Semrush Review 2026: Best Keyword Researcher?

Choosing the right SEO tool can feel impossible.

There are so many options, and they all promise to boost your website’s ranking.

Semrush is a popular choice and is considered one of the most wide all-in-one SEO tools available.

However, it comes with a hefty price tag.

Is it really worth the money, especially in 2026?

In this in-depth Semrush review, we break down everything you need to know.

We’ll cover its features, pricing, pros, and cons.

By the end, you’ll be able to confidently decide if Semrush is the right tool to take your online presence to the next level.

Semrush

Seven million users saw a 152% increase in website traffic with Semrush. Could you be next? Try it out to discover the secrets to online success.

Try Semrush Now Semrush Alternatives

What is Semrush?

Semrush is like a toolbox for websites.

It’s got a bunch of different SEO tools that help you get your website noticed by search engines like Google.

Think of it like a super-powered magnifying glass that helps you see what your competitors are doing and what people are searching for online.

One of the coolest tools is the Keyword Magic Tool, which renders a list of related keywords & provides data on search volume and difficulty.

It helps you find the best words and phrases to use on your website so people can find you when they search.

SEMrush is not the most user-friendly SEO tool on the market.

SEMrush has a steep learning curve for beginners.

SEMrush’s free plan is very limited compared to its competitors. SEMrush’s paid plans are considered expensive by many users.

SEMrush offers a centralized dashboard for managing SEO efforts.

The On-Page SEO Checker is like a teacher who grades your website and tells you how to make it better, providing step-by-step instructions on how to optimize pages for better search visibility.

Who Created Semrush?

Semrush was the brainchild of Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitry Melnikov.

They started it in 2008 as a small group of SEO enthusiasts with a big idea: create a one-stop shop for all things online marketing.

Fast forward to today, and Semrush is a giant in the industry with a large user base of over 106,000 paying customers as of Q3 2023.

It’s helped millions of businesses grow with tools like the SEO Writing Assistant and partnerships with Google Analytics.

However, their core mission remains the same: to make keyword research and SEO easy for everyone.

Top Benefits of Semrush

Semrush is praised for its robust feature set and extensive functionality, offering a complete suite of SEO-related tools from technical SEO to backlink analysis.

• Keyword Research Tool: Find the perfect words and phrases to target. Semrush makes it easy to discover popular keywords, analyze search volume, and track trends. Its keyword research tools are considered among the best in the industry.
• Custom Keyword Databases: Build your own targeted keyword lists and keep track of the terms that matter most to your business.
• Google Integration: Semrush integrates with Google Analytics and Google Search Console to provide accurate data for users and provide valuable insights on how your website performs in search results.
• Keyword Gap Tool: See what keywords your opponents are ranking for that you’re not, and discover new opportunities to outrank them.
• Local SEO: Dominate local search results with tools that help you optimize for specific geographic areas.
• Site Audit: Get a thorough analysis of your website’s health. The site audit identifies areas that need improvement for better SEO, though keep in mind that data estimates for traffic, keyword volumes, and backlink counts in Semrush may not align perfectly with Google data, creating potential inaccuracies.
• Social Media Tracker: Track your social media presence and analyze what’s working (and what’s not).
• Content Marketing Toolkit: Create high-quality content that resonates with the audience & drives traffic to your site.
• Backlink Database: Semrush is widely recognized for its extensive database, which includes over 43 trillion backlinks.
• Educational Resources: It offers a wealth of academic resources, including free online digital marketing courses and insightful articles.
• Semrush CoPilot: A new feature in 2025/2026, this AI assistant provides recommendations for traffic drops, lost backlinks, and technical fixes.

Best Features

Semrush is a powerful marketing tool that helps your website get more visitors.

It has many smart features to help you beat your competitors.

Whether you want to rank higher on search engines or run ads, this site has everything you need in one place.

1. SEO Toolkit

This comprehensive tool helps you manage your seo strategy from start to finish.

You can use the site audit to check your website health and find technical seo issues.

It shows you how to get more search traffic by fixing errors and improving your site for search engines.

2. Content Marketing Toolkit

The content marketing toolkit makes content creation easy for everyone.

It uses an seo content template to help you write seo friendly content that ranks well.

You can use the topic research tool to find new ideas and see what your audience is talking about online.

3. Market Research Toolkit

This toolkit helps you do competitive research and see market trends.

You can use the domain overview to see how much traffic your rivals get.

It helps you gain valuable insights into their organic traffic and see where their search traffic comes from around the world.

4. Advertising Toolkit

The advertising toolkit is great for online marketing and paid search.

You can see the ads your competitors use and find the best target keywords for your own ads.

It helps you plan your budget by showing search volume and the cost of different keywords.

5. Social Media Toolkit

This social media toolkit helps with social media management and marketing.

You can schedule posts and track how well they do on different sites.

It also lets you see what your competitors are doing so you can improve your own social media marketing plan easily.

6. AI Content Optimizer

The AI content optimizer acts like an seo writing assistant to improve your drafts.

It checks your on page seo and gives you actionable insights to make your writing better.

This tool helps you create high quality posts that both people and search engines will love.

7. SERP Trackers

SERP trackers help you track keyword rankings every day.

You can use position tracking to see where your site appears on google search console and other search engines.

It lets you know if your rank tracking goes up or down so you can stay ahead.

8. Backlink Analysis Tools

Backlink analysis tools show you who is linking to your website.

You can use backlink analytics to find link building opportunities and check your competitors.

This helps you understand your online visibility and find ways to get more powerful links from other big websites.

9. Keyword Research Tool

Keyword research is easy with the keyword magic tool.

You can find related keywords and keyword suggestions from custom keyword databases.

It shows you search volume and keyword overview data so you can pick the best keywords to help your website grow and get more traffic.

