How to Use SE Ranking's Content Editor Tool

intermediate 8 min read Updated 2026-03-24

Quick Answer

SE Ranking's Content Editor optimizes content by analyzing top-ranking competitors and providing actionable SEO recommendations. Access it via Content Marketing > Content Editor, create a new article with your target keyword and brief parameters, then use the right-side tabs (Improvements, Quality, Outline, AI Writer) to optimize your content based on competitor analysis and content scores.

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Prerequisites

Active SE Ranking account with Content Editor subscription access
Primary keyword and target search engine, country, region, and language selected
URL or text of existing article to import, or new article topic ready
Basic SEO knowledge including keywords and SERP concepts
Optional: Google Docs account for collaborative editing

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access the Content Editor

Log into your SE Ranking account and navigate to Content Marketing > Content Editor from the main menu. You'll see a dashboard displaying all content pieces currently being worked on or already published.

Ensure your subscription plan includes Content Editor access with sufficient article allowance for your needs.

Create a New Article

Click the New Content button in the top right-hand corner. A popup window will appear with options for creating new content from scratch or importing existing articles.

You can import existing articles by entering their URL, which pulls the full text and format directly into the tool.

Fill in Initial Article Details

Complete the following required fields in the new article window:

Add your primary keyword you want to rank for
Select a search engine (e.g., Google), country, region, and language
Create the article name
Select an existing group or create a new one for organization

Choose your primary keyword carefully as it drives the entire brief and competitive analysis.

Configure Brief Settings and Competitors

Specify additional parameters to guide content optimization:

Indicate whether the article targets desktop or mobile search
Add up to five competitors ranking outside the top 10 results whose content you want to outrank
The tool automatically analyzes the top 10 results for your target keyword by default
Use the Add more competitors from the SERP option to include additional domains

Adding non-top-10 competitors you specifically want to outrank provides more targeted optimization guidance.

Set Content Parameters

Define specific content requirements that will guide your optimization:

Content length (measured in words or characters)
Number of headings (H1-H6 structure)
Number of paragraphs
Optional: Set recommendations for title, description, and slug in the brief

These parameters become your optimization targets and are reflected in your Brief Progress score.

Review competitor content lengths and structures to set realistic parameters that match SERP expectations.

Click Create and Review the Interface

Once you've finished configuring all settings, click the Create button. The tool will pull your article content (if importing) and display the optimization interface. On the right side, you'll see four main tabs:

Improvements Tab: Shows your Content Score and optimization recommendations
Quality Tab: Checks grammar, readability, and originality
Outline Tab: Manages headings, terms, links, and competitor insights
AI Writer Tab: Generates or refines content with AI assistance

The Improvements tab is your primary optimization guide, showing both your current score and competitor benchmarks.

Optimize Using the Improvements Tab

The Improvements tab provides actionable recommendations across multiple dimensions:

Text length: Increase or decrease word/paragraph count to match competitor averages
Headings: Add recommended terms to your H1-H6 structure
Terms to use: Sprinkle NLP-recommended keywords throughout your text
Images: Increase or decrease image count based on competitor content
Readability: Review recommended readability level and sentences to rewrite
Metadata: Optimize title, description, and slug with SERP preview

Your Content Score rises as you implement these recommendations.

Focus on the highest-impact recommendations first, such as matching competitor word count and heading structure.

Check Quality and Originality

Under the Quality tab, review and fix content quality issues:

Check for grammar and punctuation errors
Identify stop words that may dilute content focus
Use the built-in Plagiarism Checker to ensure originality by comparing against a vast database of websites
The Plagiarism Checker provides percentage of words matched, uniqueness score, and number of matching pages

Fixing these issues improves your Quality Score and ensures Google perceives your content as original.

If plagiarism is detected from legitimate sources (like your own website), you can exclude specific domains from the plagiarism check.

Review and Build Your Outline

The Outline tab displays headings and structure pulled from competitor URLs. Use this tab to:

View competitor H1-H6 heading structures and choose one for your article
Click through to competitor pages to see their content organization
Review NLP-recommended terms and their suggested placement
Add internal and external links directly to your brief for seamless incorporation
Add questions that your copywriter should address in the content

Use the AI Rewriter to adapt competitor heading structures to your unique angle rather than copying directly.

Use AI Writer for Content Generation

The AI Writer tab offers two main modes for content creation:

AI Writer Wizard: Step-by-step generation where you input intent, target audience, tone, creativity level, and desired headings or keywords
1-click generation: Creates a full draft with optimized structure, headings, keywords, and talking points

AI Writer can also generate FAQs, meta tags, and help refresh existing content by rephrasing or expanding in your chosen tone. Select from 11 different writing styles to match your target audience.

If you're not satisfied with AI-generated text, regenerate it with one click to get alternative versions.

Export and Track Performance

Once your content is optimized, export it to your publishing platform:

Export directly to Google Docs for collaborative team editing
Export to WordPress or copy to your CMS
Use version history feature to view and restore up to 10 previous text versions
After publishing, sync your article with SE Ranking to view impressions, clicks, CTR, and ranking position in a detailed analytics chart
Add custom notes to track key metric changes over time

Use Google Docs integration for team collaboration, allowing multiple editors to work simultaneously while maintaining optimization guidance.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Low Content Score despite optimization efforts

Content Score is calculated based on character count, headings, paragraphs, images, and keyword usage. Verify you've met all brief parameters: check that your word count matches the recommended range, you have the recommended number of headings and paragraphs, and you've incorporated suggested keywords in both body text and headings. Compare your scores against the maximum and average scores shown for top competitors.

Quality Score drops due to grammar or plagiarism issues

Use the Quality tab to identify specific grammar, punctuation, and stop word errors, then fix them directly in the editor. For plagiarism detection, review the Plagiarism Checker results showing matched pages and phrases. If matches are from your own website or legitimate sources, exclude those domains from the plagiarism check. High stop word usage can also lower quality, so review and reduce unnecessary filler words.

Difficulty importing existing articles or content not pulling correctly

Ensure the article URL is correct and accessible. If importing text directly, verify the format is compatible. Check that you've selected the correct search engine, country, region, and language matching your article's target. If the article still won't import, try creating a new article from scratch and manually pasting your content into the editor.

Unclear which recommendations to prioritize

Treat the Improvements tab as your primary guide, focusing first on high-impact items like matching competitor word count and heading structure. The tool shows both your current score and competitor benchmarks, helping you identify the biggest gaps. Start with recommendations that appear across multiple competitors, as these indicate consistent SERP expectations.

AI Writer generates content that doesn't match your brand voice

Use the AI Writer Wizard instead of 1-click generation to specify your desired tone from 11 available writing styles. Input your specific intent, target audience, and preferred keywords to guide generation. If the output still doesn't match your brand, regenerate with different settings or manually edit the AI-generated content to align with your voice. Remember that AI Writer output is a starting point for optimization, not final copy.

Prices mentioned in this guide are pulled from current plan data and may change. Always verify on the official SE Ranking website before purchasing.

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