Hubbry Logo
SemrushSemrushMain
Open search
Semrush
Community hub
Semrush
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Semrush
Semrush
Semrush
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Semrush Holdings, Inc. is an American public company that has a SaaS platform known as Semrush.[4][5] The platform is used for keyword research, competitive analysis, site audits, backlink tracking, domain authority tracking, and online visibility insights.[6] The keyword research tool provides various data points on each keyword.[7] The platform also collects information about online keywords gathered from Google and Bing search engines.[8][9] More recently, Semrush has integrated artificial intelligence technologies aimed at enhancing visibility within AI-driven search environments.[10][11] It was released by Boston-based company Semrush Inc, founded by Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitri Melnikov.[12][13]

Key Information

As of 2025, the company has 1000+ employees and offices in Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Yerevan, Limassol, Prague, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Boston, and Dallas.[14][15] It went public in March 2021 and trades on NYSE: SEMR.[16]

History

[edit]

Semrush was first released as Seodigger before becoming an extension of Firefox, then renamed SeoQuake Company in 2007,[17] before landing on Semrush (the acronym SEM stands for Search engine marketing).

In April 2018, the company received $40 million in funding as part of a financing transaction co-led by venture capital firms Greycroft, E.ventures and Siguler Guff, in preparation for its expansion into various platforms of research, including those owned by Amazon, Microsoft, and Baidu.[18][19]

In December 2020, the company rebranded with a new visual identity, updating its name from "SEMrush" to "Semrush".[20]

In March 2021, Semrush had an initial public offering and went public on NYSE under the symbol NYSE: SEMR.[21] The S-1 form revealed that the company had sales of $213 million and more than 82,000 customers.[22][23]

Semrush's founders are Russian, and relocated to the US in 2017. In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the company ceased all operations in Russia and offered relocation to Russian-based staff to other European countries.[24]

In June 2022, the company launched a beta tool for content generation called Content Outline Builder. The tool will suggest ideas for article writing and blog posts.[25] Semrush also announced on June 27, 2022, that their Backlinks insights data is now integrated with SurferSEO, a marketing tool focused on content creation.[26][27]

In February 2023, Semrush announced an integration with Wix.com, enabling Wix users to access Semrush’s SEO tools directly through the Wix platform.[28]

In March 2024, Semrush acquired the assets of Datos, a digital marketing company, with the aim of integrating its audience intelligence tools into the Semrush platform.[29]

In June 2024, Semrush launched "Semrush Enterprise", an AI-driven platform to streamline digital marketing for large businesses.[30]

In July 2024, Semrush acquired Ryte, a German SaaS company specializing in website quality management and SEO optimization.[31]

In March 2025, Bill R. Wagner became CEO of Semrush, succeeding co-founder Oleg Shchegolev, who transitioned to the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Wagner is the former CEO of GoTo Group.[32] In March 2025, Semrush introduced "Semrush Enterprise AIO", an enterprise platform that monitors, manages, and optimizes brand presence across AI-powered search platforms. In September 2025, Semrush announced it was intensifying its focus on artificial intelligence. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Technology Conference, Semrush executives described AI as a "generational shift", emphasizing the role of AI-powered tools within the Semrush platform.[33][34]

Acquisitions

[edit]

Acquisitions made by Semrush include:

  • 2022 – Backlinko[35]
  • 2022 – Kompyte, an intelligence and sales platform[36]
  • 2023 – Traffic Think Tank, a SEO community[37]
  • 2024 – Third Door Media, the publisher of publisher of Search Engine Land[38]
  • 2024 – Brand24, a brand monitoring platform[39]
  • 2024 – Ryte, for SEO and user experience[40]
  • 2024 – Datos, for data analytics[41]
  • 2024 – Exploding Topics, a data-driven trend discovery platform[42]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Semrush

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia

Semrush Holdings, Inc. is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that provides an online visibility management platform focused on search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, content marketing, and competitive research tools. The platform aggregates data from search engines and other sources to offer insights into keyword performance, website traffic, backlinks, and market trends, enabling businesses to optimize their digital marketing strategies. Founded in 2008 by Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitry Melnikov in St. Petersburg, Russia, Semrush initially developed as a private SEO tool before expanding into a comprehensive suite accessible to marketers worldwide. The company relocated its headquarters to , , and has since grown to serve over 10 million users, achieving annual recurring revenue exceeding $300 million through subscription-based models. Semrush went public on the in March 2021 under the SEMR, marking a significant milestone in its evolution from a niche SEO provider to a multinational enterprise with offices across , , and . Key achievements include recognition as a leader in digital marketing analytics, with tools that power data-driven decisions for enterprises and agencies alike, and innovations such as AI-enhanced features for content optimization, traffic forecasting, and backlink analysis. While the platform has earned awards for its SEO capabilities, it operates in a competitive landscape alongside tools like Ahrefs and Moz, where debates over data accuracy and algorithmic reliance persist, though no major corporate scandals have emerged.

