Searching for Surfer SEO alternatives is by no means easy.
Surfer SEO has amassed masses of five-star ratings on trusted review sites like G2 and TrustRadius, as well as getting plaudits from countless independent bloggers... And for good reason.
It set the gold standard for applying advanced SEO insights during the content creation process.
This post will cover the best Surfer SEO alternatives that can deliver comparable results.
What is Surfer SEO?
Surfer SEO is an industry-leading SEO tool for on-page optimisation.
It is a straightforward platform that provides actionable information for search engine optimisation, particularly for these areas:
- Content optimisation
- Keyword research
- SERP analysis
- Internal link structure
- Link building
Surfer SEO lets you skip the number crunching and dive straight into recommendations.
For example, to optimise existing content, use the “Audit” tool to quickly generate a comprehensive to-do list.
Go to ‘Audit’ and fill out the required fields, namely your page URL and target keyword(s).
The audit report leaves out visual-heavy charts, long tables, and lists of in-depth SEO data in favour of direct action plans.
It starts with a content score followed by actionable tips in areas like backlinks, internal link opportunities, additional keyword ideas, and so on.
Click the ‘Show’ button to reveal the details of each recommendation.
Another noteworthy SurferSEO feature is the “Content Editor,” which supercharges the content creation process through real-time SEO suggestions, such as:
- Overall content score
- Target word count (based on the top 10’s average word count)
- Outline element suggestions (title ideas, headings, and questions)
- Target number of images
- Heading keyword suggestions
- Content keyword suggestions
- Top competitors
The Content Editor feature can be used via SurferSEO’s web interface.
Alternatively, use the Chrome extension to bring content optimisation suggestions to Google Docs or the WordPress blog post editor.
With the Surfer SEO Chrome extension, you don’t need to do keyword research, build an entire spreadsheet of target keywords, and slide them into content briefs.
The extension lets you do content research AND keyword research while you focus on writing high-quality content.
Other Surfer SEO content optimisation features
- Content Planner. Build a content roadmap to rank for difficult keywords.
- SERP analyser. Unveil the most significant on-page factors for the top-ranking competitors.
- Keyword research. Use the standalone keyword research tool for brainstorming content development plans.
Surfer SEO costs $59 per month for the “Basic” plan, which can optimise 10 articles. The “Pro” plan costs $119 per month and lets you optimise 30 articles.
Click here to create a Surfer SEO account.
Top 3 Surfer SEO alternatives
With its robust set of features, Surfer SEO deserves to be on your consideration list for content optimisation tools.
If you’re still on the fence, here are three popular Surfer SEO alternatives you should try:
Alternative 1: Frase
Frase is an AI-powered tool for content optimisation.
Its main selling point is the AI writer, which can paraphrase, generate, or expand SEO-friendly content in seconds.
This is similar to AI-powered writing assistants like Writesonic, but with more focus on creating SEO copy.
Frase also provides a score-based SEO content editor with the “Topic Score” feature.
Increase your Topic Score using the keyword recommendations and reviewing competitors’ content in the top 10 results.
Frase charges $44.99 per month for the Basic plan and $114.99 for the Team plan (three users). An add-on charge of $35 per month is required for the AI writing assistant.
Alternative 2: Topic
Topic fast tracks your SEO content creation workflow by consolidating optimisation tasks into one interface.
The tool uses data from the top 30 results to provide heading suggestions, target keyword ideas, and sought-after questions to answer.
Topic’s built-in “Outline Builder” ensures a cohesive article structure, while the “Content Grader” provides real-time feedback for SEO.
It also features a WordPress and Google Docs integration so that you can focus on content writing first and SEO optimisation second.
To use Topic, the “Starter” plan costs $99 per month for up to 10 SEO articles.
The “Plus” plan, which costs $199 per month, lets you optimise up to 25 articles.
Alternative 3: Clearscope
Clearscope is one of the first content optimization tools to grace the internet.
It helps you audit existing posts and generate content reports, which will help you create high-performing content for your target keywords.
Content creation and optimisation go hand in hand with Clearscope’s text editor.
The tool evaluates keyword optimisation, word count, and readability as you write your draft.
The text editor is available as an integration for Google Docs and WordPress.
Clearscope charges a premium of $170 per month for a total of 20 content reports. The “Business” plan costs $1,200 per month, which allows over 100 content reports.
FAQs when looking for Surfer SEO alternatives
FAQ 1: Is there a free version of Surfer SEO?
Surfer SEO doesn’t have a free version. However, there are free extensions like Keyword Surfer that shows basic keyword metrics in search engines.
FAQ 2: What is a good score on Surfer SEO?
For most Surfer SEO projects, a target score of 67-100 is recommended for well-optimised content. The target range depends on the difficulty of your target keyword.
FAQ 3: How do I optimise content with Surfer SEO?
Surfer SEO generates content audits to help you optimise existing content.
The Content Editor provides real-time feedback for improving content quality based on your focus keyword.
From there, as you write, Surfer gives you detailed and practical tips.
What next?
There are only a handful of reliable SEO tools that do the same job as Surfer SEO.
Its ability to help you produce pages that have a better chance of ranking in search results is top-notch, and Surfer SEO’s usability, features, and competitive pricing are unparalleled.
But if you like to explore other options, Frase, Topic, and Clearscope are highly recommended.
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