If you’re in the SEO game, you have two goals. One, you want to drive more people to your site, and two, you want to get there ahead of your competitors. And that’s where SEO tools come into play.
You know where you want to be in terms of SEO, that is to say, you know what your SEO goals are. SEO tools simply show you where you are in terms of SEO and how you can get where you want to be. You can see what’s working, and what’s not, and find opportunities to shoot past your competitors. It’s no surprise that every SEO campaign is centered around these tools.
Today, we’ll deep dive into two popular SEO tools – Semrush and Similarweb – and dissect how they can help you win the SEO game. Let’s leapfrog the basics and get to the juicy bit.
Semrush
SEMrush is a tool that aids you in marketing analysis and designing strategies. It helps you find the right techniques to increase the ranking and authority of your site.
With over 55 tools, Semrush delivers more than any other similar tool. Each feature that Semrush provides plays a huge role in increasing site traffic.
Keyword Research
This tool has keyword overview features that aid you in finding the best keywords to optimize your content and improve your site’s ranking. You will also get to know the value of each keyword which is based on factors such as:
- volume of searches
- difficulty level
- CPC
- level of competition
- SERP features
- intent
- amount of results
This, combined with the organic research feature, helps come up with strategies that can help you rank for your desired keywords. It also shows you how you can increase your site’s ranking and finds the most profitable keywords for your target audience.
The Keyword Magic tool is another feature that is worth highlighting. This generates thousands of combinations for keywords by entering only one seed keyword.
The Keyword Manager helps you create master lists of up to 1,000 keywords that fit your strategy. This feature allows you to freely share these keywords with your team and clients.
The Keyword Research tool also features the keyword gap tool. It helps you put in place new and fresh SEO campaigns by showing you keywords that you should be focusing on.
Technical SEO Tools
The technical SEO tools of SEMrush boost the ranking of your site by analyzing the site’s health and shortcoming from a technical perspective. These technical checks, with regular implementation, help keep you on top of things.
The Site Audit feature processes your site in a few minutes with the help of a high-speed crawler. It aids the user in finding solutions to fix the site.
The next feature worth noting is the On-page SEO checker. This feature will give you recommendations about link building and content and will give you pointers as to what you need to do in order to rise up the search engine rankings.
The Log File Analyzer analyzes your access logs. It then presents a picture for you of the interactions between your site and Google crawler. This feature deals with structural issues and helps with crawl budget optimization.
Website Competitor Analysis Tools
By using competitor analysis tools, you can discover everything about your rival. Imagine how useful it is if you can reverse engineer the activities of your rivals and use them to your advantage. These tools will aid you in doing exactly that.
The Traffic Analytics tool is one of the sub-features of competitive analysis. Using this tool, you can see the website traffic of your competitors and compare it to yours.
This will show you how your site fares amidst the crowd. You will be able to view the total traffic of your competitors, sources bringing in top traffic, bounce rate, and time on the page.
The Organic Research tool discovers search competitors and ways to compete against them. This way, you will be able to know the value of certain keywords that your competition is ranking for. It will also show you areas where they are lacking so you can rectify the shortcomings.
Advertising Research is another useful feature that collects information about the advertising landscape. It gives you an in-depth analysis of the advertising techniques of your rivals.
Plus, the Social Media Tracker will give an analysis of the social media presence of your rivals. Social media is one of the biggest marketing platforms today. This tracker informs you about what your audience wants, so you can find new ways of engagement.
Content Marketing Tools
Content marketing tools help you create the content that best fits the demands of your audience.
The Topic Research tool discovers content ideas to engage your audience and bring in the most traffic. It shows you the most searched topics so you can create content relevant to them.
The Marketing Calendar features:
- manages all the content strategies
- plans the editorial calendar
- executes team collaborations
You can now organize all your content development efforts using it.
The SEO Content Template feature generates a brief for SEO content outline within a few clicks. This will help you create content that will surely bring loads of traffic to your site.
