Keyword Surfer is a Chrome extension that shows you valuable data on keywords right in your Google search results. It’s a handy tool for anyone who wants to optimize their content for SEO and rank higher on Google. In this blog post, I’ll give you an overview of Keyword Surfer, its features, pros and cons, and how to use it to find low difficulty and high search volume keywords for your niche.
What is Keyword Surfer and When Was It Introduced?
Keyword Surfer was introduced in 2019 by the Surfer SEO team, a group of SEO experts and developers who created a powerful on-page optimization tool. Keyword Surfer is their free extension that allows you to access keyword data without leaving Google. It’s like having a mini SEO tool right in your browser.
How Has Keyword Surfer Evolved and Updated?
Since its launch, Keyword Surfer has evolved and updated to provide more data and features for its users. Some of the updates include:
- Adding data for over 70 countries
- Showing domain-level and page-level traffic estimations
- Showing the number of quality backlinks for each result
- Showing the word count and exact keyword usage for each result
- Showing related keywords and questions
- Allowing users to filter keywords by search volume and CPC
- Allowing users to export data to CSV files
- Integrating with Surfer SEO for more in-depth analysis
What are the Pros and Cons of Keyword Surfer?
Like any tool, Keyword Surfer has its strengths and limitations. Here are some of the pros and cons of using Keyword Surfer:
Pros
- It’s free to use (with some limitations)
- It’s easy to install and use
- It shows real-time data from Google
- It shows a variety of data, such as search volume, CPC, competition level, related keywords, etc.
- It helps you find low difficulty and high search volume keywords quickly
- It helps you analyze your competitors’ content and backlinks
- It integrates with Surfer SEO for more advanced optimization
Cons
- It only works on Chrome browser
- It only shows data for Google search results (not other search engines)
- It has some limitations on the free version, such as the number of keywords shown, the number of exports allowed, etc.
- It may not be very accurate or reliable, as it relies on third-party sources for some data
- It may not be updated frequently or regularly, as it depends on Google’s algorithm changes
What are the Differences Between Free and Paid Versions of Keyword Surfer?
Keyword Surfer has two versions: free and paid. The free version allows you to access most of the features and data, but with some limitations. The paid version unlocks more features and data, such as:
- Showing up to 500 related keywords (instead of 10)
- Showing up to 500 related questions (instead of 10)
- Showing up to 50 similar terms (instead of 10)
- Showing up to 50 similar questions (instead of 10)
- Allowing unlimited exports to CSV files (instead of 5 per month)
- Allowing access to historical data (up to 12 months)
- Allowing access to custom filters (such as keyword difficulty, word count, etc.)
The paid version costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year. You can also get a discount if you subscribe to Surfer SEO.
How to Access Keyword Surfer Globally?
Keyword Surfer is available globally as a Chrome extension. You can install it from the Chrome Web Store or from the Keyword Surfer website. Once installed, you can access it by opening Google and typing in your query. You’ll see the Keyword Surfer icon on the top right corner of your browser. You can click on it to see the settings and options.
How Reliable and Accurate is Keyword Surfer?
Keyword Surfer is not a perfect tool. It may not be very reliable or accurate, as it relies on third-party sources for some data, such as search volume, CPC, etc. These sources may not be updated frequently or regularly, or they may have different methodologies or definitions for their data. Also, Google’s algorithm changes may affect the data shown by Keyword Surfer.
Therefore, you should not rely solely on Keyword Surfer for your keyword research. You should use it as a starting point or a reference, but always verify the data with other sources or tools. You should also test and monitor your results with analytics tools.
How Many Users Does Keyword Surfer Have?
Keyword Surfer is a popular tool among SEO enthusiasts and professionals. According to SimilarWeb, Keyword Surfer has over 300,000 monthly users as of December 2023. That’s an impressive number for a niche tool.
How to Use Keyword Surfer to Find Low Difficulty and High Search Volume Keywords?
Now that you know what Keyword Surfer is and what it can do, let’s see how to use it to find low difficulty and high search volume keywords for your niche. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Install Keyword Surfer Extension
The first step is to install Keyword Surfer extension on your Chrome browser. You can do this by going to the Chrome Web Store or the Keyword Surfer website and clicking on the “Add to Chrome” button. You’ll see a confirmation message and the Keyword Surfer icon on your browser.
Step 2: Access Google Search
The next step is to access Google search and type in your query. You can use any keyword or phrase related to your niche or topic. For example, if you’re writing about digital marketing, you can type in “digital marketing” or “digital marketing tips” or “digital marketing trends” etc.
