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local seo

Discover the Benefits and Features of SEMrush

Debbie
Search Engine Optimization

To ensure prospective customers can find you online, it is critical your website shows up on the first page of Google for not only your brand name, but other keywords as well. Research suggests more than 70% of the time people do not even visit the second page of Google search results.


SEO, or search engine optimization is the specific name for optimizing your site for search engines. If your website is not ranking for your core products or services on the first page of Google, you can use tools like SEMrush to improve your rankings.

In this ultimate guide to SEMrush, we discuss the various benefits of the software, how you can use it to optimize your website, and if you are new to the software, where to start.



What is SEMrush?


SEMrush is quite possibly the most popular SEO tool available on the market. Originally designed to help businesses improve their organic search results and rankings, the software is always adding new features to stay relevant in today’s ever-changing world of digital marketing. Many digital marketing professionals use SEMrush because it:


·        Provides key data on competitors paid and search strategies

·        Offers keyword and link building suggestions which helps with SEO

·        Generates relevant site audits with critical issues that need attention 


Utilizing each of the tools SEMrush provides will help your company not only improve its search engine results, but overall website performance. An effective digital marketing strategy includes SEO, PPC, social media, branding, and more, and SEMrush can help with each of these areas.


Some of the tools SEMrush offers are: Site Audit, Position Tracking, On Page SEO Checker, Social Media Tracker, Social Media Poster, Brand Monitoring, Backlink Audit, Link Building, PPC Keyword Tool, Ad Builder, Organic Traffic Insights, and Content Analyzer. You do not have to use every tool - just the ones you are interested in for your business.




The Benefits of SEMrush


SEMrush offers many benefits for both businesses and agencies. The user-friendly software easily stores your websites as ‘projects’ and under each project you’ll find the tools you’ve selected for that specific website. While the program can be customized to your specific needs, below we list several key benefits that make SEMrush one of the most popular digital marketing tools online.


1.   Easily Monitor and Manage Your Organic Rankings


Quickly discover how visible your site is on the web, what your top keywords are, and where you stand against the competition. Not sure who your competitors are? SEMrush will show you similar companies it identifies as competitors. You can select the main keywords you wish to rank for and enter specific competitors as well. SEMrush even shows you how your organic rankings look on desktop and mobile, and believe us, they can be quite different! Monitor your keyword performance over the last 7, 30, 60, or 90 days to see what has improved or declined.


2.   Develop Compelling and Creative PPC Campaigns


If your company uses Google search ads, you understand the battle of deciding which keywords to bid on and which ad group they belong in. On top of that, you only have a small space in the headline and description to convince someone to click on your ad. With SEMrush, you can analyze your competitors’ ads, create compelling new ad texts, and assign your new ads to an existing keyword group. You can also research keyword ideas, view search volume and trends, and add new keywords into your ad groups with just a few clicks. The PPC tools from SEMrush are helpful for improving your overall paid search strategy.



3.   Take Your Content Marketing to the Next Level


SEMrush is great at showing which keywords are doing well and bringing traffic to your site and which ones need improvement. The software provides ideas for specific pages that need optimization, including content, strategy, backlink, technical SEO, and user experience suggestions. It is easy to see what your competitors are doing for similar pages. You can also view a list of websites that are linking back to your site, if you have any toxic backlinks, where your brand is mentioned online, and find opportunities for high-quality backlinks, all a large part of improving your SEO and content strategy. 



4.   Create Simplified Reports Your Team Will Love


With SEMrush, you can collect data and export results to easy-to-read PDF reports or excel spreadsheets. You can customize these reports for your needs and share or distribute through a quick link or directly through email. This easy shareability allows your whole team to stay updated wherever they may be working. No more entering data by hand from Google Analytics and creating custom spreadsheet reports - SEMrush creates simple reports your whole team will love and understand!


5.   Analyze & Track Social Media Effectiveness


Social media marketing is essential for creating an online brand. The images, videos, posts, stories, ads, and customer interactions on your social platforms will affect what potential customers think of your company. Through brand monitoring, SEMrush tracks any time your brand is mentioned on social media. This helps you understand if there are any issues or if you have any influencer marketing opportunities. Additionally, you can track your social audience and their activity with you or your competitors on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to see how your current social campaigns are performing. If you are looking for one tool that can schedule social media postings across various platforms, SEMrush can do that, too!


