SEMrush is one of the SEO tools specialized in keyword research, competition analysis and optimization of Google advertising campaigns.
To date SEMrush is one of the most used tools in the world for the analysis of keywords, the creation of link building and for anyone who is about to create a website or even just to open a blog .
Yet, the reality is that in Italy there is a tendency to underestimate this powerful tool, which alone can make the difference between a successful web project or a project that will remain invisible forever .
Let’s not joke.
We remind you that you can have 1 week of SEMrush free trial by clicking here .
FOR THIS, TODAY WE WILL DELVE INTO SEMRUSH ONCE AND FOR ALL, ANALYZING THE KEY TOOLS, LEARNING HOW TO USE THEM AND UNDERSTANDING IF THE PRICE OF SEMRUSH IS JUSTIFIED.
Very well, but how to analyze a tool as deep and vast as SEMrush?
SEMrush has a lot of features. However, 90% of those who use it in the professional field essentially exploit 2 fundamental functions.
1) Domain analysis tools (the COMPETITIVE RESEARCH section )
2) The word analysis tools (the KEYWORD RESEARCH section )
3) The backlink analysis tools (the LINK BUILDING section )
The essence of SEMrush consists of these 3 powerful tool groupings. I know numerous colleagues who use nothing but the tools in these sections to create entire positioning campaigns (and entire websites).
Today we will focus on these. Because these are the tools that make SEMrush as simple as it is powerful.
Competitive Research
The Competitive Research section is the grouping of tools related to website analysis.
This can be the monitoring analysis of our site, as well as any analysis of competitor sites. Let’s start here.
Domain Overview
As we said SEMrush is a well-rounded SEO tool. We begin its in-depth analysis by analyzing the Domain Overview function, i.e. the study of other websites, our possible competitors.
To use it, enter a website in SEMrush’s main search bar :
You will immediately have access to a lot of information, and the Domain Overview will appear.
SEMrush allows you to extract a lot of information from a website, including the keywords for which it is indexed.
In general, to collect information about a domain, simply enter the primary domain in the Overview tool.
Note that Semrush calculated traffic is assumed on ranking and keyword searches.
Basically SEMrush uses an algorithm to estimate monthly traffic based on the number of keywords, the keyword position and the average CTR of those keywords .
IN GENERAL, SEMRUSH IN TRAFFIC ESTIMATES TENDS TO SHOW DEFECTIVE VALUES.
In fact, website traffic could be higher when you also add links from direct traffic, social media traffic, and traffic from email campaigns.
That said, let’s take a look at some of the metrics SEMrush can offer in the Overview:
- We find an overview of the amount of traffic that keywords known to SEMrush are bringing to the site through organic traffic .
- The amount of traffic you receive with paid search.
- Number of backlinks from referring domains
- Visual representations of organic and paid keyword sources.
- A graph showing traffic over time from organic and paid sources (you can choose 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years or ever).
- Top 5 organic keywords that generate the most traffic for the site. You can click into this section for a lot more analytics (more on these metrics soon).
- A chart showing the organic distribution of the position, for example how many of the keywords rank in the top 3, how many rank in the positions 4-10, 11-20, etc., up to the top 100 results.
- Who, based on traffic and overlapping keywords, are the top organic competitors..
- What backlinks refer to the site, what those sites are and the anchor text and URL that those backlinks link to.
- The main anchor texts used in the backlinks that bring traffic to the site.
- Referral domains that drive traffic to the site sorted by those with the highest number of backlinks pointing to web pages.
- The most popular indexed pages that are cross-linked from other domains.
While we won’t go into every possible metric point (we don’t want to ruin your future exploration with SEMrush), we will discuss the most important points you CANNOT miss.
Organic Research
Let’s move on to the in-depth analysis of the organic searches carried out on the site.
First of all, you have the Keywords, ie the “Tech Guest Post“.
This is the total number of keywords ranked for a site.
In my opinion, this metric is not very useful. After all, let’s assume a site ranks second for 1,000 different keywords.
Second, you have the traffic .
This is an estimate of how much monthly traffic that site receives from search engines.
It’s definitely not a 100% accurate estimate, but it remains a good way to gauge your competitor’s numbers.
