Every business wants to build a thriving website that dominates Google. That’s a no-brainer. But climbing to the top is easier said than done.
There are countless tactics, strategies and bits of SEO wizardry you can try – often to no avail. However, according to a new study, there’s one simple tool you can turn to if you want to make gains – Surfer SEO. Read on to find out more about this exciting update.
Understanding how Google evaluates your content
To explore shifts in Google’s webpage rankings, data scientists from WLDM and ClickStream teamed up with Surfer SEO to conduct a new study in 2024.
The study analysed 260,000 search results to determine how Google ranks web pages. This study wasn’t just a surface-level look at rankings. It dug deep into how Google’s core algorithm changes, like the Helpful Content Update (HCU), are impacting the way content is evaluated. And this is where Surfer SEO comes into play…
What is Surfer SEO?
Surfer SEO is a content optimisation platform designed to help boost a website’s search engine rankings. Offering a data-driven approach, Surfer SEO enables you to research, write, audit and optimise your content with real-time, actionable insights.
At its core, SurferSEO compares your content with top-ranking competitors in search engine results pages (SERPs). It identifies areas for improvement, such as keyword usage. As you optimise content, you get a Content Score, which helps you track your progress.
The study found that pieces of content with higher scores typically rank better on search engines. With so much mystery around what does and doesn’t please the gods at Google, a simple metric like this is a game-changer.
Understanding SurferSEO’s Content Score
The SurferSEO Content Score is a numerical value ranging from 0 to 100 that indicates how well your content is optimised for search engines compared to your competitors.
For example, take a look at the results for this blog post on HubSpot on Outsource Cold Calling. With an SEO Score of 63/100, this article is deemed not long enough – and adding phrases like ‘cold calling service’, ‘sales calls’ and ‘cold calling process’ would give the numbers a boost…
Essentially, the score measures the overall quality and relevancy of your content for a given keyword, providing a clear benchmark for improvement.
Several factors contribute to the Content Score, including:
- Content structure: This includes the length of your article, the number of paragraphs, the use of headings and the presence of images. Matching these elements with top-ranking competitors helps improve your score.
- Headings: Using the primary keyword in your H1 and recommended terms in subheadings enhances your score, ensuring that your content is more relevant to user queries.
- Terms and NLP (Natural Language Processing): Surfer SEO suggests key terms based on the highest-ranking pages for a particular query. Including these terms, starting with the most relevant ones, is crucial for boosting your content score.
A Content Score above 60 is typically considered strong and sets you up for better search engine performance.
By keeping an eye on your Content Score, you can ensure your website content is not only informative but also structured in a way that aligns with Google’s expectations, making it easier for your content to climb up the rankings.
Why your Content Scores matter!
Surfer SEO’s Content Score combines a variety of on-page SEO factors into one easy-to-understand metric. This includes everything from your use of relevant keywords to how well-structured your headings are.
In fact, the study revealed that Surfer SEO’s Content Score had one of the strongest correlations with high Google rankings. This means that the higher your Content Score, the better chance your web pages have of appearing at the top of Google’s search results.
“Essentially, there’s a positive correlation with Surfer’s content score and YMYL pages – meaning that, since the core update, Surfer SEO’s content score is a higher predictor of success in those areas. And what that essentially means is the better you do optimize for surfer, the better your results will be in those niches.” ~ Brie Moreau, WLDM
Interestingly, this wasn’t just a one-off finding. The correlation between Surfer SEO scores and higher rankings held true both before and after Google’s recent updates. So, if you’ve been wondering whether to invest your time in optimising your content with Surfer SEO, the answer is a resounding yes.
One potential downside is over-optimisation, which must be considered. While using Surfer SEO’s Content Score as a benchmark, it can be tempting to pump those numbers up as high as possible. After all, if you can achieve 100/100, surely you’d rank top, right?
However, over-optimisation can harm a website’s performance by triggering penalties from search engines. Tactics like keyword stuffing, excessive anchor text and unnatural link building are all red flags to the likes of Google. These practices often lead to poor user experience, as content becomes awkward and hard to read, increasing bounce rates and reducing relevance to user intent.
Search engines prioritise valuable, user-focused content, so over-optimised pages can lose visibility, especially as algorithms evolve to detect manipulation.
Boost your rankings with Surfer-optimised content
At Wrise, we specialise in crafting high-quality, optimised content that both search engines and readers love. Using Surfer SEO, we ensure your content is perfectly tailored to rank higher and drive more traffic. Whether you need blog posts, product descriptions or website copy, our team has you covered.
Let us help your business rise to the top of Google! Book a Free Discovery Call today and see how we can optimise your content for success.
