Semrush Review

Whether you’re running a business, a personal blog, or even a school project, how you appear online can make a big difference.

Semrush steps in to provide insights and guidance for SEO success.

It’s a big name in the SEO software industry.

And, millions of people have already signed up for it. It’s packed with excellent features, offering a massive collection of over 25 billion keywords and backlinks data. So, if you’re eager to do SEO for your website and climb up in search engine rankings, Semrush could be a great help for you.

Semrush is actually a lot more than a simple SEO tool.

It’s like a Swiss Army knife for digital marketing.

In my experience, it’s incredibly useful for various tasks.

These include finding effective SEO strategies, researching keywords to target, monitoring what competitors are doing, and understanding the nuances of paid advertising. It provides a comprehensive suite of tools to address multiple aspects of digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).

In this detailed Semrush review, we’ll explore its various features and figure out why it’s considered a valuable tool for SEO and digital marketing.

Or is it really worth considering? Let’s find out.

So, get ready as we explore Semrush in this blog post!

We’ll start with a quick review of Semrush.

Quick Review of Semrush

Semrush really stands out as a do-it-all SEO toolkit.

It’s got everything in one place, from creating content to tracking keyword rankings on search engines.

It’s a top pick for both individuals and huge companies.

I find its interface quite easy to navigate, and those helpful hints on what the charts mean are great. It’s really useful for in-depth keyword research and making custom reports – no wonder why people love it.

Pros:

  • Offers a free version.
  • User-friendly interface.
  • Billions of keyword ideas.
  • Works with other apps.
  • Useful CRM built in.
  • Has AI-powered tools.

Cons:

  • On the pricey side.
  • Need to pay for local SEO tools.
  • Free version has limits.
  • Pay more for extra users.

Semrush

Rating: 4.5 on G2 from 1850+ reviews

Great for:

  • Anyone into digital marketing and SEO.

Pricing:

  • $129.95 to $499.95 monthly.
  • Save 17% with a yearly plan.
  • Try it free for 7 days – Credit card required.

In your journey with digital marketing, Semrush could be a reliable platform, especially for tasks like keyword research and website audits. It’s a bit expensive, but the features make it worth considering.

What Is Semrush?

Semrush is a comprehensive SEO toolkit made for businesses, SEO and digital marketing professionals who want to be ahead of the game online. It’s based in Boston, Massachusetts, and was started by Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitri Melnikov back in 2008. Yes, it’s now over 15 years old.

It’s known as one of the top SEO tools out there.

Semrush is great for finding the right keywords, keeping track of search engine rankings, and even managing PPC (pay-per-click) ads.

With the help of Semrush, you can:

  • Identify valuable keywords for SEO and PPC campaigns.
  • Analyze competitors’ strategies in SEO, paid search, and social media.
  • Perform comprehensive audits of your website to find SEO issues.
  • Track and analyze backlinks to your website.
  • Assess competitors’ advertising strategies and budgets.
  • Get useful insights for content creation and optimization.
  • Get overviews of your industry and market trends.
  • Monitor your social media performance and track competitors.
  • Track your brand’s online reputation and mentions.
  • Estimate traffic on any website, including competitors.
  • Analyze competitors’ product listing ads in Google Shopping.
  • Create customizable reports for various digital marketing activities.

And more. That’s a long list, right?

In my Semrush review, I’m taking a closer look at this SEO software.

Let’s see if it’s really worth what you pay for it.

Features of Semrush

Semrush has more than 55 tools to analyze search results and online data, giving you valuable marketing insights.

Let’s explore all of its main features one by one.

Semrush Projects

With Projects, you can create a dashboard with up to 9 SEO widgets. This gives you a quick look at how everything’s working.

Here are the 9 widgets you can set up:

  • Site Audit
  • Position Tracking
  • Organic Traffic Insights
  • On Page SEO Checker
  • Backlink Audit Tool
  • Link Building Tool
  • Social Tracker
  • Social Poster
  • PPC Keyword Tool

A typical project dashboard shows you a quick summary of above-mentioned metrics. Here’s how a Semrush Projects screen looks like:

Project%20dashboard

If you’re running plenty of SEO campaigns, you’ll find the Projects feature of Semrush really useful. It does not only keep your work tidy but also lets you keep track of things with email updates.

If you have got lots of clients and projects, you can sort them out with tags as well. This is an easy way to find the project you need quickly.

And for working with your team, Projects lets you share your work. You can give someone “Viewer” or “Editor” access. You can even share projects with clients, making everything more open and clear.

SEO Tools of Semrush

No matter if you’re just starting with SEO or you’re already an expert, one thing’s for sure: SEO means dealing with lots of data.

That’s why people often use tools like Semrush.

So, what’s in store with Semrush for SEO? Let’s find out.

Keyword Research Toolkit

Keyword research is a big part of SEO.

It helps you figure out what words or phrases people are typing into search engines like Google when they’re looking for something. By using the right keywords, more people can find your site when they search online.

It tells you what your audience is interested in. This way, you can create content that they really want to see or read.

