Whether you are a blogger, freelancer, agency owner, paid advertiser, or digital marketing firm, Semrush can be helpful.
But how? Is Semrush worth it in 2022, considering there are dozens of services like Semrush?
That is what you are going to find out in this Semrush review (updated for 2022).
- What is Semrush?
- What is Semrush Used for?
- Review of Semrush Tools
- Semrush SEO Toolkit review
- Content Marketing Toolkit Review
- Semrush Competitive Research Review
- Other Semrush Tools and Features That Can Not Be Neglected
- Best Semrush Features
- Semrush Prices
- Semrush Alternatives
- Final words about Semrush Review
What is Semrush?
Semrush is a SaaS product that provides over 40 tools and features to improve your business’s online presence via organic and paid traffic.
Semrush has been known among the business community as an industry-leading search engine optimization tool with vast data.
Semrush.com
Semrush was founded by Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitry Melnikov in 2008, initially as an SEO tool and browser extension. They are the ones who also developed the SEOquake browser extension.
Their headquarters is in MA, Boston, though they have seven offices in five countries.
Semrush Users
Semrush has over 3,000,000 registered users, and it is used by over 7 million users already. Also, Semrush helped thousands of businesses, from small to enterprise-level business entities, grow traffic and revenue. These success stories are evidence of it.
Semrush Holdings, Inc.
Recently Semrush went public (SEMR) and was listed on the New York stock exchange. Semrush Holdings, Inc. raised $10 million in initial funding by selling 10,000,000 shares at $14/share. Previously, before the IPO, Semrush.com raised $40 million in total funding.
Stats
According to Semrush, their customers can grow organically with minimum investment and demonstrate a 10x revenue increase in under a year.
If you wonder how Semrush gets its data, they have a crawler called Semrushbot. They have partnered with other leading companies, such as Majestic, to make an excellent digital marketing toolkit with tons of data for every need.
✅ 7 million users who already tried Semrush
✅ 20 billion keywords
✅ 142 GEO databases
✅ 808 domain profiles
Toolkit | Stats |
---|---|
Keyword Analytics | 20B total keywords 20M ideas for a single keyword |
Backlinks | 43T backlinks 25B URLs crawled per day 1.6B referring domains |
Domain Analytics | 543M desktop keywords 774M desktop domain profiles 80.1M mobile keywords 32.1M mobile domain profiles |
Web Traffic Data & Market Insights | 500TB raw data 190 regions and countries 200M panelists 1B events analyzed per day |
Display Advertising | 5.2M total advertisers 3.5M total publishers 310M total ads |
What is Semrush Used for?
You can use Semrush to do the following:
- Keyword Research
- Competitor Analysis
- Content Marketing
- Local SEO
- Rank Tracking
- On-page SEO
- Social Media Management
- Link Building
- Content Optimization
- Market Analysis
- Paid Advertising
- Competitor PR Monitoring
- PPC Keyword Research
The accumulated Semrush tools are 69, adding new tools regularly.
Review of Semrush Tools
Semrush is a lot of things — It can find research, analyze, audit, optimize, and track every aspect of SEO, Advertising, Social Media, Content Marketing, and PR.
Hence, I will review Semrush in terms of:
- Domain analysis
- Keyword research features
- Site auditing
- Ease of use
- Value for money
- Pricing and discounts
- Support
- Competitors and comparisons
How to Use Semrush
The foundation of management of Semrush’s tools is based on the “Projects.” Projects in Semrush work as dedicated workspaces for specified brands or websites.
Sign up on Semrush and Create your project
First of all, you need to have an active Semrush account to use its features. Its pricing starts from $119.95/mo (Pro). But, you can create a free trial account by clicking the button below.
Now click on the ‘Projects’ button at the top and create your first project. A project is a workspace where you manage a brand/website. In it, you can track keyword rankings, schedule social media posts, audit websites, check not-provided keywords, etc.,
Enter the domain name and a name for the project.
Once create the project, you will be redirected to the SEO Dashboard, where you can configure your Semrush project and monitor progress (related to Search Engine Optimization) under one dashboard.
Note: Semrush has grouped each tool into different categories, and you will get a dedicated dashboard based on the category. (i.e., SEO Dashboard for SEO)
Here are several Semrush project settings.
- Site Audit — Detect issues related to crawling, content, site structure, links, coding, images, etc. Semrush will periodically crawl your site, detect any issues, email you, and list you on the SEO dashboard.
- Position Tracking — Track keyword positions in Google. Semrush allows tracking SERP ranking at the region level.
- On-page SEO checker — Analyze content and get suggestions to improve keyword ranking and traffic.
- Social Media Tracker — Measure engagement across different social media pages
- Social Media Poster — Manage social media posting.
- Brand Monitoring — Monitor your brand’s mentions on the web and social media.
- Backlink Audit — Analyze your backlink profile and identify toxic backlinks and ways to build high-quality backlinks.
- Link Building — The link-building tool allows you to manage your link-building campaigns in one place.