Company Overview

Founding and Early Years

Semrush was founded in 2008 by Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitry Melnikov, two technology entrepreneurs and software engineers, SEO enthusiasts and lifelong friends from St. Petersburg, Russia, who had begun developing personal SEO tools as early as 2006. Oleg Shchegolev, as the technical co-founder, played a key role in the product vision, software architecture, and data-driven approach behind Semrush, contributing to its adoption by digital marketers, agencies, and enterprises worldwide. Dmitry Melnikov played a central role in the engineering, data infrastructure, and technical scalability of the Semrush platform, helping transform it from a niche SEO tool into an enterprise-grade software solution used by marketers, agencies, and companies worldwide. The company originated as a small team of IT and SEO specialists united by a mission to promote transparency in online competition through data-driven insights into search engine marketing. Initially, Semrush focused on creating a single proprietary tool for private use, designed to analyze keyword performance and competitor visibility in search results. In 2009, with a minimal team of three employees, Semrush launched its pilot product, marking the transition from internal development to a commercial offering targeted at digital marketers seeking empirical data on search algorithms and rankings. This early version emphasized core functionalities like keyword research and backlink analysis, addressing gaps in existing tools by providing verifiable metrics derived from search engine data crawls. Operations remained bootstrapped and regionally focused in Russia, relying on organic growth through practitioner networks rather than formal marketing. By 2012, Semrush had expanded its platform to include four integrated tools, covering broader aspects of search engine optimization and pay-per-click analysis, while formally registering as a U.S. entity to support international scalability. This period laid the groundwork for causal understanding of search dynamics, prioritizing first-hand data collection over theoretical models, though the company faced challenges from evolving search engine updates that necessitated continuous tool refinements, with Melnikov's expertise in software engineering driving these advancements. Early adoption was driven by word-of-mouth among SEO professionals valuing the platform's precision in quantifying competitive factors.

Leadership and Corporate Structure

Semrush Holdings, Inc. operates under a standard corporate governance structure for a publicly traded company, with a board of directors overseeing strategic direction and an executive management team handling day-to-day operations. The company, incorporated in Delaware, follows U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requirements, including independent board committees for audit, compensation, and governance. In March 2025, William (Bill) R. Wagner assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer, succeeding co-founder Oleg Shchegolev, who transitioned to Chief Technology Officer while remaining on the board. Wagner, with prior experience as a technology executive, leads overall strategy and operations. Eugene Levin serves as President, focusing on strategy and corporate development. Brian Mulroy acts as Chief Financial Officer, managing financial reporting and investor relations. Dmitry Melnikov served as Chief Operating Officer from 2012 until his resignation in June 2022, overseeing operational aspects and leveraging his background in software engineering to support technical scalability and data infrastructure; he now serves as a board member and co-founder. Key additional executives include Olga Andrienko as Chief Marketing Officer, overseeing global marketing efforts; Vitalii Obishchenko as Chief Product Officer, directing product development; and Tatiana Starikova as Chief Human Resources Officer. On September 30, 2025, Semrush appointed Abby Miller as Chief Customer Officer to enhance customer experience initiatives and Tara Haas as Chief of Staff to support operational scaling. The board of directors comprises seven members as of October 2025, including co-founder Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitry Melnikov. Other directors are Steven Aldrich, Anna Baird, Dylan Pearce, Trynka Shineman, and Caroline Tsay, with independent directors forming the majority to ensure oversight. The board may appoint a Lead Independent Director, though none is currently designated, allowing the CEO to also serve as board chair under the company's governance guidelines. Committees include audit (chaired by William Wagner prior to his CEO role), compensation, and nominating/governance, aligning with best practices for public companies.

Products and Services

Core SEO and Keyword Tools

Semrush's core SEO and keyword tools form the foundation of its platform, enabling users to conduct , monitor rankings, and identify technical site issues to optimize organic search performance. The Keyword Magic Tool serves as a primary resource for discovering and analyzing keywords, generating extensive lists of related terms from a single seed keyword drawn from a database exceeding 27 billion keywords across supported regions. It groups keywords by topic, provides metrics such as search volume, keyword difficulty, cost-per-click (CPC), and competitive density, and highlights () features like AI Overviews, People Also Ask boxes, or local packs to inform content and campaign strategies. Complementing this, the Keyword Overview tool delivers detailed metrics for individual keywords, including search volume, competition level, CPC estimates, search intent classification, and trend data across local, national, or global scopes. These insights support both organic SEO and paid search efforts by revealing opportunities for high-impact terms. For rank monitoring, Position Tracking allows users to set up campaigns that daily record a website's positions for selected keywords within Google's top 100 organic and paid results, customizable by geographic location, device type (desktop, mobile, tablet), and language. It provides visibility into trends, estimated traffic, and competitive shifts, with data aggregated weekly after initial 60-day daily tracking periods. On the technical side, the Site Audit tool crawls entire websites to detect over 140 on-page and technical SEO issues, such as crawlability errors, indexability problems, duplicate content, broken links, and inconsistencies, generating prioritized to-do lists for remediation. This tool assesses site health metrics like core web vitals compliance and mobile-friendliness, integrating with other Semrush features to recommend fixes based on real-time data. Together, these tools facilitate a data-driven , from keyword discovery and validation to ongoing performance tracking and site optimization.

