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TechRadar
Bryan M Wolfe

SurferSEO review: a comprehensive optimization solution for your business

SurferSEO homepage.

Having a solid online presence has become essential for businesses to succeed. One effective way to achieve that is using search engine optimization (SEO) tools that help your website appear higher in search engine results, particularly on Google. 

SurferSEO is a cloud-based tool designed to assist digital marketers, SEO experts, and content creators in optimizing their content and improve their search engine rankings. It uses data-driven analysis to provide valuable insights and recommendations that align content strategies with SEO best practices. In this article, you will learn more about SurferSEO and determine whether it could be the right solution for your business.


Features

(Image credit: SurferSEO)

SurferSEO enables you to analyze your content and make necessary tweaks to ensure it ranks well in search results, increasing visibility among your desired audience. 

A standout aspect of SurferSEO is its content editor tool, a resource for businesses aiming to enhance their SEO efforts. This tool offers an analysis of your content and recommends optimal keyword usage, content length, and article structure by examining top-performing pages within your industry. This tool guarantees that your content stands out in search results and becomes more noticeable to your target audience. 

Furthermore, a key element in SEO success is understanding your competitors and the landscape of search engine results pages (SERPs). SurferSEO's SERP analyzer tool provides insights into the pages currently ranking for your target keywords, outlining their content strategies, backlink profiles, and other essential SEO metrics. With this information, you can compare your content against competitors' strategies. Adjust tactics accordingly to enhance the likelihood of achieving rankings in search results.

(Image credit: SurferSEO)

Besides these functions, SurferSEO offers a keyword research tool that identifies keywords and assesses their relevance, potential traffic, and competitiveness. This assists you in selecting the keywords to concentrate on and enhances your chances of SEO success.

Moreover, the audit tool provided by SurferSEO thoroughly evaluates your webpage against factors to pinpoint any issues hindering your page from achieving higher rankings in search results. This tool provides recommendations for on-page optimization, including speed improvements, structural modifications, and more. 

In addition to the premium tools mentioned above, SurferSEO presents two absolutely free and equally beneficial tools. The first is the keyword surfer Chrome web extension that enables you to conduct searches within your browser and view search volume data along with a comprehensive list of keyword suggestions paired with their scores and search volume. The second free tool is an AI-powered article outline generator designed to help you create SEO content based on your needs. This tool can streamline brainstorming sessions, research activities, and writing tasks and save time.

How does SurferSEO use AI?

AI plays a significant role in SurferSEO that extends beyond the AI text generator. Additionally, Surfer AI analyzes top-ranking content for your target keywords. It then uses this analysis and natural language processing (NLP) to generate content outlines, suggest headings, and write drafts optimized for search engines.

Additionally, Surfer AI goes beyond just drafting content. It analyzes your existing content or drafts and offers suggestions to improve its SEO performance. This can include optimizing content length and keyword density and ensuring you cover the topics that users searching for your target keywords are interested in.

In essence, SurferSEO's AI acts as an assistant that helps you create informative content that is likely to rank well in search results.

Installation, setup, and compatibility

SurferSEO can be accessed through any web browser on any device. You must create a SurferSEO account and log in to use the tool. In addition to the keyword Chrome extension, SurferSEO offers a paid plugin for WordPress. This plugin provides comprehensive SEO features, including content planning, on-page optimization, and content audit tools. 

To install the SurferSEO plugin on your WordPress website, log in to your WordPress admin panel, go to the plugins section, and search for "Surfer." Then, follow the instructions on the screen to install and activate the plugin. 

There are also integrations for Jasper, Google Docs, and Contentful. 

(Image credit: SurferSEO)

Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, the company offers a variety of tools to help you and your team maximize SurferSEO's capabilities.

Firstly, the company provides an extensive knowledge base that covers all aspects of SurferSEO's features and functions. This resource is an excellent starting point for beginners, as it explains how to use the tool. Additionally, it's an excellent resource for advanced users, as it will enable them to find answers to specific questions they may have quickly.

Secondly, the company has a rapidly growing community group, which is a fantastic resource for users to connect. It's a place to ask questions, share tips, and learn from others' experiences. The community group is an excellent place to network with other professionals in your industry and get insights into how they're using SurferSEO.

Thirdly, the company's blog offers a wealth of information on SEO, keyword research, and content optimization. The blog is regularly updated with new articles and tips, making it an excellent resource for staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices.

Lastly, the best tool for learning how to use SurferSEO is Surfer Academy. This resource offers both onboarding training tools and continuing education programs. The onboarding training tools provide a step-by-step guide on how to use SurferSEO, while the continuing education programs help users stay up-to-date with the latest features and functions.

As you can see, the company offers a range of comprehensive resources to help you and your team make the most of SurferSEO. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, these resources will provide you with the knowledge and support you need to succeed.

Plans and pricing

(Image credit: SurferSEO)

Unlike other SEO optimization tools we’ve reviewed, SurferSEO is very open about what it charges for its services. The prices are prominently displayed on the SurferSEO website. The essential package is priced at $89 per month and is suitable for small business owners and freelancers. This package allows two team members to optimize up to 30 monthly articles using the SurferSEO content editor and includes a keyword research tool. Additionally, you get beta access for ten auto-optimize runs, which helps you improve your existing content with just one click and rank higher on SERP.

For $129 per month, you can write and optimize up to 100 articles per month, receive audit and keyword research access, and 20 auto-optimize runs for up to five team members. The $219-per-month Scale AI plan is also for up to five team members and includes 100 monthly articles, 40 auto-optimize runs, audits, keyword research, and personalized onboarding. Custom plans are also available for large agencies and marketing teams. 

Setting up a free SurferSEO account takes about one minute. You can get started immediately through the content editor or keyword research. One-week free trials do not include access to the company’s audit tool or SERP analyzer. After the trial, you can close your account or choose among the three SurferSEO packages. 

SurferSEO often offers special promotions for new customers. For example, at the time of this writing, it provided three-month discounts across all its plans. 

Final verdict

When searching for SEO optimization tools, you'll notice they are similar. They all come equipped with keyword research tools and content editors, and many are now incorporating AI technology. However, a few, like SurferSEO, go above and beyond by offering additional features such as audio tools and a SERF analyzer. 

If you're searching for a comprehensive SEO optimization tool, SurferSEO is a reassuring choice. It offers a seamless setup process, is available at various price points, and is enriched with a growing list of AI-based features, which are increasingly vital in the industry. It also provides a comforting array of training tools, including a blog, knowledge base, private SurferSEO community, and live training from the Surfer Academy. 

By providing detailed insights and clear guidance, SurferSEO empowers marketers to optimize their content effectively and compete successfully in search engine rankings. Whether you're a seasoned SEO professional or just starting, integrating SurferSEO into your SEO strategy could significantly enhance your online presence and drive more organic traffic to your site.

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