- PPC Keyword tool — Find lucrative keywords for paid advertising campaigns.
- Ads Builder — Create ads, spy on competitors’ most profitable ad copies, and more.
- Organic Traffic Insights — Discover opportunities to improve your organic traffic by uncovering “not provided” keywords.
- Content Analyzer — Analyze your content and find ways to improve traffic.
Semrush tools are divided based on category. While some sections overlap each other most are unique on their own.
Semrush SEO Toolkit review
The stronghold of Semrush is SEO compared with its competitors and the depth of data. The SEO toolkit consists of dozens of tools, each group in its sub-category.
- SEO Dashboard
- Competitive Research
- Domain Overview
- Traffic Analytics
- Organic Research
- Keyword Gap
- Backlink Gap
- Keyword Research
- Keyword Overview
- Keyword Magic Tool
- Keyword Manager
- Position Tracking
- Organic Traffic Insights
- Link Building
- Backlink Analytics
- Backlink Audit
- Link Building Tool
- Bulk Analysis
- On-Page & Tech SEO
- Site Audit
- Listing Management
- SEO Content Template
- On-Page SEO Checker
- Log File Analyzer
SEO Dashboard
If you intend to use Semrush primarily for SEO & content optimization, SEO Dashboard is where you would be using it often. It’s where all your SEO-related tasks such as Position Tracking, Site Audit, Keyword Position Changes, Backlinks Analytics, and other widgets are shown.
Domain Overview
One big advantage of using Semrush over others particularly is you get to spy on competitors’ SEO and PPC strategies. At Domain Overview, you get to know the rough estimation of organic traffic, backlinks, top keywords, etc.,
Head over to Semrush’s Domain Analytics tool and enter your domain, subdomain, or URL of a webpage and select the location. Worldwide is selected by default.
You will find tons of details about the domain in a matter of seconds. Check out this video.
Several things you can see on this page:
- Check domain traffic
- Analyze top regions and compare traffic by region
- Drill down traffic statistics by desktop and mobile
- Check historical performance
- Compare domains
- Find top winning keywords and worst losing keywords
- Export data as PDF and spreadsheet
- Check successful ad copies
Top 3 domain overview features
Here are some overlooked features in Semrush that would come in handy numerous times.
- Growth comparison
- Domain comparison
- Check traffic overview for URL
As a blogger, my favorite part about Domain Analysis in Semrush is the organic keywords and top pages. Essentially, you can get high-performing organic keywords and topic pages with the highest traffic percentage.
If your competitors’ organic traffic spread is spread equally, the site is doing well by diversifying the traffic. If not, the site is dependent on a few blog posts and the mercy of Google. These are some lessons you can quickly grasp.
Organic Research
The Organic Research tool in Semrush facilitates you to research high-performing organic keywords of a website.
Watch the Semrush Organic Research tool Showcase video below to find features and filtering options.
Top 6 Organic research features
- Find easy-to-rank (Lower Keyword difficulty) keywords with a high search volume on a competitor’s website. Learn more.
- Filter long-tail keywords with buyer intent (i.e., keywords that include words such as best, under, cheap, vs, discount, coupon, sale)
- Find out new, lost, improved, and declined keywords
- Organic competitor research based on common/shared keywords
- Identify all sub-domains of a domain
- Analyze keyword profile based on the URL
If you intend to use a tool for search engine optimization of your site, Semrush could be a perfect candidate because of its keyword research capabilities. Out of 7 unique ways to use Semrush for keyword research, Organic Research is used by many, loved by most, and helped a lot.
Keyword Gap
Another unique tool in Semrush Competitive Research is Keyword Gap Analysis.
Suppose you are in a niche where there is fierce competition. In that case, finding low competitive targeted keywords is gold. Keyword Gap Analysis tool can help you find out the top low-hanging fruits used by competitors but not you.
Semrush lets you compare the organic keyword profile of five domains (i.e., four competitors). Plus, you are allowed to specify a certain Google domain. Google United States is selected by default.
Keywords will be shown, and they will be categorized based on five segments.
- Shared – Common among you and competitors
- Missing – Your site is missing those keywords
- Weak – You are underperforming against competitors
- Strong – You are doing a great job
- Untapped – Opportunities
Here is the Semrush report for Keyword Gap Analysis among three competitors of Pitiya as of writing this Semrush review.
Notice winning domains are highlighted in green background color in corresponding cells. Keyword Overlap Venn diagram is one of my favorite parts of this tool. It gives you a clear graphical picture of where your site is standing against competitors.
Here is a show video that reviews Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool.
Top 5 Keyword Gap Analysis features
- Find keywords your site is doing poorly against competitors
- Get to know keyword opportunities with untapped search terms
- Analyze URL vs. URL to find missing keywords from a page
- Compare Paid keywords against ad competitors in Google
- Compare PPC keywords profile against PLA (Product Listing Ads) keywords
Based on Semrush’s Keyword Gap Analysis, I posted several articles and already seeing good results. Basically, you want to filter keywords that are very easy to defeat competition on Google and write better, quality pieces of content.