Competitive and Technical Analysis Tools

Semrush's competitive analysis tools enable users to evaluate rivals' digital performance across traffic, SEO, backlinks, advertising, and market positioning. The Traffic Analytics tool benchmarks website traffic using daily and weekly data, revealing totals, top sources, and growth trends for direct comparison. Organic Research identifies organic search competitors, tracks position changes, and highlights keyword value with filters for gaps. The Keyword Gap tool allows side-by-side comparison of up to five domains to pinpoint shared, unique, or missing keywords, informing targeted SEO strategies. Backlink Analytics, Backlink Audit, and Backlink Gap examine referring domains, recent link changes, profile differences, and link quality to uncover link-building opportunities against competitors. The Backlink Audit tool features an AI-based Toxicity Score that assesses backlink risk by analyzing suspicious domains and over 50 quality parameters to identify toxic links potentially harming SEO. Semrush Copilot leverages backlink data to provide AI-powered personalized insights, including alerts for drops in authority score, unnatural or lost backlinks, broken pages, and suggestions for link-building strategies, enhancing backlink monitoring, auditing, and optimization. Semrush .Trends provides broader competitive intelligence through high-level market overviews, including top players, digital market shares, traffic acquisition channels, and user growth patterns. It delivers detailed insights into rivals' ad placements, content performance, partnerships, and promotional tactics, supported by automated 24/7 monitoring with email alerts for changes like new ads or content launches. The platform processes vast datasets, covering 27 billion keywords, 43 trillion backlinks, 190 countries, and 1 billion daily events, aiding decisions on marketing spend, partnerships, and expansion. In , Semrush's toolkit focuses on site health, crawlability, and optimization. Site Audit employs a high-speed crawler to detect over 140 on-page and technical issues, such as crawl errors, performance bottlenecks, internal linking problems, implementation, and international SEO factors, delivering prioritized fixes. The On Page SEO Checker audits specific pages against top-ranking competitors, generating actionable recommendations for content enhancements, internal/external links, and SERP feature targeting to boost rankings. Log File Analyzer parses server access logs to reveal bot activity patterns, structural issues, and Google crawler behavior, enabling crawl budget optimization and efficient resource allocation. These tools collectively support comprehensive audits, from broad site scans to granular log insights, prioritizing empirical fixes over speculative adjustments.

Content and Additional Marketing Toolkits

Semrush's Content Toolkit integrates SEO data, AI capabilities, and to facilitate the creation of search-optimized content throughout the marketing workflow, including ideation, production, optimization, and performance tracking. Key components include the Topic Research tool, which identifies high-potential content ideas based on search volume, competition, and topical relevance; the SEO Writing Assistant, which evaluates drafts for , keyword usage, and linking; and the Content Optimizer, which suggests improvements by analyzing top-ranking pages for targeted keywords. Additional features encompass the AI Article Generator for drafting full articles, SEO Brief Generator for structured outlines, and Content Audit for assessing existing content's SEO health and traffic potential. Beyond core content functions, Semrush provides specialized toolkits for ancillary marketing channels. The Social Media Toolkit automates posting across platforms like , , and X (formerly ), offers analytics for audience growth and engagement KPIs, and enables competitor benchmarking and brand mention monitoring. It supports cross-network scheduling and reporting to streamline workflows for teams managing multiple accounts. The Advertising Toolkit focuses on PPC and display campaigns, providing ad intelligence from and Meta, campaign organization tools, and AI-assisted ad creation, while revealing competitors' strategies through historical ad data and performance metrics. These toolkits are accessible via subscription tiers, with limits on queries and posts varying by plan, such as base access for essential functions and pro levels for advanced automation.

AI Integrations and Innovations

Semrush is one of the market leaders in AI-powered SEO tools, with robust features including ContentShake AI, the SEO Writing Assistant, and integrated AI competitor analysis. However, there is no universally "best" AI SEO tool, as the optimal choice depends on specific needs (e.g., content optimization, keyword research, full analysis). Semrush incorporates across its platform to automate content optimization, enhance search visibility analysis, and streamline marketing workflows. The SEO Writing Assistant (SWA), an AI-driven editor, evaluates content in real-time for SEO parameters, scores, originality via checks, and tone alignment, offering suggestions to improve and potential. Launched as part of broader content tools, SWA integrates with platforms like and , enabling writers to refine drafts directly within familiar interfaces. The Content Toolkit leverages AI for end-to-end , including topic ideation from keyword data, generation of SEO-optimized briefs, and production of long-form articles tailored to target audiences and search intent. ContentShake AI, a core component, uses to suggest high-impact ideas and draft outlines based on competitor and metrics, reducing manual time while prioritizing data-backed recommendations over generic prompts. Semrush also integrates artificial intelligence into its backlink analysis capabilities. The Backlink Audit tool features an AI-based Toxicity Score that evaluates backlink risk by analyzing suspicious domains and over 50 quality parameters, helping identify toxic links that could harm SEO. Semrush Copilot, an AI-powered SEO assistant, leverages backlink data to provide personalized, actionable insights, including alerts for drops in authority score, broken pages, unnatural or lost backlinks, and suggestions for link-building strategies. Separate tools like AI Backlink Builder focus on outreach and link acquisition rather than core analysis. In enterprise offerings, Semrush introduced AI Optimization on March 6, 2025, as the first tool to track, control, and refine brand appearances in AI-powered search platforms like Google's AI Overviews, addressing visibility shifts from traditional to generative results. This was complemented by the AI Visibility Index on September 8, 2025, a benchmark derived from aggregated AI Optimization data, quantifying brand exposure across AI engines with transparent scoring for strategic adjustments. Additional 2025 innovations include AI Mode in the Position Tracking tool, which monitors domain rankings specifically within AI search outputs, and the GBP Agent, launched October 10, 2025, for automated Business Profile management—handling updates, optimizations, and compliance to boost local AI-driven discovery. These features, bundled in AI-enhanced Toolkits announced May 12, 2025, unify workflows with , contributing to accelerated enterprise adoption and 20% year-over-year revenue growth in Q2 2025.

