Revision 1
Semrush

@namkyu · Sep 3, 2026, 9:06 AM
Added current pricing, keyword research, competitor analysis, Site Audit, rank tracking, practical SEO workflows, business uses, limitations, and alternatives.
+19,507−0
+Semrush is a digital marketing and SEO research platform used for keyword research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, technical site audits, backlink research, paid-search research, and increasingly AI-search visibility monitoring.
+ 
+Its main value is combining several research workflows in one platform. A business can discover what competitors rank for, find potential keywords, monitor its own rankings, audit technical problems, and prioritize SEO work without relying only on data from its own website.
+ 
+# Quick Facts
+ 
+ 
+| Item                                 | Details                                                                      |
+| ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| Main use                             | SEO and competitor research                                                  |
+| Best for                             | SEO professionals, content sites, agencies, marketers, and online businesses |
+| Free access                          | Limited                                                                      |
+| Entry SEO plan                       | $139/month or $117.33/month billed annually                                  |
+| Websites monitored on entry SEO plan | 5                                                                            |
+| Keywords tracked                     | 500 on entry SEO plan                                                        |
+| Rank updates                         | Daily                                                                        |
+| Keyword database                     | More than 27 billion keywords                                                |
+| Site Audit                           | 140+ technical and on-page checks                                            |
+| Competitor research                  | Yes                                                                          |
+| Backlink research                    | Yes                                                                          |
+| AI search monitoring                 | Available                                                                    |
+| API                                  | Available on higher plans                                                    |
+ 
+ 
+# Pricing
+ 
+Semrush now separates functionality into different toolkits rather than requiring every user to purchase one large marketing package.
+ 
+For SEO work, the current entry SEO plan is:
+ 
+**$139/month**
+ 
+or:
+ 
+**$117.33/month when billed annually**
+ 
+This plan currently includes:
+ 
+- 5 websites to monitor
+- 500 keywords tracked daily
+- Keyword research
+- Competitor analysis
+- Position Tracking
+- Site Audit
+- AI-search performance monitoring
+- AI visibility reports
+ 
+Higher plans increase limits for:
+ 
+- Websites
+- Tracked keywords
+- Reports
+- Site Audit pages
+- Historical data
+- API access
+- AI-search monitoring
+ 
+For example, the current Advanced SEO + AI Search tier is listed at:
+ 
+**$549/month**
+ 
+or:
+ 
+**$455.67/month billed annually**
+ 
+and supports up to 40 monitored websites and 5,000 tracked keywords.
+ 
+Most small sites do not need the highest tier.
+ 
+Start by deciding how many:
+ 
+- Websites
+- Keywords
+- Site Audit pages
+ 
+you actually need to monitor.
+ 
+# What It Does
+ 
+Semrush is most useful when several SEO questions need to be answered together.
+ 
+For example:
+ 
+Competitor domain → Find ranking keywords → Identify opportunity → Create article → Track ranking → Audit page
+ 
+Another workflow is:
+ 
+Website → Site Audit → Find technical issue → Fix issue → Recrawl → Monitor ranking changes
+ 
+This makes Semrush different from [Google Search Console](https://incomewiki.com/wiki/google-search-console).
+ 
+Search Console provides first-party data about your own Google Search performance.
+ 
+Semrush estimates and collects data across your site, competitors, keywords, backlinks, and broader search markets.
+ 
+The two tools are usually more useful together than as replacements for each other.
+ 
+# Getting Started
+ 
+## 1. Add Your Website
+ 
+Create a project or monitored website for the domain.
+ 
+This enables tools such as:
+ 
+- Position Tracking
+- Site Audit
+- Other domain-specific monitoring
+ 
+Start with your main production domain rather than creating unnecessary projects.
+ 
+## 2. Run Site Audit
+ 
+Run the first crawl.
+ 
+Semrush checks the website for technical and on-page issues and organizes findings into:
+ 
+- Errors
+- Warnings
+- Notices
+ 
+Review serious problems first.