Backlink Gap
Backlink Gap is the latest tool in the Competitive Research in Semrush SEO toolkit. Like in Keyword Gap, you are comparing domains’ backlink profiles.
Go to Semrush’s Backlink Gap Analysis tool, enter your domain and other domains (up to four), and click on the ‘Find prospects’ button.
In a bit, Semrush’s Backlink Gap tool will represent data based on backlink profiles of your site and competitors. Watch this video for more details.
Top 3 Backlink gap features
- Find link-building opportunities (Some of your competitors might have used easy-to-get backlink resources)
- Compare domain authority against referring domains over time
- Find weak backlinks of competitors
Two of the advantages of Semrush’s Backlinks Gap Analytics tool over others is that you can analyze backlinks at the page level and get access to a new level of the data spectrum.
Keyword Overview
Keyword Overview is the first tool in Semrush Keyword Research tools.
- Click on the Keyword Overview menu link on the left sidebar
- Enter keywords (up to 100 separated by commas or one per line)
- Select Google database. Google United States is selected by default.
- Click on the ‘Analyze’ button.
The purpose of the Keyword Overview tool is to provide insights into keywords.
As you can see, it provides details such as:
- Search Volume
- Total number of results in Google
- CPC, Competition, PLA, and PPC ads details
- Keyword trends over time
- Keyword Difficulty
- Keyword variations, questions, and related keywords
Like most other Semrush tools, the Keyword Overview report is customizable according to your needs. Currently, it allows you to change the Google database, switch between mobile and Desktop data, and alter the state of the Google search engine (i.e., date).
SERP analysis will come in handy when you want to check keyword ranking for a particular region.
Keyword Magic Tool
Semrush Keyword Magic Tool is the primary keyword research tool for SEO & PPC campaigns.
Keywords are grouped into two sections: By Number and By Volume
Keywords report can be customized with search modifiers.
Click on the down arrow icon near the keyword phrase to see more details.
- Click on the down arrow icon.
- Check traffic distribution of countries and global search volume
- Understand what SERP features can be seen on Google and details like CPC, Keyword Difficulty, and search trend
- Get Question-related keyword phrases
- Analyze SERP and find Page Authority Score (Semrush’s), Backlinks and Keyword Ranked in the top 10 results in Google.
Easily add keywords to your Keyword Manager in Semrush (you need to have a paid subscription) or export data.
Top 3 Keyword Magic tool features
- Find question-based keywords (perfect for adding to a FAQ section)
- Find keywords in different languages
- Filter keywords based on the SERP feature
Whether SEO content marketing or PPC (Pay-per-click) Google ads campaigns – Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool got it for you. Categorizing keywords based on their topics is also very helpful when you want to understand keyword intent.
Learn more in this complete guide to the Semrush Keyword Magic tool.
Position Tracking
SERP position tracking tool Semrush lets you track keyword ranking in Google and Baidu search engines based on different criteria. If you want to track local keyword rankings, Semrush got it covered too!
Depending on your Semrush plan, limits might vary. For instance, the Semrush Guru subscription plan allows tracking up to 1,500 keywords.
Reporting is refreshed every day.
Rank tracking statistics contain many parts critically important to your business like:
- Top competitors
- SERP features and how your site’s content performing
- Cannibalization health
- Positive and negative impacts
- Overall visibility score
Read this guide to tracking Google search positions to find more details about Semrush Position Tracking, and watch the video below to see what information Semrush Rank Tracker shows you.
Top 5 Position tracking features
If you are already paying a monthly fee for a dedicated SERP position monitoring tool, now you can use Semrush as a quality substitution.
Organic Traffic Insights
Organic Traffic Insights report in Semrush facilitates you to analyze your traffic at the keyword level. After integrating Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts, Semrush provides more insights and critical information, such as not provided keywords.
The downside of Semrush Organic Traffic Insights is that it collects data on your Google Search Console and Google Analytics. If you do not want to share data with Semrush, consider using a tool like Keyword Hero, which does not store data on their servers but shows it on your Google Analytics account.
Backlink Analytics
If you are wondering whether Semrush can help build backlinks, you are going to be happy because its Backlinks database contains over 134 billion backlinks (the largest in the industry), and new links are added to the Semrush backlink database within 15 minutes after being indexed (fastest in the market).
Semrush Backlinks Analytics consists of many details. Look at the screenshot below. It represents the backlink profile of Backlinko.com, and according to Semrush, it is apparent that the website has consistently increased quality links. Anchor texts indicate inbound links are natural.
Learn more details about the Semrush backlink checker.
Here is a video review of the Semrush Backlink Analytics tool.
Top 5 features of Semrush Backlink Analytics
- Identify the growth of backlinks and their impact based on the actual ranking
- 360 view of backlink profile including follow-to-nofollow ratio, low-quality backlinks, referring domain categories
- Find backlinks to subdomains and URLs
- Compare backlinks
- Get access to competitors’ backlinks
You might wonder how Semrush compares with its counterpart, Ahrefs, in the Backlinks region. Basically, both tools are excellent ones. While marketers mostly use Ahrefs for link-building campaigns, Semrush is used for many reasons (as you’ve already found out in this Semrush review).
