My Surfer SEO Review 2024 After Using it for Two Years

I’ve had my fair share of struggles with SEO, and let me tell you, it’s no walk in the park. But finding Surfer SEO – a tool that simplifies on-page SEO – was a game changer for my website’s performance. This AI tool assists you with crafting content that’s optimized to rank higher in search engines by analyzing things like keywords, content structure, and even the kind of backlinks you’ll need.

As I started using Surfer SEO about two years ago, I think that it is high time I bring you this thorough Surfer SEO review, updated for 2024. It’s always interesting to see how these tools stack up against each other, and more importantly, if they deliver what they promise. From what I’ve seen, it appears to be a resourceful tool for anyone looking to ramp up their SEO game—whether you’re writing your first blog post or you’re a seasoned content creator.

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Surfer SEO Overview

When I first stumbled upon Surfer SEO, I was on the hunt for a tool that could really sharpen my SEO efforts for my fitness blog,, thefitcareerist. Surfer SEO caught my eye as a comprehensive, data-driven SEO tool designed to optimize website content, essentially making Google fall in love with your site.

Here’s what got my attention:

• Intuitive Dashboard: Surfer’s user interface is refreshingly straightforward. Once you log in, every feature is laid out in a way that just makes sense, even if you’re not an SEO pro.

• Content Editor: It’s like having an SEO expert right beside you as you write. The editor suggests relevant terms, offers real-time optimization tips, and keeps your content on the SEO track.

• SERP Analyzer: This is where Surfer flexes its muscles. By analyzing top-performing pages, it offers a breakdown of key metrics that you can use to boost your own content’s ranking potential.

The user experience with this SEO tool is smooth sailing (pun intended). There’s a subtle balance between depth of data and usability that Surfer nails pretty well. It’s no wonder many reviews I’ve read find it a powerful tool to have in your SEO arsenal.

For me, the proof is in the pudding—or rather, the rankings. Using Surfer SEO feels a bit like having a guide through the mystical world of SEO. It’s not magic, but it’s got all the tools and nifty features that help to surfer-fy your content strategy.

Surfer SEO Cost

Surfer SEO offers a range of pricing plans designed for different needs, with options suitable for individual bloggers, in-house teams, and agencies. The most basic plan is relatively budget-friendly, offering a set of core features to get you started on optimizing content. For those needing more robust capabilities, the advanced plans incrementally increase in price but also in the range of features and value provided.

Here’s a quick breakdown of their main plan options:

• Essential Plan: A great starting point for individuals.

• Advanced Plan: Targeted at professionals and smaller teams.

• Max Plan: Bundles all features and add-ons, delivering extensive savings.

• Enterprise: This includes everything in Max, with added AI articles for comprehensive content strategies.

Each plan differs in the number of Content Editor credits and access to other features. Notably, Surfer SEO puts an emphasis on flexibility, allowing customers to purchase plans with or without certain features.

The base Essential plan starts at $69/month if you go with annual billing, which nets you 180 content editors for the year.

For newcomers, there’s a peace of mind with their 7-day money-back guarantee, reinforcing the notion that Surfer SEO stands by the service they provide. This gives you a chance to test it out for yourself risk free.

Keyword Research Tool

When I’m digging into keyword research, I find that Surfer SEO offers a solid starting point for search queries, especially if I’m looking to identify topic clusters. It’s not as comprehensive as some of the bigger names out there like Ahrefs or SEMRush, but there’s a noticeable difference in pricing, making it a cost-effective choice.

Features at a Glance:

• Topic Clusters: Helps me brainstorm related keyword ideas.

• Monthly Search Volume & Difficulty: Offers insights into how often terms are searched and how tough ranking might be.

My approach usually involves using Surfer SEO primarily for its optimization features. When I need to unearth low-competition keywords – those hidden gems with good traffic but less fighting for the top spot – I use other tools that specialize in this area, likeLowfruits.io.

However, Surfer is good for rudimentary keyword research, I like it particularly because:

• It’s User-Friendly: The interface is pretty straightforward, making it simple for me to get the data I need without any fuss.

• It has Data-Driven Suggestions: It nails down which keywords could potentially give my content a leg up in search rankings.

