Summary

With SEO plugins for WordPress, there's always a balance to be found between price and value. And with so many tools on the market, it's sometimes hard to know which ones constitute the best investments. Link Whisper is a (relatively) new plugin that specifically addresses internal link building and its associated complexities.

Internal linking structure is a fundamental component of successful search engine marketing (SEO), but one that’s too often neglected because it's time-consuming—especially if you have a big website with a lot of historical posts and content. Link Whisper streamlines the entire internal link-building process with (at least partial) automation, customization, and clear reporting.

My name is Terry Williams, head of SEO at a major agency and me and my team have been using Link Whisper for 5 years. It's streamlined the internal linking process and cut down the time it takes to find opportunities by magnitudes. If you've been hearing about Link Whisper but are unsure whether or not to give it a try, this review is for you. Together, we'll take an honest look at what Link Whisper brings to the SEO table, including its features, pros and cons, pricing, and more.

Spoiler alert: While I'm a fan of the Link Whisper plugin, I feel it’s far from perfect. In this Link Whisper review, I'll share the good, the bad, and the ugly. Ultimately, though, I'm comfortable standing by my 4/5 star rating for the platform as a whole.

Price (5/5)

I think Link Whisper is reasonably priced in general—but it really shines with its agency package, which includes licensing for up to fifty different websites. Lots of value to be mined there!

Usefulness (4/5)

Link Whisper is an incredibly useful plugin, but I've refrained from giving it a perfect score because a lot of its automations (NLP) return poor or irrelevant linking suggestions. I trust this may improve over time with updates, but right now, it’s definitely a drawback.

Accuracy (3/5)

I cannot give Link Whisper a high score for accuracy because it's just not that accurate (yet). It's definitely accurate enough to be useful and a major time saver, but it's also a bit glitchy, and that can be frustrating.

Introduction

A robust internal linking structure is one of the fundamental components of SEO. If you want to boost your rankings, internal links are not to be neglected.

And yet, the internal linking process is overlooked all too often. In some cases, business owners don't realize its importance, which isn’t driven home as frequently as that of its counterpart—external link (backlink) building. More often than not, though, internal link building gets ignored because, simply put, it’s really tedious.

Combing through hundreds of old posts and pages to find the perfect internal link to match specific anchor text in the content you've just written is a pretty daunting prospect. And if you've neglected internal linking in the past (especially if you've got a big website), the task of trying to manually build connections can seem impossibly overwhelming.

Enter Link Whisper—the plugin that promotes itself with the claim that building smart internal links just got easier.

What Is Link Whisper?

Link Whisper is a WordPress plugin that speeds up the process of internal linking in order to help increase search engine rankings. Designed by Spencer Haws (an accomplished affiliate blogger), it uses a basic NLP algorithm to automate the internal link-building process. It was first released to the market in July 2019.

Link Whisper is designed for WordPress but is also compatible with other page builders. Essentially, it analyzes your site's content and provides instantaneous contextual suggestions. In other words, Link Whisper uses artificial intelligence to identify and suggest opportunities within your website's pre-existing text where internal links could be relevant and beneficial to readers.

By clicking on "Link Whisper Suggested Links," you'll automatically generate a list of suggestions for internal links that can be added to the content you’re writing. From there, you can manually review, filter, and edit the suggestions to ensure they’re as salient as possible. With just a few clicks, you've done what might previously have taken you hours.

And that's the magic of Link Whisper. In the same way that the advent of the automatic washing machine and dryer eliminated hours of hand scrubbing, rinsing, wringing, line drying, and ironing, Link Whisper turns what was once a time-consuming and laborious task into a quick and straightforward one.

Let's dive in a little deeper.

Pros & Cons of Link Whisper

What would this Link Whisper review be without a pros and cons section? Like all platforms, Link Whisper has its good and its bad, and you deserve to know about both. Though my pros list is longer than my cons list, I've tried to be honest here about the areas I think miss the mark or are ripe for improvement. Here goes:

Pros

• Simple To Install - To install Link Whisper, all you have to do is purchase your license, install the plugin, activate it, and then enter your license key. No mess, no fuss.
• User Friendly - You don't have to be a tech geek to put Link Whisper to work for you. The plugin does all the heavy lifting, leaving you to simply filter, select, review, and otherwise customize the internal link-building process as you see fit.
• Clear Reporting - I appreciate the fact that Link Whisper's reporting dashboard is straightforward and simple to interpret. It provides a visual overview of your site's linking structure as well as tabs for your Links Report, Domains Report, and Error Report.
• Automates Internal Link Building - This is the main reason why people buy Link Whisper. This function is such a major time saver.
• Can Update Multiple Posts at Once - Not only does Link Whisper automate internal link building, but it also allows bulk updates. This is a game-changing feature for actions such as linking specific anchor text to the same page all across your entire website. Really useful.
• Clearly Displays Orphan Posts - Link Whisper makes it easy to spot posts that don't have any internal links pointing to them (a.k.a. orphan posts). Once you've identified which posts to focus on, you can quickly use Link Whisper's other features to get them linked up in no time.
• Updates Internal Link URLs if You Change the URL of a Blog Post - Manually finding and changing every internal link to a post that's had a URL change can be exhausting—and you're likely to still miss a few links, which can result in errors. Link Whisper accurately takes care of all of this work for you, which is really incredible.