Finally, we have the metric I personally pay the most attention to: the Traffic Cost.
Traffic cost estimates how much organic traffic on that site is worth (assuming you wanted to pay for the same traffic with PPC campaigns).
Since this metric takes into account the traffic AND the value of that traffic, it is the most accurate estimate to estimate the value of a certain website.
In the example, if the Courier were to pay for all traffic with PPC campaigns, they would have to spend over $ 13 million. Per month!
NOTE THAT ALWAYS WITHIN THE ORGANIC SEARCH, IT IS POSSIBLE TO VIEW THE LIST OF ALL THE KEYWORDS OF THE SITE, IN DESCENDING ORDER OF ORGANIC TRAFFIC GENERATED
By default, SEMrush lists keywords in order from those that generate the most monthly traffic. However, you can use other parameters to sort keywords:
- The position of the keywords (for example all those in position 1, then those in position 2…).
- The difference between position gains or losses compared to the last scan.
- The volume of traffic generated by the keyword.
- The cost per click to advertise the keyword.
- The URL page that the keyword is associated with.
- The CPC average.
- The competitive keyword density for those who wish to advertise on the same keyword.
- The total number of indexed URLs that contain the keyword.
- Trends over time by search popularity.
Note: It can take several weeks to reprogram a keyword in this tool. If you are looking for up-to-date information on a specific keyword, use the position tracking tool .
You can also filter (in the Advanced Filters) keywords that have a SERP function (like Featured Snippet). That way, you can focus on terms that get a lot of organic clicks.
In short:
Organic Search Positions is where to start any web content creation campaign.
Unlike most keyword research tools, this feature immediately gives you a list of terms for which it is more than possible to index .
Furthermore, this tool allows you to understand which are the words that bring the most traffic to the competitor.
Keyword Gap Tool
Another very useful tool, which allows us to frame the keywords for which our competitors are being indexed, and for which we could also index ourselves.
As we see in the example above, Repubblica is indexing itself for very searched words, which are escaping the Corriere …
Of course SEMrush does not stop there, but allows you to analyze ALL the words we are competing for, and understand in which we are doing better or our competitor is doing better .
You can enter up to five websites at a time, but I recommend that you start with “head to head” between your website and one competitor at a time.
What you’ll get is (by default) a list of keywords that you and your competitors have in common. You will see your ranking by keyword relative to theirs.
You will also receive information such as volume, ranking difficulty, CPC, and AdWords competition.
Use the Keyword Gap tool to find the keywords you are below your competitor for and make changes to those pages to improve your rankings.
Or search for keywords you don’t have and use them to create new content!
Pro tip : By default, the chart above shows keywords that rank in Google’s top 100 search results. Obviously, if two competitors are both positioned on page 5 and in position “43” for a keyword, we don’t have too many indications.
For this reason, my advice is to use the advanced filters to display ONLY the keywords that both sites rank in the top 10 of Google’s results (therefore on the first page).
In “advanced filters” we select the positioning of the keywords exclusively “less than 11”: in this way we will see results only on the first page!
Semrush: Keywords Research
SEMrush has unique tools to help users search for keywords and topics to create content. From the new Keyword Magic tool, to the thematic search tool, to the organic search tool, we will be able to find a number of keywords on which to build content for years to come!
Let’s see the most useful tools to search for keywords.
Keyword Overview
The first major category of keyword analysis is the Overview.
It is undoubtedly a complete overview, which can give us precise indications on the volumes, the difficulty and the related searches existing with respect to the entered keyword.
Note that the keyword is described in all its features.
- The total monthly search volume
- The difficulty of indexing
- The global volume (not only from Italian research)
- The proposed and existing organic results
- Search trends over the 12 months
Finally there is what is a useful tool, that is all the variations related to the entered keyword .
Most of the time (including the proposed example) the proposals made by SEMrush are much more interesting and easier to index than the keyword we thought about.
Also note that SEMrush proposes questions with the keyword in it and major searches related to the keyword. No other tool delves so deeply into keyword analysis.
Keyword Magic Tool
This is probably one of the best keyword research tools ever, definitely one of my favorites.
With over two million keywords in the database, you are sure to find tons of keywords related to your interests.
