---
title: "Analyzing Your Audit"
description: "Working with the results of an Audit report may seem complicated at first, but it's pretty simple!"
url: https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/6321975-analyzing-your-audit
collection: "Audit"
updated: 2026-10-09
language: en
alternates: [fr, de]
---

# Analyzing Your Audit

Working with the results of an Audit report may seem complicated at first, but it's pretty simple!

## Breaking down your Audit report

Scrolling down your Audit report, you will see a few sections. Each one of these sections corresponds to a specific part of your page that we've analyzed. The analysis is enhanced with **recommended ranges** that are 100% based on your **selected competitors**.

Every section is filled with suggestions for you to follow. We may ask you to add or remove a specific term, build up your internal linking net, decrease the number of words on your page, increase the number of images, and more. That solely depends on the way your and your competitors' pages are built.

Let's take a look at each section in your Audit so you can understand it better and apply the suggestions when improving your page.

### Content Score

In the Audit, we provide a content score by comparing your page against your top competitors. This score is **determined through an in-depth analysis of your page’s content**, taking into account everything within the `<body>` tags of your source code, such as the navigation bar, footer, menus, and comments. As a result, the data can vary and impact your final score. The analysis evaluates both the written content and the surrounding elements on your webpage. For your Audit, your recommendations will be based on the current word count of your page.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/D5CzmuryNRsACVryLQrVOao1tidzyDvgmHbQs1c72LdFnru5r8VXW6TsXhFl27xueNhrIFOkOuE.png)

> **Info:** Your Content Score, ranging from 0 to 100, shows how good and relevant your content is for a specific keyword and location. **A higher score means a better chance of your content ranking well.**

### Internal Links

In this section, you will see internal linking suggestions designed to guide your audience from one of the recommended pages to your Audited page. Surfer scans your website and finds relevant URLs. You can link these pages together yourself or use the Internal Links tool in the Content Editor to do it automatically.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/Uj20E56OMrtURSvIxPYCrGqQFc8VHOVzycbfBCEjIfjJyVKeHfBBRpVR7w9vygmSs42ccnAdbYR.gif)

> **Info:** **The important thing to remember is the URL of the Audited page should be included on the recommended page, not the other way around.** This is because internal links from this section are meant to redirect users from one of the suggested pages to the Audited page.

### Terms To Use

The terms-to-use suggestions are based on the number of words on your Audited page and adjusted accordingly. [Powered by our AI algorithms](https://surferseo.com/blog/content-score-product-update/), **following these suggestions will have the greatest impact on your rankings**. This section will tell you exactly which words and phrases you should include, what’s missing, and the recommended ranges (how often to use them) based on your competitors. For the suggested number of occurrences, we calculate the [average word density from your competitors’ pages](https://surferseo.com/blog/why-keyword-density-matters/) and adjust it to fit your current word count. Using the suggested terms can also greatly improve your Content Score.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/eS11DuVpE4owgLz59Jh4dBiXr3FGTHiwq0MTNLSb8b16DPmnQKmTrcdnC3WEze9Ixoj7CTNLXPK.gif)

###   
Word count

This section shows you **a list of suggested changes** to adjust the overall length of your article or specific sections. You’ll get advice on how many words to include in the body, headers, paragraphs, and bold text. The recommended word count matches the number of words found within the body tags of your and your competitors’ pages.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/8RN3GK4NLSoK59pY4Rg3k3shMeJPvSSXXhVjy49NPvqcxAqtt87xBViN4N9MgWk75y1NrjNMOOB.gif)

### Exact Keywords

The exact keyword will be **the term you used** when creating your Audit query, together with your targeted location, and the page URL you will be auditing. In this example, the exact keyword is **"cat food for kittens.”** In this section, you'll see how often your competitors use this keyword on their pages, along with suggestions on where and how often you should use it in your content based on best practices, such as including at least one exact keyword in your title or H1.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/TSVwex7P8mW26bm2CKoiGnbkP8xgf5pWKRKeU9s2ic5WvIo1VfgKnEEXfLxzBlebFHpTl12BKuP.png)

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/oqM10z5nG5EsXdeCpvd2iKTiw7mOzT5WHiD4nzy3FZHcemM87a4gTcjXHAARHHeT3jJo8fVAWVD.gif)

### Partial Keywords

Partial keywords are counted **when the first three letters of a word in your content match the first three letters of the** [**exact keyword**](#h_094cd348ab). For example, if the main keyword is "cat food for kittens," partial keywords would include words starting with "cat," "foo," “for” and "kit." This section helps you improve your partial keyword coverage.

It shows you how to fill content gaps using partial keywords and where you can add them. This may not be your top priority as it is not as impactful as Terms To Use, so we recommend focusing on keyword density first. However, using partial keywords can still help optimize your content and boost your Content Score.

By applying this strategy, you can naturally add variations that competitors are using, saving you time and effort. It also makes your content flow better and improves the overall user experience.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/tLVwk8oBvddrq59cwZ49WB2N8u6DVCCLxviK3knzVElzgBUXSwowI1LI2hBM1eLL7VQpKVmAyOu.gif)

### Page Structure

This section in Audit compares **how your page is built** (headings, paragraphs, images, etc.) **against top-ranking pages for your keyword.** In the report, we take into account elements that are visible only, and not anchored elements.