Cons

• No External Link Suggestions - Perhaps it's unfair of me to point this out since Link Whisper has never claimed to provide external link suggestions. That being said, I think it would be great to have this option available with the same degree of automation that the platform provides for internal linking. Maybe the team behind Link Whisper is already working on it...
• Slow Broken Link Reporting - While Link Whisper's broken link reporting feature is a super helpful tool, it's also a slow one. Running this report (especially for a large website) takes a really long time. I recommend using a fast host and doing it overnight, if possible.
• Link Building Suggestions Can Be Inaccurate - This is a big one. Anecdotally speaking, I feel that only about a quarter of the suggested links Link Whisper provides are really on point and worthwhile. So, there's a lot of manual sorting and evaluating involved. That being said, even with 25% efficacy, it's still really helpful. But don't purchase this software expecting it to be a truly accurate, fully automated solution.
• Glitchy Interface - Not going to sugar-coat it; this one is pretty annoying. Too often, when using Link Whisper, the program stalls or times out on specific features. The Domain Report feature has been particularly frustrating for me. Link Whisper's development team is continually working on debugging the platform, so hopefully, it will continue to evolve in the right direction.

Features of Link Whisper

Alright, let's get down to the nitty-gritty here. If you do decide to purchase Link Whisper, what features will you have at your fingertips? Let's take a look:

Reporting Dashboard

We're going to begin with the Link Whisper reporting dashboard. I've already stated that I think this dashboard is clean, straightforward, and well-organized. It provides a visual overview of your site's linking structure that includes helpful statistics such as Most Linked to Domains and Internal Vs. External links.

It also provides easy access to tabs for other types of reports. But what exactly does each type of report tell you?

Links Report

The Links Report arranges your posts by the date published and quantifies each post's inbound and outbound internal links in a simple-to-digest format. It also reports the number of outbound external links associated with each post.

The Links Report is not only a reporting feature—but it also connects users to the core reason why Link Whisper exists. Though a bit unorthodox, Link Whisper actually allows users to add links to pages from this part of the interface.

Slightly odd from a reporting page? Perhaps. But also practical because you can take direct action on opportunities that are highlighted by the report. Once I got used to link building directly from the Links Report, I quite liked it.

Orphaned Posts

Orphaned posts are posts that don't have any internal links pointing to them, and they are a major waste of traffic potential. Think about it. Visitors are much less likely to discover a page without a built-in opportunity to visit it (i.e., an internal link pointing to it).

To discover orphaned posts using Link Whisper, sort your Links Report by how many or few internal links it has. Ta-dah! Any orphaned posts are immediately apparent—and ready for remediation.

Error Report (Broken Links & 404)

When sites go offline or affiliate programs close, that leaves you with broken links on your pages. Besides being frustrating for visitors, broken links are not good for SEO.

There are specific plugins available to help you identify broken links, but with Link Whisper, you won't have to invest in them because it includes this feature at no extra cost. I'm a big fan of the Link Whisper Error Report!

Domains Report

As I mentioned earlier, the Domain Report is one of Link Whisper's glitchier features. When it works properly, it displays information about what domains your site is linking to. You can easily track how frequently you're linking to certain domains and from which pages. Overall, the Domain Report is a clear and helpful feature; I just wish I could access it reliably all the time.

Clicks Report

The Link Whisper clicks report is a newer reporting feature that helps you to measure visitor engagement with the links on your pages. It records all link clicks from visitors so you can identify high-traffic and lower-traffic links—and adjust your internal linking strategy accordingly.

Auto-Linking

Auto-linking is Link Whisper's solution to scaling internal linking. Basically, you identify an anchor text that you want to link to a specific post or page, and Link Whisper will automatically create that link for every instance where that anchor text appears on your website. Bulk internal linking. Pretty cool.

Of course, anything done in bulk runs the risk of not being tailored to the specific requirements of particular pages. But this feature is a great starting point. You can refine the results manually afterward, if necessary. I especially appreciate that you can limit new links to be added only once per post, which just eliminates linking overload in cases where you've used the anchor text more than once.

Link Changer

I already mentioned this feature in my Pros list, but I'll mention it again here since it's awesome. Because you lose link authority with 301 redirects, it's important to avoid them at all costs.

Link Whisper makes this easy to do with its URL Changer feature. The URL changer automatically changes old URLs to new ones for all the internal links on your website. In just a few seconds, you've ensured a smooth and up-to-date visitor experience while also keeping your SEO completely intact.

Settings

In Link Whisper's settings, you can customize the platform to suit your specific needs. Language, display options, and the type of posts you wish to build links from can all be tweaked. You can also select pages or words that you never want to include in your internal linking structure (posts or words to be ignored). Overall, Link Whisper's settings options are fairly standard but suitable.

NEW SHOPIFY APP

Link Whisper now has an app in the Shopify App Store for $7/month, with a free 7 day trial.

Link Whisper Pricing

1 Site License: $97 one time
3 Site License: $167 one time
10 Site License: $217 one time

Link Whisper Alternatives

Even with its drawbacks, I think Link Whisper is currently the most comprehensive internal link-building plugin on the market. That being said, there are some other alternatives—especially if you want to spend a little less and can afford to invest some extra manual time and effort:

Google Search Console

You can filter posts for free in the Google Search Console by navigating to the Internal Links report (under Links). Filter your posts based on the number of internal links pointing to them, and you've got a perfect starting point for taking action to improve your internal linking structure.