You can also create up to 50 target keyword lists and save them so you always have them just a click away.
Simply type ANY keyword (although I recommend typing a simple, short keyword) and you’ll get instant results.
I did a quick search for “smartphones” …
As you can see, with just one search SEMrush is able to offer me 388,731 searches related to the keyword “smartphone”.
It would be enough and it would be enough to create a website for certain types of smartphones, with all these results! In addition, we find suggestions of different types:
- Searches consisting of multiple keywords
- Average monthly volume of searches
- A seasonal trend chart
- Keyword Difficulty
- CPC (average advertising cost for the keyword)
- Cost for signing up for AdWords auctions
- Number of SERP features found for the keyword
Note that the table on the left helps you to exclude commonly used keywords associated with the word “smartphone”.
You also have the option to check the “questions” box which will give you all the information on who, what, why, when, where and how people are looking for that keyword.
Keyword Difficulty Tool
Understanding the real difficulty of keywords is crucial to understanding where and how to invest.
Do we want to invest in 3 keywords with high difficulty, but high volume, or in 10 keywords with less difficulty, but low volume?
There is no rule, but in general, professionals always start from where they are sure to achieve the result.
BETTER 50 CERTAIN VISITORS A DAY THAN 500 THEORETICAL VISITORS A DAY
After all, when choosing a keyword you need to consider:
- Authority of the page
- Domain authority
- On-page SEO
- Content quality
- Intention of the user
Very good. There is a SEMrush tool that analyzes all of these factors and quantifies them .
It doesn’t bring you who knows what information about the keyword. Rather, it helps you understand if you have the ability to index yourself for the keyword and above all the objective difficulty in doing so.
To use this feature, type in one or more keywords you want to create content for:
You will get an objective difficulty value linked to the keywords entered. The value will range from 0 to 100%. In general, consider that a value above 60% requires sites with a certain authority , as well as high-level content.
Below 60% the keyword is much more affordable.
SEMrush Link Building
Of course, one of the most important functions provided by SEMrush is the link building section. Let’s see how to make the most of it and what are the most important features.
Backlink Analytics
Backlinks are still one of the most important signals for search engines to identify a site’s so-called authority.
Search engines have always been looking for “linked” pages from other websites. And the more backlinks a website receives, the greater the domain authority of the site, which therefore acquires value and authority in the eyes of search engines.
In the Backlink Analytics tool, you can see the total backlinks of any domain , which pages they are linked to, where those links come from, and whether the total backlinks grow over time.
It is objectively a formidable tool.
Remember that the backlinks are sorted by importance, depending on the authority of the site that created the backlink. You can also select only dofollow or nofollow links.
In general, the dofollow links are the ones that bring the greatest penalties in terms of SEO and Domain Authority, so we focus on those. But SEMrush will still show all existing backlinks .
Backlink Audit
Now that you know how many backlinks you have and which domains are linking to your pages, how much can you trust those links?
While you may not have created the inbound link yourself, too many toxic backlinks that have not been deleted make Google think that you don’t do a good cleanup, or that, much worse, you buy low-level backlinks.
Toxic backlinks can damage the reputation of your site, so it is a good idea to check that they are never in excessive numbers (less than 5% of backlinks from “questionable” sources is tolerated and billed by Google).
Link Building Tool
One of the peculiarities of SEMrush is that they have created an interesting tool for creating links.
First, enter the keywords you want to create content for:
Then SEMrush will find sites that are already indexed for those keywords:
In this way you will already have a list of possible customers / competitors that you can observe, analyze (analyzing the keywords with which they are indexed and / or backlinks) or with which you can collaborate in the future!
Other important features of SEMrush
There are 2 tools that you just cannot fail to mention in a self-respecting SEMrush guide.
Semantic SEO: How It Completely Changes Your Approach to Content
Position Tracking tool
Once you have identified the keywords you want to track (if you already have targeted pages or are planning to create some), we recommend that you add them to the position tracking tool.
Through this tool, you can receive weekly updates on how you and your competitors are ranking for certain keywords.
Another really cool feature is that it will show you all the various SERP features the keyword is triggering and who has those SERP features. You can review the specific pages you’re ranking for those keywords to see if they need improvement.