It’s a key part of making sure your website gets the right kind of traffic.

Semrush’s keyword research toolkit has everything you need.

To start, just use the Keyword Overview tool.

keyword overview

You start by typing a word or phrase into the tool. This is the keyword you’re curious about, like “science experiments” or “funny cats.”

Once you enter the keyword, Semrush shows you lots of important information about it. This includes:

  • Search Volume: This tells you how many people are searching for that keyword in a month. It helps you see how popular a keyword is.
  • Keyword Difficulty: This shows how hard it will be to rank high in search results for that specific keyword. The lowest is the best.
  • Cost Per Click (CPC): If you’re thinking about ads, this tells you how much it might cost each time someone clicks on an ad with that keyword.
  • Competition Level: This is about how many people are using that particular keyword for their ads.

It also helps with SERP analysis.

You can see what the top search results look like for that keyword. You can see who your competitors would be if you use that keyword.

The tool also gives you different versions of your keyword. These are like alternatives or similar words people might use. It even shows questions people ask using your keyword, helping you find ideas for what to write about or what to include on your website.

Next, you might want to check out the Keyword Magic Tool.

After you’ve got the basic info from the keyword overview tool, using the Keyword Magic Tool is a smart move.

This tool gives you loads of details about your keyword.

keyword magic.a40dd67a176e

Plus, it has filters to make it easier to focus your search.

The keyword magic tool has four filters. These are “Broad Match”, “Phrase Match”, “Exact Match”, and “Related”.

So, how do you start using the Keyword Magic Tool?

You begin by entering a “seed keyword”. This is a basic word or phrase you’re interested in, like “baking” or “dinosaurs”.

The tool takes your seed keyword and shows you a huge list of related keywords. These are different ways people might search for the same topic.

You can organize this big list to find exactly what you need.

keyword list.7a2bcb315b44

Maybe you want keywords that aren’t too hard to rank for (low difficulty), or maybe you’re looking for really popular ones (high search volume). It’s like sorting your candy by color or size – you pick what you like best!

It shows you various types of keywords, like questions (people asking about your topic), or long-tail keywords (longer phrases that are very specific).

For each keyword, you can see important info like how many people search for it each month (search volume), how hard it might be to rank for it (keyword difficulty), and even how much it could cost in ads (CPC). You are basically getting a cheat sheet that tells you how good each keyword is.

cluster.1f6d98fa47ce

You can pick the keywords you like and save them to a list. This way, you won’t forget the best ones you find.

With over 25 billion keywords in its database, the Keyword Magic Tool in Semrush is highly useful because it turns one simple word or phrase into thousands of keyword ideas. You can find exactly the right words or phrases to help people find your website or blog online.

Once you’ve done this part of your research, head over to the Keyword Manager to start planning how to create your content.

The Keyword Manager in Semrush is a tool for organizing and analyzing your keywords. You can add up to 2000 keywords from other Semrush tools, create lists to stay organized, and get detailed info about each keyword, like search volume and difficulty. It allows you to update data in real-time, and you can export or share your lists with others.

Screenshot%202023 08 11%20at%2017.28.57

You can make groups of topics that show you what sub-topics to cover for a certain keyword. When you enter a main keyword, the tool creates groups of related keywords and gives you all the info you need.

There’s also a Keyword Gap Tool which shows you the keywords your competitors are using that you aren’t.

There’s also the Position Tracking tool in the keyword research toolkit.

google serp checker by ranking distribution.2b17ab354452

This is a SERP tracking tool which helps you track how well your website or your competitor’s site is doing in search rankings. You can keep an eye on where your website stands in search results for your chosen keywords and compares your performance with competitors.

To get started with the Position Tracking tool, follow these steps:

  • Add your website to Semrush as a project.
  • Then, you pick the keywords you want to track. These are the words you think people will use to find your website.
  • You can choose specific locations (like a city or country) and devices (like desktop or mobile) to track.
  • Once everything is set up, Semrush starts tracking how your website ranks for these keywords. It checks if your website appears on the first page of search results, or maybe the second, and so on.

The tool updates regularly, so you can see if your website’s ranking goes up or down. You can also see how your competitors are doing with the same keywords. Semrush is great with visual reports. You’ll find graphs and charts to easily understand your website’s performance.

Link building is a big deal in SEO.

It’s about checking a website’s backlinks to see how many there are and how good they are. You can also find websites where you’d like to get backlinks and start reaching out to them and ask for it.

Semrush makes finding and managing backlinks easier.

But first, you should look at all the backlinks on your website.

So, let’s check out the backlink audit tool. Just enter your domain, and you’ll get a report that shows you all about your backlinks.

target pages report.6cf926449a5a

In the backlink report, you can click through different tabs to see various parts of your backlink profile. Here are some key things you can find out:

  • Toxicity Score: This checks if any links could be bad for your SEO.
  • New Backlinks: You can see how many new backlinks Semrush found.
  • Link Attribute: This tells you the number of follow and nofollow links.
  • Analyzed Backlinks: Find out about any broken or lost backlinks.