Internal Link Juicer

Internal Link Juicer is another free option for internal link building. Like Link Whisper, it’s a WordPress plugin that semi-automatically builds internal links on your website. While not as sophisticated as Link Whisper, I think Internal Link Juicer could be a good alternative for amateur bloggers and small business owners with less content on their sites.

Rank Math

Rank Math does way more than internal link building; it's a complete WordPress SEO plugin, but also happens to include a very decent internal link builder. If you're looking for a more comprehensive SEO solution, I'm a fan of this platform and highly recommend it.

Linkilo

Linkilo is a quite recent addition to the internal link-building plugin scene. On the surface, it seems to be a viable competitor for Link Whisper. Linkilo claims to do everything that Link Whisper does, plus more, at a lower price point. Specifically, it has focused its efforts in the realm of link analysis and claims to use NLP to take elements like link context into consideration when identifying internal linking opportunities.

At SerpFocus, we are dedicated Link Whisper users, but Linkilo may also be worth investigating further in the near future. Have you used Linkilo? Let us know what your experience was like.

What Sets Link Whisper Apart From the Competition?

I think that Link Whisper is really the first software that has even partially succeeded in making automated internal link-building a viable reality.

Though far from perfect, Link Whisper has probably saved me hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of valuable time. Building internal links manually is exhausting and in some cases, virtually impossible (like if you've got years of historical posts that you want to integrate into your current internal linking structure).

I also really appreciate the fact that the team behind Link Whisper knows the industry they're dealing with and is open to constructive feedback. Overall, its customer support is responsive and solution-oriented. Though the product may be glitchy at times, it feels good to know there are real people on the other side of the screen who are working hard to solve and fix issues as they arise.

I definitely look forward to seeing the ways Link Whisper will continue to evolve in the near future.

Verdict

So, is Link Whisper worth it?

For the right clientele, yes (i.e., big websites, growing businesses with lots of content, and SEO agencies).

I'd say give it a go—you can always get a full refund within the first thirty days if you're not completely satisfied.

Don't expect Link Whisper to be glitch-free or to provide 100% relevant link-building suggestions (because it won't). Do expect a straightforward internal link-building solution that will automate a lot of your work and save you a ton of time overall.

FAQ

Who Should Use Link Whisper?

Link Whisper is perfect for growing businesses, big websites with lots of content, websites that have neglected to manage their internal linking structure over time, and SEO agencies. It isn’t as well suited to amateur bloggers or small business owners without a lot of content on their sites.

What Languages Does Link Whisper Support?

Link Whisper supports English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, and Russian.

What Happens to My Links if I Uninstall Link Whisper?

Link Whisper allows users to keep all of the links that were built using the platform, even if they uninstall it. I think that's pretty generous!

Does Link Whisper Only Work With WordPress?

Link Whisper is a WordPress plugin, but it can be used with some other page builders as well. It does not, however, work with free website builders like BlogSpot or Wix. If your website is built using a platform other than WordPress, double-check that it’s compatible with Link Whisper before purchasing the software.

What if I Don't Like Link Whisper's Suggested Links?

If you don't like Link Whisper's suggested links, you can either ignore them or remove them. Sorting through automatically generated link suggestions and evaluating their quality is to be expected when you use Link Whisper. You can remove links manually or easily use Link Whisper's automated features to undo the work the software did for you in the first place.

Conclusion

Link Whisper is just one of numerous SEO plugins, and internal link building is just one of the myriad components of effective SEO. While I hope this review was helpful for you, I also know how overwhelming the SEO journey can feel, and I'd like to help.

At SerpFocus, our goal is to provide resources that will truly help people understand SEO and genuinely assist them in improving their rankings in smart and effective ways. If you’re seeking SEO support, you've come to the right place. Whether you have a specific question about internal link building, are looking for the latest seo software reviews or are hoping to access useful resources, or want to consult with an SEO expert to move your project in the right direction, we're here for you. Reach out to SerpFocus and get your SEO strategy on track today!

Are you looking for a Surfer SEO Review from an SEO professional? Look not further! Optimizing your website can sometimes feel like a shot in the dark. Which ranking factors are most important? How many keywords is too many? And what are your competitors doing to rank above you?

Maybe you don’t have the time to nail down the technical details of SEO. With Surfer SEO, you don’t have to.

Streamline the on-page SEO process with Surfer; it gives you tools for keyword research, content optimization, website audits, and more. 

Can this data-driven SEO tool really increase your rankings in search engines? In this Surfer SEO review, I’ve set out to cover all the key features of the tool and offer my thoughts on how well it works. 

UPDATE as of 11/09/2025

We met up with Tomasz one of the co-founders to discuss Surfer's plans for the future.

Let’s dive right in:

Summary: 5/5 Stars

If you can’t stick around to read the whole Surfer SEO review, here’s a quick summary of what I found:

• Price: 4/5. Surfer SEO may be more expensive than other on-page SEO tools, but for good reason. It’s packed with features, insightful data analysis tools, and a user-friendly interface to top it off. 
• Accuracy: 3.5/5. Occasionally, Surfer will suggest too many keywords for a page you’re optimizing. But if you have issues with the Content Editor guidelines, it’s easy to open the settings and tweak them.
• Features: 5/5. Get every on-page feature you need to start ranking with Surfer SEO, which helps you with content audits, keyword research, website growth planning, and more.