+ 
+Do not try to make every notice disappear simply to achieve a perfect Site Health score.
+ 
+## 3. Add Important Keywords to Position Tracking
+ 
+Choose keywords that actually matter to the site's content or business.
+ 
+For example:
+ 
+A website about freelancing might track:
+ 
+- freelance writing
+- freelance web developer
+- how to find freelance clients
+ 
+Position Tracking then monitors those keywords daily.
+ 
+## 4. Research Competitors
+ 
+Enter competing domains into Organic Rankings.
+ 
+Look for:
+ 
+- Their ranking keywords
+- High-performing pages
+- Shared keywords
+- Keywords they rank for but you do not
+ 
+This is usually more actionable than randomly generating hundreds of keyword ideas.
+ 
+## 5. Build a Small Keyword List
+ 
+Use Keyword Magic Tool to research the best opportunities.
+ 
+Then move only useful keywords into:
+ 
+- Keyword lists
+- Content planning
+- Position Tracking
+ 
+Avoid treating every keyword returned by the database as a page that needs to be created.
+ 
+# How to Use
+ 
+## Keyword Magic Tool
+ 
+Keyword Magic Tool starts with a seed keyword.
+ 
+For example:
+ 
+`freelancing`
+ 
+Semrush can then generate related queries and provide metrics such as:
+ 
+- Search volume
+- Keyword Difficulty
+- Search intent
+- CPC
+- Competitive Density
+- SERP features
+ 
+The current database contains more than:
+ 
+**27 billion keywords**
+ 
+Results can be filtered using:
+ 
+- Broad Match
+- Phrase Match
+- Exact Match
+- Related
+ 
+A useful workflow is:
+ 
+Seed keyword → Filter by intent → Check difficulty → Inspect SERP → Select realistic topic
+ 
+Do not select keywords based only on search volume.
+ 
+## Keyword Difficulty
+ 
+Keyword Difficulty estimates how competitive a keyword may be in organic search.
+ 
+Semrush also provides Personal Keyword Difficulty, which attempts to estimate difficulty specifically for the analyzed domain.
+ 
+This is more useful than interpreting every site as if it had identical ranking strength.
+ 
+Still, Keyword Difficulty is an estimate rather than a Google ranking metric.
+ 
+Use it for comparison and prioritization, not as proof that a page will or will not rank.
+ 
+## Organic Rankings
+ 
+Organic Rankings allows you to enter almost any domain and inspect estimated Google search visibility.
+ 
+You can analyze:
+ 
+- Ranking keywords
+- Landing pages
+- Ranking changes
+- Competitors
+- SERP features
+ 
+Semrush reports keywords where a domain appears within Google's top 100 results in its database.
+ 
+This is especially useful for competitor research.
+ 
+# Practical Workflows
+ 
+## Find Content Gaps
+ 
+Your domain + Competitor domains → Compare ranking keywords → Find missing relevant topics → Review search intent → Create or improve content
+ 
+Suppose three competing websites rank for:
+ 
+`email marketing pricing`
+ 
+and your site has no content covering that intent.
+ 
+That may represent an opportunity.
+ 
+However, do not automatically create a page for every missing keyword.
+ 
+First check whether the keyword naturally belongs inside an existing article.
+ 
+This is particularly useful when building an [SEO](https://incomewiki.com/wiki/seo) content strategy.
+ 
+## Improve Existing Rankings
+ 
+Position Tracking → Find keywords ranking 11–20 → Inspect ranking page → Improve relevant content → Monitor position
+ 
+Keywords near the first page can sometimes provide better opportunities than starting entirely new topics.
+ 
+For example:
+ 
+Keyword A → Position 14  
+Keyword B → Position 75
+ 
+Improving Keyword A may be the more practical initial target.
+ 
+Compare this with actual Search Console impressions before making a major content decision.
+ 
+## Technical SEO Audit
+ 
+Site Audit → Errors → Identify important issue → Fix site → Re-run crawl → Compare results
+ 
+Potential issues include:
+ 
+- Broken links
+- Crawlability
+- Indexability
+- HTTPS
+- Duplicate content
+- Hreflang
+- Internal linking
+- Performance
+ 
+Site Audit currently performs more than **140 technical and on-page checks**.
