What's New at Surfer? Product Roundup May 2025

SEO isn’t dead—it just evolved.

It’s still about visibility. But instead of just traditional search engines like Google, it’s also AI assistants, LLMs, and everything in between.

The interfaces have changed, sure. But the rules?

Not as much as you'd think.

People are still searching. And will do so in 5 years from now.

In fact, what works for Google today… also works for ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude.

That’s why we built Surfer Sites—your all-in-one command center for SEO in 2025 and beyond.

It’s everything: optimization, reporting, internal linking, strategy, and growth tracking—all stitched together into one clean, powerful workflow.

Redesigned from scratch to feel smooth, fast, and effortless.

And this month? We’ve taken things even further:

Expanded how you analyze and filter performance
Supercharged Surfy to write smarter and faster
Introduced templates, social sharing, and better navigation

If people are searching, Surfer will help you get found.

🎥 P.S. Prefer watching instead of reading? I recorded a video walking through all the updates.

For those who prefer to read, let’s dive into what’s new below👇

Surfer step-by-step workflows

Copy-paste-friendly workflows to use Surfer like a pro. From SEO audits to content planning and writing, it’s all covered.

No guesswork. Just plug in and go.

Tips to try:

Use the Surfer Cheat Sheet for your weekly, monthly, and quarterly SEO to-dos
Save workflows for onboarding new teammates (or rediscovering Surfer for yourself)
You can find and follow each workflow without leaving the app—just click on the question mark icon in the main navigation and find the workflow you need!

Check out Surfer Workflows

New filters in Sites Dashboard

You can now filter all your content data by branded keywords, URLs, and more to zoom in on what really matters.

Big site? Time crunch? This is your shortcut to clarity. No more endless scrolling. Spot trends, check branded traffic, and monitor high-priority pages with precision.

Tips to try:

Filter URLs and keywords using contains / exact match / does not contain.
Split keyword data into branded vs. non-branded. Branded search traffic is a strong trust signal for Google. It’s important for minimizing the negative impact of changes in the algorithm and is a litmus test for LLMs - is your brand well known? So, remember to combine it with social or paid to boost it even further.
Slice everything by date, country, device, or filter out pages optimized with Content Audit to evaluate their performance.

Try new filters in Sites

Main keyword detection in Sites Content Audit, upgraded

Surfer is now better at detecting the keyword you’re targeting for Sites Content Audit. That keyword powers your guidelines, Content Score, and Auto-Optimize. If it’s off, your insights, recommendations, and content guidelines will be too—so make sure to check it and adjust if needed when creating new projects.

Tips to try:

Always double-check the chosen keyword when creating new Content Audits.
- If it’s not the keyword you want to target, pick one from your ranking list or add it manually.
- No keyword showing? Just add your desired keyword manually.
If your current Content Audit is off, contact our support to adjust the main keyword for you.
Note: any changes to the main keyword will recalculate Content Scores of affected articles.

Create new Content Audit through Sites

Meet the new Surfy (yes, he’s smarter)

Surfy now thinks like a real assistant. He reads your outline, guidelines, competitors, and SERPs—all at once, and shows you the context he’s currently using to complete your requests. Ask him anything, from “What do my competitors say about this topic?” to “Add a comparison paragraph for budget-conscious users.”

Writing, editing, and optimization just got 10x faster. Surfy can draft an entire article from your outline in seconds, follow your SEO guidelines to the letter—and even research, write, and edit for you.

Tips to try:

Use /ask or the Ask Surfy button.
Provide detailed prompts (here’s a list of the most useful Surfy prompts →).
Before you hit Enter, adjust which Tone of Voice you want Surfy to use.
Ask Surfy to research what your competitors say about your topic and then ask him to weave the most interesting parts into your article.

Try new Surfy in Content Editor

Outline Templates in Content Editor

You can now save and apply custom outline templates. Have all articles created in Content Editor instantly match your best-performing articles’ format. You can also structure content for landing pages, newsletters, comparisons, and even YouTube scripts.

Instant structure, less thinking. Just pick a template, generate a detailed outline, and you’re ready to write.

Tips to try:

Use real content examples as templates—not style rules.
Avoid GPT-ish inputs. Pick your best-performing, human-made content instead.
Add unlimited templates for different formats.

Try Templates in Content Editor

New “Promote” button in Content Editor

Just finished a killer article? Click “Promote” and get 3 ready-to-go LinkedIn post ideas.

You’ve already done the hard work—Promote will make sharing it feel effortless.

Tips to try:

When done writing the article, go to Promote, wait a moment to load, and pick your favorite post version.
Paste it on LinkedIn, link the article, done.
Bonus tip: Use these as email hooks!

Try Promote in Content Editor

New navigation sidebar

A sleek new sidebar to move around faster, plus cmd/ctrl + K quick search.

Less clicking, more doing. Navigate across tools, updates, and settings in seconds.

Tips to try:

Check your inbox for comment alerts and updates.
Hit the magnifying glass or cmd/ctrl + K to search for anything you need and instantly move through the app.
Click ❔to launch the Support chat bubble or find Surfer step-by-step workflows.
Use the ⚙️ to manage billing, orgs, or Content Optimization Masterclass access.
Note: click on your avatar (at the very bottom) to switch between Organizations or turn off the new layout.

See the new sidebar