Looking for the best content writing software for search engine optimization (SEO)?
In this post, we check out the best SEO content writing tools in 2024 to write optimized content that ranks higher and gets more traffic from search engines like Google.
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Top SEO Content Writing Software Overview
Here is a quick overview of the best content writing tools for SEO. More details about each tool are discussed below, including their key features and plan options.
- Surfer – Best SEO writing tool to determine which keywords and related terms to include in your content in order to rank higher.
- Jasper AI – AI writing software made to generate content for SEO quickly.
- Semrush – Complete SEO platform with several on-page tools for content writing, including page audits, content templates, and a writing assistant.
- Frase – AI writing tool for topic research, content briefs, and writing SEO content.
- MarketMuse – AI writing tool that offers insights based on its data and site content.
Learn more about these top SEO writing tools and their features below.
What to Look For in SEO Content Writing Software
Consider these factors when choosing the best software for writing SEO content:
- Quality content ideas are provided by the writing software.
- If you prefer AI-written copywriting as a primary feature.
- The software provides a detailed on-page SEO checker.
- More than one useful feature is included in the software.
- The user interface is relatively easy to learn and use.
- Positive feedback is provided by real users in reviews.
What Are the Best Content Writing Tools for SEO?
Based on testing and using these content writing tools to boost my SEO performance, here are the best SEO content writing tools for 2024:
1. Surfer
Best content optimization tool with data-driven insights based on 500+ factors
Surfer is an SEO software I use almost daily for optimizing content. Surfer helps you optimize and improve your content quality for ranking better in Google search results.
Key Features
I believe Surfer is one of the best SEO content optimization tools on the market for understanding relevant words and phrases to use and improving content ranking.
Surfer analyzes the top-ranking content on Google for a target keyword phrase that you want to optimize and rank your content for.
Then, Surfer gives you guidelines and a real-time content score that increases as you incorporate its suggestions into your article draft using the content editor.
The advanced NLP (natural language processing) algorithm suggests keywords, phrases, headings, and user intent questions to use in your content.
In addition, Surfer includes a SERP analyzer tool to reveal competitor insights from published content on the search engine results pages like domain score, backlinks, popular words and phrases used, structured data, page speed, and other SEO metrics.
Surfer also provides a keyword research tool to find related keywords with search volume data, a content planner tool for finding topic ideas, and an audit tool for another way to analyze a page and its SEO content score compared to the competition.
The SEO content optimization tool provides insights related to keyword usage, a keyword density checker to avoid keyword stuffing, internal and external linking, content readability, and page speed.
Furthermore, you can integrate Surfer SEO with Jasper AI (an AI content writing tool shared below) if you have an account for each. This gives you the ability to access Surfer's powerful guidelines inside the Jasper AI-powered content editor.
Check out my full Surfer SEO review covering key features and pricing plans.
Pros
- One of the best tools for SEO-optimizing content.
- 500+ SEO factors are evaluated by the tool.
- A range of useful content auditing features.
- The user interface is clean and easy to use.
- Optimize content written a variety of languages.
- Doc editor offers smooth copy paste with WordPress.
Cons
- The keyword research tool is pretty basic.
- The tool does not provide much backlink data.
- Takes time to learn and understand all features.
Pricing
Surfer SEO provides three fixed plans with options to subscribe and pay on a monthly or yearly basis.
Start Plan ($59 per month):
- 20 content editors per month
- Advanced NLP algorithm
- Invite 2 team member
Scale Plan ($129 per month):
- 100 content editors per month
- 100 audits per month
- Keyword research tool
- Invite 5 team members
Scale AI Plan ($219 per month):
- 100 content editors per month
- 100 audits per month
- 10 AI articles per month
- Invite 5 team members
- Personalized onboarding
Enterprise Plan (from $399 and up):
- Custom number of content editor articles
- Custom number of read-to-rank AI articles
- SERP analyzer tool
- Custom amount of page audits
- Priority support
- Customer success manager
- White label
- API access
- Custom team size
Subscribing to an annual plan offers savings of 17% off.
I recommend the Scale plan to gain access to 80 more articles/month than the Start plan and the Audit tool for more extensive page auditing capabilities.
The Scale plan also includes 100 content editors per month and 100 page audits per month, which is plenty for most freelancers, content marketers, website owners, and small businesses. You can also invite 3 additional team members to use the software.
