Howdy, welcome to my review!
So you’re here for the lowdown on SEMrush – wanting to know what this “all-in-one marketing toolkit” provides and how it can help you to get the upper hand in the search engines, right?
You’re at the right place!…
Quick Overview
Name: SEMrush.
Website: semrush.com.
Price: Free trial. PRO – $69.95/month. GURU – $149.95/month. BUSINESS – $549.95/month.
Owner: Oleg Shchegolev.
My Score: 6/10.
Verdict: It’s a great tool that offers a variety of features for both SEO and PPC marketers.
However, it is missing some important keyword research data from an SEO standpoint.
But before you check out this review…
Go here for my #1 rated keyword tool – the one I use for ranking my blog content on the first pages of Google, Bing, and Yahoo for building a profitable online Biz.
Table of Contents
What’s SEMrush All About?
To succeed as an internet marketer today, it’s vital to focus on locating “keywords” for successfully running paid ads in the search engines and also getting your blog content ranked for free organic traffic.
This is where SEMrush (SR) steps in.
‘SR’ is a keyword research tool that enables both PPC and SEO marketers to become profitable from the implementation of specific keyword phrases into their marketing campaigns.
In addition to being a keyword tool, the software provides you with a bunch of other cool features that are gonna help you to smash it as a web-based business owner.
I’ll give you a quick run-through of the features in a jiffy.
Who is Mostly Gonna Benefit From it?
The ‘SR’ research platform is the perfect software for Pay Per Click marketers, affiliate marketers, bloggers, static website owners, marketing companies, and also Search Engine Optimization specialists.
Anyone and everyone who is building a business online and wanting to earn revenue for either themselves or for other clients will highly benefit from using the tool.
The other great thing about ‘SR’ is that even if you’re a total newbie when it comes to digital marketing, you can play around with the tool for 7 days before being charged a single penny.
Do You Get Access to Any Training?
Yes, indeedy!
The first thing I noticed about ‘SR’ is that you can submit your details to request a free personal online demonstration from one of their coaches.
This is something worth doing if you’re a total noob to the platform and the world of searching for keywords.
There are also additional video tutorials that cover Getting Started With SEMrush, Domain Overview Report and Five Things I Hate About SEMrush! LOL.
Let’s Look at The Features…
When it comes to the main tools and features, you have access to:
- Organic Research
- Advertising Research
- Display Advertising
- Backlinks
- Video Advertising Research
- Keyword Research
- Product Listing Ads
- Position Tracking
- Site Audit
- Social Media Tool
- Brand Monitoring
- SEO Ideas
These are certainly some cool tools that not only allow you to research keyword ideas for your ad campaigns and blog content but also give you in-depth insights into your online biz.
Plus I guess you can spy on your competitors’ too. 😉
In addition to the tools mentioned, you get a few more features for the SEO side of things:
Keyword Difficulty
You’re able to locate keywords with the least amount of competition and estimate the difficulty of every keyword phrase.
Discover how to get to the top of the SERPs.
Domain vs. Domain
You can compare your competitors domains to discover their unique keywords and visualize their data too.
You’ll be able to enter and compare up to 5 domains per search attempt.
Charts
You also have the ability compare your competitors domains within Google and Bing using visibility indicators.
This allows you to perform quick assessments of your competition and discover the most important metrics you need.
OK, so What About Help & Support?
As for the help and support aspect, you have the options to either contact the support team by phone call or send a message through their “contact us” page.
Additionally, you can visit the ‘SR’ blog, watch webinars, attend events, and even connect with the team through their various social media accounts.
How Much is SEMrush Gonna Cost You?
‘SR’ comes with 3 different price plans to suit everyone’s needs:
PRO = $69.95/month or $699.40/year with a saving of $140.
GURU = $149.95/month or $1499.40/year with a saving of $300.
BUSINESS = $549.95/month or $5499.40/year with a saving of $1,100.
Your pricing plan option really depends on the number of tools and features you want access to, and of course how much your budget can stretch to.
PROS & CONS of ‘SR’
PROS
- It comes with a Free trial
- Training & Support is available
- You’re provided with plenty of tools/features
- It’s web-based, so nothing to install on your PC
- The data is broken down
- A huge database of keywords is available
- A mobile version is available
- A 7-day money back guarantee is offered
CONS
- The Free trial is very limited
- The membership options are a little pricey
- It’s not very user-friendly, especially for beginners
- It focuses more on the PPC aspect of online marketing
- The SEO side lacks the essential keyword metrics
Closing Thoughts: Is SEMrush Worth it?…
‘SR’ is an awesome tool with some fantastic features.
But in my opinion, it lacks some of the most important “key” metrics for bloggers who wanna get their content ranked in Google using SEO.
In addition, I find the costs of the tool a little steep, especially the Guru and Business options. I guess they’re great for agencies, but a TON of money to splash out for marketers who are building their own online empires.
The Bottom Line: ‘SR’ is a great tool to use and is definitely worth taking for a free 7-day spin.
I just think it needs to focus more on providing the essential SEO keyword metrics you need for organic rankings.
But before you dash off…
==> Get The Keyword Tool I Use For #1 Google Rankings!
Your Friend, Neil 😀
If you have any questions or thoughts on ‘SR’, we’d LOVE to hear your comments below…
Hey Neil,
I am always looking for new useful tools. SEMrush sounds like it would be a great tool but who can afford to pay that, especially when they are just starting out. I feel that by the time someone gets to the point that they can afford it, they would have already found an equal or better product for a lot less.