Business Development

Growth Milestones (2008–2020)

Semrush was founded in 2008 by Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitry Melnikov as an unincorporated entity initially developing a single SEO tool for private use. In 2009, the company launched a pilot product version with a team of three employees. By 2010, Semrush had surpassed 1,000 paying customers, marking early adoption among digital marketers. The company incorporated as Semrush Inc. in in 2012, expanding its platform to four tools and opening its first U.S. office near while launching Position Tracking functionality. In , Semrush reorganized under Bootstrap Marketing Group Ltd. and established a dedicated department to support scaling. Tool offerings grew to eight by 2014, followed by European expansion in 2015 with offices in and , , coinciding with exceeding 10,000 paying customers and the introduction of tools. Growth accelerated in the mid-2010s, with the platform reaching 21 tools by 2016 and 27 by 2017, when Semrush secured its first external funding round led by Siguler Guff & Company and launched for user education. Primarily bootstrapped through subscription revenue prior to 2017, the company raised a total of $37 million in equity funding by 2020 to fuel international operations. In 2018, Semrush relocated its headquarters to , opened a third U.S. office, surpassed $50 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), and added features like Local Listings management. By 2019, paying customers exceeded 50,000, ARR reached $100 million, and the platform introduced Competitive Intelligence add-ons, with revenue totaling $92.1 million. Semrush restructured with the incorporation of SEMrush Holdings, Inc. in December 2019. In 2020, the company acquired Prowly to bolster PR capabilities, launched the Sellerly tool for e-commerce, expanded into Poland, grew headcount beyond 900 employees across seven global offices serving 142 countries, and ended the year with 67,000 paying customers (up from 54,000 in 2019), 404,000 active free users, $124.9 million in revenue (35.6% year-over-year growth), and $144.2 million ARR. The platform expanded to over 55 tools by this point, reflecting sustained product innovation driven by customer demand.
YearPaying CustomersRevenue ($M)Key Platform Tools
2015>10,000N/ASocial Media tools added
2018N/A>$50M ARRLocal Listings add-on
2019>50,00092.1 add-on
202067,000124.9>55 tools; Sellerly launched

Initial Public Offering and Post-IPO Expansion

Semrush Holdings, Inc. completed its on March 29, 2021, after pricing the offering on March 24, 2021, at $14 per share for 10 million shares of , which began trading on the under the ticker symbol "SEMR" on March 25, 2021. The IPO raised approximately $140 million in gross proceeds before discounts and expenses, providing capital for further product development, international expansion, and general corporate purposes as outlined in the company's S-1 filing. In the year following the IPO, Semrush reported revenue of $188 million for , reflecting over 50% year-over-year growth from pre-IPO levels, driven by increased adoption of its SaaS platform amid rising demand for analytics. Post-IPO, the company sustained expansion through customer base growth, with annual recurring revenue (ARR) compounding at rates exceeding 30% annually into 2022, supported by enhancements to its core tools and entry into adjacent markets like and local SEO. By 2024, revenue reached $376.82 million, a 22.47% increase from $307.68 million in 2023, alongside achieving positive operating profit of $10.3 million on a trailing twelve-month basis, marking a shift from prior losses. Into 2025, Semrush guided full-year to $443–$446 million, implying approximately 18% growth, though tempered by higher paid-search costs; second-quarter hit $108.9 million, up 20% year-over-year, with high-value customers (paying over $50,000 annually) surging 83%. This period saw continued ARR expansion, with Q2 2025 ARR at levels supporting a six-year above 30% from 2019 benchmarks, fueled by platform integrations and enterprise wins despite macroeconomic headwinds in digital advertising. The company's post-IPO trajectory emphasized scalable SaaS metrics, including reduced churn and higher net retention, positioning it for sustained beyond SEO into broader online visibility management.