Pros & Cons of Surfer

Pros:

• Loaded with useful SEO features. Eliminate the need for multiple SEO tools with Surfer; it combines keyword research, content optimization, and website audits into one useful tool. 
• User-friendly interface. Brand-new to SEO? Don’t worry; Surfer SEO is easy to use, whether it’s your first or five-hundredth time optimizing content. 
• See which factors correlate with higher rankings. If you consider yourself a data nerd, you’ll love exploring the SERP Analyzer tool. 
• Scale up your SEO campaign as needed. Whenever you need to add more credits to your account or bump up your pricing plan, you can! 
• Free Chrome extension. It’s always great when you can try a product before you buy it. The Keyword Surfer extension gives you a glimpse at the data insights you can get from Surfer SEO.

Cons:

• Usage limits. Even with a paid pricing plan, you don’t get unlimited access to the Surfer SEO tools. With the Basic plan, you can optimize just 10 articles a month; you might run out of credits pretty quickly. 
• The Content Editor sometimes needs adjustments. I've sometimes noticed the word count data isn't accurate, and Surfer SEO will recommend that I need a lot more keywords on a page than I do. For example, it might suggest including a primary keyword 50 times on the page. If I’m only writing ~500 words of content, that’s far too many. Bugs like this are usually obvious and easy to fix. I'll simply do a manual review to change the suggestions. 

All things considered, I give Surfer SEO 5/5 stars and I highly recommend this tool. We use it at our agency EVERYDAY. Keep reading to find out why it’s such a highly rated SEO tool:

What Is Surfer SEO?

Who says SEO has to be mysterious? Surfer SEO spells it out for you; it provides recommendations on everything from content optimization to your internal linking structure. Surfer SEO can be used for any business sizes and on different niches, making it the top choice for SEO professionals.

At first, all that might sound overwhelming. But Surfer SEO makes it simple to implement its suggestions and optimize your content. It analyzes over 500 ranking factors to provide you with data-driven guidelines. 

Rather than getting bogged down with the technical details, you can direct your efforts toward writing better-ranking content. 

Don’t be the odd one out on search results, or you’ll end up at the bottom of the page. Surfer SEO compares your content with your top competitors; find out where your page falls short and how to improve it. 

How does Surfer SEO know how to optimize your content? To answer that, I’ll need to explain how the search engine algorithm works:

On-Page SEO

Search engines look at all kinds of factors when ranking websites. Even though Google is notoriously secretive about its algorithm, SEO experts have learned a lot over the years. 

Surfer SEO looks at those factors and tells you exactly how to improve your rankings. The suggestions include anything from your keyword density to your heading structure. You can audit existing content or start from scratch with the Content Editor guidelines.

On-page SEO is complicated stuff. But you don’t need to figure it out alone. That’s where Surfer SEO comes into play. 

Ranking factors Surfer looks at

As I mentioned earlier, Surfer SEO analyzes your website using hundreds of ranking factors. They include:

• Word count
• Heading structure
• Keyword density
• Images
• Related phrases
• Page titles
• And more

Are these ranking factors making your head spin? Luckily, you have Surfer SEO to take care of it for you.

How Does Surfer Work?

If your competitors are ranking at the top of Google, they must be doing something right.

Surfer SEO compares your website against the top-ranking pages to find the differences between them. Then, it makes recommendations based on that data. 

Surfer SEO also uses NPL (Natural Language Processing) to determine which keywords, phrases, and sentiments Google will see as important (and therefore rank more highly). 

Surfer claims to be an “SEO tool for experts”; while that may be true, it’s a great tool for beginners, too. 

You don’t need to know the ins and outs of technical SEO to use this software. All you need to do is follow the guidelines that it creates, and you’ll create awesome optimized content that ranks.

What sets Surfer apart?

Surfer SEO is unlike any other tool on the market. Here’s why:

• It covers all your on-page SEO needs in one tool.
• There are flexible pricing plans.
• It’s super intuitive to use. 

How Do You Use All The Surfer Features?

If the words “SEO” intimidate you, don’t worry; one of Surfer SEO’s greatest strengths is how user-friendly it is. 

To illustrate how to use it, I’m going to provide you with examples of Surfer SEO in action. Take a look: 

Grow Flow

SEO can be overwhelming. You know there’s a lot you can do to optimize your content, but you aren’t sure where to start. Enter Grow Flow, an AI platform that gives you a weekly task list. 

These tasks are tailored to the needs of your website. Spend less time fretting over your to-do list, and get straight to work with an automated task list. 

Grow Flow finds opportunities for you and adds them to your task list, including pages you can add keywords to, link opportunities, and new keyword suggestions. All you need to do is enter your website URL, and it takes care of the rest. 

As the newest feature, Grow Flow is available for all Surfer SEO features at no additional charge. It’s still in beta, but I can definitely see it being useful for busy website owners

Content Editor

If you’ve had your eye on Surfer SEO, then you’ve no doubt heard about its Content Editor. 

Using Artificial Intelligence, hundreds of ranking factors, and data-driven analysis, Surfer SEO will create content guidelines for your page. Fulfill these guidelines, and you’re well on your way to writing content that ranks. 

Using the Surfer Content Editor is simple. Start by entering your keyword into the search bar. Select your region, and hit enter.

It will take a minute or two for Surfer SEO to create your guidelines. Once that’s done, here’s what the Content Editor shows:

Near the top right, you can see the Content Score. As I write the article and use the suggestions from Surfer SEO, the score will update in real-time. Aim to get your score as close to 100 as possible.

