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SimilarWeb vs. Semrush is a common dilemma that many beginners and even experts face when deciding on the right tool to invest in.
Both tools are popular for analyzing website performance, traffic, and SEO strategies, but they have unique strengths.
Having tested both SEO tools, I have compared them in detail to help you make the right choice.
In this SimilarWeb vs Semrush comparison, you’ll find my findings, which highlight the differences and similarities between these two tools, making it easier for you to decide which one suits your goals best.
The main difference to notice between SimilarWeb vs Semrush is that Semrush has a much larger keyword database, offers more days as a free trial, more features, and is cheaper than SimilarWeb.
Here is a quick comparison between SimilarWeb and Semrush:
Here are the pros & cons of SimilarWeb and Semrush.
SimilarWeb is designed for those who primarily focus on website traffic analytics, market intelligence, and competitive analysis.
The platform is easy to learn and navigate. But the main problem is with the data and what to do with that, unless you are already familiar with it.
The tool is great for understanding audiences, competitors, mobile web traffic, and tracking consumer behavior. So, it is thoroughly used by e-commerce, retail, and CPG companies.
Semrush is a comprehensive SEO tool and serves those needing content marketing, social media marketing (SMM), and customer relationship management (CRM) features.
There’s no doubt it has a steep learning curve. But once you have total command over this tool, you won’t need any other tool to manage, optimize, and rank your website.
Whether you are a small business or running a large agency, Semrush is capable of providing solutions at any scale.
Bonus: Know more about Semrush through our detailed Semrush Review.
After a quick comparison, you know both tools share some similarities but cater to different needs. I have compared these similar features and provided a verdict below each section, so you can decide which tool excels in that specific area.
Both Similweb and Semrush offer detailed keyword data for Google. Since Google handles most search queries, both can be used for in-depth keyword research. However, SimilarWeb goes two steps further by providing keyword data for Amazon and YouTube.
Keyword Overview Page of Semrush
While both SimilarWeb and Semrush are similar in terms of keyword research, with comparable features, there are crucial differences between the two that can lead to significantly different results.
The accuracy of keyword research depends on the quality and scale of search data that are used in the research, and that’s where Semrush seems to have some edge on SimilarWeb.
There are more than 40 trillion inbound links in its database to help you conduct your keyword research, while the size of SimilarWeb’s keyword database is unknown.
I have thoroughly tested the accuracy of Semrush’s tool. You can check out my honest review of my tests here.
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Keyword Overview Page of SimilarWeb
However, at the same time, it’s also worth noting that while SimilarWeb doesn’t disclose the size of its database, it has been in business for much longer. It was founded in 2007, while Semrush was founded in 2012. Therefore, the database of SimilarWeb may be larger than that of Semrush.
Plus, SimilarWeb claims to rely on fresh weekly data and real-time trends for providing you with insights about your keywords, so it can’t be put behind Semrush in terms of quality so easily.
Other than that, both platforms offer almost similar keyword research capabilities. There’s no clear winner in this first criterion of our comparison.
Verdict: Both SimilarWeb and Semrush are capable of providing in-depth keyword research solutions. However, Semrush’s keyword database is enormous and more detailed than SimilarWeb’s.
You can explore more keyword research tools to learn which one is best for you!
Off-page SEO mainly refers to link building, and both SimilarWeb and Semrush provide several useful features for building your backlinks smarter.
Both provide backlink analytics so you can track your inbound links and discover new link-building opportunities simultaneously. Semrush’s link building is more like a DIY tool: It gives you insights, and you take action based on them.
Both platforms also allow you to analyze your competitors’ backlinks and their top referral sources to identify the best possible link-building opportunities. SimilarWeb also allows you to discover industry-specific referral opportunities that you may not typically find with Semrush.
Finally, the backlink gap analysis feature in both platforms allows you to discover more link-building prospects by identifying high-authority websites linking to your competitors but not to you. That way, you can reach out to them to build backlinks that drive the most impact for your SEO.