Instead of fixed rules, it shows common patterns among competitors. For example, if most ranking pages use more headings and paragraphs, it usually means they cover the topic in more depth and in a more structured way.

These recommendations aren’t strict requirements, but they help you align your content’s format and depth with what’s already performing well in search results.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/VLT0CWK97MhDLpHWatVrEPq9SCIDMyFMhtMmK7ixkPtdsw6nnZaXxtY83VFvAtBurPMHjpUuygJ.gif)

### Title and meta description length

Surfer will check **how long** your title and meta description elements are **compared to those of your competitors**. Here, we will give you tips to ensure you are meeting the SERP average length.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/eQZ7R2zhGMTMm9NDIDPCBgrdn2Hs7ObY7zWHGcojENryUNWBAc80kxwB4Wd7fRTyEWH90J1JtJM.gif)

[**Surfer can help you automate your meta title and description.**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/10058133-ai-meta-titles-and-meta-descriptions.md) [**Find out more about it here**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/10058133-ai-meta-titles-and-meta-descriptions-beta.md) 💡

### Time to first byte

In this section, you can see the **server response time and how long it takes for Surfer to load the first byte of your website**. It's important to keep this time as low as possible.

Quicker TTFB means fewer people leave your page quickly and smoother performance.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/AKWUnqVaWLnL3nz6chxdNCU6KTmTptBD09MdqpSzz8nDgvlb7MmP2c8SVJzUW7NaObyqeKqMM6k.png)

### Load time

Page visitors expect your content to load quickly. This shows how quickly your content loads compared to your competitors.

Our crawler will measure **how long it takes for your page to load and compare it with the average load time of your competitors’ pages.**

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/B5HHs6cjjPNJSGVInn9pPzgNPNJQO9DAFyaQworYWnJtNvXYuDZofjVrirrnsHNQDa6PuP77fSm.png)

> **Warning:** **IMPORTANT NOTE:** Since **Time to first byte** and **Load time are technical SEO factors**, Surfer **will not** provide specific optimization tips for for this part of your domain.

  
​

[If you want to learn more about Audit terminology, check out our Glossary 👈](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/7434130-audit-glossary.md)

## How are the suggested ranges calculated?

> **Info:** Your webpage has a certain number of words, and the suggested range falls between two numbers. But how do we determine these ranges? The **lower limit** is simple: it’s the **average word count** from your selected competitors in the Audit. The **upper limit** is a bit more complex. We look at your competitors and find the one with the **most occurrences** of that element. Then, we **add 10-15%** to that number to set the upper limit.

## How to apply the suggestions?

> **Info:** You will need to apply the suggestions in **_your own website editor_** directly to your page and make sure that the changes are live. To track your progress, you can use the refresh button, which is explained in more detail in the next section of this article. Make sure to implement only those suggestions that make sense in your case. Since Surfer's guidelines are based on the URLs you picked, it could be that some of the terms wouldn't fit the content on your website. The suggestions follow a similar format: "Your webpage has x words, and the suggested range is between a and b."

## Managing Your Audit Report

### Refreshing your Audit

When your Audit is running, Surfer crawls both your page and your competitors’ pages. Finished editing in Content Editor and published the updates live on your site? Hit the Refresh button to see the changes in your audit, instead of running a new query each time, to re-crawl your page and see the updates. Within a few minutes, your suggestions will reflect the changes you’ve made since your initial query.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/helpcenter/6928645a69d9b470d70dcfd6/20251212091052_4414.gif)

> **Warning:** **IMPORTANT NOTE:** Refreshing the Audit will only re-crawl your page, not your competitors' pages. If you want Surfer to crawl the entire SERP again for your targeted keyword, you’ll need to run a new query.

[](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/6884933-incorrect-numbers-in-report-refreshing-issues.md)[Audit does not detect my changes / Refreshing is not working](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/6884933-incorrect-numbers-in-report-refreshing-issues.md) 😢

### (i) icon beside your Audited URL shows _"You may be auditing the wrong page"_

If you see this message next to your URL, you’re probably wondering what it means. To explain, we run a special search (site:your-keyword) to check if Google considers this URL the most relevant for that topic. Based on the search results, we will suggest and point out a more relevant URL, so you will be seeing this message prompt next to your Audited URL. Should something be done, then? We trust your expertise, so you can ignore it if you feel it’s not an issue.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/82mVEPIxPpvXCqPlV2UanOKOLg69gaB4mqQYDtGL1u1QiqqLXYA4jAuhGi6iheiuRRp0ov7rPxp.png)

### Show details

In each section, you will see “Show details” button where you will find for comparison between you and your competitors. Select it to see suggested areas to improve.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/J7fIKzAV421ESVh8g9T0los2NLXam8paT6hvxGqSIe7nkGzkQ36QFt8K7bfdkLEn94lrlg5zR04.png)

## Mark as done

The Check icon or _Mark as done_ button's purpose is solely organizational (within Surfer) and does not affect your live sit directly. Once you click on it, a special _Done_ tag will be added to your query  

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/XsjTri99LkM23Gz9RpGdsb4GUGfKPOKFAE4y04DBH8YXs2WYTxknOChjHQ6ylUp8Yk62afRo8Ft.png)

> **Success:** **Do you still need help?** Don't worry! You can contact us at [support@surferseo.com](mailto:support@surferseo.com) or via live chat by clicking the help (?) icon in the upper-right corner.