Keyword Research is one of Surfer’s core tools that helps you build and organize a content strategy by discovering relevant, traffic-generating keywords, based on actual competitor data.
Whether you're targeting short-tail or long-tail keywords, looking to create topical authority, or planning to dominate search results with strategic clustering, Keyword Research is your starting point.
Smart Ways to Use Keyword Research
Surfer's Keyword Research tool can be a powerful foundation for building a strategic, search-optimized content plan. You can use keyword clusters to map out a new blog from scratch, identify gaps in your existing content, or decide which articles to update based on evolving search demand. It's also an effective way to support topical authority by creating a series of interlinked articles around a main theme—helping boost your domain’s expertise in the eyes of search engines. When you’re ready to start writing, you can easily send any cluster into Surfer’s Content Editor by clicking “Create Content Editor,” which will automatically generate a tailored SEO brief based on that group of keywords.
How It Works
When you input a keyword and choose a target location, Surfer scans the top-performing pages in Google for that keyword. It identifies what terms they rank for, how those terms are grouped by intent, and how they can be clustered into actionable content ideas.
The result? A visual, data-backed roadmap that helps you structure your content for better search visibility.
What You’ll See Inside Keyword Research
You’ll see your keyword mapped into clusters, each containing:
A Main Topic Keyword – the anchor or central theme of the cluster.
Search Intent – such as informational, commercial, or navigational.
Suggested Sub-keywords – terms often found alongside the main keyword.
Content Score Benchmark – the average optimization score of top-ranking pages.
Each cluster can potentially be its own blog post or page. Or, if multiple clusters have closely related topics, you can decide to cover them in one robust article.
Where the Data Comes From
Search Volume: Monthly search data is pulled from Surfer’s trusted data partners and reflects averages for the past 12 months.
SERP Analysis: Surfer evaluates the actual ranking pages for your keyword, so your clusters are rooted in real, live SEO data.
Competitor Data: All suggestions are based on what real competitors rank for and not just theoretical keyword lists.
Tips to Maximize Your Results in Keyword Research
Feel free to filter the results by search intent, search volume, or keyword difficulty to prioritize which clusters to tackle first.
You can use topical coverage (number of clusters for a single theme) to build pillar pages and support articles.
Connect with Topical Map for a more visual, domain-wide SEO roadmap.