create SEO-friendly content that will stand out from the competition.

The Surfer SEO tool is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) technology, which allows it to analyze data in real time and offer accurate insights.

Surfer’s AI algorithm can detect subtle changes in content and identify how you can improve it for SEO.

Further, the software analyzes over 500 on-page signals at one time, including signals like:

• TF-IDF
• Meta titles
• Alt tags
• LSI
• NLP

Essentially, the on-page SEO software provides data-driven analysis to get results instead of guessing.

No matter what Surfer SEO review you find online, it will say that one of the most significant benefits of using this software is how intuitive it is!

How Does Surfer SEO Work?

Surfer SEO works in four steps.

First, users can enter a keyword or phrase they want to analyze, and Surfer SEO will generate an on-page report.

Surfer’s keyword research tool then crawls the top ten pages of the search results for that keyword/phrase, giving you insight into what type of content is performing best.

Therefore, you only see which keywords are relevant to your niche.

Next, Surfer uses AI and NLP to analyze the top ten pages.

It looks for on-page SEO signals, including:

• Keyword density
• Meta titles
• Alt tags
• Word count
• And more!

Finally, Surfer SEO provides you with a score that summarizes how well your content is optimized for SEO as compared to the top ten pages.

This score is called Surfer Score. 

Once you have Surfer Stats, you can use Surfer SEO‘s Content Editor to start optimizing your content for maximum search engine visibility.

The Surfer SEO tool also helps users identify gaps in their content and find new opportunities for SEO optimization.

Surfer is an incredibly powerful tool for content creators, marketers, and SEO experts.

Surfer SEO Key Features

Surfer provides on-page SEO analysis by using several different tools, including:

• SEO audit
• Basic keyword research
• Content Editor
• Content planner
• SERP analysis 
• Jasper 
• SEO Grow Flow
• Outline generator

Let’s take a look at each on-page optimization tool in more detail!

SEO Audit

Surfer SEO‘s audit tool helps analyze the content in search engine results pages (SERPs) to optimize your existing pages.

It then analyzes how your content is performing compared to the competition and suggests areas where you can improve.

First, you must enter the URL you intend to optimize along with a target keyword.

Then, you will choose the country you want to optimize the page for (the United States is the most popular choice).

Lastly, click the “Create Audit” button and let the Surfer audit tool do all the work!

Surfer SEO software will give you an in-depth look at the URL you enter, including the following information:

• LSI phrases and keywords you aren’t currently using
• Word count for the overall content, headings, bolded words, and suggested ranges
• Suggestions for headings and images
• Page load time
• Time to the first byte
• Meta title suggestions
• Meta description suggestions

The Surfer SEO audit tool is a great way to ensure you cover all the top search engine ranking factors. 

These ranking factors include keywords, headings, page load time, etc., and are integral to your website ranking higher on Google!

Keyword Research

One feature of Surfer SEO that many people find helpful is the keyword research tool.

You’ll need a seed keyword or phrase to get started with Surfer SEO keyword research.

After entering the seed keyword, there’s a list of keywords Surfer SEO suggests, along with other necessary details.

One such detail is the SERP similarity of a particular seed keyword, showing how that keyword overlaps with suggested keywords.

Therefore, you get an idea of other well-performing keywords to use throughout your blog post.

Surfer SEO is an excellent tool if you need help figuring out where to start regarding keyword information. 

However, for more established websites, using different software like Semrush or Ahrefs is more effective for better results.

Also, keep in mind that this tool doesn’t provide a keyword difficulty score, so it will be more challenging to choose which keywords to use throughout your content.

Content Editor

The Surfer content editor is a very useful tool that helps you create well-optimized content for search engines.

Also, the content editor helps you make and share your content outlines with writers.

The first step to using the Surfer content editor is entering a search term you want to create content around.

After inputting a keyword, Surfer’s content editor provides you with more detailed information, including the following metrics:

• Content score out of 100 (this tells you how optimized your content is)
• Content structure (words, headings, paragraphs, and images)
• LSI keywords (these are the keywords you need to optimize content for)

Overall, users find the LSI keywords to be the most valuable part of the content editor.

The content editor asks you to use certain LSI keywords a specific number of times to make your content more optimized.

Still, sometimes the keyword density isn’t feasible, so make sure you’re writing content that’s designed for humans and not computers.

Lastly, if you want your content to compete with the top-ranking pages, use the “Page to Include” tool on the content editor. 