To get really accurate info about traffic and backlinks, it’s best to connect the Backlink Audit with Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

Sometimes, the data from different tools don’t match up perfectly.

By using both Google tools with your Backlink Audit, you can double-check and make sure your backlink information is accurate.

For a deeper look, or to see how your backlinks compare to a competitor’s, you can use the Backlink Analytics tool.

network graph.6085955d3cd8

Start by typing your website’s address into the tool.

The tool then gives you a report full of details about your backlinks. It shows who’s linking to your site, how strong these links are, and lots more.

The report includes things like:

  • The Total Number of Backlinks: How many links are pointing to your site.
  • Referring Domains: These are the websites that link to you.
  • Authority Scores: This score shows how strong these referring domains are.
  • Backlink Types: Like are they text links, image links, etc.

The tool helps you see if the backlinks are good (which helps your site) or bad (which can hurt your site).

You can also analyze your anchor texts of your links.

Anchor texts are the clickable texts in a link. Understanding these helps you see what topics are most linked to your site.

In the backlink analytics report, you can add your competitors and check out their backlinks to see how they stack up against yours.

By clicking different tabs at the top, you can explore various parts of the report.

In the backlinks tab, you get a closer look at the site’s backlinks.

Scrolling down, there are filters to focus on certain details of the site’s backlink profile and to see the URLs of the linked pages.

The main goal here is to help you improve your backlink profile.

So, the next tool to try is the Link Building Tool.

Here’s how the Link Building Tool in Semrush works:

  • First, you tell the tool about your website by setting up a project.
  • You then give it some keywords (these are topics you want your website to be known for) and competitors (other websites you’re sort of competing with).
  • Then, the tool starts doing its homework. It looks at your keywords and competitors and finds websites that might give you a backlink.
  • The tool gives you a list of potential websites (or backlink sources). These are websites that could link to you.

The tool even helps you write and send emails to these websites, asking if they’ll link to your site. It makes the backlinking process easier than ever.

Once it gathers and examines the data, the tool shows you a report.

On the report overview tab, you’ll see some widgets tracking your link building campaign’s overall progress. The “Prospects” tab displays the potential backlink sources and snippets of articles with your keywords. You can scroll through this list, and when you find a good prospect, click the “To In Progress” button. In the “In Progress” tab, you can send messages to site owners.

Using the Link Building Tool in Semrush is an excellent way to create more quality backlinks to your website and make it more popular. With this tool, you’re not just waiting for backlinks; you’re actively finding them and asking for them!

On Page SEO Checker

On Page SEO is something you can totally handle yourself, and Semrush simplifies this for you with its comprehensive SEO checker.

It’s designed to improve your website’s SEO. It works by identifying weaknesses and opportunities on your site, leveraging data from Semrush and Google. The tool also compares your webpage with the top 10 organic competitors for each target keyword, providing a detailed analysis.

on page seo checker

Just enter your domain, follow the setup steps, and then you’ll get a report. The best part is that it breaks down exactly what you need to do.

Here’s how the Semrush On-page SEO checker can help you:

  • Strategy Ideas: It evaluates which pages on your site are performing best and suggests optimizations for specific target keywords.
  • Backlink Ideas: Helps in identifying new sources for link building.
  • Technical SEO Ideas: Flags technical issues that could impact your search positions, using insights from Semrush’s Site Audit tool.
  • Semantic Ideas: Offers suggestions to enrich your content with keywords and topics related to your main target keyword.
  • Content Ideas: Analyzes your competitors’ content on Google and advises on how to improve your content and compete with them.
  • User Experience Ideas: Utilizes data from Google Analytics to give insights into your webpage’s user experience (UX).
  • SERP Features Ideas: Guides on how to feature your website in Google’s SERP Features by analyzing data from your top 10 Google rivals.

However, the tool is limited by the number of keyword analyses you can perform monthly. The limits vary by subscription plans – Pro (500 units), Guru (800 units), and Business (2,000 units).

The best I like of this tool is how it compares your site to competitors in the top ten search results for your keywords.

It also offers effective ideas to help you aim for SERP Features.

Technical SEO Tools

Semrush has 2 tools that make handling the technical stuff on your website easier: the Site Audit tool and the Log File Analyzer.

To use the site audit tool in Semrush, you can start here.

This tool helps you find and fix your website’s unique issues, which is important for improving your Google rankings.

It’s a health checkup for your website.

You get a free SEO audit and a custom to-do list specifically for your site. It’s like having a SEO assistant telling you exactly what to fix.

site audit 1.e67b8fe009d5

This tool scans your website for over 140 technical site health and SEO related mistakes. Then, it sorts the issues it finds into three groups based on how serious they are: errors, warnings, and notices. This way, you can easily see what needs your immediate attention.

I can tell you that this tool is designed to be really helpful.

For example, you can make your own rules for what to fix first.

It has advanced filters and integrates with Google Analytics, so you can focus on pages that make you money.

Semrush also offers technical SEO reports. These cover things like crawlability (making sure Google can find your site), site performance (like how fast your pages load), internal linking, HTTPS security, and international SEO. This is super important if your website is in different languages.

