Are you considering Semrush for your business's SEO needs? There is no doubt that this is one of the most popular platforms for keyword research, competitor analysis, backlinking, and content management.
But, how does Semrush stack up against its competitors? Does it deliver value for money?
We had the same questions and decided to do a full-on Semrush review and test to see if it was worth all the buzz. We explored all the key features a business would need for its SEO and content marketing needs.
This Semrush review for 2024 will unveil the good and the not-so-good things we discovered about this popular digital marketing tool. Let's dive in!
Getting Started With Semrush
Creating an account with Semrush is fuss-free. All we needed was an email address and password. After answering a few questions such as the size of the company, niche, and the goals we want to accomplish, we had our free plan set up, all in under five minutes.
The navigation menu is straightforward with all the features and functionalities clearly laid out, so it was easy to locate each tool whether that's SEO, content management, social media management, or advertising.
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One of the very first features that stood out during our review of Semrush was the CoPilot AI, a one-stop shop for all the recommendations and action steps we needed to take to optimize our website.
For example, we found information such as backlinks our site has lost, keywords causing a drop in traffic, new keywords that could improve position ranking, and even technical issues on our site that need fixing.
The best part is that for each recommendation, Semrush pointed us to the most suitable resources to help resolve the problem.
As the example above shows, Semrush found issues with broken pages that could not be crawled. It showed us the problematic pages and recommended that we check out the Backlink Analytics tool for more insights on how to repair this problem and improve our SEO strategy.
We also like the fact that we could share all the recommendations with our team. However, during our Semrush test, we found that the only sharing option is copying and pasting the insights, which can be cumbersome. The ability to generate a CSV file or share directly via email would have been more helpful.
All in all, Semrush is generally easy to set up and navigate; we got the impression that it is a friendly digital marketing tool for new marketers or entrepreneurs.
Review of Semrush Features
When we got started with this review of Semrush, one of the things we noticed was the large number of tools and resources at our disposal. The functionalities can be summarized into the following:
After setting up an account, we explored Semrush's key features. Here's what the review revealed about each tool.
Domain Overview
Our first stop was the Domain Overview, a portal that shows everything you need to know about a website including the number of backlinks pointing to it, organic search traffic, best-performing organic keywords, the distribution of traffic by country and so much more.
We like the fact that we could see our main competitors and the keywords they are ranking for. This information was valuable for our SEO efforts as it effortlessly revealed all the keyword options we could target for our organic and paid search campaigns to realize maximum return on investment.
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Another metric we found very helpful during this Semrush review is the Keywords by intent. When we went into the tool, it revealed the intention behind our customers' use of certain keywords when searching for our brand.
Our test of Semrush didn't just stop at the Domain Overview. We also explored other features such as Traffic Analytics. Using this tool, we could quickly tell the number of monthly visits to our site, whether there was a drop or increase in visits, the number of unique visitors, the average amount of time they spent on the site, as well as the bounce rate.
This tool was not only straightforward to use but it also saved us time in identifying opportunities to enhance our SEO strategy.
One downside we have to mention is that Semrush only generates Google Search data. So, this tool didn't help much when analyzing website metrics coming from secondary search engines such as Baidu, Yahoo, or Bing.
That said, data-based competitor analysis is an area Semrush has invested in heavily and we found it to be an excellent tool for any small business looking to stay ahead in local cutthroat markets.
Keyword Overview
Data-backed keyword research is the difference between a so-so SEO campaign and one that delivers results so we are excited to test Semrush's keyword research capabilities.
Right from the get-go of our Semrush review, we were pleasantly surprised by the number of insights Semrush generated for our target keyword.
We started with the Keyword Overview, where you can input up to 100 keywords and phrases for analysis. We like that the tool generates a host of helpful data about a keyword in just a few seconds.
We targeted our keywords by country and down to the state. This type of targeting is helpful for your localized SEO campaigns.
After we input our target keyword, we discovered key insights such as the number of times people searched for the keyword globally and per region, how difficult it would be to rank for it in relation to competitors, and the keyword's cost per click.
Knowing a keyword's cost is a very helpful metric as it helps you manage your ad campaign's budget and optimize your campaign's performance.
The Keywords Idea is a feature we particularly liked while doing this test of Semrush.
The tool generated for us 42 keywords and another 42 additional related questions. In total we had 84 hot-pick keywords at our disposal to optimize our content and ads.