This tool helps you structure and compare your content against the ranking competitors of your choice.

Content Planner

Surfer’s content planner feature is designed to help you plan and schedule your blog posts.

This feature helps you identify new optimization opportunities and track current articles’ progress.

The Surfer content planner allows users to organize their blog posts into different categories and set up an editorial calendar.

However, the Surfer content planner can help you do more than schedule your posts.

With the Surfer SEO content planner, you can do the following:

• Find new keywords to target
• Measure your content’s performance over time
• Create a list of topics for future blog posts

In addition, Surfer SEO offers detailed data about competitors’ posts so that users can understand what works for them and apply it to their content strategy.

What’s great about the Surfer SEO content planner is the ability to connect your domain to help find a more relevant target keyword for your existing pillar pages.

After you connect your domain, the software displays Google Search Console data to provide more relevant keyword ideas.

Overall, Surfer SEO‘s content planner feature is an excellent tool for any content marketer or SEO specialist who wants to keep track of their blog post performance and manage the entire content production process.

SERP Analyzer

The SERP analyzer tool is the most critical tool on Surfer SEO.

This tool provides an extensive breakdown of the SERPs for any main keyword you want to use.

Further, the SERP analyzer helps you see the correlation between the SERP result positions and the on-page factors. 

Here’s how you use it!

First, you enter a keyword into the SERP analyzer.

It helps if you have already done your keyword research, but if you haven’t, the SERP analyzer can show you how powerful your target keyword is.

Then, the SERP analyzer tool brings up the following details related to your main keyword:

• Average word count/content length for the keyword
• Keyword density
• Related questions
• Usage of the long tail and partial match keyword
• Page speed
• Structured data
• Time to first byte
• Hidden Content
• Meta title, meta descriptions, and alt tags
• No links pointing to the top-ranking competitors
• Search visibility (for URLs and domains)
• Backlinks (for URLs and domains)

If you can believe it, there’s even more data the SERP analyzer provides!

Overall, the incredibly detailed data provides you with a clear picture of how to use a certain keyword effectively.

However, some of the data isn’t useful because it doesn’t contribute to your rankings on search engines or better on-page SEO optimization.

Surfer & Jasper

When you download Surfer SEO‘s free Google Chrome extension, you can integrate Jasper to help you write content faster.

Jasper is an AI writing tool that can help you write optimized content up to five times faster! 

Copying and pasting content from one platform to another can be incredibly annoying because of formatting issues and more.

Using Jasper and Surfer SEO at the same time in the Jasper app allows you to write optimized content in a convenient setting.

Also, you can seamlessly manage multiple projects within the Surfer SEO content editor and Jasper integration.

When you use Surfer SEO alongside Jasper, you’ll find that creating SEO content is easier than it may initially seem!

SEO Grow Flow

Surfer’s Grow Flow tool is a comprehensive AI growth management platform.

Grow Flow is one of the best SEO tools out there and helps with the following tasks:

• Discover keywords with a high search volume
• Learn how to optimize existing content for SEO
• Get internal link suggestions
• Receive new article ideas every week
• Receive new tasks every week
• Analyze website growth and performance

Given how thorough Grow Flow’s results are, you’d expect it’s somewhat of a process to set up this feature.

However, Grow Flow is very simple to integrate! Here’s how to get started.

First, you must connect to Google Search Console and enter your website’s domain.

This on-page tool is how Grow Flow monitors and evaluates your website with the most accurate data.

Then, Grow Flow provides you with personalized tasks and insights every week.

Further, these tasks are designed to help you be more productive and organized, ensuring they help your website’s overall SEO growth.

As a result, when you use the Surfer SEO Grow Flow tool, it will be easy to see how the personalized tasks correlate with SERP results.

Blog Outline Generator

The Surfer SEO blog outline generator is an extremely helpful tool for those looking to create optimized content quickly and easily.

This feature enables you to group related ideas, helping you develop a structure for your content.

Using Surfer’s blog outline generator will help save time by providing a clear direction on what sections to include in your blog post while considering SEO factors. 

You can also quickly find the most relevant keyword suggestions for each subheading and add them to your content without having to do additional research.

In addition, Surfer’s blog outline generator can help you determine which topics are essential to include in your content.

To get started, you must follow these steps:

1. Sucribe to Surfer SEO
2. Select your primary keyword and location
3. Create a document using Surfer’s content editor tool
4. Go to the “Brief” section and select unique headings and paragraphs to add to your text

Overall, Surfer’s blog outline generator is an incredibly helpful tool for those looking to create optimized content quickly and easily.