+ 
+The important part is prioritization.
+ 
+A critical indexing problem is generally more important than a minor warning affecting one unimportant page.
+ 
+# Tips &amp; Best Practices
+ 
+## Combine Semrush With Search Console
+ 
+Semrush provides estimates and competitive data.
+ 
+[Google Search Console](https://incomewiki.com/wiki/google-search-console) provides first-party data from your own Google Search presence.
+ 
+A useful workflow is:
+ 
+Semrush → Discover opportunity  
+Search Console → Verify actual impressions and queries  
+Semrush → Analyze competitors  
+Your site → Improve page  
+Position Tracking → Monitor target keywords
+ 
+Do not discard first-party Search Console data because a third-party SEO estimate looks different.
+ 
+## Analyze Competitors by Page
+ 
+Looking only at domain-wide traffic estimates can hide useful information.
+ 
+Instead:
+ 
+Competitor → Top pages → Ranking keywords → Relevant topic → Compare your content
+ 
+This often produces more actionable ideas.
+ 
+## Do Not Chase Search Volume Alone
+ 
+A keyword with 50,000 searches may be:
+ 
+- Too competitive
+- Poorly aligned with the business
+- Mostly informational
+- Difficult to monetize
+ 
+A smaller keyword can be more valuable if its intent closely matches the business.
+ 
+## Inspect the Actual SERP
+ 
+Metrics are useful filters, not final decisions.
+ 
+Before targeting an important keyword, inspect Google's results.
+ 
+Ask:
+ 
+- What type of pages rank?
+- Are they guides, product pages, tools, or videos?
+- How strong are the competing domains?
+- What does the searcher appear to want?
+ 
+A keyword tool cannot replace understanding the actual results page.
+ 
+## Use Site Audit as a Diagnostic Tool
+ 
+Do not optimize purely to increase the Site Health percentage.
+ 
+Fix problems because they materially affect:
+ 
+- Crawling
+- Indexing
+- User experience
+- Internal linking
+- Site operation
+ 
+A higher tool score is not itself the business objective.
+ 
+## Track Important Keywords, Not Every Keyword
+ 
+The entry SEO plan tracks 500 keywords.
+ 
+Do not waste that allowance tracking hundreds of irrelevant variations.
+ 
+Prioritize:
+ 
+- Commercial keywords
+- Main content targets
+- Important existing rankings
+- Strategic categories
+ 
+## Separate Estimated Traffic From Analytics
+ 
+Semrush competitor traffic values are estimates.
+ 
+For your own site, use sources such as:
+ 
+- Google Analytics
+- Google Search Console
+- Server or application data
+ 
+for actual traffic measurement.
+ 
+Semrush is especially valuable where first-party competitor data is unavailable.
+ 
+# Business Uses
+ 
+## SEO Content Strategy
+ 
+Semrush can help identify:
+ 
+- New topics
+- Content gaps
+- Ranking opportunities
+- Competitor pages
+- Search intent
+ 
+Content businesses can combine this research with [Blogging](https://incomewiki.com/wiki/blogging) and other search-driven business models.
+ 
+## SEO Consulting
+ 
+An SEO consultant can use Semrush for:
+ 
+- Client audits
+- Competitor research
+- Keyword research
+- Rank tracking
+- Backlink research
+- Reporting
+ 
+For [SEO Consulting](https://incomewiki.com/wiki/seo-consulting), the software can reduce manual research time.
+ 
+The tool itself does not replace interpreting the data or deciding what should actually be changed.
+ 
+## Agency Work
+ 
+Agencies can monitor several domains and competitors from one platform.
+ 
+Higher plans increase project and keyword limits and provide additional reporting and API capabilities.
+ 
+The subscription should be treated as part of client-delivery cost.
