If you’re like me, managing a website can feel overwhelming. You want more visitors, but figuring out how to attract them is tricky.
That’s where Semrush comes in. Semrush is a tool that helps you understand what people are searching for online and how your website can show up in those searches.
It’s like having a roadmap to guide you through the complex world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Whether you’re looking to improve your Google rankings, spy on competitors, or find the best keywords, Semrush makes it simple.
Semrush has been a vital tool for generating sales and growing an ecommerce business since 2016.
Let’s find out in this Semrush review if it will be a good return on investment, particularly for those who wish to scale their online presence.
What is Semrush?
Semrush is a comprehensive SEO tool that helps you find the right keywords, optimize your content, research competitors, and check your website’s health.
It was founded in 2008 by Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitri Melnikov, who started it as a side project during their university days.
The company grew significantly and went public in March 2021. As of the third quarter of 2023, Semrush has a market value of $1.15 billion, over 106,000 customers, and 13 offices worldwide.
Semrush User Interface: Is It Easy To Use?
Semrush may initially seem complex, but it’s actually user-friendly once you get used to it.
The interface is divided into two main sections: the left side houses various tools for domain and keyword analytics, link building, and site auditing, while the right side displays insights and information based on the selected tool.
For example, choosing domain analysis will immediately show all relevant information and metrics on one page.
The interface also includes drop-down menus for applying filters like date ranges or countries and is adaptable for viewing on mobile devices, making it straightforward to use.
Colorful graphs throughout the interface help present data clearly.
Semrush App On Mobile Devices
While Semrush offers a functional mobile app, its user experience is less satisfactory compared to its desktop counterpart.
The layout is similar across devices, which means the text can appear small and may require zooming or adjusting the phone’s orientation to read comfortably.
Although Semrush has a mobile app available for iOS and Android, it’s not as comprehensive as the desktop version and lacks some features.
This limitation illustrates why Semrush is more effective on larger screens, where managing extensive SEO data is easier and more efficient.
Key Semrush Features
I’ll explain the key features of Semrush that can help you increase your website traffic and sales.
1. Keyword Research
Semrush offers several tools for keyword research to improve your SEO strategy. The Keyword Overview tool provides key details like search volume and trend data for specific keywords.
The Keyword Difficulty tool measures how challenging it would be to rank above competitors for a popular keyword.
The Keyword Gap tool compares your keywords with those of your competitors, while the Organic Research tool gives insights into their organic search rankings.
Lastly, the Keyword Magic tool generates many keyword suggestions and allows you to explore them to find the best options for your project.
2. Site Audit
The Site Audit feature in Semrush checks your website for SEO issues and gives an overall health score.
It scans all pages of your site, identifying errors, warnings, and notices that could impact search engine performance.
It prioritizes issues that need immediate action and provides practical improvement suggestions. The audit also explains why each error occurred and how to fix it, which is helpful for making specific repairs.
This detailed feedback is a typical feature across many Semrush tools, enhancing their usefulness.
3. Competitor Analysis
Semrush offers tools that help you understand your competitors’ strategies by analyzing their keywords, backlinks, ads, and more. These tools highlight competitors’ strengths and weaknesses and monitor changes in their online visibility.
You can see their organic and paid traffic and compare several competitors at once. This information helps identify growth opportunities and refine your digital marketing strategies.
For instance, the Backlink Analytics feature lets you examine a competitor’s backlink profile to replicate their successful strategies while avoiding their mistakes.
4. Rank Tracking
Semrush’s position tracker tool helps you monitor and analyze your website’s search engine rankings for specific keywords.
It provides current information on how visible your website is, the effectiveness of your SEO and PPC campaigns, and how your site performs in different geographic locations.
Additionally, it compares your site’s rankings with your competitors and offers tips on how to outperform them. This tool is particularly useful for keeping track of how well your digital marketing strategies are working and making necessary adjustments.
5. On-Page SEO
The On-Page SEO Checker tool from Semrush helps users optimize individual web pages by providing actionable advice. It analyzes key SEO elements like content length, keyword use, meta tags, and internal links.
Based on this analysis, the tool suggests improvements by comparing your page to top-performing competitors’ pages.
This feature makes it easier to understand how your content stacks up against the best in the industry and what changes could enhance your page’s SEO performance.
6. Content Marketing
Semrush’s Content Marketing Toolkit is a set of tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to help you create and optimize SEO content quickly.
The SEO Writing Assistant gives instant tips to improve your content’s SEO score, readability, and tone. The Topic Research tool suggests new content ideas based on trending topics and related searches.
The Post Tracking tool measures how well your content performs using different metrics.
Lastly, the Content Audit tool evaluates the quality and performance of your website’s content, making this toolkit a comprehensive solution for content creation and optimization.
7. Reports and analytics tools
Semrush’s reporting and analytics tools provide detailed insights into your digital marketing strategies. You can track performance using customizable reports that cover a variety of metrics.