With this feature, you can ensure that your content is well-structured, properly optimized, and engaging for readers.

Surfer SEO Pros

The main reason you’re reading this Surfer SEO review is to discover what benefits this software offers.

Here are some of the pros tied to using Surfer SEO:

• The SERP analyzer conducts extensive keyword research for you.
• The content editor tool “Page to Include” allows you to compare your content against your competition.
• The keyword tool is perfect for those with little to no experience choosing keywords.
• The software helps you identify missing common backlinks in your content.
• The Surfer Keyword Surfer is free to use.
• Keyword Surfer is an available Google Chrome extension.
• You can export content planner keywords to a CSV file to use later.
• It is more financially smart to use Surfer SEO than other SEO software.
• The content planner considers SEO factors like intent, keyword, search volume, and content score.
• The Surfer SEO audit tool ensures you meet the criteria related to ranking factors.
• The blog outline generator is free to use.
• The Jasper integration makes it easier to write SEO-focused content.
• Surfer SEO keyword ideas that are relevant to your niche.

The list of benefits of Surfer could continue even further!

Therefore, this extensive list should make it obvious why Surfer is one of the leading SEO software available.

Surfer SEO Cons

Naturally, there are some cons to using this software.

And any balance Surfer SEO review will list them!

Here are some of the downsides or annoyances that are tied to using Surfer:

• The SERP analyzer provides some data that isn’t useful for improving search result rankings (hidden content on a page).
• The SERP analyzer offers an overwhelming amount of data, which may need to be clarified for beginners.
• The LSI keywords that the content editor lists may ask you to use keywords an unrealistic number of times.
• The keyword research tool is only best for bloggers, startups, and small businesses.
• The keyword tool doesn’t provide a keyword difficulty score, making it more challenging to know which keywords to use.

There aren’t too many downsides to using Surfer to improve your content. 

Some people may be turned away because of the price.

However, for what you get, Surfer is very affordable whether you operate a small business or a large one!

Who is Surfer SEO For?

If you’re reading this Surfer SEO review, you might wonder whether the software has what your business needs.

Fortunately, Surfer is designed with all types of businesses and people in mind!

SEO Content Writers

One of the main groups of people Surfer is designed for is SEO content writers.

Even if you’re an SEO expert, it’s still helpful to have tools and software that make the job quicker.

Surfer SEO is well-known for providing tons of detail regarding your SEO performance and offering suggestions and techniques to improve it.

This software can help you quickly with the following tasks if you are an SEO content writer:

• Identify the best keywords to use
• Create an outline structure for your post
• Compare your content against that of your competitors

With Surfer SEO, you can be sure that your content is well-crafted and optimized for your target audience.

Small & Large Businesses

Small businesses and even large-scale enterprises can benefit from Surfer SEO.

The software provides a suite of tools designed to help you to do the following:

• Optimize your website content
• Improve search engine rankings
• Attract more visitors
• Stay on schedule with automated weekly tasks

It also offers detailed insights into common ranking factors, such as:

• Keyword research
• Backlinks analysis
• Optimized content metrics
• Content length
• And more

Even more impressive is the fact that Surfer SEO compares your content against that of your competitors!

The fact that Surfer compares your content provides valuable insight into how you can improve your content to overtake their rankings in the search results.

Surfer SEO is definitely one to consider if you’re looking for a comprehensive SEO on-page tool for your business!

Outsourced Content Writers

Outsourced content writers may find Surfer SEO to be an excellent resource for optimizing their content.

For instance, Surfer can help you find keywords to use in existing content.

The Surfer SEO content editor allows you to compare your content against that of competitors.

Plus, Surfer SEO has an audit tool that provides an overview of your current content performance so that you can improve the quality of the content itself.

Finally, Surfer SEO offers detailed insights into all aspects of SEO and how to use it to ensure your rankings are soaring in the SERPs.

Overall, Surfer SEO is an invaluable resource for any outsourced content writer who wants to ensure their content is SEO-optimized and ranks on the top pages of Google.

Bloggers

Bloggers (beginners or experienced) can benefit significantly from Surfer SEO.

Surfer SEO can help you identify keywords belonging to a specific niche and how often you should use them in your content.

Also, with a Jasper integration, bloggers can write optimized content five times faster!

Plus, Surfer SEO‘s content editor lets you compare your content against competitors, so you know exactly what you’re up against.

