Semrush

Semrush is a subscription platform for SEO and wider online marketing, covering keyword research, competitor analysis, site audits, rank tracking, backlinks, content and advertising research. It collects data on search results and websites, then estimates metrics such as search volume, organic traffic and site authority.

Written by Paul Hoda, SEO consultant since 2005. Last updated 8 November 2026.

Main SEO tools in Semrush

  • Domain Overview and Organic Research: show a site’s estimated traffic, ranking keywords and top pages.
  • Keyword Magic Tool: generates large lists of related keywords with volume, difficulty and intent labels for keyword research.
  • Keyword Gap and Backlink Gap: compare your site with competitors to find missing keywords and links.
  • Site Audit: crawls a site and reports technical issues, from broken links to Core Web Vitals problems.
  • Position Tracking: monitors daily rankings for chosen keywords, including by location and device.
  • Backlink Analytics and Backlink Audit: review a link profile and flag potentially harmful links.

Semrush also includes tools for local listings, content writing, social media, advertising research and tracking brand visibility in AI search tools.

Key Semrush metrics

Authority Score is Semrush’s 0 to 100 measure of a domain’s overall quality, combining link data, estimated traffic and spam signals.

Keyword Difficulty estimates how hard it is to reach the top ten for a keyword, shown as a percentage. Search intent labels classify keywords as informational, navigational, commercial or transactional, in line with search intent theory.

Semrush Sensor tracks day-to-day volatility in Google results, which SEOs often check during suspected Google algorithm updates.

Google does not use any of these metrics. They are Semrush’s own models.

How marketers use Semrush

  1. Research keywords and group them into topics for content planning.
  2. Run a keyword gap analysis against direct competitors.
  3. Schedule regular site audits to catch technical problems early.
  4. Track rankings for priority keywords and report on search visibility.
  5. Review backlinks to understand a site’s authority and find outreach opportunities.
  6. Combine SEO and paid search research in one place.

Semrush versus other tools

Semrush is often compared with Ahrefs. Both cover similar core tasks. Semrush is generally seen as broader across marketing channels, including paid search and social, while Ahrefs is often chosen for its link data. In practice, many teams choose based on interface, pricing and which tool’s data seems more accurate for their market.

Getting started

A common first step is to create a project for your own domain, which brings Site Audit, Position Tracking and other tools together in one dashboard. From there, add a handful of real competitors rather than the largest sites in your sector, as closer rivals give more useful comparisons. Setting the correct country database matters too: UK businesses should check UK data, not the default United States figures.

Limitations

  • Traffic and volume figures are estimates and can differ significantly from real data, especially for smaller sites and niche markets.
  • Toxic link flags are automated suggestions, not a verdict from Google.
  • Site Audit warnings vary in importance, so not every issue needs fixing.
  • Your own Google Search Console and analytics data should take priority for your site.

Key Takeaways

  • Semrush is a subscription platform covering SEO, content, paid search and more.
  • Its tools include keyword research, site audits, rank tracking and backlink analysis.
  • Authority Score and Keyword Difficulty are Semrush metrics, not Google signals.
  • Semrush Sensor tracks volatility in Google results.
  • Estimated figures should be checked against your own Search Console data.

Related Terms

Need a second opinion on your website? Ask for a free website SEO check, or keep learning in the SEO Encyclopedia.