The Enterprise plan is a good choice for businesses, digital marketing agencies, and SEO experts who require white-label SEO reporting software, the ability to invite a custom amount of team members to use the platform, and access to Surfer's API.
Surfer offers a 7-day money-back guarantee.
2. Jasper AI
Best AI-powered SEO content writing software
Jasper AI, previously known as Jarvis AI, is a copywriting tool that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to automatically create original copy for SEO, blog posts, landing pages, ads, social media posts, emails, and more.
See this full Jasper AI review for a deep dive into its core features and pricing plans.
Key Features
In my opinion, Jasper AI is currently one of the best AI content writing tools for creating original SEO content.
Jasper uses a modified and well-trained version of GPT-3 AI technology to generate relevant and original content for your digital marketing efforts.
The AI copywriting software generates 99.99% original content that is free of plagiarism, helping you write SEO-optimized content, save time, and avoid duplicate content.
The impressive Jasper content editor included in the Boss Mode plan provides access to powerful Jasper commands and the creation of long-form content.
As mentioned previously, Jasper AI integrates with Surfer SEO for a complete SEO content creation process and writing experience if you have an account for both.
Pros
- Best AI copywriting tool to create original content quickly.
- Generates 99.99% original content in just a few seconds.
- Document editor offers clean copy paste with WordPress.
- Convenient integration with Surfer SEO for optimization.
- Well-trained GPT-3 technology compared to other tools.
- Read, write, and translate over 25 different languages.
Cons
- Takes time to make full use of the copywriting software.
- Can feel overwhelming with all the command flexibility.
- Content isn't always relevant or perfect but can be regenerated quickly.
Pricing
Jasper AI provides two plans with the ability to adjust pricing based on the number of words generated per month.
Starter Plan (starts at $29 per month):
- 50+ AI writing templates
- Support for 20+ languages
- Up to 10 users
- Chat support
Boss Mode Plan (starts at $59 per month):
- Google Docs style editor
- Compost and command features
- Maximum content lookback
- Increased limits on templates
- Grows with your team
- Priority chat support
Find out more about Jasper AI pricing here and the features included in each plan.
The Starter plan is useful for creating shorter content with Jasper's AI writing skills (templates for specific types of short copy outputs).
However, I recommend trying a free trial of the Boss Mode plan for full capabilities including Jasper commands and extended character lookback (smarter AI output for long-form content and blog posts).
The Boss Mode plan gives you access to creating long-form documents, the ability to use custom Jasper commands in the editor, unique copywriting recipes, Grammarly Basic built-in, and smarter AI content generation.
Jasper AI currently offers a free trial.
3. Semrush
Best content marketing platform with on-page SEO writing tools
Semrush is a reputable software platform with tools for managing your online visibility including an SEO writing assistant and on-page SEO checker features.
Key Features
The Semrush Writing Assistant includes a document editor that checks your content for common SEO factors as you write. This includes on-page factors, readability, originality, and tone of voice.
A simple AI writing tool is included for quickly rewriting paragraphs inside the editor.
An add-on is also available that provides the option to integrate the SEO content writing assistant into Google Docs.
The writing assistant isn't as specialized as other SEO copywriting software like Surfer, however, it does provide useful recommendations for ensuring your page content is targeting your main keyword, following SEO best practices, and has good readability.
Check out my Semrush review covering all of the SEO software's tools and features.
Pros
- The SEO writing assistant helps to improve readability.
- A complete platform for SEO and content marketing.
- Visually appealing and user-friendly interface design.
- Industry-leading keyword and competitor research data.
- A variety of in-depth on-page SEO audit tools and features.
- A free account option is provided with limited tool access.
Cons
- The SEO writing editor isn't as comprehensive as other tools on this list.
- A bit pricey due to the number of tools included in the platform.
Pricing
Semrush offers three pricing plans with options for monthly or yearly billing.
Note: Below focuses on the content writing-related features in each Semrush plan.
Visit the Semrush pricing page to review all features included in each plan.