These tools help you analyze competitor activities and market trends, monitor both your own and your competitor’s backlink profiles, and provide a thorough overview of your website’s audience behaviors and engagement levels.
The Position Tracking Tool updates your website’s search engine ranking daily based on targeted keywords.
Additionally, the My Reports tool allows you to create and send attractive, detailed reports automatically, keeping you and your clients well-informed.
Important Semrush Tools:
Local SEO Tools:
1. Listing Management
This tool helps ensure that your business information is accurate and consistent across various online directories, which is crucial for improving your visibility in local search results.
When people search for businesses like yours in their area, having consistent and accurate information increases the likelihood of them finding and choosing your business.
2. Local Rank Tracker
This feature monitors your website’s performance in local search queries. Essentially, it helps you understand your position in local search results compared to your competitors.
Knowing your performance can help you make adjustments to improve your ranking and attract more local customers.
Advertising Tools:
3. Competitive Analysis
This tool allows you to study your competitors’ online advertising strategies. By analyzing their tactics, you can identify opportunities to improve your ad campaigns.
For example, you might discover keywords that your competitors are targeting successfully, which you can then incorporate into your own campaigns.
4. Ad Creation and Tracking
Once you’ve gathered insights from your competitive analysis, you can use this tool to create and manage your ads across different platforms.
It helps you track the performance of your ads and provides detailed reports so you can see what’s working and what isn’t. This way, you can make informed decisions to maximize the return on your advertising investment.
Social Media Tools:
5. Content Creation and Sharing
Social media is all about engaging with your audience, and this tool helps you do just that.
It provides features to create and share content that resonates with your followers across various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
By consistently sharing valuable content, you can build a strong presence and foster relationships with your audience.
6. Competitor Analysis
Knowing what your competitors are up to on social media can provide valuable insights into what’s working in your industry.
This tool helps you monitor your competitors’ social media activities and audience engagement metrics.
By understanding what content performs well for them, you can refine your own social media strategy to stay competitive.
7. Social Inbox (Beta)
Managing messages and interactions across multiple social media platforms can be overwhelming, especially for small teams.
The Social Inbox feature simplifies this process by consolidating all your incoming messages in one place. It allows you to respond quickly to comments and direct messages, ensuring that you stay engaged with your audience.
Trends:
8. Competitive Intelligence
This tool offers valuable insights into your competitors’ online presence, including their website traffic, user behavior, market share, and advertising strategies.
By understanding what’s working for your competitors, you can identify opportunities to improve your own business strategies and stay ahead in the market.
Marketing Agency Solutions:
9. Client Manager
Digital agencies often juggle multiple client projects simultaneously, and this tool helps them stay organized.
It provides a centralized dashboard where agencies can manage all their client projects and deliverables, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.
10. Agency Growth Kit
Acquiring new clients and demonstrating value to existing ones is essential for agency growth.
This tool provides resources and features to help agencies achieve these goals, whether it’s through prospecting new leads or showcasing their successes to current clients.
11. Semrush API
Many digital agencies have their own systems and tools in place, and the Semrush API allows for seamless integration with these existing systems.
It enables agencies to access Semrush data and insights directly within their workflow, enhancing efficiency and productivity.
Educational Resources:
Academy Courses: Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced marketer, there’s always something new to learn. The Academy offers free online courses on various digital marketing topics, allowing you to expand your skillset and stay up-to-date with industry trends.
Semrush Blog: The blog is a treasure trove of insightful articles and guides on digital marketing strategies, tips, and best practices. It’s a valuable resource for marketers looking to deepen their understanding of different aspects of online marketing.
Knowledge Base: Sometimes, you just need a quick answer to a specific question, and the Knowledge Base is there to help. It’s a repository of articles and tutorials covering a wide range of digital marketing topics, making it easy to find the information you need.
Webinars: Learning from industry experts can provide valuable insights and inspiration for your marketing efforts. Semrush regularly hosts webinars featuring experts sharing their knowledge and experiences, giving you the opportunity to learn from the best in the field.
Local Marketing Hub: Local SEO requires a slightly different approach than traditional SEO, and the Local Marketing Hub is designed to help businesses optimize their online presence for local searches. It offers specialized resources and guides tailored to the unique challenges of local SEO.
Extra Tools:
1. Content Marketplace
Quality content is essential for attracting and engaging your audience, but creating it can be time-consuming.
The Content Marketplace connects you with professional writers who can create custom, SEO-friendly content tailored to your specific needs.
2. Ecommerce Booster
Running an online store comes with its own set of challenges, and the Ecommerce Booster tool is designed to help you overcome them.
This tool provides the features you need to succeed in e-commerce, whether you’re optimizing your product listings, tracking competitors, or improving overall performance.
3. Prowly
Public relations and media relations play a crucial role in building brand awareness and reputation.