Acquisitions and Strategic Partnerships

Semrush has expanded its platform through a series of acquisitions targeting complementary technologies in SEO education, , content discovery, technical optimization, PR, and industry media. These moves, totaling seven as of September 2025, have aimed to integrate specialized tools and audiences into its core SaaS ecosystem, often enhancing opportunities and content resources for users. The company's first notable acquisition was Prowly, a Polish software provider, completed in August 2020. This purchase bolstered Semrush's media outreach and monitoring capabilities, aligning with its expansion into broader functions beyond SEO. In 2022, Semrush accelerated its acquisition strategy post-IPO. On January 19, it acquired Backlinko, a prominent SEO education site founded by Brian Dean, which brought approximately 500,000 monthly visitors and premium content resources to integrate with Semrush . Later, on February 28, Semrush announced the acquisition of Kompyte, a platform focused on enablement and real-time competitor tracking powered by AI; the deal, completed in , targeted upsell potential to Semrush's existing customer base, where 88% of Kompyte users overlapped with teams.
AcquisitionDateKey FocusSource
ProwlyAugust 2020PR and media monitoringSEC S-1 Filing
BacklinkoJanuary 19, 2022SEO education and contentSemrush
KompyteFebruary 28, 2022 (announced) and sales enablementSemrush
Traffic Think TankFebruary 22, 2023 education community ($1.8 million)Semrush Press Release
Exploding TopicsAugust 2024Trend discovery and content ideationExploding Topics Announcement
RyteJuly 11, 2024 user experience and technical SEORyte Press Release
Third Door Media ( Land, MarTech.org, SMX)October 16, 2024Industry media, events, and content publishing Land Announcement
Subsequent acquisitions included Traffic Think Tank on February 22, 2023, for $1.8 million, which added a premium marketing education community to Semrush Academy, providing members with specialized SEO training and peer networks. In August 2024, Semrush acquired Exploding Topics, a trend-spotting tool analyzing emerging search queries and topics, to strengthen content ideation features. Ryte, a Munich-based SaaS firm specializing in website optimization and technical audits, followed on July 11, 2024, enabling deeper technical SEO integrations. Most recently, on October 16, 2024, Semrush purchased Third Door Media, owner of publications like Search Engine Land and MarTech.org plus the SMX conference series, to gain direct control over influential content channels and event-driven audience engagement in the space. In addition to full acquisitions, Semrush took a majority stake in Brand24, a monitoring tool, during this period to extend its analytics into real-time brand listening without a complete merger. For strategic partnerships, Semrush emphasizes ecosystem collaborations over equity deals, fostering a network of over 100 agency and regional partners for localized implementation and reselling. These include integrations with platforms like for combined analytics in sales strategies and affiliate migrations to impact.com, which drove a 400% increase in partners by modernizing attribution models. On October 23, 2025, Semrush launched its Enterprise Partner Program to match large clients with certified agencies, aiming to streamline and enhance service delivery through vetted collaborators focused on digital visibility outcomes. Such alliances prioritize mutual growth via co-marketing and tool interoperability, though they remain non-exclusive and geared toward channel expansion rather than proprietary technology sharing.

Financial Performance

Revenue Growth and Key Metrics

Semrush's annual revenue has grown steadily, rising from $92.1 million in 2019 to $376.8 million in 2024, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of approximately 32.7% over that period. This expansion aligns with increasing adoption of its SaaS platform amid growing demand for digital marketing analytics tools. In 2023, revenue reached $307.9 million, up 21.0% year-over-year, followed by a 22.4% increase to $376.8 million in 2024.
YearAnnual Revenue (millions USD)Year-over-Year Growth (%)
201992.1-
2020124.735.4
2021188.351.0
2022254.134.9
2023307.921.0
2024376.822.4
Source: Semrush financial reports via Macrotrends. Into 2025, quarterly continued this trajectory, with Q1 of $105.0 million, a 22% increase from Q1 2024, and Q2 revenue of $108.9 million, up 20% year-over-year. Annual recurring (ARR), a core SaaS metric, stood at $424.7 million as of Q1 2025, up 20% from the prior year, underscoring subscription-based stability. Semrush forecasts full-year 2025 of $443–446 million, implying about 18% growth over 2024, revised downward from initial projections amid macroeconomic pressures but still positive. Key customer metrics further highlight growth drivers: the number of customers paying over $50,000 annually surged 83% year-over-year in Q2 2025, indicating successful enterprise penetration. Average ARR per paying customer reached $3,522 in Q4 2024, a 12.7% rise from 2023, reflecting pricing power and efficacy. Overall, trailing twelve-month as of mid-2025 approximated $414 million, with quarterly year-over-year growth at 19.7%. These figures demonstrate Semrush's resilience in a competitive market, though growth rates have moderated from peak post-IPO levels due to market saturation in core SEO segments.

Profitability and Stock Analysis

Semrush achieved its first quarter of profitability in Q1 2023, with subsequent quarters demonstrating positive operating income amid ongoing investments in growth. In Q1 2025, the company reported income from operations of $1.5 million and non-GAAP income from operations of $9.7 million, supported by revenue of approximately $85.8 million, up 21% year-over-year. By Q2 2025, revenue reached $108.9 million, a 20% increase from the prior year, though was negative $3.6 million due to timing of payments. (TTM) as of mid-2025 showed of -$1.28 million and a net margin of -0.31%, reflecting slim overall profitability despite gross margins exceeding 81%. These figures highlight Semrush's transition toward sustainable profits, driven by high-margin SaaS revenue, though offset by elevated operating expenses and rising customer acquisition costs in competitive . Key profitability metrics underscore gains. Gross profit TTM stood at $337.11 million, yielding an 81.4% margin, consistent with industry leaders in SEO software due to scalable subscription models. EBITDA TTM was $8.03 million, indicating positive cash generation potential before capital expenditures. remained negative at -0.79% TTM, attributable to share dilution post-IPO and reinvestments, while per share TTM reached $2.81 amid 19.7% quarterly growth. Semrush's path to consistent net profitability hinges on moderating and spend, which comprised a significant portion of , as enterprise customer expansion—evidenced by 83% year-over-year growth in clients paying over $50,000 annually—bolsters recurring stability. Semrush's (NYSE: SEMR) debuted via IPO in March 2021, pricing at $17 per share and opening higher, but has since declined amid market volatility and execution concerns. As of October 24, 2025, shares traded at $7.68, reflecting a year-to-date drop influenced by a lowered full-year 2025 guidance citing elevated paid-search costs per click, despite projected 18% revenue growth. The experienced a 20.47% decline in recent sessions tied to Q2 EPS misses, trading at a forward multiple below peers given ongoing profitability ramp. Analyst consensus rates SEMR as a Buy, with a 2025 price target of $13.50, predicated on sustained SEO market expansion and AI integrations enhancing margins. Market cap hovered around $1 billion in late 2025, positioning Semrush as a growth-oriented but valuation-discounted player in SaaS analytics.