However, Semrush has greatly geared up its game and improved the Link Building toolkit in past years. This takes us to the next Semrush backlinks tools…
Backlink Audit
The Backlinks Audit tool of Semrush analyzes your website’s backlink profile and provides insights on which links to disavow etc.,
Toxic backlinks are one reason why many websites are penalized by Google Penguin. Semrush’s Backlink Audit tool identifies them and provides you with an easy-to-use disavow workflow to regain lost traffic. Learn more about Semrush Toxic backlinks checker.
Watch this video on the Semrush Backlink Audit tool.
Top 10 features of Semrush Backlink Audit tool
- Semrush Backlink Audit tool analyzes all your backlinks, even nofollow links.
- AI algorithm suggests backlinks to remove, which you can review
- Integrate Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Majestic to empower backlink auditing even further
- Import backlinks to Semrush Backlinks tools
- Find Lost backlinks
- Analyze referral traffic generated from backlinks
- Easy Backlink disavowing process
- Add a mailbox (Gmail, Outlook, Office 365, Exchange Online, and SMTP/IMAP) to send emails on your behalf and track the email threads initiated in the Semrush interface.
- Profile insights alert the suspicious distribution of anchor text, Toxic domains detected from suspicious IPs, Errors in target pages, and more.
- Schedule recrawl process, receive periodic emails on the new backlink audit report, and export data via PDF and CSV.
Link Building Tool
Semrush’s Link Building Tool is a dedicated service to build backlinks via email outreach. Suppose you previously used a tool like NinjaOutreach, Buzzstream, or MailShake. In that case, you can finally replace them with Semrush because its Link Building tool supplements almost every aspect of link building!
Top 5 features of Semrush Link Building Tool
- Find new backlink sources.
- View detailed information about the website and people affiliated with it, like contact information and social web info.
- Outreach module to send personalized, relationship-based messages
- Monitor backlinks to ensure it never disappears
- Contact site owners right away if a link has been taken down
Bulk Backlink Analysis
Semrush’s Bulk Backlink Analysis tool lets you analyze up to 200 domains. If you are wondering how to find competitors’ backlinks that you, too, can capture, you can do it with Bulk Backlink Analysis in Semrush.
Site Audit
If you used any additional SEO tool to audit your website before, now you can stop paying for it and use Semrush’s instead!
Semrush Site Audit tool offers many features, including periodic crawls (as you specified).
Set the limit of checked pages and crawl sources.
Configure which bot should crawl your site.
Semrush’s Site Audit report is also filled with many details.
The Overview page gives you a clear picture of which state your site is actually on. With Site Health score, you can compare it with the average score of your industry and get an idea of where your site is at.
The issues tab includes all the errors, warnings, and notices the Semrush Site Audit tool found related to the website performance.
Unlike most other Site Audit software and tools, Semrush reviews each issue and gives you details about the issue (and how important it is) and how to fix them.
Overall Statistics categories data Semrush Site Audit found. It is based on:
- Markup – Using proper schema.org, OpenGraph markups will improve Google ranking (i.e., adding review markups will add star ratings on Google SERP, for instance)
- Crawl depth – How easy can search engine bots find your content? The shorter the crawl depth, the better it is.
- HTTP Status Code – A proper working site should have a higher percentage of 2XX.
- Canonicalization – Gives you an idea of the quality of your SEO content in uniqueness and accessibility. Learn more about Canonicals.
- Incoming Internal Links – How good is your internal linking strategy
Learn more about the Semrush Site Audit tool.
Top 3 features of Semrush Website Auditor
- No need to install software on your PC, unlike WebSite Auditor, so it runs smoothly on Semrush servers
- The automatic website crawls and receives updates via email
- Export data
One of the best site auditors I have used is WebSite Auditor by SEO Powersuite. The downside is that you need to have a computer to run it and should have some measures (i.e., proxies, a powerful computer) to actively crawl your site without blockades. Semrush’s Site Audit tool’s advantage is it does everything for you.
SEO Content Template
Have you ever wondered how to make a great piece of content that ranks on Google?
That is why Semrush introduced the SEO Content Template tool.
Essentially, it analyzes the top 10 rivals on Google SERP for your targeted keyword and provides recommendations on structuring your content rightly so it could rank on Google.
Semrush SEO Content Template has three major sections:
- Key Recommendations: It includes semantically related words that you can use to add sections to the article, backlinks to acquire, readability score, and length of text.
- How rivals use targeted keywords: Get a quick view of keyword implementation by SERP competitors.
- Basic recommendations: Little things you need to know but sometimes you forget!
Learn more about Semrush SEO Content Template.
SEO Content Template is basic compared to dedicated tools like MarketMuse, Frase.io, and other content outline builders like WriterZen. However, if you are looking for a simple tool to get content structure recommendations, Semrush’s SEO Content Template is sufficient.
