SEO Content Brief Generator — Surfer SEO Alternative

Generate an SEO content brief from current Google results for one keyword. Review competitor titles, snippets, and topic signals; optionally compare a supplied draft using transparent coverage fields. For content editors, the dataset returns a keyword brief with competitor evidence and optional draft-coverage fields.

Workflow: put the results to work

Choose the target keyword and search market, then review the competitor evidence in the brief. Supply a draft when you want a transparent coverage comparison before editing. The returned fields are research cues, not Surfer's proprietary Content Score or a prediction of rankings.

Comparison with Surfer SEO

Independent status: This independent Actor is not affiliated, associated, or endorsed by Surfer SEO.

Decision area	This Actor	Surfer SEO
Workflow scope	One-keyword, inspectable JSON brief and optional supplied-draft coverage fields.	Broader content-optimization workspace with an interactive Editor and proprietary workflow features.
Pricing and billing	Pay per event for a bounded brief, plus caller-paid platform usage.	Published plan pricing for its product workspace.
Usable result	One structured dataset record with API readback, provenance, and cost fields.	An editor-centered content workflow.
API and integrations	Apify API, datasets, and automation surfaces support downstream processing.	Product workspace features support its own content process.
Input style	A keyword, location, language, and optional draft text form the run payload.	A dedicated product workspace manages its own documents and workflow.
Provenance	Collection time, upstream task identifier, and observed provider cost are retained in each record.	Editor guidance and product scoring support its content workflow.

Best fit and focused standalone workflow

Choose this Actor when you need current Google organic-result evidence for a specific keyword, location, and language. Use it for content planning, QA, enrichment, and agentic research where structured provenance matters.

Use Surfer SEO when an interactive editor, proprietary scoring, writing workspace, or collaboration suite suits the next stage of your process. Use this Actor when a compact, portable dataset record is the useful handoff.

Workflow

The workflow starts with one topical keyword and optional draft text. The Actor then collects a bounded set of Google organic results, selects distinct domains, derives visible title and snippet patterns, and writes one content-brief record. Next, read the dataset record and RUN_SUMMARY, validate the provenance and suggested terms for your brief, then pass the findings to an editor, CMS, spreadsheet, or AI agent.

Input

{
    "keyword": "best project management software",
    "draftText": "Project management software helps teams plan, assign, and track work.",
    "locationName": "United States",
    "languageCode": "en",
    "maxCompetitors": 5
}

keyword accepts one topical Google query. draftText enables an optional coverage audit. maxCompetitors accepts values from 3 through 10; the Actor uses depth 10 for requests of up to five competitors and depth 20 for wider requests.

Output dataset

Each accepted result writes one content-brief record to the default dataset. The record keeps the source task identifier, upstream cost, and collection time alongside the research fields.

Field	Meaning
competitors	Distinct organic result pages with URL, domain, rank, title, and snippet.
guidelines	Visible title-length range, repeated candidate terms, and snippet availability.
draftAudit	Draft word count, keyword placement, and coverage of visible candidate terms.
providerTaskId, providerCostUsd, fetchedAt	Provenance and cost fields for downstream validation.

{
    "keyword": "best project management software",
    "locationName": "United States",
    "languageCode": "en",
    "competitorCount": 5,
    "competitors": [
        {
            "rank": 1,
            "rankAbsolute": 1,
            "url": "https://example.com/project-management-software",
            "domain": "example.com",
            "title": "Best Project Management Software",
            "description": "Compare project planning tools for teams.",
            "isFeaturedSnippet": false
        }
    ],
    "guidelines": {
        "basis": "Observable Google organic result titles and snippets only; this is a transparent research brief.",
        "recommendedTitleLength": {
            "targetCharacters": 36,
            "observedRange": [31, 42]
        },
        "suggestedTerms": [{ "term": "teams", "competitorPages": 3 }],
        "snippetsAvailable": 5,
        "note": "Use suggestions naturally after verifying factual relevance."
    },
    "draftAudit": {
        "wordCount": 9,
        "keywordOccurrences": 1,
        "keywordInFirst500Characters": true,
        "suggestedTermsPresent": [{ "term": "teams", "competitorPages": 3 }],
        "suggestedTermsCoveragePercent": 100,
        "auditNote": "This audit describes coverage against visible SERP patterns."
    },
    "source": "surfer_seo_alternative/google_organic_serp",
    "providerTaskId": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000",
    "providerCostUsd": 0.002,
    "fetchedAt": "2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z",
    "status": "OK"
}

OUTPUT gives the terminal outcome and concise message. RUN_SUMMARY adds event-charge counts, provider attempts, retries, request depth, upstream cost, and dataset identifiers for run-level readback.

API example

curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/khadinakbar~surfer-seo-alternative/runs?token=APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"keyword":"best project management software","locationName":"United States","languageCode":"en","maxCompetitors":5}'

AI agent and MCP prompt

Use this MCP-ready Actor to create a content brief for “project management software comparison” in the United States. Return the terminal outcome, dataset readback, competitor patterns, suggested terms, collection-time provenance, source task identifier, and observed provider cost. Keep the scope to one keyword and use the result as research for an editorial decision.

AI agents can use OUTPUT to choose the next action and the dataset record to preserve structured provenance. The default dataset supports API export, review queues, and downstream content-planning automations.

Best results

Provide a specific, current topical query, select the market and language that match the intended audience, and validate suggested terms against authoritative sources before publication. Use the public organic-result pages that you are authorized to research, follow applicable laws and site terms, and keep your editorial review in the final decision loop.

Responsible use

Use this Actor for authorized SEO research and content planning. Review source pages, applicable laws, and site terms before using the record in a published workflow.

Builder's note

I built this Actor for the recurring API job of turning one current SERP into a transparent brief record with enough provenance for automated review. My goal is a focused alternative for data-driven workflows: current organic evidence in, inspectable JSON out.

Pricing and run costs

This Actor uses Pay per event plus Apify platform usage. The Pricing tab lists the current event rates and billing terms.

Event	Billing unit	When it applies
apify-actor-start	Actor Start	Charged when the Actor starts running. Number of events charged depends on Actor memory (one event per GB, minimum one event).
serp-request	Google SERP request	Charged once for a successful upstream Google SERP request used to create a content brief.
content-brief	Content brief	Charged once for each validated content brief written to the dataset.

Run cost combines the charged events and Apify platform usage. Review the run charge limit and requested result count before starting.

Connect an AI agent

Use the Apify MCP configurator to choose an available client connection. Inspect this Actor’s current input schema and required credentials before running it.