Reception and Market Impact

Achievements and User Adoption

Semrush has demonstrated significant user adoption, expanding its paying customer base from 54,000 in to 118,000 as of the first quarter of , reflecting consistent growth driven by for its SEO and tools. The platform also supports over 1.16 million total users as of 2024, including free registered active users exceeding 1 million by certain milestones. This adoption spans small businesses, agencies, and enterprises, with annual additions averaging around 22,000 paying customers in recent years, underscoring its penetration in the competitive digital marketing sector. Key achievements include recognition as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Search Engine Optimization Solutions, Q3 2025, where Semrush was evaluated highest in competitive intelligence and praised for its robust analytics and vision integrating SEO with broader digital strategies. On Gartner Peer Insights, Semrush holds an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 across 129 reviews in categories like Enterprise SEO Platforms, highlighting user satisfaction with its data accessibility across 142 international databases tracking over 21 billion keywords. Additionally, Semrush received G2's Best Software Awards in 2023 for Marketing and Digital Advertising categories, affirming its usability and effectiveness among global users. These accolades and adoption metrics position Semrush as a dominant player in SEO software, with its tools powering visibility management for over 117,000 paying subscribers by late 2024, including expansions into enterprise segments. Industry awards such as the Best SEO Software Suite at the 2021 Global Search Awards further validate its technical prowess in and competitive analysis.

Criticisms and Limitations

Semrush has faced criticism for its high pricing structure, which starts at $129.95 per month for the Pro plan as of 2025, often deemed prohibitive for small businesses or individual users compared to competitors offering similar features at lower costs. Users on review platforms have highlighted that add-ons, such as AI-powered tools, incur extra fees, exacerbating perceived lack of value for those not utilizing the full suite. Data accuracy represents a notable limitation, with traffic estimates and keyword volumes frequently deviating from actual figures; independent analyses indicate keyword search volume predictions can be 10-15% lower than real-world performance on average. Traffic analytics show higher error rates for low-volume sites, where discrepancies exceed 20-30% due to reliance on aggregated third-party data and machine learning models rather than direct server logs. While Semrush employs proprietary algorithms to process billions of data points, critics note that inflated organic traffic projections can mislead SEO strategies, as evidenced by comparisons with tools like Google Analytics revealing consistent overestimations. Customer service has drawn complaints regarding responsiveness and subscription management, with users reporting difficulties in canceling accounts and delays in support tickets, contributing to a rating of 2.3 out of 5 as of late 2024. The platform's interface, while feature-rich, imposes export limits—such as capping reports at 1,000 rows in lower tiers—which hinders in-depth analysis for agencies handling large datasets. Additional limitations include incomplete internal linking analysis and a steep for non-experts, potentially overwhelming beginners despite extensive tutorials. These factors, combined with occasional restrictions, have led some users to supplement Semrush with alternatives for specialized tasks like precise auditing.

Competitive Landscape

Semrush operates in the competitive software market, particularly within (SEO), , and tools. As of 2025, the SEO tools sector features several established players offering overlapping functionalities such as , analysis, site audits, and traffic estimation, though Semrush differentiates itself through its all-in-one platform encompassing PPC, , and local SEO capabilities. The primary competitors are Ahrefs and Moz, both of which emphasize core SEO features but with distinct strengths. Ahrefs, founded in 2010, excels in profiling and large-scale link-building data, often praised for its comprehensive crawl index exceeding Semrush's in depth for certain metrics, though it lacks Semrush's breadth in non-SEO areas like management. Moz, established in 2004, targets smaller teams and beginners with a more affordable entry point and user-friendly interface for on-page optimization and scoring, but it trails in data volume and advanced competitive analysis compared to Semrush and Ahrefs. Other notable alternatives include SE Ranking for budget-conscious users seeking flexible pricing and white-label reporting, Serpstat for with integrated SERP analysis, and for broader traffic and audience insights beyond SEO. Tools like SpyFu focus on PPC keyword spying as a lower-cost option, while free or options such as Ubersuggest provide basic keyword and competitor data but lack the depth of paid suites. There is no single AI SEO tool universally considered the "best," as the optimal choice depends on specific needs (e.g., content optimization, keyword research, or comprehensive analysis). In the AI-powered SEO space, strong alternatives include Surfer SEO, which excels in AI-driven content optimization, NeuronWriter and Frase for AI-assisted content creation and optimization, and Ahrefs, which remains strong in backlink analysis and keyword research with AI enhancements. Semrush frequently ranks in the top 3-5 in 2024 lists of AI SEO tools, with robust features such as ContentShake AI, AI Writing Assistant, and integrated AI-powered competitor analysis.
CompetitorKey StrengthsPricing (Starting Monthly, 2025)Primary Focus
AhrefsBacklink analysis, site audits$99SEO core metrics
Moz, content optimization$99Beginner-friendly SEO
SE RankingRank tracking, agency tools$55Affordable scalability
Semrush maintains a competitive edge via its extensive database of over 25 billion keywords and integration of AI-driven insights, yet faces pressure from Ahrefs' superior link data freshness and Moz's established metrics like , which some users prefer for historical consistency despite Semrush's arguments for its Traffic Analytics accuracy. Market dynamics favor platforms with verifiable data accuracy, as discrepancies in traffic estimates across tools can mislead users, underscoring the need for cross-verification.