Not only do you get fresh keyword ideas, but you also get to see how many people are searching for a keyword as well as how difficult it would be for you to rank for each keyword. The only concern we have is that Semrush generates lots of data-driven insights for you but offers little if any recommendations on what to do with this data to improve your strategy.
For example, if we wanted to overcome keyword difficulty and rank for our target keyword, in this Semrush review we didn't find many helpful suggestions on how we could do this.
All in all, with a powerful tool such as the Keyword Overview, you have no excuse not to build a dynamic SEO strategy that delivers results.
Keyword Magic Tool
Let's continue our review of Semrush with another very important function. After validating our keywords in Keyword Overview, we hopped onto the Keyword Magic Tool.
The Keyword Magic Tools takes the hassle out of finding the best keywords for your content and ads.
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We were pleased to discover how easy it is to access keywords that could make our copy shine and rank; you don't even have to be a professional marketer to identify killer keywords that get results.
All we did was input a topic and this tool generated an exhaustive list of keyword suggestions by search volume, keyword difficulty, and even by cost per click.
Knowing that broad match keywords can be a game changer for any SEO campaign, we tried generating broad match keywords and the Keyword Magic Tool did not disappoint; the tool offered a whopping 2.9K keyword suggestions that we could use to optimize our content and CPC ads.
Many of the keyword generators we've tried in 2024 were clunky and redundant but based on our test of Semrush, the Keyword Magic Tool is seamless, relevant, and user-friendly for anyone looking to take their SEO strategy to the next level.
Position Tracking
Another tool we were eager to try for this Semrush review was Position Tracking.
Semrush claims that this tool lets you go deeper with your keywords, so you can see whom you are competing with for the same keywords, the amount of traffic the keyword is generating, as well as its visibility and voice.
Getting started is straightforward -- we simply input our domain and selected several keywords we wanted to track.
Since we only input three keywords, we expected the tracking would happen fast. To our surprise, we waited about five minutes for SEMush's Position Tracking tool to generate insights on our keywords positions.
So, expect to wait a while if you are tracking a large number of keywords with the tools.
Another challenge we came across in our test of Semrush was interpreting the result generated by the Position Tracking tool. Unless you have an intermediary or advanced SEO knowledge,making sense of all this data can be difficult.
Semrush competitor, Ahrefs, has a similar keyword position tracking tool but we've found that the Ahrefs one provides more context, making it easier to apply the keyword insights to real-world scenarios.
Good-quality backlinks are always a plus for your SEO strategy. They show the search engines that your website is trustworthy and authoritative, which greatly helps with ranking.
Semrush claims to have the largest backlinks database in the world compared to competitors such as Ahrefs and Moz, so naturally we wanted to test how true this is.
Backlink Analytics
Our first stop in our Semrush review was Backlink Analytics, a tool that's supposed to tell you everything you need to know about your and your competitors' backlink profiles.
After adding our target domain to the Backlinks Analyzer, we were impressed by the amount of useful information Semrush generated regarding the domain's backlink profile.
In one glance, we were able to see the number of websites that have linked to ours, the number of links pointing to our website, and the number of backlinks pointing from our website to others.
One of our favorite features is the New, Active, and Lost filters, which we used to quickly discover new and existing backlinks.
You can also use the tool to check for broken or lost backlinks. During this Semrush review, we realized that we had lost several backlinks, something we wouldn't have known or that would have probably taken us a while to uncover without the Semrush Backlink Analyzer.
Next, our Semrush test and review led us to the Backlink Audit tool.
Backlink Audit
Toxic backlinks can creep up on you and ruin your site's authority score. If you rely on a manual audit, you could easily miss these harmful links.
That's why we were eager to test the Backlink Audit Tool to see how effective it is at identifying toxic links.
The first thing we noticed is that we had to wait several minutes for the tool to process and audit our domain, but that's probably because we are dealing with a large site; the processing time might be shorter for a smaller site or one with fewer backlinks.
After the wait, we were pleasantly surprised by the large number of insights the tool provided about the health of our site's backlink profile.
In our Semrush review, we were able to see exactly which sites were sending toxic backlinks, the type of anchors used to backlink to our site, and even the authority score of each referring domain.
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Identifying toxic backlinks is one thing but what do you do about them? We were really impressed by how easy it is to remove and disavow harmful links from our site using the Backlink Audit Tool.