Key Features and Benefits of the Site Audit Tool:

  • Free to start, just sign up and begin.
  • Scans for over 140 issues related to SEO.
  • Categorizes all issues in an easy-to-understand way.
  • Custom rules to make your own priority list.
  • Integrates with Google Analytics to focus on profitable pages.
  • Detailed reports on crawlability, site performance, internal linking, and more.
  • Compare crawls and progress to see how your site improves over time.
  • Schedule audits for getting regular updates automatically.

Overall, it’s a smart way to keep an eye on your website’s health.

You can compare different audits to see how you’re doing and even schedule weekly SEO audits. This way, you’re always in the know.

Are there only good things to say? No!

Yes, there are so many advantages. But, one issue I can find is that it might be overwhelming with so much data for someone new to this.

And, of course it requires some SEO knowledge to fully utilize.

Then, there’s the Log File Analyzer.

It helps you understand how search engines, like Google, visit and look through your website. It lets you see what parts of your website are popular with Google’s bots and which parts might have problems.

log file analyzer

When you use the Log File Analyzer, you get to see which pages on your site are being visited most by search engines.

This tool also tells you about any errors or issues that might stop Google from checking out your site properly. Plus, it shows you how your site works on both computers and mobile phones.

log file analyzer works

Here’s what you can do with the Log File Analyzer:

  • Learn how Google’s bots interact with your site.
  • Find out about errors that might be causing problems.
  • See what types of files Googlebots are looking at.
  • Get easy-to-understand reports and graphs.
  • Learn how your site performs on different devices.
  • You can optimize crawl budget.

If you’re looking to audit your website, it can be a great tool.

The downsides?

  • It might take some time to understand all the features.
  • You need access to your website’s log files.

So, if you’re curious about how Google sees your website and want to make sure it’s the best it can be, this is what you need.

Local SEO Tools

Local SEO helps your business show up in local searches.

While regular SEO can help you rank for things like “pizza shop near me”, local SEO focuses more on your business listings.

For this, Semrush has a Listing Management tool. It’s an excelelnt way for businesses to manage their online information.

This tool makes it easy to handle your business details like your name, address, and phone number (NAP) across various directories.

listing management tool distribute.d96642c80150

It’s designed to boost your local Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which means it helps your business show up better in search results. You only need to enter your business info once, and the tool updates it everywhere, including on big sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook.

This tool is fantastic for spreading your business info across maps, apps, search engines, and aggregators. It’s available in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Australia.

The best part of this tool? You can manage multiple locations and update your listing anytime to keep it correct and consistent.

Plus, it helps you monitor your business reputation by showing customer reviews in one place. You can read and manage these reviews easily and even jump to the platform where the review was posted to respond quickly.

listing management tool stay.379fd3aa39a7

Here are some benefits of Listing Management tool:

  • Improves your business visibility in search results.
  • Input your information once, and update it across multiple platforms.
  • Distributes your business data across maps, apps, search engines, etc.
  • See and respond to customer reviews all in one place.

This tool has some clear advantages. It saves you time by automating the distribution of your business information. This can be a big deal, especially if you’re managing more than one location.

It’s also user-friendly, so you don’t have to be an expert to use it. The ability to add photos and videos is another plus.

However, there are some drawbacks.

Since the tool is available in limited countries, it might not work for everyone.

Overall, the Semrush Listing Management tool is a powerful and convenient way to manage your online business presence.

It’s especially useful for businesses looking to improve their local SEO and maintain a consistent, appealing online image.

Remember, the tool is most effective in the countries it supports.

Competitor Analysis Tools

The Semrush SEO suite has tools for checking out your competitors.

When you do an SEO audit on a site, the domain analysis tells you about its traffic, how it markets itself, and who’s linking to it.

To begin, pick the “Domain Overview” tool.

domain overview

It’s designed to give you a quick and thorough look at any website.

Firstly, Domain Overview shows you how visible a website is online. It tells you about two main things: how much traffic the website gets from search engines (both from free searches and paid ads) and the number of backlinks.

Now, let’s break down the features:

  • Quick Overview of Search Engine Presence: You’ll see estimated traffic from free (organic) and paid searches, plus the number of backlinks.
  • Top Keywords Analysis: It shows which keywords the website ranks for, changes in those rankings, and even the purpose behind those keywords (like whether they’re used for advertising).
  • Global and Mobile Data Options: You can check how the website is doing around the world and on mobile devices.
  • Sneak Peeks at In-Depth Reports: Get a glimpse of more detailed reports.
  • Research Flexibility and Growth Report: You can look up a whole website, a part of it, or even a specific webpage from the website. Also, you can see how the website’s performance has changed over time.

It’s great for quickly understanding how well your competitors are doing online. You can see their strengths and weaknesses at a glance.

Then, if something catches your eye, you can dive deeper.

For example, if you’re curious about BigCommerce’s online presence, just enter its URL into the tool. And, you’ll get a comprehensive report.

For a deeper look at your competitors, try the “Organic Research” tool.

