Semrush

Semrush is a full SEO suite that stores often move to once a lighter tool stops covering their needs. In 2026 the company repositioned the product around Semrush One, which combines its SEO tools with AI visibility tracking. Semrush is also now part of Adobe, after a $1.9B acquisition that Semrush's newsroom reported complete in April 2026. The product roadmap after the acquisition hasn't been made clear yet.

What Semrush does

Semrush is built on its own keyword and backlink database. On top of that, the AI Visibility Index measures how often a brand shows up in AI answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. For most stores, the everyday use is still keyword research, rank tracking, site audits and competitor backlink analysis. The AI visibility layer is mainly useful if you'd otherwise pay for a separate AI search tool.

Main features

Keyword and traffic research

The keyword database is the core of the product. The Traffic Analytics module estimates a competitor's traffic mix: which channels bring visits, which pages draw people in and which keywords drive those visits. This is the part of Semrush that lighter keyword tools usually don't offer.

Site audit and on-page

A crawler-based site audit with on-page recommendations, plus the SEO Content Template for writing briefs. The editor relies more on best-practice rules and competitor analysis than on live SERP scoring, which is the approach Surfer's Content Editor takes. It's connected to the rest of the Semrush data.

Backlink tools

Backlink discovery, gap analysis against competitors and link-building outreach, all drawing on Semrush's backlink index. It's aimed at stores that do ongoing link building, either in-house or through an agency.

AI Visibility Index (Semrush One)

Tracks brand mentions and citations in AI answers. The AI Visibility Index measures share of voice in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. Writesonic and Surfer's AI Tracker cover similar ground as standalone or add-on products. For stores already paying for Semrush, having it in the same platform is the main advantage.

Who Semrush fits

Semrush fits stores with at least $50K a month in revenue, someone working on SEO regularly (in-house or agency), and a need for keyword research, competitor research, audits and backlinks in one tool. It also makes sense when the same person is asked to look after AI search visibility, since Semrush One covers both.

For a founder running a $5K-a-month store alone, the subscription is hard to justify, and much of the data goes unused on a small site.

Pricing

• Pro: $139.94/mo, or about $117/mo billed annually. 500 tracked keywords, 5 projects, site audit.
• Guru: $249.95/mo, or about $208/mo billed annually. 1,500 keywords, 15 projects, the content marketing toolkit and historical SERP data.
• Business: $499.95/mo, or about $417/mo billed annually. 5,000 keywords, 40 projects, Share of Voice and API access.

Annual billing is roughly 17% cheaper. Semrush also sells add-ons (Local SEO, Agency Growth Kit) on top of the base plans.

What the Adobe deal might change

The acquisition is complete, but Adobe hasn't laid out what changes for Semrush customers. Open questions:

• Pricing: plans and prices could change under new ownership.
• Adobe integration: whether Semrush gets tied into Adobe products such as Creative Cloud or Adobe Experience Platform, and whether that matters to small stores or only to enterprise customers.
• AI visibility: Semrush was already investing in AI visibility before the deal. Adobe could keep that direction or shift resources toward its own platform.

Alternatives

The tools most often compared with Semrush are Ahrefs, Surfer SEO and Frase.

Ahrefs is the closest direct competitor, with its own backlink index and keyword database. Choosing between the two often comes down to which interface a team prefers and which has better keyword data for the markets you sell in.

Surfer SEO is an on-page editor that scores content against the current SERP. It doesn't replace Semrush's keyword and backlink tools, but it can be used alongside Semrush or Ahrefs for on-page work.

Frase is a lighter option for content briefs and AI visibility tracking. It suits stores that want SEO-aware drafts but don't need rank tracking or backlink analysis.

In short: for keyword research, rank tracking and backlinks together, look at Semrush or Ahrefs. For on-page work only, Surfer. For briefs, drafts and AI tracking at a lower price, Frase.

Where to start

Pro at $139.94/mo is a reasonable starting point for one person doing SEO, or a store under $100K a month. Guru is worth it once historical SERP data or the content marketing toolkit becomes something you use every week. Business is aimed at larger teams; most independent stores won't need 5,000 tracked keywords or API access.