> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.get-ryze.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Switching from Surfer

> How Surfer and Ryze differ on content optimization, what changes when you move from assisted writing to automated publishing.

Surfer optimises content you are writing. Ryze writes and publishes content for you. The difference is where the human sits in the process.

## What each does

|                                 | Surfer   | Ryze                        |
| ------------------------------- | -------- | --------------------------- |
| Content optimization scoring    | Yes      | Not as a score              |
| SERP-based term recommendations | Yes      | Built into generation       |
| **Writes full articles**        | Assisted | Yes, automated              |
| **Publishes to your site**      | Limited  | Yes, direct to store or CMS |
| Keyword research                | Yes      | Yes, via DataForSEO         |
| Technical SEO fixes             | No       | Yes                         |
| Backlink building               | No       | Yes                         |
| Paid ads                        | No       | Yes                         |

## The workflow difference

**Surfer** assumes a writer. You choose a topic, Surfer analyses ranking pages, and you write against a term list and content score.

**Ryze** runs the whole loop: it selects topics from your Search Console and catalogue data, generates the article with internal links, and publishes it — on a monthly cycle, paced across the month, under your approval settings.

If you have a content team who write, Surfer supports them. If you do not, Ryze replaces the need for one.

## On content scores

Surfer's optimization score is useful as a guide and unreliable as a target. Writing to maximise a score produces text stuffed with terms because a competitor used them, which is not the same as writing something worth citing.

Ryze does not produce a score. Content is generated from real demand data and your catalogue, with structure aimed at being extractable and useful. See [programmatic content](/ecommerce/content-programmatic).

## What does not transfer

* **Content briefs and outlines** stay in Surfer
* **Optimization history and scores** do not carry over
* **Saved keyword and topic lists** have no import path

Published articles are unaffected — they live on your site and remain yours.

## Before you cancel

1. Export any **briefs or outlines** you plan to write
2. Export **curated keyword and topic lists**
3. Note **articles in progress**, so they are not lost mid-workflow

## Setting expectations after switching

The main adjustment is editorial control. Surfer gives you per-article control; Ryze operates at cycle level.

You control it through:

* **[Agent context](/agent/context)** — what you sell, who you sell to, tone. This is the main quality lever, and the most common cause of off-target output.
* **[Approvals](/claude/permissions)** — require sign-off before publishing if you want a review step
* **Agent Activity** — every draft and publish, timestamped

If topics look wrong, fix agent context rather than rejecting topics individually.

## Related

* [Programmatic content](/ecommerce/content-programmatic)
* [Product descriptions at scale](/ecommerce/product-descriptions-at-scale)