Finally, Surfer SEO provides detailed insights into common ranking factors so you can make sure your content is optimized for search engine rankings.

If you’re a blogger looking to boost your SEO performance, Surfer SEO is an invaluable on-page optimization tool!

Affiliate Marketers

Surfer SEO is also an invaluable resource for affiliate marketers creating digital marketing content.

The on-page SEO tools like the keyword researcher and content editor ensure your digital marketing content meets SEO requirements like word count, headings, and more.

Also, Surfer SEO provides search intent statistics, helping you identify your target audience better.

Finally, Surfer SEO offers detailed insights into common ranking factors so you can make sure your content is as SEO-optimized as possible.

If you’re an affiliate marketer looking for a comprehensive solution to improve your search engine rankings, Surfer SEO can help you become a page optimizer pro!

Beginners in the SEO Game

Overall, Surfer SEO is an invaluable resource for beginners in the SEO game who are looking to improve their content and rankings quickly.

Keyword research helps you identify the best keywords to use and which ones you’re currently not using.

Plus, Surfer SEO provides detailed insights into common ranking factors so you can optimize your content for the best possible results.

Also, integrating Jasper into Surfer SEO means you no longer have to copy and paste content from Google Docs to other platforms.

Instead, everything is in one area.

Lastly, Surfer SEO pricing is designed for beginners, as there are several pricing options available.

Surfer SEO Cost

Regardless of your budget, Surfer SEO pricing is designed to fit!

For those who are just getting started with a website, there is a free option that includes the following features:

• Grow Flow
• Ability to optimize and track one website (high-impression websites)
• SEO insights every 28 days (high-impression websites)

Low-impression websites with less than 100 impressions a day can optimize and track unlimited websites. 

Additionally, low-impression websites receive specific content and article optimization suggestions like word count and keywords.

Surfer SEO pricing for the Basic plan costs around $700 a year usually and includes tools like:

• Write and optimize 120 articles a year with the content editor tool
• Audit 240 pages a year
• Advanced keyword research
• SERP analysis
• Ability to invite one team member

Surfer’s Pro plan is best for medium-sized organizations that operate multiple websites and typically costs $1400 a year.

The Pro plan doesn’t include any other tools the Basic plan offers; it simply allows you to write, optimize, and audit more content.

Also, the Pro plan allows you to invite up to three team members.

Lastly, Surfer’s Business plan costs around $2,800 a year and is designed for large organizations that manage ten or more websites.

You get the same tools as you do with the Basic plan.

However, you can write and optimize over 800 articles annually and audit over 1,500 pages annually!

Some of the other tools the Business plan offers include:

• Access to the Customer Success Team
• White labeling
• Access to the Surfer API

When you purchase an annual Surfer SEO plan, you save more money than when you buy a monthly plan.

How’s Customer Support?

Customer support is something Surfer SEO takes very seriously.

Surfer’s customer support team is the largest team at the company, ensureing they dedicate plenty of time to each customer query.

For instance, the Surfer SEO contact page includes all the different contact avenues you can choose from, including:

• Help and support (for those with any general questions)
• Marketing (for those who want to partner on a marketing campaign)
• Business (for those who wish to become business partners with Surfer SEO)
• Sales (for those who need have questions about subscription plans)
• Jobs (for those looking to work for Surfer SEO)

If you have questions about your Surfer plan or anything related to SEO, Surfer’s customer support team is there for you.

Given Surfer’s thousands of positive reviews, it’s safe to say their customer support is up to par.

Surfer SEO Alternatives

If you’re not sure if Surfer is right for you and want to know what a Surfer SEO alternative looks like, there are several other tools available.

Let’s look at how Surfer compares to other SEO software companies!

MarketMuse

MarketMuse is an excellent SEO tool that provides data about search intent, keywords, backlink analysis, and much more.

However, MarketMuse is more beneficial for large-scale companies than it is for small businesses.

Also, on top of a subscription plan from MarketMuse, users have to purchase extra credits to get AI-produced briefs and content.

Users often prefer Surfer over MarketMuse because of the affordability aspect.

For instance, MarketMuse’s lowest available plan starts at $12,000 a year and includes on-demand content audits for one or more domains.

In comparison, you can get the same information from Surfer for as low as $49 a month ($588 a year).

Additionally, Surfer provides personalized tips to boost your website’s traffic, which is something MarketMuse doesn’t offer.