Keep in mind that these guidelines are based on the top-ranking competitors for your keyword. Those sites may not be 100% optimized; even if you implement every suggestion from the editor, your score might be below 100.

Below that is the Content Structure. It offers suggestions for:

• Words. Guidelines for how long your article should be. If your competitors have 3000+ word posts, you’ll need to write at least that many to rank above them. But write too much, and your post will be an outlier in search results. Try to stay within the range listed in your guidelines; for this post, I need to write 3,221-3,704 words.
• Headings. These are the H1s, H2s, and H3s on your page. By including your target and related keywords in headings, you can increase your relevancy for those terms. 
• Paragraphs. Big blocks of text will bore your readers. Try to follow the paragraph guidelines to space out your content. 
• Images. By including pictures in your content, you can increase engagement with your post. For this “Teeth whitening” blog, I should use 10-26 images.  

Scroll down, and you’ll see the Terms section. This lists all the relevant keywords that will help you rank for a given topic. Here’s a look at the terms Surfer SEO generated for this post:

You can see that all the keywords are in red; that’s because they aren’t currently in the content. Once I add them to the page, they’ll turn green, and the content score will increase.

Using this section, you can manage the keyword density of your post. Too many instances of one term might be seen as keyword stuffing, a practice that can hurt your rankings. Try to stay within the suggested range. 

If you click on the “Headings” section, you can see which terms to include in your H1, H2s, or H3s. 

You can also filter results by NLP keywords, which I touched on earlier. 

Want to further customize your content guidelines? Simply hit the settings wheel near the top right:

Here, you can adjust all sorts of specific settings. Start by looking at the competitors:

If you don’t want to use one of those competitors, you can toggle the button on the left to exclude them from the guidelines.

Next, you can adjust the content structure:

If any of the guidelines don’t match your content goals, edit them here, and the Content Editor will update them to match your changes. 

Finally, there’s the keywords section:

Here, you can remove any terms that you want to exclude from the content guidelines. 

For those with more experience in SEO, the customization features are a huge perk. You have total control over every detail of the guidelines. 

If you’re sending these guidelines to a copywriter, tweaking the settings will ensure you get the exact type of content you’re looking for.

In-Depth Guide to Surfer's Content Editor Features

1. Adding Images

• Direct Upload Method:
  • Click the image icon in the editor.
  • Choose to upload from your files, or use the drag & drop feature.
  • Alternatively, type “/image”, hit enter, and select the upload option.
• Pixabay Integration:
  • Click the image icon.
  • Select the "add from Pixabay" option.
  • Browse and choose an image from Pixabay’s extensive library.
  • If you're on the Essential plan or above, you have the option to use Surfer's Google Docs extension for more advanced editing. This extension brings Surfer’s guidelines into Google Docs, enhancing your ability to format images, add tables, and save backups on Google Drive.
• Placeholder Images:
  • Click the image icon to add a placeholder.
  • Add alternative text (alt text) to images, which is beneficial for SEO as it counts towards the Content Score.

2. Commands

• Usage: Use the slash command ("/") to quickly access a variety of options without needing to use the mouse. This feature allows for the insertion of images, headings, links, or lists directly from the keyboard.

3. Shortcuts

• Device Adaptability: The editor offers shortcuts that are adjusted based on the device you're using. Hover over the relevant icon to see what shortcuts are available for your device, streamlining the editing process.

4. Bubble Menu

• Functionality: When text is selected for editing, the Bubble Menu appears. This floating menu follows your work, eliminating the need to scroll to the top menu bar.
• Link Management: The Bubble Menu also facilitates link management. After adding a link, you can hover over it for options to preview, delete, or edit.

Audit

SERPs (or Search Engine Result Pages) update all the time. Even if you wrote an optimized piece of content a few months ago, your rankings will fluctuate based on your competitors and algorithm updates.

Analyze and optimize existing pieces of content using the Audit tool.

For this example, I’m going to use a blog I found in the search results for “best teeth whitening”. First, I’ll enter that into the content audit tool and hit enter:

Then, Surfer SEO will analyze the page and make recommendations about internal links to add, keywords to include, and backlinks to acquire. 

Here’s a glimpse at the suggestions it generates for this teeth whitening page:

Follow these guidelines, and watch your position in SERPs rise as a result. 

Content Planner

Not sure which keywords to target in your next blog post? Try the Content Planner, which not only gives you relevant keywords but also indicates which type of content to write.

In the Content Planner, there are three categories, which are distinguished by the user’s search intent:

• Customer investigation. Where readers seek to learn more about a product before buying it. Ex) Whitening toothpaste reviews.
• Shopping. The customer is ready to buy. Search results often include e-commerce stores, where people can easily purchase the product online. Ex) Online teeth whitening kits.
• Informational. General information about a product. Ex) How much does teeth whitening cost?

Here are the Content Planner results for “teeth whitening”:

If you click on an individual result, you can see more information about the metrics:

Simply click the button on the bottom right to instantly generate Content Editor guidelines!

SERP Analyzer

Find out which sites are ranking for your target keyword (and why) with the SERP Analyzer.

For example, this graph visualizes how word count correlates with a website’s position in search results:

As you can see, the top 10 results for “teeth whitening” have just over 2000 words.