Pricing

Semrush offers three main pricing plans, each with different features and limits to cater to varying needs.

While Semrush offers a centralized dashboard for managing SEO efforts, its pricing is considered high compared to some competitors.

Users can preserve money by opting for annual billing rather than monthly billing for Semrush plans.

All standard Semrush plans include only one user account.

Additional seats cost between $45 and $100 per user per month.

Semrush is designed to meet the needs of marketing agencies, offering features like a lead finder and client portal.

Semrush presents a 7-day free trial for its Pro account, allowing users to test the service before committing.

Pros and Cons

Alternatives of Semrush

Semrush is often compared to competitors like Ahrefs and Moz Pro, with each having its strengths and weaknesses.

While Moz Pro is recognized for its user-friendly interface, Semrush is noted for having more features overall.

Semrush’s pricing is generally higher than that of its competitors.

The free plan of Semrush is very limited compared to the free offerings of competitors like Ahrefs.

Semrush Compared

Personal Experience with Semrush

My team has been using Semrush for over a year now, and it’s become an indispensable part of our digital marketing workflow.

We use it to discover high-potential keywords, fix technical issues through the site audit, and regularly spy on our competitors’ strategies.

However, it is important to be realistic about the downsides.

Semrush is not the most user-friendly SEO tool on the market.

It has a complex and steeper learning curve for newbies due to its extensive feature set.

Semrush’s paid plans are considered expensive by many users, which can be a consideration for budget-conscious users.

The mobile app experience of Semrush is not as robust as the desktop version.

Data estimates such as traffic and keyword volumes may not match Google data exactly.

• Keyword Research: We use Semrush to discover high-potential keywords and analyze their search volume & competition. This helps us create content that ranks well in search engines & drives targeted traffic to our website.
• Site Audit: The site audit feature has been instrumental in identifying technical SEO issues on our website. We’ve been able to fix broken links, optimize page load speed, and improve our overall website health, leading to better search rankings.
• Competitor Analysis: We regularly spy on our competitors’ strategies using Semrush. We analyze their top-performing keywords, backlinks, and content to uncover opportunities and stay ahead in the game.
• Content Marketing: Semrush’s content marketing toolkit has helped us streamline our content creation process. We use it to brainstorm topics, research keywords, and optimize our content for better search visibility.

Overall, Semrush has been a game-changer for our team.

It’s helped us improve our website’s SEO, create more effective content, and gain a competitive edge in our industry.

Final Thoughts

Semrush provides a centralized SEO dashboard where users can gain useful insights for SEO, content marketing, and website optimization.

It is a powerful tool with a lot to offer, but it’s not for everyone.

It’s a good fit if you’re serious about growing your online presence, manage an agency, or have the budget for it.

The learning curve for Semrush can be steep, but users often find the results worth the effort.

The best way to decide is to try Semrush for yourself.

Take advantage of their 7-day free trial and see if it’s the right fit for your needs.

After all, the only way to know for sure is to experience its power firsthand.

SEMrush’s pricing is generally higher than that of its competitors, which can be a consideration for budget-conscious users.

SEMrush is often recommended for agencies due to its extensive feature set and client management tools.

SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool generates a list of related keywords and provides data on search volume and difficulty.

SEMrush’s reporting and analytics features provide customizable reports that track performance across various metrics.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Facts about Semrush

• Cost of Starting: The cheapest plan, called “Pro,” now costs about $139.95 per month. This can be a bit expensive for freelancers or very small businesses.
• Extra Costs: Most plans include only one user account. If you want to add more people to your team, it usually costs between $45 and $100 per person each month.
• Plan Options:
  • The Pro plan (about $139.95/mo) is good for small teams. It lets you track 500 keywords and run 5 projects.
  • The Guru plan (about $249.95/mo) is for growing agencies. It lets you track 1,500 keywords and run 15 projects.
  • The Business plan (about $499.95/mo) is for big companies. It allows for 5,000 keywords and 40 projects.
• Saving Money: You can save some money if you pay for a whole year at once instead of paying month-by-month.
• Free Trial: Semrush usually offers a 7-day free trial so you can try the Pro account before buying.
• Free Account Limits: There is a forever-free account, but it is very limited. You can make only 10 requests a day, which is much fewer than paid users get.
• Learning the Tool: Because Semrush does so many things, it can be hard to learn at first. It has a “steep learning curve,” meaning it takes time to master.
• All-in-One Dashboard: Even though it is complex, people like that it puts everything in one place. You can manage SEO, content, and social media from a single dashboard.
• Help for Beginners: To help new users, Semrush offers free online courses and helpful articles.
• New AI Features: In 2025, they added Semrush CoPilot. This is an AI assistant that detects issues like lost traffic or broken links and tells you how to fix them.
• Keyword Magic: One of the most popular tools is the Keyword Magic Tool. It helps you find thousands of words people search for and shows how hard it is to rank for them.
• Checking Your Site: The Site Audit tool scans your website for health issues, such as broken pages or slow speeds.
• Spying on Competitors: You can use the software to see what your competitors are doing. You can check their traffic, see who links to them, and find out which keywords bring them visitors.
• Backlink Database: Semrush has a massive library of data, claiming to know about over 43 trillion backlinks (links from one site to another).
• Comparison to Ahrefs: People often compare Semrush to Ahrefs. Ahrefs is famous for backlink analysis, while Semrush is often praised for its more “all-in-one” marketing features.
• Comparison to Moz: Moz Pro is often considered easier to use, but Semrush generally offers more features and data.
• Data Accuracy: The numbers in Semrush (like traffic estimates) are just guesses. They might not match your actual Google data perfectly.
• Connecting Data: For better accuracy, you can connect Semrush to your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts.