Semrush Review: The Best Way To Do Competitor Research (2021)

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Are you a digital marketing professional? 

Are you looking for what may be one of the best ways to build your online presence?

Are you looking for a unique way to do competitor research?

Are you interested in finding out what makes your competitors tick and why they are so successful ?

What if I told you there was a tool that allows you to not only spy on your competitors but see exactly what they are doing to allow them to rank high in the search engines. 

This tool is SemRush, in this article we will be reviewing SemRush and why it is a beast when it comes to competitor analysis. 

Get ready for a value-packed article! Let’s hop straight into the goodies. 

What is SemRush?

competitor research

We’re going to keep this extremely simple!

SEMRush is an all in one marketing tool! 

They combine SEO, Paid Traffic, Social Media , Content & PR and Market Research in order to produce the ultimate experience for not only marketing professionals but beginners as well. 

SEMRush was first started in 2008 with the simple mission in mind “to make online competition fair and transparent, with equal opportunities for everyone”. 

After years of perfecting their skill set and providing an amazing quality of service they have grown to be the industry leader and the world’s leading competitive research service for online marketing. 

Today SEMRush has grown to over 650 specialists with locations in the USA, Russia, Czech Republic and the Republic of Cyprus. They have over 4 million users and over 580 million domains. 

SEMRush knows that marketing online can be difficult but they believe that marketing tools should be easy to navigate and operate. 

All in all, SEMRush was created For Marketers By Marketers. 

That being said let’s hop right into SEMRush’s features and see exactly what all the hype is about!

What are SEMrush’s best Features ?

Let’s dive right into the features that make SemRush standout and positions it as the leading tool for competitor research. Let’s start off with the basics: 

Analytics Reports 

competitor research

This platform gives you the opportunity to see your competitors exact thinking when it comes to display advertising, organic and even paid search traffic! 

This gives you the opportunity to: 

  • See the keywords your competitors are ranking for! 
  • Find competitors you didn’t even know existed 
  • Spy on competitor ad budgets and high-ranking keywords
  • Monitor ad copy and landing pages 
  • Discover new competitors in Google ads

The analytics report also gives you the chance to dive DEEP into back-link research. Giving you the power to truly master backlinks. With this feature you will be able to: 

  • Check incoming links for a URL, domain, or root domain;
  • Compare inbound links’ weight on competitors’ domains.
  • And MUCH MUCH more! 

For more information on how you can gain full control of your backlinks click here!

It is no secret that with proper keyword research you will be 10X further than your competition. So it would make sense to have a system that makes sure you are spot on with your keywords right? 

Over the years SEMRush has grown to over 16 billion Keywords!

Now what really makes SEMRush a premium keyword tool? Well it has an incredible range of keyword functionalities. 

These include: 

  • Finding that perfect keyword for your SEO or PPC campaign – SEMRush uses state of the line technology to help you locate the right keywords for your ideal target audience. 
  • Gathering phrase match and exact keywordsSEMrush goes the extra mile by analyzing hundreds of domains and uses this search to provide you with a list of synonyms and variations to add to your keyword list
  • The ability to find long tail keywordsThis gives you the extra advantage when it comes to finding keywords that will work hand in hand with your focus keywords. 

As apart of the Analytics report you will be also equipped with Product Listing tools! With this feature you will not only be able to get insight on your competitors product listing ads but you will be able to dissect these exact campaigns and apply the same tactics to your business content strategy.

One of the most important parts of running an online business is keeping track of the traffic! 

Not only how much traffic you’re driving to your website but your competitions traffic as well. SEMRush designed their platform around mastering traffic analytics. This gives you the opportunity to reveal any of your competitor’s website traffic and online performance. 

You will be able to be the James Bond you always dreamed of and spy on your competitors’ marketing activities and strategies! 

Needless to say you will be exposed to new markets and niches you didn’t even know existed! Crazy right? 

Most importantly you need to understand your traffic. Why is the team at The Online Genius telling you that you need to understand your traffic? Well… 

Understanding traffic = Understanding your customers 

Understanding customers = Happy Customers

Happy Customers = More Money 

More Money = Being able to do the thing you want to do when you want to do them. 

The moral of the story is to UNDERSTAND your traffic. I guess it’s a good thing then that SEMRush lets you do that right? 

Tools 

So what else does SemRush really equip you with? 

Before I answer this question, let me ask you a question. 

Have you ever wanted the ability to compare your competitor’s domains and estimate keyword difficult? You are in luck my friend. 

With SemRush’s advanced Domain and Keyword tools you will be able to find those keywords that have the least number of competition as well as be able to see what domains’ have common and unique keywords in your niche! 