For example, the first domain shown above had a toxicity score of 100 and had to be removed. We simply clicked the Remove icon to send a removal request to the owner of this toxic domain. Of course, not all domain owners honored our requests so we turned to the Google Disavow icon to blacklist harmful backlinks.
All this took less than fifteen minutes and we were impressed to see an improvement in our site's average toxicity score.
Link Building Tool
Our Semrush review for 2024 could not be complete without testing the Link Building Tool. We must say this is one of the most practical link-building tools we have ever used.
After we input our domain, the link building tool generated for us 1000+ backlinking prospects.
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All we had to do is click the "To In Progress" button to add the domains we wanted to backlink to based on factors such as the Authority Score and Ratings.
The Link Building Tools didn't just show us excellent domains to backlink to. In the "In Progress" folder, we found the contact information for the owners of the domains we wanted to link to, enabling us to send personalized outreach messages that bring results.
Whether you are a pro or new to back-linking, this tool will be useful to your SEO strategy. Based on our tests, we would recommend using the Backlink Analyzer and Link Building Tool together to elevate your site's link profile.
Semrush Content Management Features
If you have ever tried creating content that clicks with your audience, you know it's not a walk in the park. Many businesses struggle to get ROI on their content efforts mostly because they lack a data-backed strategy.
Semrush claims that its AI-driven Content Marketing Tool can help turn content into clicks and clicks into money. Our Semrush review for 2024 set out to test how effective this tool is.
Naturally, we started with the Topic Research feature, which generates trending topic ideas to help you create amazing content.
The tool does a generally good job of recommending the top headlines and question prompts for quick content generation. But, this is also something a quick Google search can do for you.
Our Semrush test also evaluated the SEO Content Template. We expected an exhaustive template full of recommendations on how best to organize and optimize content based on our target keyword.
What we got instead were basic insights. We've had far better results with content templates and outline builders such as SurferSEO.
Semrush Pricing
Right off the bat, we will tell you that after reviewing Semrush, this is one of the most expensive SEO tools in the market.
To be sure, if you just want to try out Semrush before investing in a plan, you can make use of the free version. But, beware that the free plan is only limited to 10 queries a day after which Semrush prompts you to sign up for a paid plan.
It is worth noting though, there are some features we could not sample on the free plan.
For example, when we tried testing the Social Media Management Features, we were instantly prompted to try the 7-day free trial but on the condition that we provide our credit card details after which you would pay $29.99 a month at the end of the free trial. The same applies to the Content Management Tools.
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There's also an App Center and an Extra Tools section that's packed with mostly new, shiny AI tools. While these can be nice features to explore, you'd have to pay extra to access them.
The Pro Plan worth $129 per month is the cheapest Semrush offers, yet competitors such as Moz offer slightly cheaper entry-level plans.
The upside is that unsubscribing from any of the plans is straightforward and you will get a refund if you cancel within the first 7 days of signing up.
Note that by committing to a one-year plan, you can get a 17% discount on the prices listed above.
You do get access to a lot of data even on Semrush's entry-level plan but many small or micro-businesses probably won't need or use all the features offered on there.
Something else we found to be a real setback during our Semrush review and test is that only one user per account is allowed on each plan. If you are a team of even just two or more, the cost of using Semrush would add up fast.
All in all, Semrush will give you value for money if you make use of most of the functionalities it offers.
Semrush Pros
Semrush Cons
Verdict
After testing Semrush for several months, this review reveals that this is one of the best SEO management and digital marketing suites in the market.
It isn't just a data generation tool -- many of its features offer recommendations and tips on how and what to improve to elevate your site's ranking, boost content marketing ROI, and enhance PPC revenue.
Despite being an advanced SaaS tool, we found this to be a generally accessible tool even for non-tech users.
It was impressive that we didn't need advanced know-how to leverage some of the most helpful features such as the Domain Overview, Keyword Magic Tool, Link Building, or Site Audit.
The biggest downside we noticed is Semrush's expensive pricing plans. The free plan worked just fine but had a lot of limitations.
You do get a large amount of data in exchange for a hefty monthly fee, but if you are a small business owner you will probably not use all the features. A more affordable, entry-level plan would have been a plus, especially for smaller teams.
All in all, based on the test's findings, we would recommend Semrush in 2024 if you are looking for an all-in-one digital marketing tool to take your SEO and content marketing campaigns to the next level.