Pro Plan ($129.95/month or $108.33/month rate with annual billing):
- Does not offer access to the content marketing platform features
Guru ($249.95/month or $208.33/month rate with annual billing):
- Access to the content marketing platform
- Generate up to 800 SEO content templates
- Evaluate up to 20,000 pages with the content audit tool
- Track mentions in up to 5 countries per project with the brand monitoring tool
- Track up to 50 posts per project with the post tracking tool
- Create 1 calendar with the marketing calendar tool
- Perform up to 5 plagiarism checks per month with the SEO content writing assistant
Business ($499.95/month or $416.66/month rate with annual billing):
- Access to the content marketing platform with higher usage limits
- Generate up to 2,000 SEO content templates
- Evaluate up to 20,000 pages with the content audit tool
- Track mentions in up to 10 countries per project with the brand monitoring tool
- Track up to 50 posts per project with the post tracking tool
- Create up to 10 calendars using the marketing calendar tool
- Perform up to 10 plagiarism checks per month with the SEO writing assistant
Subscribing to an annual plan offers savings up to 17% off.
While I use Semrush for managing most of my SEO and content marketing efforts, the software is a bit expensive if you're just focused on creating SEO-friendly content.
The Guru plan is required for access to content marketing tools, including SEO content templates, page audits, blog post tracking, topic research, and a content calendar.
You can try out Semrush's SEO content optimization tools with the full access free trial.
Get a 7-day free trial here:
4. Frase
Best content optimization software for writing briefs
Frase is a tool for researching topics ideas, creating content briefs, and writing SEO content.
Key Features
With Frase, you can build SEO content briefs and outlines quickly with the help of its research data and AI copy generation.
Frase also scores your content and offers suggestions for optimizing your content for search engines, similar to Surfer SEO.
Create your own writing templates as guidelines and customize the AI writer. You can also integrate Frase with your Google Search Console data for additional insights.
Pros
- Generate useful SEO content ideas, briefs, and outlines.
- Save time creating and optimizing content for search engines.
- Create content that's optimized for user and search intent.
- Affordable pricing compared to some other SEO content tools.
Cons
- Content ideas and research data can be overwhelming.
- NLP data is not as comprehensive as Surfer SEO.
- The AI-written copy isn't as advanced as Jasper AI.
Pricing
Frase provides 2 fixed plans and a custom plan option with monthly and annual subscriptions.
Basic Plan ($44.99/month or $39.99/month if paid annually):
- For individuals and small teams executing an SEO content plan
- 1 user seat
- 30 document credits
Team Plan ($114.99/month or $99.99/month if paid annually):
- For teams and agencies that need maximum flexibility
- 3 user seats ($25/mo per additional user)
- Unlimited document credits
Enterprise (contact for pricing):
- For large teams requiring flexibility and custom services
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited document credits
The Basic plan provides 30 document credits, which is suitable for smaller website and SEO projects.
Otherwise, the Team plan is the way to go for a content team or scaling writing efforts, as it provides unlimited document credits and a Google Docs integration.
An SEO add-on is available for an additional $35/month, which includes features like keyword search volume, domain and backlink data for the top organic search results, and unlimited access to the AI copywriter.
Frase offers a 5-day free trial for $1.
5. MarketMuse
Best content optimization tool for insights based on website data
MarketMuse is a popular AI content research, planning, and optimization software.
Key Features
MarketMuse uses AI to crawl and analyze your website in order to find content gaps and opportunities for prioritizing and creating an effective SEO content strategy.
The AI-powered insights and topic models from MarketMuse are useful for creating an SEO content template and ensuring your writing is in-depth and aligned with user intent.
Explore metrics like estimated organic traffic, potential traffic increase, and dollar value for a page or topic. Get a content score based on your rivals similar to Surfer and Frase.
Pros
- Extensive topic and subtopic data for planning content.
- Useful for organizing content writing campaigns.
- Effective for organizing ideas for a team of content writers.
- Solid SERP analysis and content optimization features.
Cons
- Recommendations can be random at times.
- AI content writing can use some improvement.
- High cost for solopreneurs and smaller teams.