Keyword Magic Tool 

Keyword magic tool What’s the magic word?

ABRACADABRAAAAAA ! 

*Poof* Thousands of keywords at your fingertips!

Well it doesn’t work just like that but the team at SEMRush created a keyword tool that gives you access to over 2 million keyword ideas! 

This means you can now create fully optimized content with strategically placed keywords! 

Two Million keyword ideas! Imagine the possibilities! That’s not even the best part! You can sort these keywords by their: 

  • Search volume 
  • Keyword difficulty 
  • Competitive density
  • SERP features 
  • Cost-per click data.

Oh yea, I almost forgot ! You can save up to one thousand of your favorite keywords and sort them neatly in the Keyword Analyzer. 

Whew, I know this a lot of information to take in at one time but we want you to get the best possible overview about this ultimate keyword tool. Now let’s hop straight back into the content! 

What do you use when you’re lost on the other side of town with no sense of direction? 

That’s right. A MAP! 

So it’s only right that SEMRush included a CPC Map in their platform. This allows you to see the average Cost per click in your niche across various regions so you can run your campaigns to get the highest Return on Investment!  

Needless to say you can find unlimited ideas for A/B testing and experiments! 

SEO Writing Assistant 

It’s true that having your own personal assistant can make your life 20X more easier. 

With the SEO Writing Assistant it does just that. From optimizing your content for Target Keywords to fine-tuning our content’s readability, you will be given that extra push past your competitors. 

One of the best ways you can grow your content is by having your brand’s tone of voice as congruent as possible with each piece of content you distribute. It’s only right that SEMRush created the Writing Assistant to exactly that. 

Did you know you can actually face charges for plagiarising someone’s content! I know that’s crazy, especially when you don’t even know you are actually plagiarising the content! 

Don’t worry, the SEO Writing Assistant comes with its own Plagiarism checker! 

You can use the Writing Assistant as a Google Docs Add-on, WordPress plugin or be at the centre of it all from the SEMRush interface. 

Projects

Data is king!! 

It would make sense to hop on a platform that gives you all the metrics regarding your competitors, keyword ranking and on-page health from one place right? 

Yes. Yes it would make perfect sense! 

These Projects include position tracking, site audits, social media tracker, social media poster, brand monitoring, on page SEO Checker, Backlink Audit Tool, Organic Traffic Insights, Content Analyzer and PPC Keyword Tools! 

Wow I know that’s a lot but what do you get in value from all these tools? 

You will be able to: 

  • Track your positions for any keyword
  • Track SEO optimization progress
  • Leverage competitor analysis to create a powerful strategy
  • Post to all social accounts from the comfort of one place ! 
  • Track backlinks and monitor your brand’s reputation 
  • Analyze Google ranking factors affecting your website’s performance 
  • Find every single one of your backlinks using the Search Console Integration 
  • Analyze Keyword Potential 
  • Compare the performance of different content pieces 
  • Cross-match negative keywords
  • Find ideas for your ad creatives and use them as a template 
  • AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!!

Just remember these are just a few features that the entire Project Package offers you.

Get Your 7 Day Trail Here

SEMRush Plans and Pricing

When it comes to pricing, SEMRush keeps it simple and straightforward. The packages are as follows : 

Pro Package – starts at $99.95 per month 

Guru Package – starts at $199.95 per month

Business Package – starts at $399.95 per month 

However, if you want a custom solution that specifically suits your needs simply contact the Team at SEMRush and they will develop that solution that is perfect for you.

Each package differs in terms of the : 

  • Results per report
  • Reports per day 
  • Keyword metrics updates per month 
  • Historical data
  • Product LIsting ads

In addition, depending on the package you choose you will receive different features as it relates to the projects, reporting, user management and content marketing platform.

SemRush Pros and Cons 

Pros: 

  • Incredibly wide range of tools made for competitor research

Cons: 

  • Built for intermediate to advance online entrepreneurs. If you have experience in running online ads and SEO that will give you a huge advantage. 

Is SEMRush worth it?

SEMrush

Well that completely depends. 

I have to be 100000% honest with you, If you are now starting your journey in building your online business then SEMRush may not be the best way to start. 

However if you have some experience when it comes to SEO, running ad campaigns on Facebook or Google or building websites then SEMRush could be the right platform for you.  

All in all, if you are a digital marketing professional you need to have this competitor research tool in your tool box. 

If you have had any experience with SEMRush leave a comment below on your experience with the marketing platform.

P.S If you’re a marketer or blogger looking for a premium marketing software give our article ” The Best Marketing Software For Small Businesses in 2020″ a read.