Step 1: How to find new content ideas

You need two things to rank in Google and LLMs:

• Content designed to read well but humans and machines alike

• Topical authority

Think of topical authority like a trust badge from Google—awarded when your site stays focused, relevant, and in-depth around one subject.

If all your content is about running shoes? Google sees you as the shoe expert. If you suddenly start writing about legal advice? You confuse the algorithm, and your SEO takes a hit.

That’s where Topical Map comes in. It helps you:

• Discover new topics worth writing

• Spot content gaps between you and your competitors

• Organize content clusters that build domain authority

• Get smart, weekly recommendations to keep your calendar full

In short: Topical Map = your SEO strategy assistant.
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• Focused Strategy: Find content ideas, get clarity on where to expand and which keywords to target.

• More SERP Visibility: Targeting well-researched topics improves your chances of ranking.

• Build Topical Authority: Cover subjects deeply to rank better and faster.

• Smarter Prioritization: Weekly recommendations tell you exactly where to focus and allocate resources.

1. Google Search Console connected to Surfer (see How to add Google Search Console to Surfer for more details)

2. Topical Map in Sites or Topic Research

• Initial Setup: When launching a new site or a new content campaign.

• Ongoing Basis:

  • Monthly for content calendar planning

  • Weekly to follow Surfer’s content recommendations

Topical Maps update monthly—check back often to stay ahead.

1. Go to Sites → pick your domain

2. Surfer scans your existing content

3. We’ll auto-generate a Topical Map with new article ideas to expand your current authority

Note: Only one Topical Map can be created for the specific domain, and the data is refreshed every 14 days. Once created, the Topical Map is available under the Sites project for that domain.

1. Go to Topic Research

2. Click + New Topical Map

3. Type in the topic or main keyword you want to explore

4. (Optional) Connect GSC to see which new ideas are already ranking on your domain

Note: You can create as many Topic Research queries as you want and access them through the Topic Research dashboard. As you’ll keep publishing new topics, your Sites’ Topical Map will auto-update and reflect your progress.

Based on metrics like Search Volume, Keyword Difficulty, and popularity, but also how well cluster is already covered we are preparing weekly personalized list of Recommendations for your domain. These are the topics that are most likely to move the needle and strengthen your existing clusters.

To better understand potential of each recommendation, you can check their Score (last column in the table).

You’ll also get these recommendations weekly via email—just whitelist [email protected] to make sure the emails will reach you.

The default table view shows you clusters (on the left) and article ideas (on the right). You can click on any given article to open a detailed view with a list of suggested keywords, associated search intents, and competitors. This view is great for quickly navigating through clusters and prioritizing work within each cluster.
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The visual map helps you zoom out, benchmark against competitors, explain your strategy, and present ideas to employers or clients.

Map mode tips:

• Color code by Coverage to highlight content gaps (white space = zero/minimal coverage)

• Color Code by Keyword Difficulty to spot easy wins (low difficulty = easy targets for new articles)

• Focus on central clusters of the map to locate content ideas that are semantically closest to your main topic

• Apply Search Volume filter to find keywords in specific volume ranges

• Apply Keyword Difficulty filter to find keywords in specific difficulty ranges

• Locate specific keywords for more direct analysis or content updates. Note that search works only for the main keyword in keyword cluster

All filters that you apply to Topical Map also work in map mode.