How to Fix Low SEO Scores in Surfer SEO (Real Examples)

A low score in Surfer SEO does not always mean your page is weak. The number serves as a guidepost pointing you toward the SERP norm. It is not a verdict on real quality. In our experiments, pages that had a 62-68 score continued to rank in the top 5. At the same time, there were a few 85+ drafts that never appeared on the first page of Google search results. 

Our team analyzed the tool and ran tests on 40+ live URLs to understand what causes the needle to move. We put together this guide to help you fix low SEO scores in Surfer SEO. Inside, you get real before-and-after snippets, including one page we improved from 47 to 76.

As a We-Right team, we’ve been completely transparent on a breakdown of Surfer SEO with no strings pulled. Some links in this guide may be affiliate ones, but that does not distort the facts. We rely on hands-on research and real test results on our pages.

Why Surfer SEO Scores Remain Low

Surfer scores remain low when your page fails the tool’s checks. Surfer considers the leading ranking pages as a reference point. And if your page is far away from it, the score drops. Here are the main reasons why Surfer SEO of your web page remains low:

• Weak semantic relevance. Your page strikes the main keyword, but it does not address the broader subject. Surfer SEO considers it as a thinly covered text.
• Shaky H1–H3 structure. Headings provide a context to both readers and crawlers. Missing H2s or stuffed H1s throw off the audit.
• Light coverage of content terms and related terms. Surfer hands you a list pulled from SERP leaders. If you avoid them, you miss easy points.
• Missing the search intent. A how-to page that uses a sales style will fail miserably. The mismatch is shown with phrasing and term sets.
• Word count against mark. Text that is too short or too long lowers the overall score.
• Paragraph count out of range. Surfer checks density for readability. Walls of text drag your rating.
• Spam or hollow copy. Stuffing the keyword triggers the over-use flag. An empty page reads off-topic.

Our team discovered a pattern in high-intent queries. When articles do not discuss related entities but only discuss the underlying topic, they can score 10-30 points lower. 

What Surfer SEO Actually Measures?

Surfer measures how well your page is positioned to win in the SERP. Top-ranking URLs to the target keyword are scraped by the Content Editor. It drags patterns on those pages; the draft is scored on that pool in real time. The tool focuses on the following:

• Topical coverage. It tracks the subjects found on the top pages.
• Headings. H1, H2, and H3 layouts are compared to the best results.
• Word count range. Surfer establishes a min and max of SERP averages.
• Paragraph count. Your page must have approximately the same number of paragraphs as competitors to gain a high score.
• Keyword usage patterns. Surfer tracks position, frequency, and distribution.
• LSI words. The tool identifies related words that are used in the topic.

It’s important to remember one thing. Surfer compares your page with your competitors’ pages that rank highly in search results. The metric reflects this difference – it’s not a measure of the page’s quality. 

How to Fix the Page Step by Step

In order to improve a Surfer SEO score, you should perform a sequence of edits to various parts of the page. We have already gone this way and developed the following fundamental steps, all designed to improve a Surfer score.

Adjust Search Intent

Search for your target keyword on the SERP. Observe the type of page that wins – it could be a guide, a list, or a product page. Write your introduction in that format. Provide a concise answer to the question in the first 100 words. That’s a quick answer to the intent match. Here you can see how we did this in practice.

Improve Headings

Open the SERP analyzer in Surfer. Pay attention to the direction of headings in the top-ranking URLs – restructure your H2s and H3s to reflect that. Keep them logical and on target with SERP. Skip generic labels and use phrases in a manner that corresponds to existing subtopics on the page. See our exact steps for improvements below.

Add Missing Entities

Click on the Content Editor sidebar. Surfer identifies related terms, including frequency of use. Include subtopics that ranking pages have, but yours do not. Dropping in examples, tool names, and stats. Use each term in a sentence that deserves it. You can find these recommendations on the right side of the tool.

Balance Keyword Usage

Pay attention to the recommended text length, number of headings, and paragraphs. The program compares these with selected competitors, so your text should be within these limits. This means that if your text is too short, make it longer, and if it’s too long, shorten it. However, you can only earn more points if the added text is relevant to your topic. See where to find recommended text parameters in the following screenshot.

Read also our article: How to Check If Your Content Is AI-Generated (Step-by-Step Guide)

Expand Small Sections

Identify blocks of text that contain fewer than 50 words – these are the ones that reduce the effectiveness of the text density check. Supplement them with examples, quick tips, or step-by-step guidance. Try to put fresh information in each new line. Here’s the example of a small section – you can increase it by adding more specific information.

According to our research, these actions can improve a Surfer’s score by 20-40%. Drafts have risen from 45 to 70+, and we have seen them get even further after just one round of edits.

Real Examples of Fixes in Surfer SEO

For demonstration purposes, we have created a real case based on our work with Surfer SEO. First, we began with an article about the online casino game Chicken Road, which scored 47 on Surfer. There were significant deficiencies in the draft. It was immediately apparent where the scores could still go up. The original text appears as shown in the screenshot.

In order to improve the text score, we made the following adjustments:

• Bumped word count from 983 to 1,638. That puts the page in Surfer’s 1.3K-1.5K+ range.
• Widened the structure from 10 headings to 24. The topics were richer, and the SEO flow improved.
• Increased the number of paragraphs from 14 to 29. The text became tighter and easier to read.
• Upgraded H1 to the perfect angle: “Chicken Road Game India – Play For Real Money“.
• Added H2s will provide details about the game, mechanics, payouts, limits, and some player tips.
• Increased the number of relevant keywords such as “Chicken Road game“, “Chicken Road game online“, and “Chicken Road game for real money“.
• Place keywords in a natural manner across the page, with no back-to-back repeats.
• Raised the number of missing SEO entities from Surfer’s list from 43 to 64.

All these changes enabled the Content Score to improve to 76/100. You can see this in the following screenshot.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Surfer SEO

There are a few pitfalls in tuning content with Surfer. Authors prioritize getting a higher score in illogical ways: fill in keywords, and copy and paste phrases from competitors. All that can do more harm than good. So let’s take a look at the mistakes and how to avoid them:

• Chasing the score, without considering intention – read the SERP first. Match the format before making any changes to the terms.
• Stuffing the keywords into the site – put them where they belong. Ignore the spots where the words sound awkward.
• Doubling sentences to increase word count – instead, to add depth, provide tips or examples.
• Not considering SERP competitors – check top pages and use elements that are found by the Surfer tool in their structure.
• Making a structure too thin – broaden the H2 and H3 coverage to strike all aspects of the topic.

Our Final Thoughts

Having a low Surfer SEO score doesn’t mean your text will not rank. Often, the problem is due to weaknesses in subject coverage, gaps in structure, or a mismatch of intent. This is a problem that you solve one step at a time. Prioritize relevance, good formatting, and helpful content. Sometimes, it’s the little changes that can make a big improvement in terms of ranking and page quality.

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