The Semrush Organic Research tool is designed to help users understand and surpass their competitors in search engine rankings. By analyzing the top organic keywords and content of rival websites, you can create a strategy to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

dashboard of sermush organic keywords tool.9785784b7c11

This tool offers insights into competitors’ SEO practices, ranking performance, and keyword effectiveness.

It includes features like:

  • Viewing the top organic keywords
  • Analyzing SERP performance
  • Following position changes over time
  • Benchmarking against key competitors
  • Using advanced filters for keyword research

Additionally, it helps in identifying new opportunities and prioritizing webpages that need attention. Quite informative, right?

Other tools for competitor analysis include:

  • Traffic Analytics tool: This helps you look at competitors’ traffic.
  • Keyword Gap tool: This lets you compare your keywords with your competitors. You’ll be able to see which keywords you both rank for and aslo which keywords your competitors are ranking for but your website isn’t.
  • Backlink Gap tool: This one compares your backlinks to your competitors’ and finds opportunities for building more relevant backlinks.

Content Marketing Toolkit

Content marketing is about sharing information and stories to attract and engage people. It’s like using interesting stories and facts to make people interested in what you or your company does.

SEMrush offers 3 main tools that help with this, making it easier to create content that people will want to read and share.

One of the main tools is the “Topic Research” tool.

Topic Research

The Topic Research tool or the content idea generator helps you discover exciting topics and ideas that people are interested in.

By using these tools, you can easily find out what’s popular and what questions people are asking. This way, you can create content that’s not only interesting but also something that your audience really wants to read.

Here’s what you can do:

  • See what topics are trending right now.
  • Find out what subjects your audience cares about.
  • Get ideas for catchy titles that grab attention.
  • Learn what types of headlines are shared the most.
  • Understand the questions people are asking online.
  • See what your competitors are writing about.
  • Find topics they haven’t covered yet, so you can stand out.

These tools aren’t just about finding what to write.

They’re also about understanding your audience better.

When you know what people are curious about or what problems they have, you can create content that really connects with them.

This makes your writing more useful and interesting.

You can also look up a topic using a domain. This helps you find topics your competitors haven’t covered much, so you can focus on those. In a report, you’ll see some cards in green and others in blue. The green ones show where the domain you’re looking at ranks in the top 100 for your keyword.

But, honestly, it’s easy to get distracted by too many ideas. You might lose some of your unique voice by focusing too much on trends.

SEO Content Template

SEO Content Template is great because it makes the tricky parts of SEO easier to understand. SEO is all about making your content easy to find on search engines like Google. This tool helps you do just that by giving you a plan to follow so your articles can show up higher in search results.

seo content template recommendations.a5c829707f46

To use it, just type your keywords into the search bar, pick a location and device, and hit “Create content template”.

Here’s how the SEO Content Template can help you:

  • Quickly create a plan for your content.
  • See what the top 10 articles for your topic are doing.
  • Get suggestions for important words to include in your article.
  • Find out which websites you should try to get links from.
  • Learn how to make your writing easy to read and understand.
  • Get a guide that’s tailored to what you’re writing about.

While the SEO Content Template is a helpful tool, it’s important to use it as a guide, not a set of strict rules. Your own style and creativity are really important too. Combine what you learn from the tool with your own ideas to make your articles fun to read and easy to find!

Finally, there’s SEO writing assistant.

SEO Writing Assistant

This tool is made to help you write awesome content and check its SEO quality as you go. It’s an add-on for Google Docs, WordPress, and MS Word.

content marketing.abf1482dee59

The best part is that it links up with the SEO content template.

Here’s what it does:

  • It grades your article to see how well it’s likely to do in search engine results.
  • Gives tips to make your writing easier and more fun to read.
  • Helps you keep your writing style consistent.
  • Offers advice while you write, so you can make changes on the go.
  • Make sure your content is original and not copied.
  • Use artificial intelligence (AI) to help write and tweak your content.

You can use this tool to polish your writing, but always add your own special touch to make your articles uniquely yours!

Another part of the content marketing toolkit is ContentShake AI. It’s an extra service you can buy. It’s like a do-it-all tool for writing content. It comes up with topic ideas based on what your market and audience like.

It also adds facts and pictures to your writing, makes it better for SEO, and lets you keep all your articles in one place.


Read ➔ Semrush ContentShake AI Review: Pros & Cons


Advertising Tools

Semrush isn’t just for organic traffic. It also has tools to help you improve your paid advertising campaigns and get a better return on investment (ROI). Let’s take a closer look at the three key features of the Advertising toolkit.

Advertising Research

The Advertising Research tool is great for checking out your competitors’ ad strategies.

With this tool, you can see how much traffic they get from paid ads, what they’re spending, and lots more.

Take Shopify as an example. At the top of its report, you can choose different reports to view. These show you who Shopify’s competitors are, their ad texts, and where the ads take you.

The report also displays some of Shopify’s competitors and their rankings for shared keywords. And if you want to look at their ad texts to compare with yours, just select the “Ads Copies” report. The amount of information you get depends on the competitors you’re looking at and the market they’re in.

