Looking for one tool to help your B2B go-to-market (GTM) team actually get results—without wasting hours jumping between dashboards, or falling for shiny features you’ll never use? You’re in the right place. This review is for marketers, sales ops folks, and product marketers who want to know if SEMrush is worth the money, what it really does well, and what’s just noise.
Let’s get right into it.
What SEMrush Actually Does (And Doesn’t Do)
SEMrush pitches itself as an “all-in-one” marketing suite—mainly for SEO, but with tools that claim to cover competitive intel, content, social, and even some ad research. Sounds great, but here’s what’s real and what’s just brochure-speak:
What it does well: - SEO research (keywords, rankings, backlink tracking, site audits) - Competitive analysis (see what competitors rank for, estimate their traffic, ad spend) - Content gap analysis (spot what you’re missing, plan new content) - Ad research (spy on competitors’ Google Ads keyword targets—usually more directional than precise) - Some social media and brand monitoring (but don’t expect Hootsuite)
What it doesn’t do (or does poorly): - CRM or lead tracking — you’ll need something else for real pipeline management. - Deep social listening — basic mentions, but not a replacement for dedicated tools. - Rich reporting — their reports are fine, but they’re not going to wow your C-levels without some extra work.
Pro Tip: If your B2B GTM relies heavily on outreach or ABM, SEMrush isn’t a replacement for sales engagement or intent-data platforms. Think of it as your market intelligence and content ops engine, not your sales machine.
How B2B GTM Teams Actually Use SEMrush
B2B go-to-market is more than just SEO. Here’s where SEMrush fits into the real workflow for GTM teams:
1. Sizing Up Your Market and Competitors
- Keyword Gap: Plug in your domain and your main competitors. Get a list of keywords they rank for that you don’t. This is gold for content planning and paid campaigns.
- Traffic Analytics: Enter a competitor’s site—see estimated traffic, top pages, and even their visitor geography. Is it exact? No. Is it directionally useful? Yes, especially for spotting trends and new players.
- Backlink Audit: Map out who’s linking to competitors but not you. Good for PR, partnership, and SEO outreach.
What to ignore: SEMrush’s “Market Explorer” can sometimes feel like it’s just guessing. Take market size stats with a grain of salt.
2. Sharpening Your Content and SEO Game
- Topic Research: Pop in a topic, get clusters of questions, subtopics, and headlines that real people search for. Helps avoid “me too” content.
- On-Page SEO Checker: Drop in a landing page and target keyword, get a checklist of fixes. Great for optimizing high-impact pages—don’t bother running it for every blog post.
- Content Audit: Find underperforming pages (thin traffic, bad engagement) and decide what to update, combine, or kill. This is where the tool shines for B2B teams managing big content libraries.
Pro Tip: Don’t chase every keyword SEMrush recommends. Pick the targets that actually matter for your buyers and sales cycle.
3. Informing Paid Search and Digital Campaigns
- Advertising Research: See what copy, keywords, and landing pages competitors are using in Google Ads. It’s not 100% accurate, but it gives you a sense of their playbook.
- Keyword Magic Tool: Build out PPC keyword lists quickly, spot negatives, and avoid burning budget on dead-end terms.
What to ignore: SEMrush’s display ad data is spotty for B2B. Focus on search and text ads intel.
SEMrush Features That Actually Matter for GTM Teams
With a platform this big, it’s easy to get lost. Here’s what’s worth your time:
Must-Use Features
- Domain Overview (for your site & competitors)
- Keyword Gap & Backlink Gap
- Position Tracking (track how your rankings move for target keywords)
- Topic Research & SEO Content Template
- Site Audit (for technical SEO, especially before launching new campaigns)
- Advertising Research (for search, not display)
Nice-to-Haves (But Not Critical)
- Social Media Poster: Basic scheduling, but doesn’t replace a dedicated social tool.
- Brand Monitoring: Good for tracking mentions, but can miss stuff or flag noise.
- Keyword Manager: Handy if you’re deep into SEO, less useful for small teams.
Features to Skip
- Traffic Journey: Fun for slides, but not actionable for day-to-day.
- SEO Writing Assistant: The advice is generic. Trust your own writing and editors.
Pricing: What You Get for Your Money
SEMrush isn’t cheap. Plans start at $130/month (as of 2024) for the Pro tier, and you’ll probably want the Guru plan ($250/month) for historic data and more projects. Add-ons (like extra users or API access) cost extra.
What’s worth paying for: - If your team is doing serious content, SEO, and competitive research every month, it’s an investment. - If you’re just dabbling in SEO, or only need a few reports, it’s probably overkill.
Watch out for: Seat limits can add up fast. If you’re a big team, ask for a custom quote and push for a demo before buying.
Real-World Pros and Cons for B2B GTM Teams
Here’s the straight talk—what B2B teams actually like and dislike after 6+ months on SEMrush:
Where It Delivers
- Saves Time: You can get a real sense of your SEO and your competitors in minutes.
- Content Planning: Makes it easy to spot gaps and avoid duplicate effort.
- Competitive Intel: Quick, digestible snapshots—good for preparing for exec meetings or sales kickoffs.
Where It Falls Short
- Data Accuracy: Treat traffic estimates as rough guides, not gospel. SEMrush is best for trends, not exact numbers.
- Overwhelming UI: There’s a lot. New users often get lost—expect a learning curve.
- Not Built for Sales: Don’t expect lead-level insights or deep ABM features.
Pro Tips from Real Teams
- Set up weekly reports for the stuff you care about. Ignore the rest.
- Pair SEMrush with your CRM, intent data, or sales tools. It’s not an all-in-one GTM platform, despite the marketing.
- Don’t try to use every feature. Pick 2-3 workflows that matter for your team and stick to those.
Should You Buy SEMrush for Your B2B GTM Team?
If your GTM team needs a reliable way to stay on top of SEO, content, and what competitors are doing online, SEMrush is one of the best options out there. Just be realistic about what it can (and can’t) do. It’s not going to run your outbound sales or magically hand you leads. But as a market and content intelligence engine, it’s hard to beat.
Keep it simple: Start with the core tools, get your team trained, and don’t be afraid to ignore the bells and whistles. Iterate as you go. The best GTM teams aren’t chasing every new feature—they’re getting value out of what works, and moving on.