You can follow your competitors’ landing pages to see what they are doing to help you get new ideas for your pages.
This is a useful tool especially if you are a local company, because you can target certain keywords to see how you are doing at the local search level rather than relying on national rankings.
Site Audit tool
For those who use the website as a professional tool, auditing their site is really important.
SEMrush, once inserted our site, carries out periodic audits that we can simply check every time we log in.
In particular, you can immediately see at a glance:
- the biggest mistakes that can affect your technical SEO score
- the “Warnings” of possible errors to be fixed.
NB: serious errors are really, and often are easily solved as broken internal links, blocked links or abnormal slowdowns of some pages:
The interesting thing about site audits is that you can compare crawls as well, that way, you can see how your site’s “SEO health” changes over time.
SEMrush Prices and costs per plan
SEMrush is one of the best known and most complete SEO tools in the world. It has a database that integrates with Google Analytics and Google Webmaster tools , proposing data with a maximum error of 12%.
In the face of such accurate data, SEMrush offers very different price ranges, precisely to meet the needs of professionals or companies.
The PRO plan is essentially designed for freelancers , as you have a single access, but still more than enough executions for a month.
From the Guru plan onwards, the plans allow access to more than one user so they are preferable for companies that need different login credentials.
In any case, there is the possibility to test all functions for 1 week for free , in order to evaluate the adequacy of the service according to our needs.
SEMrush: opinions and conclusions
All in all, SEMrush is a truly comprehensive tool capable of providing an overabundance of information to anyone looking to optimize their website, find new (or more profitable) keywords and / or discover ALL of their competitors.
As far as keyword research is concerned, it is easily the best SEO tool available in the market based on the immense amount of information and metrics available from the analytics.
SEMrush is the most immediate and intuitive professional tool, definitely easier to use than all the competition . This is why it is a very used tool even for beginners (in 1 day you will already know how to use it deeply).
Either way, SEMrush offers vast amounts of resources in the form of studies, courses, FAQ pages, video tutorials, and regular webinars for users of all skill levels.
There is also a support team that can answer any questions (which must be asked in English).
We use it daily. This is the tool that can make the difference between an “invisible” site or a site that targets the right keywords , indexes itself and creates the perfect link building campaigns.
In practice, in all our projects, it has allowed us to obtain optimized results in a few weeks.
For a web master, simply an indispensable tool.
SEMrush: 1 week free trial
SEMrush: Frequently Asked Questions
What is SEMrush?
SEMrush is an SEO tool for keyword research, website analysis and link building. It can track the keyword strategy your competitors are using, perform an SEO audit of a site, look for backlink opportunities, and come up with new low-difficulty keyword ideas.
SEMrush, to date, is among the most used SEO tools in the world ever.
How much does SEMrush cost?
The basic plan for SEMrush costs $ 99 / month. The features are more than enough for a professional or a small SEO agency. The limit is the number of users, which is only 1.
If you have an agency or are planning several projects with multiple clients, the “Guru” plan at $ 199 / month is probably worth using. It allows you to perform multiple analyzes, track multiple keywords and create custom reports.
It is also possible to activate a free trial of the services for 7 days to test the functionality of SEMrush.
How do I search for keywords in SEMrush?
To find matching keywords, use the Keyword Magic Tool, enter a term from your initial search term list, and click Search. A list of keywords that include the requested term will be displayed.
Is SEMrush free?
No, SEMrush is not free, but it allows you to use PRO features for 7 days thanks to a free trial. Find the registration page here.
Better SEMrush or Ahref?
Ahref is another well-known SEO tool. Together with SEMrush they are the two most used tools in the world. Ahref is a little more complicated in the interface, but he specializes in finding backlinks.
Unlike SEMrush it doesn’t have a free trial, so it’s worth joining the SEMrush 7-day free trial anyway and then possibly evaluating other options.
Who is SEMrush recommended for?
SEMrush used by both bloggers and companies, large and small. Major companies like Philips, Forbes, PayPal, Hyatt, etc. have stated that they use SEMrush. On the other hand, SEMrush boasts one of the richest databases in the world, with over 46 million domains and 120 million keywords constantly monitored and updated.