For someone on a budget who wants to step up their SEO game, Surfer SEO is a reasonable pick. I just keep in mind that for deeper keyword analysis, you might need to complement it with another keyword research tool like Lowfruits, Ahrefs, or SEMRush.

Content Optimization with Surfer SEO

The content editor is where Surfer shines brightest. Imagine knowing precisely which terms will enrich your blog post for the target keyword and signal its relevance to search engines—this is exactly what Surfer provides. It’s like having a beacon that helps guide Google straight to your content.

My results with this part of the tool have been nothing short of amazing, with many articles rocketing to page one (sometimes spot one) in a matter of hours. (Of course, it doesn’t happen every time. It’s important to remember there is so much more that goes into Google rankings than how good it’s on page optimization is.)

Here an example of a keyword I ranked for in less than 15 hours on my fitness site:

In particular, the content editor excels at:

• Semantic Analysis: Surfer SEO excels at identifying the semantically related words that should be woven into your content. By including these terms, I ensure my articles are thematically comprehensive.

• Content Recommendations: Directly in the editor, Surfer SEO supplies real-time suggestions on how to polish my articles for better on-page SEO. It’s about aligning with what’s working right now in search results.

• Insert Terms Feature: It can be a drag combing through your article to figure out where you can slip in terms in a natural-sounding way. The insert terms feature takes a crack at this for you, often helping you increase your content score by several points by taking a few of its suggestions! It’s not foolproof and you need to vet its suggestions, but a super helpful shortcut.

The act of creating content that’s primed to rank doesn’t have to be a shot in the dark anymore. With Surfer SEO, I’ve found a reliable ally that walks me through the intricacies of content optimization. It’s not just about writing; it’s about crafting content that’s structured to perform.

Analyzing SERPs and Competitors

When I’m looking to evaluate my potential to rank for a given keyword alone, the tools I turn to can make a substantial difference in the strategy I craft. Armed with tools like the free MozBar Chrome extension and Keywords Everywhere, I can usually get a good grasp of my standing in search engine results pages (SERPs).

For instance, with these tools, I can:

• Assess the competition: I quickly check out who else is ranking for my target keywords.

• Estimate keyword viability: I determine if it’s feasible for me to compete for rankings.

• Understand on-page SEO elements: I get to see what existing top-ranking pages are doing right.

But if I’m curious about deeper insights, sometimes I contemplate tools that are more focused on SERP analysis. Let’s be honest, while free tools are great for quick glances, there’s something to be said for the level of detail that paid tools provide.

They might break down things like:

• How well-optimized the competitors posts are

• The average word count of top-ranking pages.

• The types of content (like lists or videos) that are performing well.

Now, I’m not necessarily convinced that shelling out an extra $29 a month is a must since I can already sense if I’ve got a shot at ranking. Yet, I can’t dismiss the fact that a more thorough competitor analysis could potentially unveil gaps in your SEO strategy or opportunities you might otherwise miss. It’s something to consider when the competition is stiff and every bit of data counts when ranking sites.

SEO Audits and On-Page Optimization

When I approach updating old content, I love to use Surfer SEO content audit feature. It’s crucial because revamping outdated material without a strategic roadmap is like navigating without a compass. Surfer’s audit tool scrutinizes on-page factors such as headings, missing backlinks, structure, and other content elements that affect search rankings.

On-page SEO means optimizing everything on your website that you can directly control. This includes not just content, but also the meta tags structure, meta description length, images, and even the URL structure. On-page optimization often involves ensuring that headings are properly used – yes, H1s, H2s, they are all significant for structure and readability.

Here’s a quick checklist I use during on-page audits:

• Title Tags & Meta Descriptions: Are they compelling and within the character limit?

• Headings: Is the content well-structured with clear and relevant headings?

• Keywords: Am I targeting the right ones without stuffing them?

• User Experience: Is the site navigation intuitive?

• Page Performance: Does the page load quickly?

Metrics are also my best friends in this process. They help me track success and pinpoint areas that need more attention. I look at things like organic traffic flow, time on page, and bounce rates.

Surfer SEO’s audit tool easily helps me identify what’s working well and what’s not, giving me a list of action items to improve my on-page SEO – especially since you can rerun audits without spending another audit credit. Remember, regular audits ensure that your site is always in tip-top shape for both search engines and readers. (Which is more important than ever since the September 2023 helpful content update!)