Most Valuable Features of SEMRush


SEMrush Features


Now that you understand how SEMrush can benefit your company, how do you put these ideas into action? Below we list some of the most popular features of this software, so you know exactly how to drive more traffic to your website and start generating more leads.


1.   Domain Overview


Possibly the best feature of SEMrush is the domain overview tool. Here you can view key website statistics of your own company, or literally ANY other website: your local competitors, national competitors, or your all-time dream company. Get insights on what you are currently doing well or view what your competitors are doing to see where you can improve. Simply enter the domain you are interested in and SEMrush will present easy-to-read data and graphs on organic search traffic, paid search traffic, backlinks, and display advertising.



2.   Position Tracker


The position tracking tool from SEMrush is definitely our favorite! Compile a list of your most important keywords - the products or services you offer - that you would like to rank on the first page of Google. Make sure to select desktop or mobile and choose your service area - this can be a country, state, city, or a zip code. The position tracking tool will then show you where you are currently ranking in your specified area and if your keywords are included in any SERP features. You will see search volume data, what page the keywords are ranking on, and the position difference between your selected time periods. This allow us to do Live SEO Sessions with our clients which is a game changer. 

 

 The best part? You can add competitors and see where they are ranking for the same keywords. Under Rankings Distribution, you will see which keywords you have in the top 3 positions, top 10 positions, top 20 positions, and top 100 positions, and where you stand against the competition. We love this tool because it helps visualize which keywords need work and it shows how any SEO edits impact the site.



3. Traffic Analysis


In addition to understanding what keywords you are ranking for on Google and what page of Google is showing up for each keyword, it is important to evaluate website traffic. Who is visiting your website and where are they coming from? With the traffic analytics tool, SEMrush shows how many site visits you had for a specified time period. Additionally, you will see average stats for how many pages were viewed each visit, how long a user stayed on the site, and the bounce rate. You can view trends by device, traffic sources, and other options as well.



4.   Keyword Research


Discover everything you need to know about your website’s current keywords and find information on both organic and paid search trends with SEMrush keyword research tools. You can use this tool for optimizing current campaigns, but definitely want to use it when creating a new SEO or PPC campaign. Simply enter a keyword or phrase you are interested in, and you will see its search volume, difficulty, average cost per click, keyword variations, questions, and related keywords. By looking at this data, you can decide whether the keyword is one you want to fight for or if a different variation of the keyword may be a better fit.



5.   Market Insights


Another way to gain a competitive advantage is by looking at market insights. Simply enter who you believe is the top company in your industry to the market explorer tool, and SEMrush will identify industry competitors, labeling them as either game changers, niche players, established players or leaders. This helps you understand who your true ‘role models’ are in the industry and what you can do to gain more market share. You will see which domains get the most site visits, the market’s general traffic generation strategy, and even audience demographics, such as age, gender, interests, and geo location.



Where to Start


When you first start working with SEMrush, it can seem intimidating. We understand - there are seriously so many features available with the software! We recommend first looking to see where your current website traffic is coming from. You can do this with the traffic analysis or domain overview tool. Once you have a good understanding there, then look at your competitors to see which channels are generating their traffic.

 

Are your competitors spending more money on paid ads? Do they have more backlinks and referrals? Do their websites have more pages and get better organic results? Look to see what they are doing that you are not to formulate a strategy going forward. If you do not have a large marketing budget and cannot afford a hefty PPC campaign, optimizing your SEO may be a more affordable option.

 

In fact, some SEO packages are very affordable compared to PPC where you are paying to have people click and visit your website. Ranking organically on Google is free. However, you may want to hire an experienced SEO company who can point your business in the right direction. 

 

ClickReady Marketing is a Georgia SEO Marketing Agency that works with both local and national businesses. We offer live SEO sessions, making edits to your site in real-time. We are not only dedicated to improving your site’s organic search results but teaching you about SEO as well. Learn more about our services by calling us at 404-923-0015 today.




Frequently Asked Questions about SEMRush

  • Why is SEMRush important?

    SEMRush contains many features that you can use to improve your business’s online rankings. With traffic analysis, marketing insights, and keyword research, you can use this platform to rise in search results.


  • Is SEMRush free to use?

    No. SEMRush has a few pricing packages to choose from, all tailored to the budgets of businesses both large and small.

  • Can I use SEMRush for social media?

    Yes. You can integrate SEMRush into your social media accounts so that you can monitor how your brand name is being used and what customers are saying about your services.


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