On top of that, with the SEO Writing Assistant, you will improve readability and create rank-boosting content. This tool,
- checks your SEO score
- increases content readability
- comments on the tone of your content
- gives tips for improvement
You can also track your posts and compare your publications with your competitors. You can track backlink count, incoming traffics, daily rankings, and social media engagements too.
SEO Competitive Analysis Tools
Competitive analysis tools are essential from a marketing standpoint. How can you create the best experience for the audience without knowing what you are up against, right? These tools work by combining many features.
One of them is the Backlink Analytics tools. You can use this to find many backlink opportunities for yourself. All you have to do is enter the site of your competitor and you will see all their backlinks. From here, you can look at their top domains, apply filters, and see their most recent backlinks.
The second feature that aids along the way is the Backlink Gap. It helps you discover relevant link-building opportunities for your site. These features, combined with the keyword overview, organic research, and keyword gap, can boost your ranking.
Last, you can also track the position of your site. You can compare fluctuations in the search terms that you and your rivals are using. Plus, you can complete your competitive analysis in PDF form using SEMrush. You can also use gorgeous widgets and formatting tools to get the desired results.
Rank Tracking
You can track the rank of keywords and domains of your rivals using the Position Tracking feature. You can track the progress of your site and make necessary changes too. This will aid you in optimizing your efforts.
The Sensor feature allows the user to observe the daily changes in ranking. This way you will be able to see how your rivals are changing.
The Rank feature will research the domains which are most visible in the market. This way you will be able to discover the most paid keywords and paid traffic.
Social Media Management
With the social media management features of SEMrush, you can manage and publish your accounts. You can schedule your posts on any social media platform including:
- Goodreads
Moreover, you can track your performance on all these platforms and do much more besides. Using many time-saving features, you can make your life easy by creating a regular posting routine to stick by.
Plus, you can also launch and manage ads using the Social Media Ads tool on any social media platform. You can also observe the lowest-performing ads and Semrush will give you ways to make them more engaging.
Backlink Analysis Tools
As a marketer, link prospecting can be one of the hardest tasks out here. With Semrush, you will be able to get access to the database with almost 43 trillion backlinks. Backlink Analysis tools are essential as they allow you to discover inbound links.
You can then track them using a Backlink Builder powered by a big and quick database on the market. These backlink analytics find opportunities to boost your SEO using the backlinks of your competitors.
With Semrush, you get access to the most useful Backlink Audit tool that monitors your profile. It becomes easy to clean and you will be able to avoid Google penalties. This, combined with bulk backlink analysis and link-building tools, makes Semrush a mega-hit among SEO experts.
Other Features
In addition to all the ones described above, some other features in Semrush worth mentioning are:
- Listing Management
- On-page SEO Checker
- Social Media Toolkit
- Content Marketplace
- Content Optimization
- PLA Advertising
- PPC Keyword Tool
Pricing Overview
There are three plans of Semrush that you can buy, the cheapest one being the Pro plan at $119.95. Then comes the Guru plan which is $229.95 per month. And the most pricey plan is the Business plan with $449.95 per month. You can also opt for an annual payment option if you desire.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Excellent for rank tracking | Poor keyword difficulty tool |
Compares backlink with rivals | On the expensive side |
An efficient competitor analysis tool | Bulky UX |
The Backlink Gap and Keyword Gap features are effective | Difficult to use for beginners |
Can be used for social media management |
Similarweb
Similarweb is an amazing analytic tool used for competitive analysis. It uses amazing analysis features to execute the required tasks. This tool works on five separate areas and each of those is further branched out into mini tools. This tool helps you with digital research, digital marketing, e-commerce, investing, and sales.
Digital Research
The Digital Research feature allows the user to create strategies based on data to improve the business. This helps you to benchmark your digital performance and flourish in the digital world.