PLA Research

The Semrush PLA Research tool helps you check out the product listing ads on Google Shopping for any business.

This tool can answer questions like:

  • What products are my competitors selling?
  • What keywords are they using?
  • Which keywords do we both use?
  • What does my competitor’s ad text look like?

Here’s how it works: Let’s say we’re looking at Shopify’s PLA performance. The report shows the number of keywords and ads in their campaign. If you scroll down, you’ll see details like keywords, product titles, and how the ads are doing in Google searches.

You don’t even have to click on the URL to see the ad. Just hover your mouse over the “ad” text in green, and a pop-up shows the ad.

There’s more. If you go to the “PLA Copies” tab, you’ll see the full ad. Below each ad, it shows how many keywords are targeted. Click the drop-down arrow for more details on these keywords.

PPC Keyword Tool

This keyword analytics tool is great for planning and improving your Google Ads campaigns. Once you’ve got your campaign’s keywords and ad groups sorted, you can save the data and put it into Google Ads Editor.

To begin with this tool, set it up in the “Project” menu. The first thing you do is add the keywords you’re targeting. You can pull these from some Semrush reports or upload a list from files like .txt, .csv, or .xlsx. After that, you can create ad groups, pick out negative keywords, and remove any duplicates. Some cool things you can do with this tool include:

  • Cleaning up your keywords by getting rid of things like symbols and numbers.
  • Updating your keyword data to make sure it’s fresh.
  • Using advanced filters to find keywords based on things like how many people search for them or how hard they are to use.

Another handy tool in the Advertising toolkit is the “Ads History” tool. This gives you past data on your competitors’ ad performance, helping you spot trends and figure out ways to get the most out of your ad spending.

Social Media Tools

Semrush has a cool social media toolkit, too.

Even though it’s not top-ranked as a social media management tool, its features are still pretty helpful. They assist in organizing, scheduling, and checking out how your social media posts are doing.

Let’s dive into these features.

Social Poster

This tool makes it super easy to create and plan social media posts for platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

To start with Social Poster, first link up a social media profile. Then, you can set up things like when to post, notifications, and shortcuts, or you can just jump into making and scheduling your posts.

I really like the interactive calendar in Semrush’s social media toolkit. It lets you plan out content for different platforms for the whole year. You can also tweak the post settings for each platform based on what you want to achieve.

Say you’re posting a video on Instagram. The usual setting is “Reel,” but you can choose to post it as a regular video instead.

Social Tracker

To check out your competition on social media and see how you’re doing, the Social Tracker tool is a big help. Its reports show you what’s trending in social media posts and how people are interacting with them.

Let’s look at a couple of reports from this tool. First up, an overview report. It shows how Adidas stacks up against three competitors in audience size on social media. Here’s what we can learn:

  • Nike has the largest audience and is growing the fastest.
  • Nike’s big on Instagram, so Adidas might get more followers if it focuses more there.
  • Even though Amazon’s audience is smaller, its growth rate is three times Adidas’s, which could shake things up.

Now, let’s peek at another report, comparing Gucci to Dior. It looks at when they post and how much engagement they get. Here’s what stands out:

  • Gucci posts every day, but Dior only posts three times a week.
  • Gucci gets more engagement overall each week than Dior.
  • On Thursdays, Dior gets way more engagement than Gucci, especially since that’s when Dior posts the most.

This report is pretty interesting. Gucci gets attention every day, but Dior’s posts seem to work better. If Dior posted more often, it might engage even more people.

Social Analytics

To get a closer look at how your social media is doing, try the Social Analytics tool. It gives you details about how your audience interacts and where those interactions come from.

Take this report, for example. It shows “Likes” on a Facebook page over ten months. We can see that more engaging content could lead to more Likes. You might also think about making ads to get more Page Likes.

The toolkit also includes Social Inbox and Influencer Analytics tools. Social Inbox lets you handle comments, direct messages, and mentions all from one Semrush dashboard.

If you’re into influencer marketing, check out the Influencer Analytics tool. It’s a separate app in the Semrush app store. With it, you can:

  • Find influencers in your market, see who your competitors are teaming up with, and pick out influencers you want to contact.
  • Figure out the best times for influencer campaigns.
  • Keep track of how your influencers are doing.
  • Predict how well your influencer campaigns will work and get automatic reports on them.

Agency Growth Kit

The Agency Growth Kit offers a set of solutions intended to assist agencies and freelancers in growing their businesses with greater ease.

Within this kit, you’ll find three primary tools.

Lead Finder

The Lead Finder tool is here to help you find business leads.

It looks for leads based on the web technologies they use. Just enter this info to start. You can also pick a specific location and industry for your leads. Hit the “Find Leads” button, and you’ll get a detailed report. This report shows you things like how much organic traffic the leads get and their website’s authority score.

When you click on a lead’s website link, you’ll see even more, like their social media, contact details, and potential business opportunities.

Bid Finder

This tool is made to help you easily find tenders you can bid on. To start, just pick the services you offer (topics) and click “Search”.