Pricing
MarketMuse offers three pricing plans:
Free Plan:
- No time limit
- 1 user
- 15 queries per month
- 10 projects
- All Workflow Applications: Optimize, Research, Compete, Questions, Connect
Standard Plan ($7,200 per year or $600 per month):
- 1 user (add new users for $99 per month)
- Data export
- 100 queries per month
- Unlimited projects
- No time limit
- 1 user
- 15 queries per month
- 10 projects
- All Workflow Applications
Premium Plan (Starts at $12,000 per year or $1,000 per month):
- On-demand content audit for one or more domains
- Domain analysis for any number of pages within the domains
- Unlimited self-serve content briefs
- Track managed topics
- 25 team members
- Unlimited queries
- Unlimited projects
- 1 user (add new users for $99 per month)
- Data export
- 100 queries per month
- Unlimited projects
- No time limit
- 1 user
- 15 queries per month
- 10 projects
- All Workflow Applications
- A dedicated account management team
- Customer success platform and workflow training for teams
- Platform onboarding
- Add-on options: Managed content briefs, final drafts, and strategy services
Free SEO Writing Tools
Here's a list of free SEO writing software. While limited in features compared to paid tools for writing content, these free content writing tools are useful for the basic optimization of web pages and avoiding writing errors.
Some of these free content writing tools are also useful for performing basic keyword research and analyzing some on-page SEO factors.
Rank Math
Rank Math is a WordPress SEO plugin that includes an on-page SEO checker built into the WordPress editor. This feature is like having a free writing assistant to help you optimize your content for ranking higher on search engines.
Rank Math offers a free version with a limited feature set.
Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO is another popular WordPress plugin for SEO with a similar writing checker tool with a real-time content analysis that checks for basic on-page issues in the WordPress page editor to help your content rank.
Yoast also offers a free version with limited features.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a free writing assistant and grammar checker. Detect and fix grammar and spelling errors while writing in a variety of apps. Grammarly works in the major email and messaging apps, documents and projects, and social media sites.
There's also a paid version called Grammarly Premium that offers over 400 types of checks and features, such as vocabulary enhancement suggestions, and plagiarism detection.
Hemingway App
Hemingway App is a free writing and editing tool that helps make your writing bold and clear. This free writing tool can help you create copy optimized for boldness and clarity.
The Heminway editor checks for a variety of factors related to readability, including the use of passive or active voice, and which sentences are hard to read.
Copyscape
Copyscape is a free plagiarism checker. While not exactly an SEO tool on its own, it's a good idea to make sure your writing is unique on the web to avoid duplicate content.
Google Keyword Planner
Keyword Planner is a free research tool built into Google Ads. Use Google Keyword Planner to conduct keyword research and uncover new and related keyword ideas for your content writing based on a given seed keyword or website URL.
Get estimated search volume ranges for relevant keywords and an idea of competition levels based on estimated PPC bids if you were to run Google Ads for those terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SEO Content Writing?
SEO writing is the practice of optimizing web content with keywords and keyphrases to increase a site's organic visibility and SERP rankings on search engines like Google.
What is an SEO Content Writer?
An SEO content writer has knowledge in search engine optimization and knows how to write informative content that ranks well on search engines and aligns with user search intent.
Why is SEO Content Writing Important?
Writing SEO content enables businesses to increase their visibility on search engines, which can result in an increase in site traffic, leads, sales, and other business opportunities.
How Do You Write Content for SEO?
To write SEO content, you must write for your target audience and the relevant keywords they're searching for while aligning your content with the search intent behind keyword searches.
Your content should also follow on-page SEO best practices. This includes using a descriptive search title & meta description, writing readable copy for your audience, and using an organized content structure with a primary page header, subheaders, and other supporting HTML elements like lists, images, and videos.
What is an SEO Content Strategy?
An SEO content strategy involves developing content that is written for both your target audience and Google.
An effective content strategy for SEO considers best practices such as topic and keyword research, using related/semantic words within your copy, and incorporating HTML elements like links and media to enrich the content for your target audience.
Benefits of SEO Content Writing Software
Here are 8 key benefits of using SEO content writing software:
- Find the most relevant topics and keywords to write about.
- Gain inspiration and prevent the dreaded writer's block.
- Get on-page SEO and readability insights in real-time.
- Catch spelling and grammar mistakes as you write.
- Save time optimizing and writing higher-quality content.
- Improve reputation and engagement with your readers.
- Create great content that ranks high on the SERPs.
- Improve overall content performance, SEO strategy, and results.
Conclusion
When it comes to SEO-optimizing content, the content writing tools featured above will help you make sure your content is readable and optimized for ranking well on search engines like Google.
My Favorite SEO Writing Software:
- Surfer SEO – Advanced NLP keyword suggestions for optimizing content.
- Jasper AI – AI content writer for quickly generating original content.
- Semrush – SEO platform with leading research and content optimization tools.
I hope this post helped you find the best SEO content writing solution for your needs.
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