Content Marketing Toolkit Review
Semrush’s Content Marketing Toolkit has seven parts; one dashboard and six tools. Those Semrush Content Marketing tools are:
- Topic Research
- SEO Content Template
- SEO Writing Assistant
- Brand Monitoring
- Post Tracking
- Content Audit
I will digest some tools in this Semrush review.
Topic Research
Semrush Topic Research is a solution to find topics covered in Google in a specific niche or subject. For example, take ‘SEO.’ People might be searching on Google topics related to:
- SEO Definition
- SEO benefits of social media
- SEO Company
- Meta description
- Google Index
- Organic search
- Quality content
- SEO agencies
- SEO report
- Black hat
- Backlinks
- Search engine rankings
Standard keyword research tools will not research topics for you. You will have to use a topic research tool like AnswerThePublic. But, with the help of the Semrush Topic Research tool, you can easily find various topics to talk about in your content marketing campaigns.
Semrush’s Topic Research information is represented in four ways.
- Cards
- Explorer
- Overview
- Mind Map
One of the coolest parts is the Overview in Topic Research. You can find top headlines by backlinks, top subtopics (based on Topic Efficiency, Difficulty, etc.), 10 interesting questions, and related searches in this area.
Check this complete guide to Semrush’s Topic Research to learn more details.
Here is a short review of the Semrush Topic research tool.
SEO Writing Assistant
Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant is a dedicated content optimization tool that analyzes your content and delivers recommendations based on four factors:
- SEO
- Tone of Voice
- Originality
- Readability
Since Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant can be used on Semrush, Google Docs, and even on WordPress, you can optimize your content efficiently. Up to 30 keywords and one location can be optimized at one time. There is no limit on the number of words of an SEO Unit or SEO Content Template.
However, Semrush plagiarism checker can be used from and above Guru subscribers. Learn more.
Watch this short video to find out the features of Semrush SEO Writing Assistant.
I’ve already covered in-depth Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant. Read the full Semrush SWA tutorial here.
Top 4 features of Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant
- Find SEO content optimization suggestions
- Check content originality
- Use on your WordPress post editor
- Improve score as you write real-time
Unfortunately, SEO Writing Assistant is provided by Guru and above. It’s not provided for Semrush Pro subscribers.
Brand Monitoring
Have you ever used Google Alerts, Mention, Awario, or other mention tracking tools before and wondering if you can have more flexibility?
Well, thanks to the Semrush Brand Monitoring tool, you can easily track brand mentions all over the place without additional fees!
Not only reporting mentions from the web, forums, Twitter, and Instagram, but also the Brand Monitoring tool lets you compare alerts with others and keep tracking of a mention.
If reputation management is a big part of your core business strategy and you are reviewing Semrush if it’s worth it solely for brand mention monitoring, I recommend tools like Awario and BrandMentions.
Semrush Competitive Research Review
One of the strongholds and edges over its competition of Semrush is its Competitive research toolkit. It consists of many sections (based on the need and sector) and different tools.
- .Trends
- Traffic Analytics
- Market Explorer
- SEO
- Organic Research
- Keyword Gap
- Backlink Analysis
- Backlink Gap
- Advertising
- Advertising Research
- Display Advertising
- PLA Research
- Content and PR
- Brand Monitoring
- Topic Research
- Post Tracking
- Social Media
- Social Media Tracker
Since most tools are covered in this Semrush review, I will examine other tools.
Traffic Analytics
If you are running media buying campaigns or a digital marketing firm looking for websites with high growth to improve clients’ businesses, Traffic Analytics is exactly what you need.
It’s like having Google Analytics with competitors’ data.
The following video shows which detail you can find inside the Traffic Analytics tool. As you’d find, if you want to access historical data, country and device-specific statistics, and more details on top pages and so on, you need to purchase ‘.Trends’ add-on, which currently costs $200/mo.
Market Explorer
Market Explorer tool in Semrush Competitive Research essentially analyzes your market based on the traffic portfolio and provides insights based on competitors and related data.
According to Semrush, it uses an AI algorithm at the core. It analyzes multiple parameters such as audience interests, website categories, number of backlinks, common organic keywords, and SERP positions. Semrush determines similar websites within a market based on the competition for online visibility.
It could be slightly similar to what Alexa, SimilarWeb, or Complete.com uses. However, Semrush’s Market Explorer comes with some nifty features and insights that you might not be able to find elsewhere.
Top 3 features of Semrush Market Explorer
- Find out market leaders, niche players, established players, and emerging players.
- Find out the market cap of your business and how much you can grow
- Understand the traffic generation strategy of competitors and how you can learn from them
Market Explorer is unlocked in the Guru plan, and some features are available in the Business plan. Find out more.
Advertising Research
Advertising Research in Semrush is an excellent tool to spy on competitors’ successful ad campaigns. If you are utilizing Google Ads traffic as a driver to get quality leads and sales to your business, Semrush’s Advertising Analytics on competitors can be really helpful.
Semrush lists not only all the paid competitors but also common keywords and PPC competition levels too.