You’ll see a report like this one: Use the filters at the top of the report to find the tenders you’re interested in, or click “Save search” to keep the list.

To learn more about a tender, click on its name. You’ll get a report with all the details. This helps you figure out if the tender is right for you. Sometimes, you can even find the contact person’s email there.

Then, you can add the tender to the Semrush CRM. This way, you can keep track of all your prospects in one place.

CRM

The Semrush CRM is great for handling business with lots of clients. It lets you make customer profiles, manage client projects, set up tasks, and work with your team. Once you enter your client’s domain, you’ll see a window with info about them. In the “Profile” tab, you can link to a project and start making tasks. You can even add notes and pick a contact type for the profile.

A big part of the CRM is tasks. You can make them from scratch or use templates. When setting up tasks, you can choose how important they are, set a deadline, pick the SEO tools needed, and guess how long and how much the task will cost.

The CRM also has a client portal, which is super helpful for working with clients. With this portal, you can share tasks, get approvals, and show clients how the project is going.

Extra Semrush Features

In addition to Semrush’s primary features, I’d like to spotlight four lesser-known yet valuable tools.

The Semrush .Trends toolkit is all about helping you understand your competitors. It’s perfect for getting to know your market and spotting new business chances. A key tool here is Market Explorer. It shows you a big picture of your market, who your main competitors are, and how much of the market they hold. To learn more about what your competitors are up to, you can use the EyeOn tool. And to figure out who their audience is, the One2Target tool is really handy.

Notes

The Notes feature is a handy tool that lets you easily add information to the graphs in certain Semrush tools like Domain Overview, Site Audit, and Backlink Audit.

Our aim with this feature is to make it simple for you to highlight important events. What’s even better is that Semrush automatically generates notes for major events, such as Google algorithm updates.

Let’s take a quick look at a sample note from Semrush. While you can search for your notes through the Notes menu, please note that the notes you add to your campaigns will only be visible within those specific campaigns.

We’ve got your back when it comes to keeping track of crucial data!

PageImprove

PageImprove offers you a real-time website optimization tool that makes enhancing your website’s HTML elements a breeze. To get started, you just need to add a small JavaScript code snippet to all your web pages. You can do this manually or via the Google Tag Manager.

Once that code is in place, you’re ready to roll! You can start editing on-page elements and apply changes directly to your site. Keep in mind that these changes are temporary. To make them permanent, you’ll need to implement them in the website’s backend.

So, go ahead and take control of your website’s performance with PageImprove – it’s easy and effective!

Report Generator

Semrush offers a useful tool that lets you effortlessly create and share reports in PDF format. This tool comes in handy, especially if you’re an SEO agency or need to collaborate by sharing reports with your colleagues.

The tool’s interface is straightforward and operates like a typical drag-and-drop builder. Simply pick from the menu on the left, choose the elements you want, and drop them onto the blank page on the right.

You have the flexibility to add as many widgets as you require and arrange graphs and charts to your liking. Once you’ve crafted your report, just click the “Generate PDF report” button in green, and voila! You’ll have a PDF version of your report ready to go.

It’s that easy to create and share professional reports with Semrush.

Semrush Pricing Plans

Semrush offers four pricing plans: Pro, Guru, Business, and Custom. But which one is the right fit for you?

The Pro plan is perfect if you’re a freelancer or an SEO consultant working with a tight budget. It’s tailored for tasks like site audits and domain analytics.

If you’re part of a growing agency and need access to a broader range of tools, especially the Content Marketing Platform, the Guru plan might be your best bet.

Large agencies and enterprises looking for API access to seamlessly integrate Semrush with their other systems should consider the Business plan.

And if your business has unique requirements and demands more SEO audits, domain analysis, and reports than our standard plans offer, don’t hesitate to request a custom plan.

Keep in mind that each Semrush account supports one user by default, but you can add extra users for an additional cost.

We’ve got the right plan to help you succeed with Semrush!

Ease of Use

Despite its array of digital marketing tools and the abundance of data charts, Semrush remains user-friendly. It effortlessly provides you with a wealth of information while ensuring a seamless user experience.

When you log in, you’ll find all the toolkits neatly listed on the left side of your screen, just like a menu. Each tool you select opens on the right in a clean and minimalist window, ensuring you’re not overwhelmed by information overload.

Take a look at this screenshot showcasing the SEO dashboard. Even with a dashboard filled with data, the visuals and colored text make it a breeze to comprehend the information. What’s more, Semrush has thoughtfully included numerous tooltips. Hover your mouse over most SEO performance metrics, and a helpful tooltip pops up, explaining the metric in plain terms.

While you’ll primarily work from the Semrush website, some features are accessible through the mobile app. Here are screenshots of the Semrush mobile app. While the user interface is decent, it’s worth noting that the app has limited functionality. However, it’s essential to understand that fitting all of Semrush’s capabilities into a mobile app could potentially complicate things.

As long as you can access summary reports through the app, you should be all set. Semrush is here to make your digital marketing journey smoother and more accessible.