+ 
+For example:
+ 
+Semrush subscription  
+÷ number of active SEO clients  
+= approximate software cost allocation per client
+ 
+## Market Research
+ 
+Semrush can also provide early market signals before launching a website or product.
+ 
+Research:
+ 
+Competitor → Keywords → Search demand → Topics → Commercial intent
+ 
+This does not prove that a business idea will succeed, but it can help estimate whether relevant search demand exists.
+ 
+# Integrations
+ 
+Semrush can integrate with Google services including:
+ 
+- Google Analytics
+- Google Search Console
+ 
+These integrations can enrich reports with first-party website information.
+ 
+This can be especially useful for combining:
+ 
+Semrush research data + Search Console search data + Analytics behavior data
+ 
+Reporting functionality can also combine information from multiple Semrush tools.
+ 
+For automated or large-scale workflows, higher plans provide API capabilities.
+ 
+# Advanced Use
+ 
+## Position Tracking
+ 
+Position Tracking monitors specified keywords daily.
+ 
+Current SEO Toolkit limits include:
+ 
+ 
+| Plan Level          | Keywords | Websites |
+| ------------------- | --------: | --------: |
+| Without SEO Toolkit | 10       | 1        |
+| Pro SEO level       | 500      | 5        |
+| Guru SEO level      | 1,500    | 15       |
+| Business SEO level  | 5,000    | 40       |
+ 
+ 
+Up to 20 competitors can currently be tracked per Position Tracking campaign.
+ 
+Tracking can be configured by:
+ 
+- Location
+- Device
+- Language
+- Search engine
+ 
+Semrush currently supports tracking beyond standard Google results in areas including Bing, Baidu, ChatGPT Search, and Google AI Mode.
+ 
+## Site Audit Configuration
+ 
+Site Audit does not have to crawl the entire site in exactly one way.
+ 
+Possible crawl sources include:
+ 
+- Website links
+- Sitemap referenced in robots.txt
+- Specific sitemap URL
+- Imported URL list
+ 
+This becomes useful on large sites.
+ 
+For example:
+ 
+Entire website = 100,000 URLs  
+Important section = 5,000 URLs
+ 
+Auditing only the important section can conserve crawl allowance and make reports easier to analyze.
+ 
+## API
+ 
+Higher Semrush plans provide API access.
+ 
+This can support workflows such as:
+ 
+Semrush API → Internal database → Dashboard → Client reporting
+ 
+API access is mainly useful for agencies, data teams, and businesses that need recurring analysis at scale.
+ 
+Most individual site owners do not need it.
+ 
+# Limitations &amp; Common Mistakes
+ 
+## Semrush Data Is Not Google Data
+ 
+Keyword volume, competitor traffic, keyword difficulty, and other metrics are estimates based on Semrush's own datasets and methodologies.
+ 
+They are not private analytics data from competitor websites.
+ 
+Use them directionally.
+ 
+## Pricing Can Be High for Small Sites
+ 
+The entry paid SEO plan currently costs $139 monthly when paying month-to-month.
+ 
+For a very small site, free tools such as Search Console may provide enough information initially.
+ 
+Semrush becomes easier to justify when its competitor and research capabilities are actively used.
+ 
+## More Keywords Do Not Mean Better Content
+ 
+A tool can generate millions of ideas.
+ 
+Publishing large quantities of weak pages simply because keywords exist can produce a low-quality site.
+ 
+Prioritize useful pages that satisfy real search intent.
+ 
+## Site Health Is Not a Google Ranking Score
+ 
+Semrush's Site Health score is a diagnostic metric created by Semrush.
+ 
+Google does not rank websites according to that score.
+ 
+## Competitor Traffic Is Estimated
+ 
+Do not treat:
+ 
+"Competitor receives 100,000 visits"
+ 
+as audited financial or analytics data.
+ 
+The useful information is often relative:
+ 
+Competitor A appears substantially more visible than Competitor B
+ 
+rather than assuming every estimated visitor number is exact.
+ 
+## Tool Overload Can Replace Actual Execution
+ 
+Keyword research can become endless.
