Finding the right tool for keyword research can feel like a big problem.
You want to know what people are searching for.
But you’re probably tired of using tools that give you too much data and not enough clear answers.
This is where a solution like Ranktracker or Surfer SEO comes in.
In this article, we’ll dive deep into a head-to-head battle between Surfer SEO vs Ranktracker.
Overview
We’ve put both Surfer SEO and Ranktracker through their paces.
Testing their key features and seeing how they stack up.
We’ll be comparing them head-to-head to see which tool comes out on top for your keyword research needs.
Surfer SEO helps you write content that ranks higher. Users have seen up to a 30%.
Pricing: 7-day money-back guarantee. Plans start from $79/month.
Key Features:
- Content Editor
- SERP Analyzer
- Topical Map
Ready to boost your website’s visibility? Give it a try now and unlock its hidden features.
Pricing: Free trial available. Premium Plan starts at $14/month.
Key Features:
- Rank Tracking
- SERP Checker
- Web Audit
What is Surfer SEO?
Have you ever tried to write an article and wondered what you should include?
It can be so confusing. You see the top results on Google, but you don’t know why they’re ranking.
This is where Surfer SEO comes in.
Also, explore our favorite Surfer SEO alternatives…
Surfer SEO helps you write content that ranks higher in search results. In fact, users have seen up to a 30% increase in organic traffic after using Surfer SEO.
Key Benefits
- Real-time Content Editor: Get live feedback on your content as you write, telling you exactly what to add or change based on the top 50 ranking pages.
- Keyword Research Tools: Discover related keywords and long-tail variations to expand your content strategy. Find hundreds of keyword ideas quickly.
- SERP Analyzer: See a detailed breakdown of the top 10 (or more) ranking pages, including word count, keyword density, and common backlinks.
- Content Planner: Get a content outline with suggested headings and keywords to cover for specific topics. It helps you create comprehensive articles.
- Audit Feature: Analyze your existing pages and get a clear list of actions to take to improve their rankings. See exactly what’s holding you back.
Pricing
- Essential: $79/month
- Scale: $175/month
- Enterprise: Contact them for pricing.
Pros
Cons
What is Ranktracker?
Do you want to know exactly where your website shows up on Google?
Ranktracker is the tool for you.
It’s built for keeping a close eye on your keyword positions.
It tells you if you’re moving up or down in the search results.
Also, explore our favorite Ranktracker alternatives…
Ready to boost your website’s visibility? Give it a try now and unlock its hidden features.
Key Benefits
- Track your site’s rankings daily.
- See what keywords your rivals use.
- Find new keywords to target.
- Audit your website for issues.
- Get accurate data for 170+ countries.
Pricing
Ranktracker has a few plans, so you can pick what fits your needs.
- Starter Plan: Costs $14 per month.
- Double Data Plan: Costs $34 per month.
- Quad Data Plan: Costs $63 per month.
- Hex Data Plan: Costs $121 per month.
Pros
Cons
Feature Comparison
Ready to see how Surfer SEO and Ranktracker stack up in their core features?
We’ll dive into a detailed comparison, helping you understand which SEO tool excels in different aspects of your SEO efforts.
1. Keyword Research
When it comes to finding the right words, both tools offer keyword research.
- Surfer SEO: Focuses on helping you discover relevant keywords for content creation. It provides keyword suggestions, search volume data, and helps you group related terms into clusters. This assists you in optimizing content more effectively.
- Ranktracker: Offers more in-depth keyword data, covering search volumes, competition, difficulty, and trends. It aims to give a broader view for overall keyword tracking and strategic planning across multiple search engines.
2. Content Optimization
This is where your writing gets a boost to perform better in search.
- Surfer SEO: Its Content Editor is a powerful feature for on-page SEO. It provides real-time suggestions based on top-ranking pages, guiding you on word count, keyword density, headings, and images to optimize content directly.
- Ranktracker: While it has an AI Article Writer for content creation, its primary focus isn’t as deeply rooted in real-time content optimization suggestions as Surfer SEO. It helps generate content, but less on the granular, on-page SEO side during writing.
3. Rank Tracking
Monitoring your positions in search results is vital for any marketer.
- Surfer SEO: It includes a Rank Tracker that delivers daily keyword tracking and visual SERP insights. You can manually add keywords and group them to see how your pages move.
- Ranktracker: Specializes heavily in keyword tracking. It offers detailed keyword tracking across multiple search engines and regions. It also provides historical data and alerts for ranking changes, which is crucial for analyzing your seo efforts.
4. SERP Analysis
Understanding the search results page is key to competing.
- Surfer SEO: The SERP Analyzer gives you a detailed breakdown of the top results for any keyword. It focuses on on-page SEO factors like word count and keyword usage across competing pages.
- Ranktracker: Its SERP Checker tool helps pinpoint competitor vulnerabilities. It offers insights into what ranks and why, showing live data including featured snippets and other SERP features.
5. Site Audit
Checking your website for technical issues helps improve its health.
- Surfer SEO: The Audit Tool offers reports on your existing content, highlighting gaps in keyword usage and internal linking. It also looks for technical SEO flaws.
- Ranktracker: Provides a comprehensive Web Audit tool that scans your website for over 100 pre-defined SEO issues. It gives recommendations to fix problems impacting your rankings.
6. Backlink Analysis
Backlinks are a major part of how search engines see your site’s authority.
- Surfer SEO: It does not offer comprehensive backlink analysis or monitoring tools. Its focus is on content.