Customer Support

Let’s dive into Semrush’s customer support options – a crucial aspect of this Semrush review. Rest assured, Semrush is committed to providing you with all the assistance you need.

So, here’s how you can explore and utilize Semrush’s support resources:

  1. Free Demo: This is your golden opportunity to get acquainted with Semrush’s SEO tool. You’ll witness its functionality firsthand and have your queries expertly addressed during the demo.
  2. Knowledge Base: If you prefer learning through manuals and how-to articles, Semrush’s Knowledge Base is your go-to resource. It’s packed with valuable information.
  3. Semrush Academy: Elevate your knowledge with video courses and webinars at Semrush Academy. These resources are designed to help you make the most of every Semrush tool. Plus, you’ll have the chance to learn from industry experts like Brian Dean and Andy Crestodina.
  4. Chat Support: Need immediate assistance? Start a chat with a Semrush customer support agent directly from within the tool.
  5. Contact Form and Email: If you prefer written communication, you can reach out to customer support through an online form or by email. You’ll find the email address on the contacts page.

With this range of support options, Semrush is here to ensure you have a smooth and productive experience. Your success is our priority.

Semrush Pros and Cons

Let’s break down the pros and cons of Semrush to help you determine if it’s the right fit for your business.

Pros:

  1. User-Friendly: Semrush is designed with both beginners and pros in mind. Its charts and graphs simplify data analysis, and the abundance of filters lets you specify your search criteria.
  2. Extensive Keyword Database: Semrush’s insights are backed by years of search engine data and daily internet crawling. It covers various countries, including beyond the US, and distinguishes between desktop and mobile traffic.
  3. Built-in CRM: Managing client relationships is a breeze with this tool. You can collaborate with your team and create client portals for seamless communication.
  4. Third-party App Support: Explore the app center to enhance functionality with additional apps. You can also utilize the API for in-house solutions.
  5. AI Content Writing: Semrush boasts an AI-powered content writing tool. It not only generates content ideas but also helps with text rewriting and plagiarism checks.

Cons:

  1. Costly: It’s no secret that Semrush comes with a hefty price tag, especially when you consider that many essential features are paid add-ons.
  2. Additional User Costs: Each Semrush plan includes only one user. If you need more, be prepared to shell out between $45/month and $100/month per extra user.
  3. Paid Local SEO Toolkit: Local SEO is crucial, but you might be disappointed to find that it’s a paid add-on in Semrush.
  4. Limited Mobile App: The Semrush mobile app has limited functionality. At best, it’s suitable for quick updates on your SEO campaign progress.

Now, armed with these insights, you can make an informed decision about whether Semrush aligns with your business needs.

Semrush FAQs

Is there a free version of Semrush?
Yes, indeed. Semrush does offer a free version, but it comes with some limitations. You’ll have access to ten reports per day, and there are specific restrictions on certain tools. For example, with the free plan, you can create only one project.

Is Semrush beginner-friendly?
Absolutely! Semrush is designed to be incredibly user-friendly, especially for beginners. Its user interface is straightforward to navigate, and reports are neatly displayed in widgets, making it a breeze to interpret the data. Plus, you’ll find helpful tooltips throughout the reports to expedite your SEO learning journey.

Where does Semrush get its data?
Semrush goes the extra mile to ensure the accuracy of its data. The data that powers domain and keyword analysis is sourced from third-party providers and then meticulously processed by Semrush’s algorithms. When it comes to traffic analysis tools, data is collected from clickstream data providers, and Semrush uses its own backlink crawler for backlinks. This combination of data sources is what lends credibility to Semrush’s analysis tools.

Does Semrush offer discounts?
Yes, Semrush provides a discount for those who opt for an annual payment plan. However, for monthly payments, there is no discount available.

Is Semrush the best SEO tool?
Semrush ranks among the best SEO tools on the market. Its strength lies in its wide range of functionality and its ability to provide in-depth analysis. For example, the keyword magic tool offers comprehensive keyword analysis, greatly assisting you in your keyword research and content creation endeavors.

Is Semrush worth it?
The worth of Semrush depends on your specific needs. If you plan to use most or all of its features, then it’s a valuable investment. However, if you only require one or two specific tools, Semrush might be on the pricier side for you. Ultimately, your unique requirements will determine if Semrush is the right fit.

Semrush Review: Final Verdict

Semrush serves as a comprehensive digital marketing solution, delving into search traffic data to provide you with actionable SEO insights aimed at enhancing your search engine rankings.

With Semrush, you can conduct SEO audits, receive valuable keyword suggestions, oversee your link-building endeavors, and craft a results-driven SEO strategy that boosts your digital marketing return on investment.

Tailored to cater to various user needs and offering a free trial for you to explore its capabilities, Semrush empowers individuals and businesses alike to thrive in the online landscape.

Tamal Kr. Chandra

I am Tamal, a passionate blogger and the creative mind behind Digital Millions. From blogging and affiliate marketing to e-commerce and SEO, I write easy-to-follow guides and give honest advice about the best tools to build a business online and get financially free.