If SEO feels like an endless game of whack-a-mole, you’re not alone. Between keyword research, content tweaks, and technical fixes, it’s easy to feel buried. This guide’s for folks tired of manual busywork and looking for a smarter way to keep their site in shape. We’ll walk through how to actually use Surfer SEO’s Grow Flow to automate optimization tasks—what it does well, what it doesn’t, and which features are worth your time.
What Is Surfer SEO Grow Flow—And Who Should Care?
Grow Flow is Surfer SEO’s attempt to give you an “SEO to-do list” each week. It looks at your site, your competitors, and SEO best practices, then generates tasks to help you improve rankings or fill content gaps. The idea: you don’t need to be an SEO nerd to keep your site healthy.
Is it perfect? No. But for small teams, solo operators, or anyone who hates spreadsheets, Grow Flow can save you hours, point out low-hanging fruit, and help you avoid rookie mistakes. If you’re running a giant site or want deep technical audits, you’ll still need more specialized tools (and probably a human expert).
Let’s get into how to actually use it.
Step 1: Connect Your Site to Grow Flow
First things first—Surfer SEO needs access to your site’s data to do anything useful. Here’s how to get set up:
- Sign up or log in to Surfer SEO.
- Head to the Grow Flow dashboard.
- Connect your site.
- You can do this by pasting your domain, then connecting Google Search Console (GSC).
- GSC is required. Without it, Grow Flow can’t see what’s actually happening with your traffic and keywords.
- Wait for the initial analysis.
- It takes a few minutes. Go grab a coffee.
What’s good: The GSC connection means your tasks are based on real data, not just generic advice.
What to watch out for: If you have multiple properties in GSC (say, http/https or www/non-www versions), make sure you connect the right one. Otherwise, your tasks could be off.
Step 2: Review Your Weekly Tasks—But Don’t Blindly Trust Them
Once you’re set up, Grow Flow spits out a weekly list of optimization tasks. These usually fall into a few buckets:
- Add missing keywords to existing pages
- Write new content on suggested topics
- Internal linking suggestions
- Remove or update outdated content
- Technical tweaks (rare, but possible)
Each task comes with a short explanation and a link to dig deeper.
Pro tip: Think of these tasks as a starting point, not gospel. Sometimes the AI gets it wrong, suggests awkward keywords, or picks irrelevant topics. Always sanity-check before acting.
Here’s what to do: - Skim the list. Ignore tasks that obviously don’t fit your goals. - Prioritize. Don’t try to do everything—focus on tasks tied to your core pages, or those with the biggest potential upside. - Export or assign tasks. If you work with a team or freelancers, Grow Flow lets you copy tasks out or share them.
Step 3: Add Suggested Keywords (But Don’t Stuff Them)
One of the most common Grow Flow suggestions is to “add these keywords to this page.” The tool looks for keywords you’re close to ranking for, but aren’t using enough (or at all) on the page.
How to do it: 1. Open the suggested page. 2. Check the list of keywords. 3. Work them into the content naturally. - Don’t just dump keywords in—rewrite sentences if you have to. - If a keyword is awkward or off-topic, skip it. 4. Update the page and re-index if needed.
What works: This is a reliable way to pick up easy wins. Sometimes, just adding a phrase or two can bump you up a few spots.
What doesn’t: Don’t force in every keyword. Google’s not dumb, and keyword stuffing will backfire. Also, if a keyword suggestion is too broad or doesn’t match search intent, ignore it.
Step 4: Tackle Internal Linking Suggestions
Grow Flow often recommends you link from Page A to Page B, usually because one is getting traffic and the other could use a boost.
How to handle it: 1. Find the recommended source and target pages. 2. Look for a relevant place on the source page to add a link. - Make sure the anchor text makes sense. - Don’t shoehorn links where they don’t belong. 3. Update and save the page.
Why it’s useful: Internal links are easy to overlook but powerful. They help search engines crawl your site and can nudge important pages up in the rankings.
What to ignore: If the suggested link doesn’t make contextual sense, skip it. Not every page needs to link to every other page.
Step 5: Use Content Suggestions—With a Grain of Salt
Some tasks will recommend writing a new article on a specific topic, often based on gaps in your coverage compared to competitors.
How to evaluate: - Is the topic relevant to your audience? - Does it fit your business or site goals? - Is it something you can cover better than what’s already out there?
If yes, go for it. Grow Flow can even generate a basic outline to get you started, but don’t just churn out content because the tool says so.
What works: For finding new ideas and keeping your content calendar full, this can be handy.
What doesn’t: Blindly publishing articles on random keywords is a waste of time. If the suggestion is off-brand or low value, just ignore it.
Step 6: Monitor Progress—But Don’t Obsess
Grow Flow tracks completed tasks and their impact (like ranking changes or traffic bumps). You’ll see a timeline of actions and results.
What’s actually helpful: - Watch for patterns. If certain types of tasks (like internal links) deliver more results, focus there. - Keep expectations realistic. SEO changes can take weeks or months to show real impact. Don’t expect instant results. - Use it as a sanity-check. If nothing’s moving after several rounds, you may need deeper changes—or a human expert to audit your site.
Step 7: Set Up a Simple Workflow
Grow Flow isn’t magic, but it can help you build a habit of regular optimization. Here’s a dead-simple workflow:
- Pick a day each week to review tasks. Block off 15–30 minutes.
- Triage the list. Mark what’s worth doing, skip what’s not.
- Assign or complete tasks.
- Check the impact next week.
- Repeat.
This keeps you moving without turning SEO into a full-time job.
What Grow Flow Gets Right (And Where It Falls Short)
The Good:
- Cuts down on busywork. No more spreadsheets or “what should I do next?” paralysis.
- Keeps you focused. The weekly cadence is a good nudge.
- Great for small teams or solo operators. You don’t need to be an SEO expert.
The Not-So-Good:
- Not always context-aware. Some suggestions will be off, especially for niche sites.
- Doesn’t catch deep technical issues. For real technical SEO, you’ll need a dedicated audit tool.
- Can be repetitive. Some tasks feel like busywork after a while.
Quick Tips for Getting the Most Out of Grow Flow
- Sanity-check everything. Don’t just check boxes to clear your list.
- Customize your workflow. Use Grow Flow as a guide, not a dictator.
- Skip low-value tasks. Your time is better spent elsewhere.
- Pair with human judgment. The best results come from using the tool and your own brain.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
Automating SEO busywork is great, but don’t get lost chasing every suggestion. Use Grow Flow as a weekly nudge to keep your site healthy, focus on the tasks that actually move the needle, and don’t be afraid to ignore what doesn’t fit. The real secret? Stay consistent, keep your process simple, and don’t get distracted by shiny features or hyped-up promises. That’s how you actually make progress.