References

  1. https://www.semrush.com/company/
  2. https://investors.semrush.com/overview/default.aspx
  3. https://www.semrush.com/
  4. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/semrush
  5. https://startuptalky.com/semrush-success-story/
  6. https://www.linkedin.com/company/semrush
  7. https://www.founderclub.com/how-semrush-grew/
  8. https://dcfmodeling.com/blogs/history/semr-history-mission-ownership?srsltid=AfmBOooLsXa8kJ4cs8tRoMBQqP74Nid9rF3akpqOMT01LonNe-Oa1W1e
  9. https://www.semrush.com/news/372886-semrush-2024-a-year-in-review/
  10. https://www.semrush.com/backlink_audit/
  11. https://www.semrush.com/blog/copilot-ai-seo-assistant/
  12. https://www.stylefactoryproductions.com/blog/semrush-review
  13. https://canvasbusinessmodel.com/blogs/brief-history/semrush-brief-history
  14. https://investors.semrush.com/governance/board-of-directors/default.aspx
  15. https://investors.semrush.com/governance/board-of-directors/person-details/default.aspx?ItemId=2def5920-68aa-4ea2-93d3-2b2c785f972c
  16. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oleg-shchegolev-dmitri-melnikov-how-these-two-self_b_58e79624e4b00dd8e016eadd
  17. https://websults.com/semrush/
  18. https://partnerkin.com/en/blog/interviews/interview_with_semrush
  19. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828023011959/semrush-def14a41823.htm
  20. https://investors.semrush.com/governance/executive-management/default.aspx
  21. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828022017297/semr-20220616.htm
  22. https://craft.co/semrush/executives
  23. https://investors.semrush.com/news/news-details/2025/Semrush-Appoints-Chief-Customer-Officer-and-Chief-of-Staff-to-Leadership-Team/default.aspx
  24. https://investors.semrush.com/governance/committee-composition/default.aspx
  25. https://www.semrush.com/features/keyword-magic-tool/
  26. https://www.semrush.com/kb/262-keyword-magic-tool
  27. https://www.semrush.com/kb/617-keyword-magic-tool-manual
  28. https://www.semrush.com/kb/307-what-does-serp-features-mean-for-my-keywords
  29. https://www.semrush.com/features/keyword-research/
  30. https://www.semrush.com/features/position-tracking/
  31. https://www.semrush.com/kb/32-position-tracking
  32. https://www.semrush.com/kb/1246-how-do-i-see-historical-data-in-position-tracking
  33. https://www.semrush.com/features/site-audit/
  34. https://www.semrush.com/kb/31-site-audit
  35. https://www.semrush.com/siteaudit/
  36. https://www.semrush.com/seo/
  37. https://www.semrush.com/features/competitor-website-analysis-tools/
  38. https://www.semrush.com/features/seo-competitor-analysis-tool/
  39. https://www.semrush.com/features/backlink-audit-tool/
  40. https://www.semrush.com/kb/21-backlinks
  41. https://www.semrush.com/solutions/competitive-research/
  42. https://www.semrush.com/features/technical-seo-tools/
  43. https://www.semrush.com/features/content-marketing-tools/
  44. https://www.semrush.com/kb/812-content-toolkit
  45. https://www.semrush.com/content/
  46. https://www.astutecopyblogging.com/semrush-content-marketing-toolkit/
  47. https://masterblogging.com/semrush-content-toolkit/
  48. https://www.semrush.com/social-media/
  49. https://www.semrush.com/features/social-media-tool/
  50. https://www.semrush.com/features/social-media-marketing/
  51. https://www.semrush.com/advertising/
  52. https://www.semrush.com/toolkits/
  53. https://www.semrush.com/kb/1551-pricing-and-plans
  54. https://www.semrush.com/kb/1544-social-toolkit-pricing-and-limits
  55. https://www.semrush.com/swa/
  56. https://www.semrush.com/kb/814-seo-writing-assistant
  57. https://www.semrush.com/blog/seo-writing-tools/
  58. https://www.semrush.com/apps/ai-backlink-builder/
  59. https://www.semrush.com/news/385473-semrush-enterprise-unveils-ai-optimization-transforms-how-brands-appear-in-ai-search/
  60. https://www.semrush.com/news/422790-semrush-launches-ai-visibility-index-the-definitive-industry-benchmark-for-brand-performance-in-ai-search/
  61. http://www.semrush.com/news/releases/product-news/
  62. https://www.semrush.com/news/428673-semrush-launches-gbp-ai-agent-for-automated-google-business-profile-management/
  63. https://www.semrush.com/news/402397-semrush-introduces-toolkits-a-smarter-ai-powered-all-in-one-platform-for-marketers/
  64. https://ppc.land/semrush-posts-20-revenue-growth-as-ai-products-accelerate-adoption/
  65. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828021003658/semrushforms-1.htm
  66. https://investors.semrush.com/news/news-details/2021/Semrush-Announces-Closing-of-Initial-Public-Offering/default.aspx
  67. https://investors.semrush.com/news/news-details/2021/Semrush-Announces-Pricing-of-Initial-Public-Offering/default.aspx
  68. https://www.iposcoop.com/ipo/semrush-holdings-inc/
  69. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210329005747/en/Semrush-Announces-Closing-of-Initial-Public-Offering
  70. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/markets/stocks/SEMR/pressreleases/8064767/