- Ranktracker: Includes a Backlink Checker and Backlink Monitor. This helps you track your backlink profile, find new link-building opportunities, and analyze your competitors’ backlinks. This is a significant difference for seo professionals needing an all-in-one platform.
7. AI Features
Both tools incorporate AI, but in different ways.
- Surfer SEO: Uses AI for its content editor to provide real-time suggestions and to generate AI articles. It also has an AI Content Detector and AI Humanizer.
- Ranktracker: Features an AI Article Writer to create SEO-optimized content quickly. It also includes an AI Tracker to gauge search visibility in AI overviews.
What should you look for When Choosing a keyword research tool?
When choosing a keyword research tool, you need one that gives you a complete picture, not just a bunch of words. Here’s what matters most:
- Accuracy of Data: The tool needs to give you reliable search volume, keyword difficulty, and trend data. Don’t trust a tool with old or inaccurate numbers.
- Search Intent Analysis: It should help you understand why people are searching for a keyword (informational, transactional, etc.). This helps you create the right kind of content.
- Competitor Analysis: A good tool lets you see what keywords your competitors are ranking for. It’s like peeking behind their curtain.
- Filtering Options: Can you filter results by location, language, or keyword difficulty? These filters save you a ton of time.
- SERP Features: Does the tool show you which SERP features (like featured snippets or People Also Ask boxes) are showing up? This helps you see opportunities.
- Ease of Use: You should be able to get the data you need without a complex training course. A clean, simple interface is a big plus.
- Integration: Can it work with other tools you use, like a content editor? This makes your workflow much smoother.
- Backlink Data: For a full competitor analysis, a tool that shows you ahrefs-like backlink analysis can be a game-changer for your link-building efforts.
- Topical Clustering: A tool that helps you group related keywords for a topic is super helpful for building authority. This is a fresh perspective that many don’t consider but is vital for a robust content strategy.
Final Verdict
After all our testing, our winner is Surfer SEO.
Its real-time data and Content Editor are game-changers for writers.
While Ranktracker is a great choice for monitoring your ranks and checking local SEO.
It just doesn’t match Surfer’s deep content optimization.
So you can trust our pick.
If you create content, Surfer SEO is a better choice than a more complex tool like Ahrefs.
More of Surfer SEO
We’ve compared Surfer SEO with many other alternatives to help you understand their standout features in a nutshell.
- Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: Ahrefs excels at backlink analysis, keyword research, and technical SEO audits.
- Surfer SEO vs Semrush: Semrush is a comprehensive all-in-one SEO and marketing platform with tools for ads and PPC.
- Surfer SEO vs Content Raptor: Content Raptor is a quick-win tool for finding pages with high traffic potential.
- Surfer SEO vs Moz: Moz is a classic tool with a strong focus on link building and domain authority metrics.
- Surfer SEO vs SE Ranking: SE Ranking is a more affordable, all-in-one tool with detailed rank tracking and site audits.
- Surfer SEO vs Ubersuggest: Ubersuggest is a very user-friendly and affordable tool for keyword research and ideas.
- Surfer SEO vs SpyFu: SpyFu specializes in competitor PPC ad strategies and keyword data for advertising campaigns.
- Surfer SEO vs Similarweb: Similarweb is best for overall website traffic and market intelligence analysis.
- Surfer SEO vs Raven Tools: Raven Tools is an agency-focused platform with integrated client reporting and social media features.
- Surfer SEO vs Mangools: Mangools is an easy-to-use suite of tools perfect for beginners and budget-friendly keyword research.
More of Ranktracker
We’ve compared Ranktracker with several other top alternatives to highlight their main features.
- Ranktracker vs Ahrefs: Ahrefs is a powerhouse for backlink analysis and deep competitor research.
- Ranktracker vs Semrush: Semrush is a full-suite marketing platform with strong tools for PPC and advertising.
- Ranktracker vs Content Raptor: Content Raptor focuses on optimizing existing content to find quick traffic wins.
- Ranktracker vs Moz: Moz offers a robust suite of tools with a strong emphasis on link analysis and authority.
- Ranktracker vs SE Ranking: SE Ranking is an affordable, all-in-one tool with detailed rank tracking and site audits.
- Ranktracker vs Ubersuggest: Ubersuggest is a simple, budget-friendly tool for basic keyword research.
- Ranktracker vs SpyFu: SpyFu specializes in competitor advertising and keyword data for PPC campaigns.
- Ranktracker vs similarweb: Similarweb is best for analyzing website traffic and overall market intelligence.
- Ranktracker vs Raven Tools: Raven Tools is a reporting-focused platform perfect for agencies managing many clients.
- Ranktracker vs Mangools: Mangools is an easy-to-use SEO suite for beginners, known for its clean interface.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Surfer SEO better than Ranktracker for content writing?
Yes, Surfer SEO is designed for content optimization. Its real-time Content Editor is a powerful feature for writers, giving a score and suggestions as you write.
Which tool is better for tracking keyword rankings?
Ranktracker is the clear winner for keyword tracking. Its main job is to monitor your keyword positions daily and across locations, making it perfect for tracking your SEO progress.
Does Surfer SEO have backlink analysis like ahrefs?
No, Surfer SEO does not offer backlink analysis. If you need to monitor backlinks or run a deep competitor analysis, a tool like ahrefs or Ranktracker is a better choice.
Can I use Ranktracker for local SEO?
Yes, Ranktracker has great features for local SEO. You can track keyword rankings for specific cities, regions, and even neighborhoods to see how you perform in local searches.
Which tool is more affordable?
Ranktracker is generally more affordable, with a lower starting price. Surfer SEO’s pricing is higher, reflecting its focus on content optimization.
