How to Use Semrush: Complete Workflow Guide for 2026
Featured photo by Christin Hume via Unsplash
The hardest part of learning how to use Semrush is not the interface or the features. It’s figuring out which of the 55+ tools you actually need and in what order.
Most people sign up for the Pro plan at $139.95/month, open the dashboard, and freeze. The sidebar lists 20+ tool categories. The dashboard shows graphs you don’t understand yet. There’s no obvious “start here” button.
This guide walks through exactly how to use Semrush in the order that makes sense — the way someone building an SEO strategy actually works, not the way the menu is organized.
Setting Up Your First Semrush Project
Before you touch keyword research or competitor analysis, set up a project. This is where Semrush tracks your site’s performance over time.
From the dashboard, click “Projects” in the left sidebar. Click “Create Project” and enter your domain. Semrush asks for a project name and the primary location you want to track rankings in — choose the country where most of your audience lives.
The project setup wizard prompts you to add keywords to track. Skip this for now. You’ll add keywords after you do keyword research, not before.
How to Use Semrush for Keyword Research
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The Keyword Magic Tool is where most workflows start. It’s the largest keyword database in Semrush — over 27 billion keywords across 130 databases.
Click “Keyword Magic Tool” under the Keyword Research section. Type a seed keyword related to your business. If you sell project management software, type “project management.”
Semrush returns thousands of keyword variations. The table shows search volume, keyword difficulty (KD %), and cost-per-click if you were running paid ads.
Filter by keyword difficulty. Click the “KD %” filter and set the range from 0 to 40. This surfaces keywords that are easier to rank for without an established domain authority.
Look for keywords with search volume above 500 and difficulty below 40. Export the list by clicking the checkbox next to the keywords you want and selecting “Export.”
The limitation nobody mentions upfront: the Pro plan caps keyword research reports at 10,000 results per query. For most users this is fine. For agencies running research across dozens of clients, it becomes a bottleneck faster than expected.
Adding Keywords to Position Tracking
Once you have a list of target keywords, add them to Position Tracking so Semrush monitors your rankings daily.
Go back to your project. Click “Position Tracking” and then “Set up tracking.” Paste the keywords you exported from the Keyword Magic Tool.
Semrush asks which device (desktop or mobile) and which location to track. Choose mobile if most of your traffic comes from mobile devices — check Google Analytics or Google Search Console to confirm.
Position Tracking updates daily. You’ll see a graph showing ranking movements, average position, and estimated traffic from those keywords.
The Pro plan tracks 500 keywords. If you need to track more, Guru increases the limit to 1,500 keywords for $249.95/month.
Running a Site Audit to Fix Technical Issues
Before you publish new content or build backlinks, run a site audit to identify technical problems that hurt rankings.
Inside your project, click “Site Audit.” Semrush crawls your site and generates a health score out of 100. The report highlights errors, warnings, and notices across categories like crawlability, HTTPS, internal linking, and site performance.
Start with errors marked as “high priority.” Common issues include broken links, missing meta descriptions, duplicate content, slow page load times, and crawl depth problems where important pages are buried too many clicks from the homepage.
Each issue includes a plain-English explanation and a link to Semrush’s documentation on how to fix it. If you’re not technical, share the report with your developer — the format is clear enough that they’ll understand what needs fixing.
The Pro plan audits up to 100,000 pages per month. For larger sites, you’ll need Guru or Business to increase the crawl limit.
How to Use Semrush for Competitor Analysis
Semrush’s competitor analysis tools show you exactly what’s working for competitors so you can reverse-engineer their strategy.
Click “Domain Overview” under Competitive Research. Enter a competitor’s domain. Semrush shows their estimated monthly organic traffic, paid search traffic, backlink count, and top-performing pages.
Scroll to the “Top Organic Keywords” section. This table lists the keywords your competitor ranks for, their position, search volume, and the estimated traffic each keyword drives.
Look for keywords where the competitor ranks in positions 1-3 but you don’t rank at all. These are opportunities. Export the list and add those keywords to your content calendar.
The “Organic Competitors” report shows which domains compete with you in search results. Semrush calculates this by comparing keyword overlap — the more keywords you share, the higher the competition level.
Use the Keyword Gap tool to compare up to five domains side by side. Enter your domain and four competitors. Semrush highlights keywords your competitors rank for that you’re missing, keywords where you outrank them, and keywords where everyone is competing.
Backlink Analysis and Link Building
Backlinks remain one of Google’s top-ranking factors. Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool shows who links to you, the quality of those links, and where competitors are getting links you don’t have.
Click “Backlink Analytics” under Link Building. Enter your domain. Semrush shows total backlinks, referring domains, authority score, and a breakdown of follow vs. nofollow links.
Check the “Referring Domains” tab. This lists every site linking to you. Sort by Authority Score to see which high-quality sites are sending links.
The “Anchors” report shows the anchor text used in backlinks pointing to your site. If most anchors are branded (your company name), that’s normal. If you see spammy anchors or over-optimized exact-match anchors, those links could be hurting you.
Run a backlink audit by clicking “Backlink Audit” in your project. Semrush scans your backlink profile and flags toxic links — links from low-quality or spammy sites that could trigger a Google penalty. You can export the toxic links and submit a disavow file to Google Search Console.
To find link building opportunities, use the “Backlink Gap” tool. Enter your domain and three competitors. Semrush shows domains linking to competitors but not to you. Reach out to those sites and pitch your content.
Content Optimization with the SEO Writing Assistant
The SEO Writing Assistant analyzes your content in real time and suggests improvements based on top-ranking competitors for your target keyword.
This feature is available starting with the Guru plan. If you’re on Pro, you won’t have access to it.
