→How to Migrate from Frase to Surfer SEO (Step-by-Step)
Last updated: April 2026
Migrating from Frase to Surfer SEO often occurs when teams prioritize data-driven, on-page SEO optimization over AI-first content generation. While Frase excels at research and drafting, Surfer SEO provides granular SERP analysis and real-time optimization scores to maximize rankings. This guide covers exporting your Frase data, setting up Surfer SEO, transferring workflows, and adapting to Surfer's content editor. We'll help you maintain SEO performance while transitioning to a more analytics-focused content creation approach.
Estimated Timeline
solo user
3-5 hours for audit, export, setup, and testing
small team
2-3 days, including training and parallel testing
enterprise
1-2 weeks for full workflow integration, training, and process updates
Migration Steps
Audit Your Frase Content and Workflows
mediumExport Data from Frase
easySet Up Your Surfer SEO Account and Structure
easyRecreate Key Content Briefs in Surfer
mediumAdapt Your Writing Process to Surfer's Real-Time Editor
mediumTrain Your Team on Surfer's Workflow
mediumRun a Parallel Test and Cancel Frase
easyFeature Mapping
| Frase | Surfer SEO Equivalent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor Content Analysis | SERP Analyzer | Frase summarizes top articles; Surfer provides granular data like word count, keyword density, and heading structure from top 10 results. |
| AI Content Outline Generation | AI Outline Builder | Both generate outlines. Surfer's is more tightly coupled to its SEO data and recommended structure from the SERP analysis. |
| AI-Powered Full Draft Writing | AI Writer (in Content Editor) | Frase may generate longer drafts. Surfer's AI Writer focuses on writing sections optimized to improve the live Content Score. |
| Content Brief Creation | Content Editor Brief Section | Frase briefs are research-heavy. Surfer briefs are data-driven, showing exact term usage, recommended counts, and a target content score. |
| SEO Optimization Suggestions | Real-time Content Score & Recommendations | Frase offers general tips. Surfer provides a live score and specific, actionable changes (e.g., 'Add keyword X here'). |
| Content Project Management | Content Planner | Frase has built-in project tracking. Surfer's Content Planner is more basic; it's a kanban board for organizing keywords and articles. |
| Question Research / People Also Ask | Related Terms & Questions in SERP Analyzer | Frase aggregates questions. Surfer shows semantically related terms and questions from the SERP, integrated into its recommendations. |
Data Transfer Guide
Frase does not offer a direct data export to Surfer SEO. You must manually export your content. In Frase, go to each project, open the final draft or brief, and use the 'Export' option (usually as DOCX or PDF). Save these files locally or to cloud storage. For Surfer, you cannot 'import' these documents directly. Instead, you recreate the content. Open Surfer's Content Editor, paste your exported text, and use Surfer's analysis to re-optimize it. For keywords, manually add your target terms to Surfer's Keyword Research tool. The transfer is largely manual, focusing on preserving the core content ideas, not the formatting or Frase's specific SEO data.