The ability to find all the keywords along with ad copies is hassle-free.
Not only that, you can see keywords a particular brand has advertised on Google for longer. It indicates the traffic generated many sales or a higher ROI for the business.
Looking for how to find all successful ad copies and keywords that lead to a particular page? By using the exact URL in Semrush Advertising Research, you are able to access all those details, including estimated paid traffic and cost.
Plus, you can change the Google Ads database to any specific location (perfect for finding advertising secrets in local ads run by agencies, etc.), get the history of previous advertisements, find all sub-domains (great to spy on successful advertising landing pages), and much more.
Semrush’s Advertising Research is a complete tool for any media buyer. If Google ads traffic is a crucial part of your business, you should try this tool.
Display Advertising
The Display Advertising tool of Semrush is the equivalent of Advertising Research for basically banner ads and HTML and text advertisements. Since display ads aren’t shown in Google SERPs and are displayed on publisher websites, the Display Advertising tool delivers many stats not just related to keywords.
Finding display advertisements that were run for a longer period is hassle-free.
Plus, higher converting landing pages too.
Even better, you can easily find any competitor’s publishers (i.e., websites the ads have been running).
Get access to all a business’s display ads on a particular publishing site.
Already a great tutorial on Semrush Display Advertising has been published on Pitiya. You can check it out to learn more in detail.
Here is a video review of the Semrush Display Advertising tool.
Top 4 features of Semrush Display ads tool
- Check ads of a website as advertiser or publisher
- Get access to ad creatives and details like first seen, last seen, etc.,
- Change database and find ads specifically run on a particular region, date, or even desktop or mobile devices, including iOS, Android, etc.,
PLA Research
PLA stands for Product Listing Ads. Product listing ads or Google Shopping ads can be seen on Google search results, particularly when searching keywords with buyer intent.
Suppose you have an eCom store and want high-quality traffic via Google shopping ads (i.e., PLA ads). In that case, the PLA Research tool can be beneficial in spying on successful PLA advertisements by your competitors, improving your advertising strategy, and increasing ROI.
Not all Semrush PLA ads tool features are available for Guru plan subscribers. You will need to upgrade to the Business plan in order to get unrestricted access to data and exports.
Other Semrush Tools and Features That Can Not Be Neglected
In this Semrush review, you found out several tools of Semrush and the benefits of using them. Here are some essential features of Semrush.
Business Lead Generation Tool for Agencies
Generate business leads for your online agency or service by giving away a free website SEO audit report for a given site. (up to 25 pages are audited)
If you run a digital marketing agency that provides SEO services, you can embed the Semrush Lead generation widget on your site and easily collect high-quality business leads.
Listing Management
Local SEO has become more important as Google and other search engines started providing user-based and location-based results.
Suppose you are particularly running a local SEO agency and wondering how Semrush can help improve listing on search engines and review and reputation management services such as Yelp and dozens of other maps, apps, search engines, and directories. In that case, you should try the List management tool by Semrush today!
Or, if you want to build citations for your website and improve search engine ranking by increasing brand mentions on reputable sites, you should try the Semrush List Management tool today.
As for writing this Semrush review, Semrush distributes your business listing to over 300 different sites and directories.
Content Marketplace
Semrush Content Marketplace is an all-in-one place for business owners to order content online. Currently, it offers seven content offers.
- Articles
- Product Description
- Website Copy
- Email Newsletter
- Press releases
- EBook
- Infographics
Content Marketplace has two plans.
- Free
- Premium
And pricing for each content type will vary.
Semrush Content Marketplace is already integrated with other tools. So, you can find topic ideas with Topic Research, track performance with Post Tracking, track keyword ranking with Position Tracking tools, etc.,
If you manage content for medium to large-sized businesses and want content-on-demand that works, Semrush’s Content Marketplace is a good candidate for your needs.
Semrush Affiliate Program
Semrush’a affiliate program has been running for a long time, and it has gotten many influencers and affiliates’ attention because of the high payouts and resourcefulness.
Suppose you manage clients (or are a freelancer). In that case, you can sign up for Semrush Affiliate Program and make a commission every time someone signs up through your Semrush affiliate link. Berush.com is the website that manages Semrush’s affiliate program, and its details are below:
- Free sign-up: $0.01
- Free trial activation: $10
- Successful sale: $200
- Cookie method: Last-click attribution
There is a first-click and recurring commission model Semrush Affiliate Program, but it’s closed for new affiliates currently.
Best Semrush Features
In this Semrush review, you found various tools and how they can benefit your business. But Semrush is more robust than most of its competition due to the features it offers as well. Here are some key features of Semrush.
Semrush reports
I’ve been using many digital marketing tools since 2013, and one thing I love about Semrush is its reports.
As a business owner, you must get accurate and meaningful data to make important decisions as quickly as possible. Semrush’s reports are more reliable than most other ones due to how Semrush collects data and proceed with them and how they represent them.