If you love to nitpick over data, SERP Analyzer has plenty for you to poke through. Check out which common phrases, backlinks, and questions are on the top-ranking pages for your target keyword. 

You can even analyze how page speed correlates with rankings!

As you might expect, the fastest pages also rank the highest.

Keyword Research

Surfer’s Keyword Research tool is pretty standard; if you’ve tried other SEO keyword research tools, you’ll see a lot of similarities here.

Just like earlier, all I need to do is enter my keyword, and hit “Create”. This time, I’m using the keyword “whiten teeth”.

Here, I can see this term has a search volume of 246,000. That’s a pretty competitive term.

Let’s take a look at the similar keywords Surfer SEO found:

As you can see, I can choose from any of these relevant keywords, some of which will be much less competitive to rank for. 

Along with the search volume, you can see the SERP Similarity, which indicates how many results for that keyword are identical to your target keyword. 

By using keyword research, I can find lower volume keywords that are relevant, easier to rank for, and will still help me boost my website traffic. 

If I decide to focus on “best teeth whitening methods”, I can click those 3 dots on the far right to pull up this:

Click either button to generate a new report using that keyword and your chosen feature. 

There’s one other feature you might find useful. Take a look at this panel on the far left:

Here, I can view long-tail variations of the target keyword and questions that people search about it. This is excellent for coming up with topics and subheadings for your blog post. 

Surfer AI Templates

Surfer AI Templates are designed to streamline content creation, offering options like Blog, Product Roundup, and Single Product Review formats.

1. Blog Template: Traditional article format.
   
2. Product Roundup: Compares 2-10 products, providing a buyer's guide. You can manually select products or use the "Autofill based on the SERPs" feature, which selects products from the top 10 search results.
   
3. Single Product Review: Focuses on one product, either manually selected or picked from suggestions.

The Autofill feature uses top search results for product suggestions. If no suggestions appear, it indicates the system couldn't confidently identify relevant products

Guide to Using Surfer AI Templates:

1. Select a Template: Choose from Blog, Product Roundup, or Single Product Review based on your content needs.
   
2. For Product Roundup:
   
   • Manually select 2-10 products or use Autofill for automatic selection.
   • Add products using the "+ Add a product" option.
     
3. For Single Product Review:
   
   • Enter the product name or select from suggestions.
     
4. Customization: Adjust the structure and content as needed.
   
5. Content Generation: Allow Surfer AI to generate the article based on your selections and template structure.
   
6. Review and Edit: Fine-tune the generated content to ensure it meets your requirements and style.

Q: How does Surfer AI select products for autofill?
A: Surfer AI selects products for autofill based on the top 10 search results relevant to your keyword.

Q: Is it possible to combine manual and autofill selections in a roundup?
A: Yes, it's possible to combine both manual selections and autofilled products in a Product Roundup.

Chrome Extension

The Keyword Surfer Google Chrome extension is completely free; if you want to try the Keyword Research tool risk-free, give it a shot. 

To use it, install the extensions, and search up any keyword in Google. Then, take a look at the field that appears on the right-hand side of the page:

Here, you can view the search volume for different keywords. The correlation charts allow you to see how traffic, word counts, and keywords correlate with rankings, similar to the SERP Analyzer feature. 

Try it for free; you have nothing to lose! Download Keyword Surfer here.

Other Features

Along with its main tools, Surfer SEO offers a handful of additional features along with some advanced techniques, including: 

Google Docs Integration

Did you know that there’s another Surfer Chrome extension? This one integrates with Google Docs so you can view content guidelines as you write.

This extension isn’t entirely free; you need to link it with your Surfer user account to make use of the Content Editor. You also need to create the Content Editor guidelines in Surfer before you can add them to a Google Doc.

Once you’ve installed the Surfer extension and logged in, open up a new Google Doc. Then, launch the extension, and search for the guidelines you made earlier. 

Once that’s done, you should see something like this:

Now you don’t have to toggle back and forth between your Google Doc and the Surfer SEO Content Editor. Your content score will update as you write and edit the document. Better yet, it’s easier to implement keywords when they’re right beside the page.

Location-Based SERP analyzer

Search results are different depending on your location. For instance, if you’re looking up “Best teeth whitening products” in the United States, it wouldn’t make sense for Google to show products only available in Australia. 

To serve up the most relevant content, Google tailors search results based on which country you’re in. So, how do you write content designed to rank in one country or another? 

Surfer SEO lets you customize its tools based on region. You can also change the language.

Understanding WordPress Hooks and Their Relevance with Surfer

What Are WordPress Hooks?

Hooks in WordPress are programming tools enabling the customization of plugins like Surfer without altering their core code. They come in two forms: filters and actions. This functionality is pivotal for creating tailored experiences while maintaining plugin integrity and compatibility with updates.

The Value of Using Hooks with Surfer

Integrating hooks with Surfer's WordPress plugin enhances its SEO capabilities. For instance, if you wish to extend the functionality of Surfer to support custom post types or additional SEO features specific to your website, hooks allow this customization without jeopardizing the core functionality or update process of the plugin.

Implementing Hooks: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let's consider a scenario where you want to add a custom SEO analysis feature to the Surfer plugin.

1. Prerequisites: Familiarity with HTML and PHP is essential for effectively using hooks.
   
2. Risk Assessment: Modifying plugin behavior through code inherently carries some risk. It's advisable to ensure a backup of your website before proceeding.
   