Integrations and Plugin Ecosystem

When I’m looking to amplify my SEO efforts, I find the integrations and plugins available in SurferSEO particularly handy. They seamlessly connect with diverse platforms, making it quite convenient for me to optimize content across different channels.

Google Docs

Google Docs integration is great if you do most of your writing there. You can use the SurferSEO extension to analyze and optimize content in real-time as you’re drafting in Docs.

WordPress

For my website on WordPress, the SurferSEO plugin adds a layer of functionality that’s hard to beat. Integration here means I can directly apply SEO recommendations to my draft posts from within the WordPress editor, which is an enormous time-saver. You can also export blog posts from the Surfer content editor directly into WordPress by connecting your account.

Jasper AI

If you use Jasper AI for content creation, you can connect your Jasper account to Surfer SEO to enable “SEO Mode.” It’s a handy way to optimize your content without having to copy and paste everything over to the Surfer content editor.

RankMath

I consider RankMath as more of a complimentary tool than a competing tool. I use both Surfer and RankMath, actually. I use Surfer to optimize my articles per the content editor guidelines, and then I use RankMath to do last minute on-page adjustments within WordPress, like updating the meta tags, meta description, URL, and alt descriptions.

Surfer AI

When I need to create SEO-optimized content quickly, I often turn to Surfer AI, an artificial intelligence tool designed to produce entire articles. What makes this tool stand out is its ability to generate a full article in a single attempt, tailored for Google’s search engine results.

The pricing feels a bit steep, coming in at $29 for every article it crafts. This price tag is notable, especially when I compare it with other AI writing solutions that might offer more competitive rates.

Features:

• Content Generation: Capable of creating comprehensive and optimized articles.

• Cost: Priced at $29/article, which is on the higher end.

To be more specific about its capabilities, I find Surfer AI’s performance to be robust when it comes to crafting informative pieces or ones that dive deep into particular methods or strategies. However, I’ve noticed that when I input custom instructions, the tool doesn’t always follow them with the precision I see in other AI services.

While it does a good job overall, I’ve found that the tool isn’t quite as adept when it comes to producing content based on personal experiences. It seems to excel more with factual and methodical writing. Here is my in-depth demo and review which I live-streamed right after custom instructions were introduced:

Performance Summary:

• Ideal for informational content and articles on methods/strategies.

• Less effective for articles requiring personal insights or first-hand experiences.

Surfer SEO Alternatives

While Surfer SEO has made a name for itself in content optimization, I know that exploring alternatives can give you a better perspective on the market and maybe even a competitive edge. It’s all about finding the content optimization tool that vibes best with your workflow, so let’s look at some of the prime contenders out there.

SEMRush

SEMRush is a comprehensive suite that goes well beyond content optimization. It’s my go-to for an all-in-one platform as it includes features for SEO, PPC, various keyword research tools, and competitive analysis. If I’m looking to dig into market competition or get insights across various channels, SEMRush has my back.

Ahrefs

Now for Ahrefs, think of it like the Swiss Army knife of SEO tools. I find its backlink database particularly impressive when I’m building my site’s link profile, and it’s fantastic for finding keywords through competitor analysis. But it’s more of a keyword research tool than for on-page optimization, and it’s expensive as heck.

Topic

I’ve used Topic for clients in the past, and it’s comparable to how Surfer’s content editor works. However, it’s a bit more basic; it doesn’t really pay as much attention to how many times a term should be used, for example. At $99 per month, it’s also a bit more expensive than Surfer’s base plans.

KoalaWriter

Last up is KoalaWriter, and let’s say it’s like the new, cool kid on the block for SEO-focused writing. If my priority is weaving SEO into creative content without it feeling forced, then this AI-powered writing assistant is something I’d consider. It keeps things simple and intuitive, which is great for maintaining a natural writing flow.

So, there we have it – a brief look at some alternatives to Surfer SEO that I think are definitely worth checking out!

Surfer SEO Review Conclusion

Surfer SEO works. My life wouldn’t be complete without its content editor. (In fact, I used the content editor to optimize this very blog post!) The audit is the other most powerful feature that can help take your subpar content to page one territory. The other features, namely the SERP Analyzer, keyword research functions, and Surfer AI, are great too but secondary to the on-page optimization.

Frequently Asked Questions