Step 1B: How to generate a SEO-ready article with Surfer AI

Prepare

Start with a solid content idea. Use the Topical Map to find article topics that are designed to rank.

Create a new article

Option 1: From the Topical Map (recommended)

1. Open Topical Map.

2. Find an idea you want to cover (we recommend starting with the Recommendations tab).

3. Select Write and pick Generate with Surfer AI.

Topical Map will auto-fill your location and device settings, as well as keyword and competitors guidelines.

Option 2: From scratch

1. Go to Content Editor.

2. Select New Content.

3. Select Write with AI.

4. Enter your topic, a.k.a. seed keyword, eg: How to rank in AI answers or Best running shoes in 2025.

5. [Optional] Pick a folder you want to assign this Content Editor to.

6. Set location & language (which country and language you want to rank in) and device type (desktop, mobile).

7. Click Create and wait for a document to generate.

You can create AI articles in bulk through Zapier (API add=on required) and send them directly to your CMS of choice. Read more ->

Customize your article

1. Select desired article template
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   Pick from existing templates ranging from Blog posts and Comparisons to LLM-optimized articles or Landing Pages, or create your own template based on the best-performing, human-written content you have.
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2. Select desired tone of voice (tip: SERP-based usually ranks best, but you can also add your own tone of voice for brand coherency).
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3. Review Advanced Settings:

   1. Add notes and/or links to the Custom Instructions field. It will all be included in generating the next step: the article’s outline.
      

   2. Toggle Edit Outline if you want to manually review and edit the outline before generating the article.
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      This is a great spot for adding facts, custom knowledge, personal anecdotes, or CTAs under specific headings, which will greatly improve your article's uniqueness and expertise, and will all serve as a guideline for our AI.
      

   3. Review your competitor selection.
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      Our algorithm always picks the top 10 ranking competitors’ articles for your article’s primary keyword, but these may sometimes include pages you do not want to compete with (like Wikipedia). In that case, uncheck them.
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      You can add different competitors by reversing this process and manually checking any empty checkbox on the competitor list.
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      ​Remember: While we allow for manual competitor choice, we do not recommend it. If you still decide to do it, focus on pages with a high Content Score (ideally 67 or higher). Your guidelines will be benchmarked against the competitor list; if you pick poor content, you will receive poor recommendations.
      

   4. Select Create Outline.
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4. Select Let’s write.
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   Done! It takes 5–20 minutes to generate a fully optimized article. You can close the page/tab while the article is being generated and come back to it later.

Enable browser notifications or use Zapier (API access required) to get alerts when your article is ready.

Finish your article

1. Once generated, review and refine your article. Make sure key points are covered, and the reading flow is not disrupted.
   

   1. If needed, use Surfy, our AI writing assistant, to help with speed-editing:

      1. Highlight a portion of text (or entire article).

      2. Select Ask Surfy.

      3. Type in a detailed command of what you want to happen, eg. “Expand this paragraph with a detailed checklist of what to check for and avoid when picking an apartment. Use plain American English, add relatable examples, and keep the content concise but friendly.”

      4. Before you hit Enter, adjust the Tone of voice (learn more about Tone of Voice).

      5. Select Enter.
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         Surfy can draft entire article for you in minutes and unlike external LLMs such as Chat GPT, he has all the necessary context of your article and automatically follows recommended SEO guidelines.
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         He can also rephrase, expand, shorten, edit, format any portion of the text, and even repurpose it for different formats (like social media posts). Here are the most useful Surfy prompts →
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   2. [Optional] Humanize your article.
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      If AI detection is important to you and/or you have a specific brand voice you’d like to apply to your article, then:

      1. Copy your article’s content.

      2. Open Humanizer.

      3. Paste your article.

      4. Pick desired tone of voice.

      5. Select Humanize.
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2. Review and regenerate/edit/add images.
   

   1. Add a few images (+3 per article) to your article and make sure to include targeted keywords in alt texts. (hint: our AI image generation will do it for you ;) )
      

   2. Use custom, unique visuals if you have them, or generate via Surfy. You can also use our Pixabay integration but keep in mind, that Google prefers unique, original images over stock images.
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      Note: you can generate up to 3 high-quality images in manual Content Editors and up to 5 in Surfer AI. 3. Give images descriptive file names. Make sure to include keyword in file name.
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   3. Give images descriptive file names. Make sure to include the keyword in the file name.
      

   4. Write and add descriptive alt text to each image. Make sure to include the targeted keyword in the alt text.
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3. Add missing Facts.
   
   In the Write & Optimize tab → AI Search, select the Explore missing Facts button. Then, review facts pulled from SERPs and LLMs and add missing ones manually, via Surfy or automatically by clicking the Boost Coverage button.
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4. Add internal links.
   

   Use Surfer’s built-in Auto-Internal Links feature to automatically insert up to 10 most relevant URLs into your article (GSC integration is required). You can also follow the manual workflow below:
   

   1. Make a list of related articles - pay attention to the topics they are covering, and if they are from the same content pillars and clusters.
      

   2. Find words and phrases in the article that are related to the article you want to link to. Usually, it’s related to the main keyword other article is targeting, but you don’t need to use exact match keywords.
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      ​ Diversify anchor texts using synonyms, sentences, and keyword variations.
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   3. Check the surroundings of these words and phrases. The paragraph should be closely related to the article you are linking to.
      

   4. Make adjustments in the paragraph if needed.
      

   5. Add the links
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      ​​ Add the most important internal link in the first paragraph of your article.
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      There’s no exact number of internal links you should add. The longer the article, the more links you can place, but remember: too many URLs in unnatural placements can harm User Experience (UX) and readability. Try to make all links as relevant, natural, and contextual as possible.
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      You can mix both approaches or follow just one.
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5. Review/add CTA(s) (Call to Action):
   

   1. If you haven't specify it before generating the article, add links with relevant CTA (Call-to-Action), leading readers to actions you want them to take.
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      ​Examples:
      - If the article is for an e-commerce blog, you can add a Buy Now CTA and link it to a specific product or a product category.
      - If the article is related to your services, you can add a Write to us CTA and link it to your contact form.
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6. Prepare the article to publication:
   

   1. Navigate to the Publish or Export tab on the Guidelines column to review metadata suggestions. Make sure the main keyword you want to target is both in the title and the description.
      

   2. Prepare the URL address (slug) for your article. Make sure the keyword that you target is in the URL.
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      ​Hint: Generally, H1 makes a good URL slug from the UX and SEO standpoint.
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7. Use Collaboration features if you don’t work alone. You can:
   

   1. Work simultaneously on the same article.

   2. Leave comments for your team.

   3. Review and switch between the article’s versions in Version History.

   4. Share your Content Editor with others.

      1. You can share Content Editor articles in a View & Comment only mode or with full Editing rights.

      2. Shareable links do not require a Surfer account—you can share them with anyone, and they will still see the guidelines tab (which is especially useful when working with external writers or with multiple clients).
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8. Hit the Mark as done button when you finish.

Next steps

1. Publish the article.

2. Check article indexation and performance over time with Google Search Console and Content Audit in Sites. Update after 3 months or as per Content Audit’s recommendations. Follow How to keep your content optimized for steps to refresh old content →

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