3. Methods to Implement Hooks:
   
   • Using Code Snippet Plugin: This is a user-friendly method, suitable for those with basic programming knowledge. It involves installing a plugin like Code Snippets, adding a new snippet, and activating it.
     
   • Direct Code Insertion in functions.php: This method requires editing the functions.php file of your theme. It's a more direct approach but comes with the risk of losing changes if the theme is updated or switched.
     
   • Creating a Small Plugin: This advanced method involves creating a mini-plugin specifically for your snippets. It offers independence from theme or other plugin updates but requires a deeper understanding of WordPress plugin development.

Example Scenario: Adding Custom SEO Analysis

Suppose you want Surfer to analyze additional SEO metrics not covered by default. You could use a hook to integrate a custom analysis tool.

1. Choose the Method: Depending on your expertise, select one of the three methods above.
   
2. Write the Code: Develop a snippet that integrates the custom analysis tool with Surfer. This could involve fetching additional SEO data and presenting it within the Surfer interface.
   
3. Implement the Snippet: Using your chosen method, add this snippet to your WordPress site. For instance, if using a Code Snippet Plugin, you would add this snippet through the plugin interface.

By following these steps, you can effectively enhance the Surfer plugin with customized SEO features, ensuring your website's content strategy is more aligned with your specific optimization goals.

Keyword Density 

With on-page SEO, you’re looking for the perfect balance of keywords: Enough that your page is relevant for your target keyword, but not too many that it borders on keyword stuffing. 

True Density is a metric used to measure the keyword density of existing page content. Use it to find out how many keywords appear on your page and whether you need to add or delete some terms. 

To use it, open up the SERP Analyzer. Under the Search Results section, enter your website URL.

After that, click on the ellipsis beside your website. Then, click “Audit”.

Now, you can view the True Density of all keywords on your page.

Use this to adjust your keyword density and ensure you’re not over-optimized (or under-optimized) for a certain term. 

Rich Snippet Optimization (People Also Ask)

Want to increase your chances of showing up in a Google featured snippet? Or in the “People Also Ask” section?

Surfer SEO can help with that. The Content Editor suggests headings that will help you rank in these top spots. Navigate to the Content Editor, and click on the “Outline”. You’ll see this:

Click the drop-down arrows to view AI-generated headings and paragraphs. If you’d prefer to write your own content, include any of the “Topics & Questions” in your page content.

White-labeling with Surfer

1. What It Offers: The White-labeling feature of Surfer allows you to remove all Surfer branding from the Content Editor and Audit tools, replacing it with your branding. This is particularly advantageous for professionals and agencies who prefer not to disclose the tools they use to clients​​.
   
2. Pricing: Available at $49/month, it's an add-on service. You need to reach out to Surfer’s support team to purchase this feature. The white-label option is available as an add-on for Essential, Advanced, and Max users.
   
3. Activation Process:
   
   • Manual Activation: After purchasing the add-on, manually set up a CNAME record on your DNS (e.g., yoursubdomain.yourdomain.com) pointing to whitelabel.surferseo.com.
     
   • Finalize Setup: Contact Surfer's team via live chat or email at [email protected] to complete the activation​​.
     

Surfer's API

1. Functionality: Surfer’s API allows you to bypass the standard dashboard and automate tasks like creating queries for Content Editor, Audit, and SERP Analyzer. It's useful for generating shareable links and data analysis without the need to interact with Surfer's web interface​​​​.
   
2. Access and Cost: API access is included in certain Surfer plans or can be purchased as an add-on for $29/month. Without it, API requests are blocked, even with a valid API key​​​​.
   
3. Integration with Other Applications: Surfer's API can be integrated into custom apps or third-party solutions like Zapier or Bubble.io, enhancing workflows like content creation, CMS integration, and competitor analysis​​.

Practical Examples of API Use

1. Automating Content Creation: You can automate queries for the Content Editor using API. For example, if you have a list of keywords in a Google Sheet, the API can be used to create new articles for each keyword, generating access links for collaborative efforts​​.
   
2. Publishing to CMS: API can fetch a clean HTML version of your Content Editor draft for publishing to various CMS platforms like WordPress or Shopify, streamlining the content publishing process​​.
   
3. SEO Analysis and Competitor Research: Utilize the API to gather data about SERP competitors or get Content Scores for specific URLs, aiding in-depth SEO analysis and strategy formulation​​.

Troubleshooting API Issues

• Unauthorized Access: Errors like '401 Unauthorized' may occur if the API key is incorrect or if your plan doesn’t support API requests​​.
  
• Forbidden Requests: A '403 Forbidden' error indicates that your current plan does not support the API or you haven’t purchased the required add-on​​.
  
• Syntax and Quota Issues: Errors such as '422 Unprocessable Entity' or '400 Bad Request' can arise due to syntax errors or exceeding quota limits​​​​​​.

Surfer Add-Ons Overview

1. What Are They?: Surfer add-ons are separate tools enhancing your SEO capabilities, available for purchase outside standard packages. The available add-ons are Audit, SERP Analyzer, White-label, and Surfer API​​.
   
2. Purchasing Add-Ons: You can buy add-ons directly from Surfer's dashboard. They are billed separately from your subscription and follow a monthly billing cycle​​​​.
   
3. Plan with All Add-Ons: The Max plan includes all add-ons. If you are on a lower plan and need these tools, you must purchase them as add-ons​​.
   