Open the SEO Writing Assistant from the Content Marketing section. Enter your target keyword. Semrush analyzes the top 10 ranking pages and provides recommendations for word count, readability, keyword usage, and tone of voice.
As you write, the tool scores your content in real time. Green means you’re optimized. Yellow and red flags highlight areas that need improvement.
Integrate the SEO Writing Assistant with Google Docs or WordPress by installing the Semrush browser extension. This lets you optimize content directly in your CMS without switching tabs.
Tracking ROI: Connecting Semrush Data to Real Results
The biggest mistake beginners make is treating Semrush as a reporting tool instead of a decision-making tool. The data only matters if it changes what you do.
Set up Position Tracking to monitor rankings. But don’t stop there. Connect Position Tracking data to Google Analytics by comparing keyword ranking increases against actual traffic increases.
If a keyword moves from position 8 to position 3 but traffic doesn’t increase, the keyword might have low search intent or the SERP is dominated by features like AI Overviews that reduce click-through rates.
Use the Traffic Analytics tool (available on Guru and Business plans) to estimate competitor traffic and benchmark your performance. This tool shows estimated visits, traffic sources, and audience demographics for any domain.
Integrate Semrush with Google Search Console for more accurate data. Go to your project settings and connect your Search Console account. Semrush pulls in actual click and impression data from Google, which is more reliable than estimated traffic.
Semrush Pricing and Plan Comparison
Which Semrush plan you need depends on how many projects you manage, how many keywords you track, and whether you need content marketing tools.
| Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price | Projects | Keywords Tracked | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush Pro | $139.95 | $117.33/month | 5 | 500 | Solo bloggers, freelancers |
| Semrush Guru | $249.95 | $208.33/month | 15 | 1,500 | Small agencies, content teams |
| Semrush Business | $499.95 | $416.66/month | 40 | 5,000 | Agencies, enterprise teams |
| Ahrefs Lite | $129 | $108/month | 5 | 750 | Backlink-focused users |
| Moz Pro Standard | $99 | $79/month | 3 | 300 | Small business SEO |
Guru is the most popular plan for one reason: it includes the Content Marketing Toolkit, historical ranking data, and multi-location tracking. These features are essential for anyone publishing content regularly or managing client SEO.
Pro works if you’re managing one or two sites and don’t need content optimization tools. Business makes sense only if you need API access or Share of Voice tracking.
Who Should Use Semrush
- SEO agencies managing multiple client sites — the project structure and white-label reporting (Guru and above) are built for this workflow
- Content marketers who need keyword research, topic clustering, and SEO writing optimization in one platform
- In-house marketing teams tracking competitors and monitoring brand visibility across search and paid channels
- Freelance SEO consultants who need detailed reporting to justify client retainers
- E-commerce businesses analyzing competitor product keywords and tracking category-level rankings
Who Should Skip Semrush
- Solo bloggers on a tight budget — cheaper alternatives like SE Ranking or Mangools cover the basics at a third of the cost
- Local service businesses that only need local rank tracking and citation management — Semrush is overkill and most features go unused
- Teams that only need site audits — standalone tools like Screaming Frog cost $259/year and provide deeper technical crawls
- Companies that primarily need backlink data — Ahrefs has a larger backlink database and updates more frequently
- Startups not yet generating revenue from organic search — the cost is hard to justify before SEO is a proven channel
The One Limitation That Changes the Calculation
Semrush charges per user seat. Each additional user on your account costs $45/month on Pro, $80/month on Guru, and $100/month on Business.
For a three-person team on Guru, the real cost is $249.95 plus two additional seats at $80 each — $409.95/month, not $249.95. That’s $4,919.40/year.
Most competitors like Ahrefs and Moz charge per user seat too, but the incremental cost is lower. This makes Semrush expensive for teams that need shared access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Semrush better than Ahrefs?
Semrush offers a broader toolkit including content marketing, PPC analysis, and social media tools. Ahrefs has a larger backlink database and faster index updates. Choose Semrush if you need an all-in-one platform. Choose Ahrefs if backlink analysis is your primary focus.
Can beginners use Semrush effectively?
Yes, but expect a learning curve. Start with keyword research and position tracking first. The interface is dense and some reports require SEO knowledge to interpret correctly. Semrush Academy offers free courses that help beginners ramp up faster.
Does Semrush offer a free trial?
Semrush offers a 7-day free trial on the Pro and Guru plans. You need a credit card to activate the trial, and it converts to a paid subscription automatically unless you cancel before the trial ends.
How accurate is Semrush keyword data?
Semrush pulls keyword volume data from Google Keyword Planner and third-party clickstream data. The numbers are estimates, not exact figures. For more accurate data, connect Google Search Console to your Semrush account — this pulls real impressions and clicks from Google.
Can I use Semrush for local SEO?
Yes, but local SEO tools are limited on the Pro plan. Position Tracking supports city-level location targeting, and the Listing Management tool helps manage local citations. For dedicated local SEO work, tools like BrightLocal or Whitespark offer deeper local-specific features.
Start With One Workflow and Expand From There
Sign up for the 7-day trial on the Guru plan, not Pro. Guru gives you access to the Content Marketing Toolkit, which is where most users see the biggest value.
In the first three days, set up one project, run a site audit, and fix the top five errors. Then spend two days on keyword research using the Keyword Magic Tool. Export 50 keywords and add them to Position Tracking.
By day seven, you’ll know if Semrush fits your workflow. If the data changes what you publish, how you prioritize content, or how you measure success, it’s worth keeping. If you’re just generating reports you don’t act on, cancel before the trial ends.
For more on choosing the right SEO platform, check out our best AI tools section for 2026.
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