Dashboards
Semrush is a lot of things. But if you are engaged in SEO, you might not be interested in even seeing PLA or social media reports on your dashboard and vice versa. That is why Semrush has structured its interface so that you have dedicated Dashboards for every arrangement.
If you want to use Semrush for SEO only, there is an SEO dashboard. It includes details like keyword rankings, organic traffic insights, site audits, and SERP tracking statistics.
If you are interested in using Semrush for advertising research, Semrush has a dedicated dashboard for people like you as well.
If you review other tools you will find that most of them are not as organized as Semrush.
Build your reports
One unique feature I have only seen on Semrush, but its competitors, is the report builder.
Reports builder is not for everyone. But in case someone asks for an SEO report, you can easily build a custom one tailored to your customer needs and deliver high-quality service.
That is why Semrush has been using my many digital marketing firms and agencies over others — Its reports are 100% customizable. Even you can rebrand, and Whitelabel Semrush reports.
Notes
Digital marketing, particularly Search Engine Optimization, is an ever-changing space. It changes rapidly by force and by competition.
Semrush Sensor keeps the hook for any drastic change on the Google algorithm.
In your Semrush account’s Notes section, you can find a list of notes and impacted tools. For example, the screenshot below shows the notes list related to position tracking.
As you’d see, Google replacing the title tag with H1 for some pages is a radical move, and it definitely impacts the organic traffic of sites.
Semrush Marketing Calendar
When you have a team to manage all your online business activities, it could be tiresome if you had to use a different task management tool like Trello.
But, Semrush’s Marketing Calendar smoothly integrates with all other Semrush tools and eases the process for you and your team to use the platform and plan your routine & one-off tasks efficiently.
Client Manager
Semrush is not just used by solopreneurs. But many agencies, freelancers, and digital marketing firms use Semrush for their professional work. If you are one of those, Semrush client manager (CRM) would be a really time-saving, helpful tool.
Automate tasks
Another feature I like most is automation. According to many studies, automation is a key and essential part of many businesses going forward. That is why Semrush’s automation can be really useful.
For example, you can set up automation to recrawl your site every week.
Or send email reports about position tracking every week. Semrush automates wherever it is possible.
Collaboration
A successful business is maintained by the successful people behind it. Semrush gives you the full advantage of inviting team members and virtual assistants to work on your project.
Apps
Semrush recently introduced an App Center where you can power up your existing Semrush toolkits by integrating third-party applications such as AdClarity, Abyssale, and Semrush-exclusive apps like Agency Growth Kit, ImpactHero, and Semrush Local.
Semrush Rank
Semrush has developed an entire website ranking system like Alexa.com. Semrush Traffic Rank is based on organic traffic from Google’s top 100 organic search results.
Semrush Prices
The price tag is significant for any business, whether you run a B2B or B2C business. If you read this Semrush review from the start to this point, you would find out that Semrush is not an ordinary, just another tool.
It provides tools for EVERY marketer.
If you combine all other tools that provide similar services such as… keyword research, backlink checking, SEO audit, PPC assistant, social media brand monitoring, SEO Content Optimization, and marketing insights, it would cost you at least four figures per month.
Take a look at the table below for a rough estimation.
Purpose | Best Semrush Alternatives | Comparable Price | Rating of Semrush Competitor Tool |
---|---|---|---|
Keyword Research | KeywordTool.io | $199/month | 3/5 |
Backlink checking | Ahrefs | $99/month | 4/5 |
SEO Audit | Website Auditor Software | $125 + $15/month | 4/5 |
Marketing Insights | Similar Web | $199/month | 3.5/5 |
Tracking Social Media Mentions | Awario | $89/month | 5/5 |
Build PPC ads | Wordstream | $264/month | 4/5 |
However, Semrush pricing is not that high. Semrush has packages for every business owner (small, medium, or enterprise-level businesses). Take a look at the pricing table below.
If you are looking for the best Semrush plan for your needs, take a look at the feature comparison table in the middle of the pricing page of Semrush.
Which Semrush plan is suitable for you?
If you are a small business owner like a blogger, choose the Semrush Pro plan. The only significant difference between Semrush Pro and Semrush GURU is the Historical data access.
Because you will most likely use Semrush for keyword research, posting tracking, and link building, you will not see a difference.
Suppose you are running a medium-sized business such as a media buying company or an agency that provides SEO services. In that case, you should select the Semrush Guru plan because it unlocks features like Historical data and Multitargeting and because you can brand the PDF report.
- SEMRUSH PRO — for bloggers, content marketers
- SEMRUSH GURU — for digital agencies and freelance service providers
Is Semrush worth it?
In this Semrush review, I showed you how powerful Semrush is and how it can drastically grow your online business, even if you are unaware of current SEO trends and strategies that work TODAY.
If you are seriously considering using a toolkit for your business, be it Semrush. I have been using Semrush tools since 2013 and have received excellent results. Semrush is the tool that helped me greatly, moving this blog from BlogSpot to WordPress and widening my online estate network while growing my existing business based on pure white-hat SEO strategies.