Step 3: View Keyword Surfer Data
As soon as you type in your query, you’ll see the Keyword Surfer data on the right side of your screen. You’ll see the following data:
- Search volume: The average number of monthly searches for your query
- CPC: The average cost per click for your query
- Competition level: The level of competition for your query, based on the number of advertisers bidding on it
- Related keywords: A list of keywords related to your query, along with their search volume, CPC, and competition level
- Related questions: A list of questions related to your query, along with their search volume, CPC, and competition level
- Similar terms: A list of terms similar to your query, along with their search volume, CPC, and competition level
- Similar questions: A list of questions similar to your query, along with their search volume, CPC, and competition level
You can also see the data for each result on the SERP (search engine results page), such as:
- Domain-level traffic: The estimated monthly traffic for the domain
- Page-level traffic: The estimated monthly traffic for the page
- Quality backlinks: The number of quality backlinks for the page
- Word count: The number of words on the page
- Exact keyword usage: The number of times the exact keyword is used on the page
You can also click on the Keyword Surfer icon on the top right corner of your browser to see more settings and options, such as:
- Country: You can change the country for which you want to see the data
- Filters: You can filter the keywords by search volume and CPC
- Export: You can export the data to a CSV file
Step 4: Identify High-Volume Keywords
The next step is to identify high-volume keywords that are relevant to your niche or topic. These are keywords that have a high number of monthly searches, indicating a high demand or interest from users. You can use the search volume filter to find these keywords.
For example, if you’re writing about digital marketing, you can filter the keywords by search volume above 10,000. You’ll see keywords such as:
- Digital marketing agency
- Digital marketing course
- Digital marketing strategy
- Digital marketing jobs
- Digital marketing services
These are high-volume keywords that you can target for your content.
Step 5: Check Competition Level
The next step is to check the competition level for each keyword. This is based on the number of advertisers bidding on the keyword, indicating a high commercial value or intent from users. You can use the competition level filter to find these keywords.
For example, if you’re writing about digital marketing, you can filter the keywords by competition level above 0.5. You’ll see keywords such as:
- Digital marketing agency
- Digital marketing course
- Digital marketing services
- Digital marketing certification
- Digital marketing tools
These are high-competition keywords that may be difficult to rank for.
Step 6: Explore Related Keywords
The next step is to explore related keywords that are relevant to your niche or topic. These are keywords that are semantically or contextually related to your query, indicating a similar or complementary user intent. You can use the related keywords feature to find these keywords.
For example, if you’re writing about digital marketing, you can click on the “Related Keywords” tab to see keywords such as:
- Online marketing
- Internet marketing
- Social media marketing
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
These are related keywords that you can use to expand or diversify your content.
Step 7: Filter by Search Volume
The next step is to filter the related keywords by search volume. This is to find low difficulty and high search volume keywords that are relevant to your niche or topic. These are keywords that have a high number of monthly searches but a low number of advertisers bidding on them, indicating a low competition level or a gap in the market. You can use the search volume filter to find these keywords.
Search volume is the number of times a keyword is searched for in a given period of time. It indicates how popular and relevant a keyword is for your audience. Keyword Surfer allows you to filter keywords by their search volume, so you can focus on the ones that have the most potential to drive traffic to your site. To do this, simply use the slider at the top of the keyword list to set the minimum and maximum search volume you want to see.
- Evaluate CPC (Cost Per Click)
CPC is the amount of money advertisers pay for each click on their ads that target a specific keyword. It reflects how valuable and competitive a keyword is in the market. Keyword Surfer shows you the average CPC for each keyword, so you can estimate how profitable and difficult it would be to rank for them. Generally, higher CPC means higher value and higher competition, while lower CPC means lower value and lower competition. You can use this information to balance your keyword strategy between high-reward and low-risk keywords. - Select Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are phrases that contain three or more words and are more specific and less common than short-tail keywords. They usually have lower search volume and lower competition, but higher conversion rate and user intent. Keyword Surfer helps you find long-tail keywords that match your topic and audience, so you can target them in your content and attract more qualified leads. To do this, simply look for keywords that have more words and less search volume in the keyword list. - Compile a List of Target Keywords
Once you have filtered, evaluated, and selected the keywords you want to use in your content, you need to compile a list of target keywords that you will optimize your content for. Keyword Surfer makes this easy by allowing you to save keywords to a clipboard with one click. You can also select multiple keywords at once by holding the Ctrl or Cmd key while clicking on them. To access your clipboard, click on the icon at the bottom right corner of the keyword list. - Export Data if Necessary
If you want to export your keyword data to a spreadsheet or another tool, Keyword Surfer allows you to do that as well. You can export your clipboard data or the entire keyword list by clicking on the export icon at the bottom right corner of the keyword list. You can choose to export as CSV or copy to clipboard. - Integrate Keywords into Content
Now that you have your list of target keywords, it’s time to integrate them into your content. Keyword Surfer helps you do this by showing you how many times each keyword appears in the top 10 results for your query. This gives you an idea of how often and where to use your keywords in your content to match the search intent and relevance of your audience. You can also use Keyword Surfer’s content editor feature to write or edit your content directly in the browser, with real-time keyword suggestions and analysis. - Monitor Performance
After you publish your content, you need to monitor its performance and see how it ranks for your target keywords. Keyword Surfer helps you do this by showing you your position and traffic share for each keyword in the keyword list. You can also see how your competitors rank for the same keywords and compare their performance with yours. - Adjust Strategy
Finally, based on your performance data, you need to adjust your keyword strategy accordingly. Keyword Surfer helps you do this by showing you new keyword opportunities and trends that emerge over time. You can also use Keyword Surfer’s SERP analysis feature to see how the search results change for your query and what factors influence them.
Keyword Surfer is a powerful tool that can help you create better content for SEO. By following these steps, you can use Keyword Surfer to find and use the best keywords for your content and achieve higher rankings and traffic.