Competitive Benchmarking tools come in handy as they allow you to:
- Gain more opportunities for your business
- Track your performance
- Stand out in your market
This allows you to keep track of traffic and engagement on your site so you can stay aware of any market changes.
You can look at your site-related data and trends in the market. This allows you an opportunity to create the best product. You will be able to compare your market share with your rivals to ensure you are up to industry standards.
Market Research is another important tool that lets you get an in-depth look at the industry. It covers all the recent trends and growth of the digital market share. You get to analyze the industry, take a deeper look at macro changes, and track historical trends. And then use that knowledge to make an impact.
The Company Research tool handles how rivals are performing and what their digital footprint looks like. You will now be able to see the digital features of a company and what its figures are.
You can identify strategies and see changes in traffic and engagement. Then you can use that information to your advantage.
Audience Analysis is something a marketer learns as a basic. Behavioral data helps the company understand the consumer. This creates a product that will thrive in the market.
You can take a look at the insights of your audience to understand what the audience wants. Then you can meet their needs better than your rivals can. You will be able to see what kind of audience you have, how they are segmented, and how loyal they are.
These tools will help you put in place winner strategies by optimizing the buyer journey. You will discover what the meaningful touchpoints of the customers are and build on that. Plus, you gain knowledge about search trends.
Digital Marketing
A digital marketing strategy is important for any business. The world is getting more and more digitalized every day. And with that comes more competition.
The only way to succeed is to uncover the marketing strategies of your competitors. For that, you will need a trusted friend by your side. SimilarWeb can for sure fill those shoes.
SimilarWeb is among the best because it benchmarks your traffic and engagement on all platforms. It helps you discover new opportunities after taking a look at your rival. This will grow your market share.
It optimizes your strategies by allocating resources based on traffic and rival activities. Some ways for that to happen are:
- Analyze Rival Strategies: This technique allows you to see the standing of your competitors and their traffic sources. Using engagement metrics, you can observe the quality of traffic and see which tactics work the best.
- SEO and Content Analysis: You can check the traffic share for keywords according to search type and area. This is the way you will be able to create more successful content.
- Competitor Referral Strategies: You can see the number of referrals that you and your competitors get and optimize partnerships to surge ahead.
- PPC and Digital Campaign Intelligence: You can benchmark your ads, see the best-performing ads of your competitors, check your display traffic, and share paid searches using this feature.
Keyword Analysis and Research tools help you devise tactics that can quickly and effectively boost your ranks. The best thing about the keyword research tool at Similarweb is that it’s truly reliable, scalable, and up-to-date. You will be able to analyze each keyword and optimize your traffic share per word.
You can track the latest keywords from the past 7 days and discover any paid traffic on the sites of your rivals.
Plus, a Keyword Generator will give you new keywords based on recent trends. It shows what keywords are attracting the most traffic from your rivals. This feature prioritizes keywords based on the following factors:
- Search volumes
- Click rates
- Competition
- Paid vs organic clicks
The Affiliate Research feature is a useful tool that helps you find affiliate traffic. It also reveals where the traffic at your competitors’ sites comes from so you can target that area and/or demographic too.
It uses research to look for new affiliates by observing your audience. Plus, it will help you make the most out of your existing affiliate partnerships.
The Media Analytics tools reveal what ads best work for your rivals and help them grow. It shows paid and display traffic trends. It shows you what publishers and ad networks your rivals are using. Plus, it will help you optimize your ROI from paid media.
E-Commerce
Using the E-Commerce tool can prove beneficial to you in many ways. For instance, you can watch consumer demand to track category and product performance which helps you stay on top of things. This helps you create a product your target customer demographic gravitates towards.
In addition, you can analyze the behavior of various shoppers by checking what they buy the most and how loyal they are to a product. Using that data, you will be able to work on paid campaigns and improve your site’s SEO.
Investing
Using Similarweb, you can make investments and analyze them. This happens through the most insightful and useful data. Hundred of funds from over 30 countries choose to trust Similarweb.
