If you’re tired of keyword chaos and want to actually rank (without losing your mind), you’re in the right place. This guide is for anyone who wants to get more out of their SEO work—whether you’re a solo blogger, run a small agency, or just got handed the “do some SEO” job at work. We’ll walk through how to create keyword clusters using Surfer SEO, cut through the noise, and show you what’s worth your time (and what isn’t).
Let’s get to it.
Why Bother With Keyword Clusters?
Before we jump into the steps, here’s the blunt truth: Google doesn’t care if you stuff a page with 50 keywords. What matters is covering a topic fully and logically. That’s where keyword clusters come in—they help you group related keywords so you can build out content that actually stands a chance of ranking.
When clusters help: - You want to rank for more than one keyword with a single page. - You’re planning a content hub or blog series. - You’re tired of cannibalizing your own rankings with similar pages.
When clusters aren’t magic: - If your content is thin or off-topic, grouping keywords won’t save you. - Some niches are so competitive, no tool will get you to page one overnight.
Step 1: Gather a Seed List of Keywords
You can’t cluster what you don’t have. Start with a broad list of keywords you care about.
How to get a solid seed list: - Brainstorm main topics and obvious variations. - Pull top keywords from Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush if you have data. - Use Surfer SEO’s “Keyword Research” tool to generate ideas.
Pro tip: Don’t worry about being perfect at this stage. You’ll clean things up in the next steps.
Step 2: Log In and Navigate to Surfer SEO’s Keyword Clustering Tool
Surfer SEO has a specific feature for clustering—don’t waste time doing this by hand unless you like spreadsheets and headaches.
- Log in to Surfer SEO.
- Find the “Keyword Research” section on the sidebar.
- Enter your main keyword or paste in your seed list.
- Hit “Create” or “Analyze” (the button names change sometimes—don’t overthink it).
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by every metric or suggestion Surfer throws at you. You’re after clusters, not a full audit.
Step 3: Let Surfer SEO Generate Clusters
Surfer will break your keywords into groups (clusters) based on how often they appear together in top-ranking content.
You’ll see: - A list of clusters, each with related keywords. - Search volume and difficulty info for each group. - Sometimes, oddball groupings. (Don’t panic—more on that later.)
Reality check: No tool nails this 100%. Surfer is good, but you’ll still need to use common sense.
Step 4: Review and Clean Up the Clusters
Now’s your chance to step in and make these clusters actually useful.
- Scan each cluster for obvious junk (brand names, off-topic queries, weird duplicates).
- Merge clusters that are basically the same.
- Split clusters if they jam unrelated topics together.
Quick test: If you can’t picture writing a single page that covers all the keywords in a cluster, it probably needs to be split.
Pro tip: Don’t get paralyzed by perfection. If you spend more than a minute debating a keyword, move on.
Step 5: Prioritize Your Clusters
Some clusters will be gold mines. Others, not so much. Here’s how to pick your battles:
- Look for clusters with decent search volume and reasonable difficulty (Surfer shows both).
- Ignore clusters with zero search volume unless they’re highly relevant to your business.
- Skip anything you know your site can’t compete for—unless you plan to build out a serious authority hub.
Don’t chase every cluster: More isn’t always better. Focus on what you can actually create great content for.
Step 6: Map Clusters to Content
Now, turn those clusters into a practical content plan.
- Assign each cluster to a page or post idea.
- Make sure you don’t overlap topics across multiple pages (that’s how you cannibalize your own rankings).
- Outline your page to naturally include the main and supporting keywords from the cluster.
Example: - Cluster: “best running shoes for flat feet,” “running shoes for flat feet women’s,” “top flat feet running shoes” - Page idea: “Best Running Shoes for Flat Feet: Top Picks for Men & Women”
Step 7: Use Surfer SEO’s Content Editor for Each Cluster
Surfer SEO’s Content Editor isn’t just for single keywords—you can paste the whole cluster in.
- Open Content Editor.
- Enter your main keyword (or all cluster keywords if you want).
- Let Surfer generate guidelines and structure suggestions.
- Write your content, checking Surfer’s recommendations as you go.
Don’t blindly chase the Content Score: It’s a guide, not gospel. Hitting 100/100 won’t magically put you on page one.
Step 8: Write, Publish, and Monitor
You’ve got your clusters and your outlines—now actually write the content.
- Publish your pages.
- Track rankings for your main and secondary keywords (Google Search Console works fine).
- See what works, what flops, and adjust clusters or content as needed.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over every drop or spike in rankings. SEO moves slow. Trends and patterns matter more than day-to-day changes.
What Works (and What Doesn’t)
Works: - Clusters help you cover topics deeply and avoid duplicate content. - Surfer’s clustering tool saves a ton of time vs. manual sorting. - Using real-world logic to clean up clusters—don’t trust any tool blindly.
Doesn’t work: - Treating clusters like a silver bullet. You still need good writing, real expertise, and patience. - Overloading pages with too many keywords just because they’re grouped together. - Ignoring your gut. If a keyword feels off, it probably is.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Keyword clustering isn’t rocket science, but it does require some thought. Don’t get bogged down trying to find the “perfect” groups. Start with Surfer’s clusters, clean them up, create content, and see what happens. Tweak as you learn—Google’s algorithm changes, and so should your clusters.
Bottom line: Use Surfer SEO to sort the chaos, but let your common sense do the heavy lifting. Rank better, stress less.