Content Harmony

Content Harmony is an SEO alternative that focuses on optimizing a website’s content.

The tool provides users with comprehensive insights into their content to help optimize it for search engine rankings.

Plus, the tool offers various features like keyword analysis, link tracking, and competitor research.

However, Surfer offers more than just content analysis tools.

In Surfer, you can create entire keyword-rich content with the content editor tool, use AI-generated briefs for your writers, and get personalized SEO advice.

When comparing Surfer SEO vs. Content Harmony, Surfer offers more features at a lower price point than its competitor.

Clearscope

Clearscope is a really good service when it comes to giving you writing topics.

However, where Clearscope lacks is the step beyond that.

Having a ton of content about the wrong topics or key phrases will fail to drive organic traffic that generates revenue.

Whereas Surfer allows you to create an entire content strategy, Clearscope only focuses on one-off articles.

Also, Clearscope stops showing you how to optimize content after you’ve published it.

Surfer allows you to audit and optimize articles even after they go live on your website.

Further, Surfer includes the Jasper integration, which is a factor Clearscope doesn’t provide.

What’s more, Surfer provides more tools and educating pieces than Clearscope for a lower price! 

For example, the lowest available plan on Surfer is around $60 a month, while Clearscope will cost $170 a month.

So, when comparing Surfer SEO vs. Clearscope, Surfer is the clear winner.

Frase

The most significant difference between Surfer and Frase is that Frase stops working for you after your content goes live.

Surfer provides a more in-depth SEO review to help you become a page optimizer pro.

For example, Frase only prioritizes the writing aspect of your SEO process and doesn’t consider keywords, outlines, briefs, or optimizing your content after it goes live. 

Therefore, you don’t know how to:

• Create your content strategy
• Outrank competitors in your niche
• Create content that continues to perform well on mobile or desktop results

Some other differentiating factors between Surfer SEO vs. Frase include the fact that Surfer has the following:

• Ability to use in any language (Frase is limited to eight)
• Ability to plan an in-depth content strategy
• Ability to audit articles after they’re live on your website
• Advanced commands (edit content faster)
• Internal link suggestions
• NLP keyword suggestions
• Jasper integration
• Chrome extension

As you can see, Surfer offers a much more comprehensive SEO experience than Frase.

Although Surfer may cost a little more than Frase, the added benefits are well worth it!

Semrush Writing Assistant

Semrush Writing Assistant provides a plethora of tools to help you create SEO-friendly content.

It offers features such as suggestions for a keyword, readability scores, and plagiarism checks.

However, Surfer still has some advantages over Semrush Writing Assistant in terms of optimization.

For instance, Surfer offers the ability to create briefs and outlines from scratch, which is something Semrush Writing Assistant doesn’t provide.

Surfer also allows you to edit content quickly with advanced commands, while Semrush Writing Assistant only offers basic editing tools.

Additionally, Surfer has a Chrome Extension that helps you optimize your content in real-time, while Semrush Writing Assistant doesn’t have any such feature.

Finally, Surfer provides internal link suggestions, which is something Semrush Writing Assistant doesn’t offer.

Overall, Surfer’s tools are more comprehensive and offer more features than Semrush Writing Assistant for a lower price.

This makes Surfer the obvious choice when comparing Surfer SEO vs. Semrush Writing Assistant.

Page Optimizer Pro

Page Optimizer Pro and Surfer are very similar.

For instance, both SEO tools have the same features, such as:

• Tools to optimize content
• NLP
• TF-IDF
• Basic keyword information

What separates Surfer from Page Optimizer Pro is that Surfer is easier to use and provides more integrations (like Jasper and Google).

Still, Page Optimizer Pro is much more affordable than Surfer.

 

Surfer SEO Review Conclusion

To conclude the Surfer SEO review, Surfer is an outstanding SEO tool for optimizing content.

It offers a comprehensive suite of tools that help you audit and optimize articles after they go live on your website.

For instance, Surfer provides features like NLP keyword suggestions, internal link suggestions, the Jasper integration, and the Chrome extension.

These features make Surfer an excellent choice for any content marketer looking to optimize their articles and stay ahead of the competition.

Plus, Surfer’s price point is much more attractive than other tools like Clearscope or Frase, meaning you get all the same benefits at a lower cost!

In short, Surfer is worth the investment for any content marketer looking to get the most out of their SEO efforts. Pick Surfer and start optimizing your content today!

 

Surfer SEO FAQ