I have been very satisfied with Jaaxy myself. It gives me everything I need right now and it will grow with me.
Thanks for the review. It was definitely worth a read.
Hi, Mike!
SR can certainly be a costly tool for noobs – especially if they choose the two most expensive plans.
I agree, with many keyword research platforms available, marketers may want to spread their wings and sample other inexpensive tools.
That’s great, Jaaxy is the best!
No problem! 🙂
Thanks Neil, for sharing this review on SEMrush with us. I tend to agree that it’s a bit expensive. As a beginner with limited funds, I have to utilize as many inexpensive, or free, tools as possible. I don’t think I need all the bells and whistles this one offers at this point in time.
No worries at all, Debby!
I think some folks will agree that SR is overpriced.
You have the right idea because as a newcomer to internet marketing, you shouldn’t have to invest a fortune to get your business started. My advice: Get your hands on as many free tools and trials as possible when starting out. 🙂
I think, after reading your review, I will not even touch SEMrush.
With that kind of overly priced product, I wonder who in the right mind will sign up with them? As you mentioned other free tools that perform even better.
But again, as you mentioned, they are heavily relying on their PPC feature. Do you have another cheaper alternative for this PPC feature?
The choice is all yours. 😀
I think people who already have some spare cash tucked away will be able to get the SR software. But some free tools can certainly be a benefit until marketers save up the funds required for paid ones and upgrades.
The problem is, most of the keyword tools that provide PPC features are still a little pricey. So it’s hard to find a cheap one lol.
However, Jaaxy is the best option I’ve used for SEO, and you can gather PPC ideas from it as well.
Hi there Neil,
Very interesting review. I have heard a lot about SEMrush, in terms of being a great tool for PPC advertising.
How does Jaaxy compare to SR in terms of PPC keyword research? Jaaxy I get from your review kicks SR’s ass for usage for SEO keywords, I am just wondering how the two compare for PPC usage.
Howdy, Derek!
Thanks, man!
Yeah, SR can get good results for Pay Per Click advertisers. When it comes to PPC, SR mainly focuses on that area for keyword research. But there are some SEO keyword research aspects too.
However, Jaaxy does everything you need it to do and also uses the essential metrics for finding keywords when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. And there are PPC keyword ideas you can gather too!
It really depends on how you intend to build your online business.
SR is awesome for PPC, and Jaaxy is awesome for SEO! But if I had to choose, I would definitely pick Jaaxy, based on the fact it has amazing built-in features and is much cheaper than SR as well.
SEMrush is like a luxury bar in my book. You go there to pay $100 for a glass of wine you can get for $5 somewhere else.
As a newbie, this may not make sense but one develops in business, you start to find that by hanging out in the high-end area, you make better connections and grow your business faster.
For regularly usage, Jaaxy Enterprise does the trick in my book!
Cheers.
That’s one way of putting the cost of the SR, Dan! LOL.
Yeah, that’s true because other successful online business owners can rub off on you.
I’m also a member of an amazing community of bloggers who “pay it forward” and build successful online businesses. Without their help, I would not be the prosperous blogger I am today! So connecting with other successful people really does have a massive impact on your business.
Good on ya for using the Jaaxy keyword tool because it’s just perfect and so easy to use as well.
Neil
Thanks for the review.
As a member of Wealthy Affiliate, I pay $19.99 per month for Jaaxy and it does the work I need. How is the SEMrush keyword tool different from Jaaxy?
For me the price just simply is not worth it and I don’t have time to watch videos to try and learn a new program if it’s not user friendly.
I was expecting you to recommend it and was glad you didn’t. The price really is bad.
It’s a pleasure, Dan!
The cost of Jaaxy is very affordable (even for non-WA members) compared to many keyword tools, not just SR.
To answer your question, Jaaxy is primarily focused on finding you long-tail keywords for SEO (using all essential metrics), offers a cool bunch of SEO features, is obviously a lot cheaper, and definitely more newbie/user-friendly compared to SR, in my opinion.
I think SR is a great tool to start out with (considering you get a 1-week free trial). But I think it’s expensive, especially when you don’t get the necessary SEO keyword metrics.
Neil
SEMrush sounds way expensive. I’m just a newbie with hardly any experience with keywords, SEO and PPC. I don’t know when, if ever, I could or would justify the cost of the reviewed product.
Especially when Google provides free tools and Jaaxy is less expensive if you thought you needed a keyword tool.
But if I ever get advanced to do PPC marketing I may have to look at SEMrush again. It just seems like you would have to be making a bunch of money to justify the cost.
SR sure is a tad on the expensive side, Jeff!
As a newcomer to the internet marketing world, it would be best to avoid expensive tools so you’re not out of pocket from the get-go.
Google Planner is a great keyword tool for PPC, but Jaaxy is the ideal one you should use if you’re a newbie when it comes to blogging, keyword research, and SEO, in general.
Yeah, by all means, go for it! When you’re making money online with the help of Jaaxy, you can try SR for your Pay Per Click campaigns. At least your profits will cover SR’s membership fees. 😉
You’ve published an important topic which is a very big issue for SEO marketers who want to know about SEMrush clearly. Thank You for solving lots of our keyword research problems with your review.
Thanks, Stacy! 😀
SR is a good tool, but there are inexpensive options out there for your keyword research and other SEO tasks.
You’re very welcome!
Please don’t hesitate to reach out again if you need help with your research/SEO.