+ 
+A useful cycle is:
+ 
+Research → Choose opportunity → Publish or improve → Measure → Repeat
+ 
+Spending weeks continuously researching keywords without producing or improving anything provides little value.
+ 
+# Alternatives
+ 
+ 
+| Tool                  | Best Fit                               | Main Difference                      |
+| --------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
+| Semrush               | Broad SEO and marketing research       | Large integrated toolkit             |
+| Ahrefs                | SEO, backlink, and competitor research | Strong SEO-focused research workflow |
+| Google Search Console | Your own Google Search performance     | Free first-party Google data         |
+| Google Analytics      | User behavior after visiting the site  | First-party website analytics        |
+ 
+ 
+Choose Semrush when:
+ 
+- Competitor research is important
+- You need keyword discovery
+- Technical audits are useful
+- You manage several SEO workflows
+- Rank tracking is important
+ 
+Choose Ahrefs when its SEO research workflow, data, or pricing better matches your needs.
+ 
+Use Search Console regardless of whether you pay for Semrush because it provides data that third-party SEO platforms cannot replace.
+ 
+# FAQ
+ 
+## Is Semrush free?
+ 
+Semrush provides limited access without an SEO Toolkit subscription.
+ 
+Important limits are significantly lower than on paid plans, and some features or exports require a subscription.
+ 
+## How much does Semrush cost?
+ 
+The current entry SEO plan costs $139 per month or $117.33 per month when billed annually.
+ 
+Higher plans increase monitoring, keyword, reporting, audit, and other limits.
+ 
+## Is Semrush better than Google Search Console?
+ 
+They serve different purposes.
+ 
+Search Console provides first-party Google data about your own site.
+ 
+Semrush provides broader keyword, competitor, backlink, technical, and market research.
+ 
+Using both is usually more useful than choosing only one.
+ 
+## Can Semrush show competitor traffic?
+ 
+Semrush provides estimated competitor traffic and search visibility based on its own datasets.
+ 
+It does not have access to a competitor's private Google Analytics account.
+ 
+## What is Keyword Magic Tool?
+ 
+Keyword Magic Tool is Semrush's keyword discovery system.
+ 
+Its current database contains more than 27 billion keywords and allows filtering by metrics including volume, difficulty, intent, CPC, and SERP features.
+ 
+## Does Semrush track rankings?
+ 
+Yes.
+ 
+Position Tracking monitors selected keywords daily and can track performance by factors such as location, device, language, and search engine.
+ 
+# Sources
+ 
+- [Semrush — SEO &amp; AI Search Pricing](https://www.semrush.com/pricing/seo-ai-search/)
+- [Semrush — Keyword Magic Tool](https://www.semrush.com/kb/262-keyword-magic-tool)
+- [Semrush — How to Use Keyword Magic Tool](https://www.semrush.com/kb/617-keyword-magic-tool-manual)
+- [Semrush — Position Tracking](https://www.semrush.com/kb/32-position-tracking)
+- [Semrush — Site Audit](https://www.semrush.com/kb/31-site-audit)
+- [Semrush — Configuring Site Audit](https://www.semrush.com/kb/539-configuring-site-audit)
+- [Semrush — Site Audit Overview](https://www.semrush.com/kb/540-site-audit-overview)
+- [Semrush — Reviewing Site Audit Issues](https://www.semrush.com/kb/541-site-audit-issues-report)
+- [Semrush — Organic Rankings](https://www.semrush.com/kb/20-organic-rankings)
+- [Semrush — Organic Rankings Overview](https://www.semrush.com/kb/890-Organic-Rankings-Overview)
+- [Semrush — Organic Rankings Competitors](https://www.semrush.com/kb/496-organic-rankings-competitors-report)
+- [Semrush — Organic Positions](https://www.semrush.com/kb/494-organic-rankings-positions-report)
+- [Semrush — Discover Your Competitors](https://www.semrush.com/kb/844-discover-competitors)
+- [Semrush — How Backlinks Are Updated](https://www.semrush.com/kb/77-how-are-backlinks-updated)