You have seen why millions of online business owners like YOU use Semrush daily to grow their businesses. If you want to become an expert in your niche and be a step ahead of competitors, I recommend putting your hand on Semrush from now.
Why?
Because taking action is far more critical than searching for that *perfect* tool that can do EVERYTHING preciously!
Semrush is not perfect. But, it is one of THE best tools in the market. (according to me my experience, Semrush is the best tool I have used for search engine optimization and content marketing)
Semrush Alternatives
Semrush is a robust and cheap SEO tool comparing what values you get for the money. But, you might be looking for some Semrush alternatives before giving Semrush a try.
In this Semrush review, I talked about how to use Semrush, its features, pros, and cons,
I will share some of the best alternatives to Semrush. For a complete list, check out this article: https://www.pitiya.com/semrush-alternatives.html
Here are some of the best Semrush contenders.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is probably the best alternative to Semrush. Both tools provide very similar tools, each with strengths and weaknesses.
Semrush vs. Ahrefs
Feature | Semrush | Ahrefs |
---|---|---|
Free plan | Yes | No |
WordPress Plugin | Yes | No |
Keyword research | Yes | Yes |
Link building tools | Yes | Yes |
Site Audit | Yes | Yes |
Content optimization tools | Yes | Yes |
Rank tracking tools | Yes | Yes |
Traffic Analytics tools | Yes | No |
Market Explore tools | Yes | No |
Watch this video about Ahrefs vs. Semrush to find more details.
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest might be a good free Semrush alternative, particularly for keyword research.
Feature | Semrush | Ubersuggest |
---|---|---|
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
WordPress Plugin | Yes | No |
Keyword research | Yes | Yes |
Link building tools | Yes | Yes |
Site Audit | Yes | Yes |
Content optimization tools | Yes | No |
Rank tracking tools | Yes | Yes |
Traffic Analytics tools | Yes | No |
Market Explore tools | Yes | No |
Final words about Semrush Review
In this Semrush review for 2022, I showed you the benefits of Semrush’s features using this Search Engine Marketing tool.
If you are a blogger, I recommend using Semrush Pro features for two weeks using the above coupon code. If you do NOT see an increase in your quality traffic and your blog’s growth, you can always downgrade or cancel your account.
But that rarely happens if you take action and take full advantage of the Semrush toolkit.
That’s why many SEO experts and professional Internet marketers recommend Semrush for many digital marketing activities, from keyword research to competitive analysis.
If you are nervous and still don’t know if Semrush is for you, then I recommend creating a free Semrush account over here and seeing if it can fulfill your requirements.
Overall, Semrush takes an IMPORTANT role in my digital marketing toolkit. So, where do you place this tool? Top or bottom?
Have I missed any particular thing to showcase in this Semrush review? Share your thoughts about Semrush below the comment form.
Resources & Further reading
- Semrush.com 7-Day Free Trial
- 11 Awesome Ways How Semrush Can Hack Your Blog Growth
- Semrush reviews and pricing — Capterra
- Semrush Reviews: Overview, Pricing, and Features — FinancesOnline.com
- Semrush SEO Writing Assistant – WordPress plugin
- Berush.com — Semrush affiliate program
- SEMRush to hit $80m ARR This Year, Here’s How
- Majestic and Semrush Combine Forces
Semrush Review $119.95
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Domain & Keyword Analytics
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SEO Tookit
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Traffic Analytics
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Content Toolkit
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Projects
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Reporting
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Data & Coverage
Summary
Although there are dozens of SEO tools to choose from, Semrush is one of its own kind. Be it search engine optimization or social media marketing, or content marketing. Semrush has got you covered with versatile yet easy-to-use tools and features. Also, Semrush’s stats are extensive and on par or better with Ahrefs.
It converts complex algorithmic data into eye-catching charts and tables and represents you so that you can make smart business decisions. Give Semrush a try for free.
Pros
- Extensive database
- High-quality tools for different marketing purposes
- Helpful guides and content
- Worth your money
Cons
- Take some time to get accustomed.
This is highly informatics, crisp and clear. I think that Everything has been described in systematic manner so that reader could get maximum information and learn many more.
Thank you Shahriar for kind of words. Looking forward to hearing more from you.
Very detailed article and yes, SEMrush is one of my most favorite keyword research tools. I am using this tool since last couple of years and very much satisfied with the results. Recommended to all.
Yes Sam, SEMrush keyword research tool is one of best SEM tools. I too use SEMrush since a some time and got better results. Thank you for sharing your review of SEMrush in comments.
iSpionage.com is another tool that businesses can use to download their competitors’ top PPC and SEO terms, ad copy variations, and landing pages.
Wish it wasn’t so expensive. Sometimes all you need is your brain, excel, and free tools. I’m in e-commerce and with mid to small projects I’m doing fine with Serpstat for just $15/mo, and if there’s a need I back it up with SEMrush.
Yes, some plans are little bit cost. But, it provides various tools for SEO and SEM. SEMrush can speed up for your marketing growth seriously.
Article curation of semrush is very very worthy for me.