4. Billing for Add-Ons: Each add-on is invoiced monthly on the purchase date, separate from your plan subscription. The billing dates for add-ons and subscriptions may vary​​.
   
5. Cancellation and Subscription Downgrades: If you cancel your Surfer subscription, the add-ons will remain active until the end of their billing period but require an active subscription to be used​​.

Managing Downgrades and Add-Ons

1. Self-Downgrade Feature: Surfer now allows you to downgrade your subscription plan directly from the dashboard. This feature is designed to accommodate changes in your needs or preferences​​.
   
2. How to Downgrade: The process involves selecting a new plan from the pricing page and confirming the downgrade. This change will take effect at the end of your current billing period​​.
   
3. Impact on Add-Ons and Legacy Plans: Downgrading your plan does not automatically remove add-ons; they need to be canceled separately. Legacy plan users cannot downgrade their subscriptions, and features like White Label or API are available only if included in their legacy plan​​.
   
4. Organization Management: When downgrading to a plan with fewer seats, excess members will be set to inactive. You can manage active and inactive members as needed​​.

FAQs and Points to Consider

• Legacy Plans: Users with legacy plans have limitations on downgrading and accessing new add-ons. It’s important to check whether your current plan is considered a legacy plan​​.
  
• Flexibility with Add-Ons: Surfer's add-ons offer flexibility to enhance your SEO toolkit as needed. For instance, you can purchase the White-label add-on for enhanced brand consistency, or the API for automation and integration with other platforms

NEW FEATURES

As of December 24, 2025 Surfer has release a 'reclaim your credit' feautre. If you use the tool and get over the recommended threshold you can reclaim the credit used to create the audit. Very cool!

How Does Surfer Stack Up Against Other Tools?

Surfer VS. Page Optimizer Pro

Page Optimizer Pro is one of the most popular Surfer SEO alternatives. Which tool is best for content optimization?

I’m going to rank Surfer SEO VS. Page Optimizer Pro (POP) by looking at the most important features:

Pricing

If you’re looking to optimize your content on a budget, POP is the way to go; pricing plans start at $22/month. Even though it doesn’t have as many features as Surfer does, you get 12 content reports a month (as opposed to 10 articles with Surfer’s Basic plan).

Features

Surfer SEO wins out on this front, hands down. POP only offers content optimization, while Surfer does all that and much, much more.

Organization

With Surfer, it can be tough to sort out which content guidelines or audits belong to which project. POP lets you create project folders and subfolders to organize your content better.

Interface

If you’re new to SEO, it can be tough to navigate POP reports or understand how to use the suggestions. 

Surfer makes it easy to understand exactly what to do to optimize your content. You won’t get lost in confusing navigation menus or complex settings; it streamlines the process of optimizing your website.

Data

POP tells you whether your content is optimized for a select keyword, and that’s about it. 

On the other hand, Surfer SEO is a comprehensive data-driven analysis tool; it looks at everything from page speed to NPL keywords. You can make sure your entire website is optimized with its full suite of SEO tools.

You can also read my piece on Surfer SEO vs MarketMuse here.

I also have a piece on Surfer SEO vs Frase here.

Who Uses Surfer SEO?

This tool is perfect for:

• Freelance copywriters. Write content that helps your clients rank. The Basic plan will likely be enough to suit your needs. 
• Small to medium-sized businesses. If you’re optimizing your own website, you can probably squeak by with the Basic plan. But if you’re managing client websites or a large e-commerce store, you’re probably better off with the Pro plan.
• SEO agencies. For agencies that turn out dozens of optimized articles a week, Surfer SEO speeds up the process of researching keywords, auditing websites, and creating guidelines. If your agency has even bigger content needs, you can set up a custom plan.

Can I Use Surfer SEO for Free?

Technically, no; you cannot use the software without paying for it. But Surfer SEO offers a 7-day money-back guarantee. If you aren’t happy with the tool or aren’t seeing results, you get your money back.

The Chrome extension Keyword Surfer is 100% free. If you just need a free keyword research tool or ranking correlation analyzer, check it out. 

Surfer Pricing & Limits

The pricing plans are as follows (prices are in USD):

• Basic: $59/month (or $49/month paid annually). With this plan, you can audit 20 pages a month and optimize 10 articles a month. You can set up 1 website with Grow Flow. And for the first month, your Content Editor guidelines will include NLP keywords.
• Pro: $119/month (or $99/month paid annually). Add up to 5 websites to Grow Flow, optimize 30 articles a month, and audit 60 pages with the Pro plan. In addition, every guideline you create will include NLP keywords. You can also invite 3 team members to your account.
• Business: $239/month (or $199/month paid annually). For agencies or large businesses, this is the plan for you. You can white label your account and add API. Along with that, you can optimize 70 articles a month, audit 140 pages, and add 10 websites to Grow Flow.

Here is a handy chart to help you figure out which plan to choose.

Customer Support

Are you having issues with Surfer SEO? In my experience, they’re pretty responsive to customer problems and inquiries. Reach out to their support team at support@surferseo.com. 

Surfer SEO Review Conclusion: Highly Recommended

So, is Surfer SEO worth the money?

Considering all the features it offers, the amount of content you can optimize, and how much revenue you can generate from first-page rankings, the answer is a resounding yes!Surfer SEO makes for an excellent on-page SEO tool. That’s why I’ve given it a rating of 5/5 stars. Sign up for Surfer SEO today!