Prowly simplifies the process of creating press releases, managing media contacts, and tracking communication efforts, allowing you to manage your PR campaigns effectively.
4. Kompyte
Keeping an eye on your competitors is essential for staying competitive in today’s fast-paced market.
Kompyte automates the process of competitor research, providing customizable dashboards and actionable insights to help you make informed decisions and drive sustainable growth.
5. SplitSignal
Making changes to your website can impact your search engine rankings, and SplitSignal helps you make data-driven decisions.
It allows you to conduct A/B tests to see how different changes affect your organic traffic, empowering you to optimize your site for better performance.
Semrush: Customer Support
The extensive data available on Semrush can be overwhelming, particularly for newcomers to the field.
However, Semrush offers various support options to help users learn and make the most of the platform.
Accessing Support:
Click on the orange question mark icon in the bottom right corner of the app to access support.
Onboarding:
- Semrush provides onboarding processes for each tool, sending support emails tailored to the user’s needs.
- With paid plans, users may receive support from an Account Manager for free training.
Self-Service:
- Semrush offers plenty of resources for those who prefer finding answers on their own.
- The Semrush blog features over 250 in-depth articles, many of which are tutorial-style guides.
- Users can find specific answers in the Semrush Knowledgebase.
- Subscribers can access Semrush Academy, which offers video training by marketing experts, including courses like “Mastering Digital PR” with detailed insights.
Personalized Support:
- Users can contact support via email ticket or live chat for assistance with specific situations.
- Support is available Monday to Friday, with responses to emails within one business day.
- While 24/7 support isn’t available, users can book a demo to receive personalized assistance, which is especially useful for those considering using Semrush.
Semrush Pricing: How Much Is Semrush?
If you’re considering Semrush, you’ll probably be impressed by its array of features.
But, like all good things, it comes at a price. Let me break down Semrush’s pricing plans and see what you get for your money.
1. Pro – $139.95 per month or subscribe
Ideal for beginners and small teams:
- Manage up to 5 projects
- Track 500 keywords
- Get 10,000 results per report
Includes essential SEO, PPC, and research tools:
- Competitor analysis
- Keyword research
- Website audit
- Backlink analysis
- Advertising tools and more
2. Guru – $249.95 per month or subscribe
Designed for agencies and mid-sized businesses:
- Manage up to 15 projects
- Track 1,500 keywords
- Get 30,000 results per report
Includes all Pro features plus:
- Content Marketing Toolkit
- Historical data
- Multi-location and device tracking
- Looker Studio integration, and more
3. Business – $499.95 per month or customize your plan
Perfect for large agencies and enterprises:
- Manage up to 40 projects
- Track 5,000 keywords
- Get 50,000 results per report
Includes all Guru features plus:
- Share of Voice analysis
- Extended limits
- API Access
- PLA analytics
- Free migration from third-party tools and more
Semrush Free Trial
Semrush offers a free trial for all plans except the Business plan. Here’s how it works:
You can sign up for the free trial by providing your email and creating a password. You can also sign up using your Google account.
The trial period lasts for 14 days.
You must provide credit card information to access the trial. Semrush will charge you if you don’t cancel before the trial ends.
If you choose not to provide credit card information, you can still use the tool, but with limited functionality. You’ll be limited to just 10 requests per day, which is not very useful for most users.
Semrush- Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Semrush offers a set of SEO tools for improving website visibility on search engines.
- It helps in keyword research, backlink analysis, and site auditing.
- Semrush supports advertising by analyzing competition and researching keywords for ad campaigns.
- It simplifies social media management with features for content creation, scheduling, and tracking across platforms.
- Semrush provides insights into user behavior, market trends, and advertising strategies through its Trends feature.
- It offers tools tailored for digital agencies to manage client portfolios efficiently.
- Semrush provides free educational resources like courses, articles, and webinars for improving digital marketing skills.
- It offers additional tools like Content Marketplace and E-commerce Booster to meet specific business needs.
Cons:
- Basic plans limit the number of projects users can manage at once, which might make it difficult to manage multiple websites or clients.
- The platform has many tools and features, which can be overwhelming for beginners and may require time to learn.
- Learning to use all the features effectively can take time because the platform is comprehensive.
- The most advanced features are in higher-priced plans, which might be too expensive for some users.
Quick links
- The Most Important SEO Checklist
- Simple Ways To Improve Your SEO
- Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT for SEO
- How to Optimize Your Anchor Text Strategy For SEO
Final Thoughts
Semrush is my favorite tool for increasing website traffic and sales. It covers everything from checking out competitors to finding the best keywords and fixing website problems.
The dashboard is easy to use, and there’s plenty of help available if you get stuck. Plus, the price is fair for what you get.
If you’re new to SEO, all the information might seem like a lot at first, but with some practice, you’ll get the hang of it.
In short, Semrush is a must-have for SEO experts and businesses wanting to improve their online presence and get more website visitors.