Using data from Similarweb, you can analyze the digital performance of any company. By using the
- Website,
- App,
- Industry traffic, and
- Keyword data,
this feature gives you the most in-depth data and information about any website you desire.
In addition to the data points mentioned above, you can also access data regarding,
- Transactions
- SKU level data
- Marketing channels
- Audience behavior.
Similarweb gives you 360-degree coverage over every website and app that you wish to analyze.
Sales
Using different sales tools of Similarweb, you will be able to make more conversions. The traffic data and engagement information that you will find on Similarweb will make your sales teams smarter and more effective, thus allowing them to better connect with your target customer group and acquire more paying customers.
Pricing Overview
If you choose Similarweb, you can get a free trial option to use a limited version of the tool. In terms of paid plans, the pricing depends on which package you choose. The lowest package is $199 and the most expensive is $799. The tools and features you get access to depend on which package you choose. Needless to say, the more you pay, the greater the number of features that you can get access to.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Powerful | Not good for websites with little traffic |
Great free version | Difficult forecasting |
Shows traffic sources | |
Great for competitive analysis |
Reviews
TrustRadius
Similarweb has a score of 8.3/10 with many positive reviews and a few somewhat lukewarm reviews containing mostly constructive criticism. Users are huge fans of their competitive analysis tools and keyword research tools.
Also, the site features have grabbed the attention of many. However, a few customers have had issues with the accuracy. They wanted more in-depth information relating traffic analysis. That said, out of 25 reviews, only 3 were negative.
On the other hand, Semrush has a 9/10 score on TrustRadius, with only 3 out of 147 negative reviews. Users are big fans of its competitive analysis tools and keyword research tools. Many even praise the backlink and site audit tools. But, many claims to face problems with the writing assistant.
All in all, on TrustRadius, more people have preferred SEMrush over SimilarWeb.
G2
Similarweb gets a 4.5-star rating out of 5, with only 7 one star ratings and 2 two star ratings out of a total of 464 ratings. People rave about competitive analysis tools and how well the keyword features work. But many customers had complaints about traffic-related limitations and its inability to gather mobile data.
When it comes to SEMrush, however, it gets a solid 4.6-star rating out of five, which is comparable to the overall rating of Similarweb on the site. But with a total of 1,615 reviews, it is evident that within the customer base, SEMrush is way more popular.
People appreciate the huge range of tools and the powerful competitive analysis system. But some do have complaints. Many people seem to think the price point might be a little too high.
All things considered, there’s no doubt about the fact that SEMrush has more popularity on G2 as compared to Similarweb.
Software Advice
With a total of 81 reviews, Similarweb has a 4.48 out of 5-star rating. With only a single 1-star rating and no 2-start ratings. Most users tend to be pleased with the ranking tools and competitive analysis options.
But some customers have difficulty finding trending keywords. It is rated 4.5/5 in ease-to-use, 4.5/5 in customer service, 4.0/5 in value of money, and 4.5/5 in functionality.
With a total of 1,912 reviews, SEMrush has a 4.67/5 star rating. With only 7 1-stars and 4 two-stars, this website has a total of 1,354 5-stars ratings. Most users talk about the huge variety of tools, especially competitive analysis.
But some felt the app was lacking ease of use for beginners. Because of the large number of tools, it can be difficult to navigate through. Still, it rates 4.5/5 in all ease-to-use, customer service, the value of money, and functionality.
So, as you can see, SEMrush wins this round too.
Final Take
Now that you know almost everything about Semrush and Similarweb, you should have a better picture of which SEO tool is more suited to your needs.
Simply based on things like customer reviews, comparisons between similar features, an analysis of the suite of features on each tool, and other factors, SEMrush does seem to win out. But both options have their strengths and weaknesses and you need to pick the one that will most easily and affordably allow you to do all the things you want to do.