  71. https://s27.q4cdn.com/202248034/files/doc_presentations/2025/Semrush-Investor-Presentation-Q1-25.pdf
  72. https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/semr/
  73. https://freedom24.com/ideas/details/15743
  74. https://investors.semrush.com/news/news-details/2025/Semrush-Announces-Second-Quarter-2025-Financial-Results/
  75. https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/semrush-q2-revenue-rises-20
  76. https://s27.q4cdn.com/202248034/files/doc_presentations/2025/Aug/08/Semrush-Investor-Presentation-Q2-25.pdf
  77. https://seekingalpha.com/article/4827102-semrush-stock-growth-concerns-overstated
  78. https://tracxn.com/d/acquisitions/acquisitions-by-semrush/__c2Yq1s4b89tO-ZfyMfovMgzAMruk5zgDZSlS2tFOKEE
  79. https://investors.semrush.com/news/news-details/2022/Semrush-Acquires-Backlinko.com-Adds-500K-in-Monthly-Traffic/default.aspx
  80. https://investors.semrush.com/news/news-details/2022/Semrush-To-Acquire-Kompyte-Enhance-Competitive-Intelligence-And-Sales-Enablement-Capabilities/default.aspx
  81. https://www.semrush.com/news/242246-semrush-acquires-leading-marketing-education-company-traffic-think-tank/
  82. https://explodingtopics.com/about
  83. https://en.ryte.com/company/newsroom/ryte-announces-acquisition-by-semrush/
  84. https://searchengineland.com/semrush-acquires-search-engine-land-447555
  85. https://www.semrush.com/company/partners/
  86. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251023227819/en/Semrush-Launches-Enterprise-Partner-Program-to-Empower-Agencies-and-Match-Customers-With-Certified-Partners
  87. https://agencies.semrush.com/growth/
  88. https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/SEMR/semrush-holdings/revenue
  89. https://investors.semrush.com/news/news-details/2025/Semrush-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2024-Financial-Results/default.aspx
  90. https://investors.semrush.com/news/news-details/2025/Semrush-Announces-First-Quarter-2025-Financial-Results/
  91. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/semrush-announces-first-quarter-2025-204000703.html
  92. https://bloggerspassion.com/semrush-statistics/
  93. https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SEMR/key-statistics/
  94. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828024020671/semrush8-kexhibit991q12024.htm
  95. https://finbox.com/NYSE:SEMR/explorer/gp_margin/
  96. https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SEMR/
  97. https://investors.semrush.com/stock-information/default.aspx
  98. https://www.aaii.com/investingideas/article/326040-why-semrush-holdings-inc8217s-semr-stock-is-down-2047
  99. https://public.com/stocks/semr/forecast-price-target
  100. https://www.saastr.com/5-interesting-learnings-from-semrush-at-425000000-in-arr/
  101. https://electroiq.com/stats/semrush-statistics/
  102. https://www.searchlogistics.com/learn/statistics/semrush-statistics/
  103. https://www.semrush.com/news/411835-semrush-named-leader-in-seo-solutions-analysis/
  104. https://www.gartner.com/reviews/vendor/semrush-1312513838
  105. https://backlinko.com/semrush-users
  106. https://investors.semrush.com/news/news-details/2021/Semrush-Wins-the-Best-SEO-Software-Suite-at-Global-Search-Awards/default.aspx
  107. https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/marketing/semrush-review
  108. https://ca.trustpilot.com/review/semrush.com
  109. https://www.traderscooter.com/how-accurate-is-semrush/
  110. https://www.promodo.com/blog/data-accuracy-at-similarweb-ahrefs-and-semrush
  111. https://bloggingx.com/how-accurate-is-semrush/
  112. https://www.topicfinder.com/accurate-semrush-estimates/
  113. https://www.trustpilot.com/review/semrush.com
  114. https://www.agencyheight.com/semrush-tool-review/
  115. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/semrush-review
  116. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/ahrefs-vs-semrush
  117. https://www.demandsage.com/semrush-alternatives/
  118. https://www.stylefactoryproductions.com/blog/ahrefs-vs-moz-vs-semrush
  119. https://searchatlas.com/blog/semrush-vs-moz-vs-ahrefs/
  120. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/moz-vs-ahrefs
  121. https://www.wpbeginner.com/opinion/semrush-vs-ahrefs-vs-moz-which-one-is-better-pros-and-cons/
  122. https://learn.g2.com/semrush-alternatives
  123. https://thecmo.com/tools/semrush-alternatives/
  124. https://www.spyfu.com/semrush-alternative
  125. https://backlinko.com/ahrefs-alternatives
  126. https://backlinko.com/ai-seo-tools
  127. https://surferseo.com/blog/best-ai-seo-tools/
  128. https://www.01net.com/en/seo/tools/ahrefs-vs-moz-vs-semrush/
  129. https://www.semrush.com/blog/analyzing-competitors-traffic/
  130. https://comeup.com/experts/en/semrush-vs-ahrefs-vs-moz-which-seo-tool-is-best-in-2025/
  131. https://www.oneupweb.com/blog/ahrefs-vs-semrush-vs-moz-the-battle-of-the-seo-tools/
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.