However, some unique features also give Semrush a clear edge over SimilarWeb in this department. It allows you to automate your link-building outreach, thus eliminating the need to do this process manually. It also allows you to track your rankings and the rankings of your competitors for any of your desired keywords.
Finally, it also provides a detailed audit of your backlink profile and bulk analysis of the link profile of your competitors to help you gain the best possible understanding of your link-building requirements. None of this can be done with SimilarWeb.
Verdict: Since SimilarWeb focuses mainly on CRM, it doesn’t have many link-building tools. You won’t even be able to track competitors’ backlinks like Semrush.
On-page SEO, also known as on-site SEO or technical SEO, is an area where Semrush has a clear edge over SimilarWeb, mainly because it’s a tool designed primarily for the needs of SEO.
Its robust site audit functionality scans your website for all the on-page SEO issues.
Soon, it will display your errors and mistakes and suggest changes you can make to fix them on the go. SimilarWeb also does the same, but it requires the use of different tools, while Semrush helps users find and fix issues instantly.
For instance, Semrush comes with an on-page SEO checker that can be used to scan any of your landing pages for the presence of keywords in critical areas (i.e., meta tags, title tags, etc).
Based on a scan’s findings, the tool can generate numerous ideas for improving the page’s on-page SEO. These ideas may range from hardcore technical SEO suggestions to user experience-related suggestions or semantic keyword ideas. SimilarWeb doesn’t offer this functionality.
Semrush also includes several other advanced on-page SEO features, such as a Log File analyzer and markup report generator, that are not included in SimilarWeb.
Verdict: Compared to Semrush, SimilarWeb’s technical SEO and on-page capabilities are very limited. So, Semrush clearly takes the edge here.
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Both SimilarWeb and Semrush offer similar analytics for competitor analysis. For competitor analysis, Semrush offers:
On the other hand, SimilarWeb contains:
SimilarWeb’s Keyword Gap tool shows an overlap graph of keywords that are not ranking well.
Semrush lets you see where your site and competitors rank for target keywords over time.
You can quickly get a list of keywords (categorized), CPC, search volume, and KD of your competitors vs your website. This will allow you to quickly gauge how well your keywords are performing against your top competitors.
Verdict: As mentioned in the off-page capabilities, SimilarWeb lacks major competitor analysis tools. There are a few basic tools that only give an overview of competitors but won’t be helpful for building strategies. On the other hand, Semrush provides an in-depth analysis.
Listing Management Feature of Semrush
Again, this is an area in which Semrush has a clear advantage over SimilarWeb. If your website thrives on local customers, local SEO is what you need to do. Fortunately, Semrush provides you with robust tools for this purpose, too.
Its Listing Management feature can be used to manage the Google My Business listing of your business, while the Local Rankings feature provides you with ideas and suggestions specifically curated for boosting the local SEO of your website and specific web pages.
Verdict: Semrush measures your SEO score against your competitors for both organic and paid keywords. SimilarWeb doesn’t offer any tools related to local SEO.
Semrush Social Media Tracker
Semrush is not for SEO or SEM only – it includes terrific social media marketing features, too. Not only does it allow you to manage your social media handles, but you can also use it to create posts or manage your ad campaigns.
You can also analyze the performance of your posts as well as your competitors on social media to learn what’s working and what’s not.
SimilarWeb Social Media Tracker
SimilarWeb’s social media tool is not as advanced as Semrush, but it is still a great way to track your social media engagement.
You can also compare the distribution of social media networks of your competitors. However, it lacks core features like a unified inbox and content scheduler.
Verdict: Semrush not only offers social analytics tools but also allows you to manage all your social media accounts without needing a separate third-party plugin. SimilarWeb only tracks social media engagement vs your competitors.
Semrush Advertising Research Page
Both Semrush and SimilarWeb provide you with a detailed analysis of your competitor’s advertising campaigns so you can get an idea of how much ad budget you need for a campaign. Both of them also allow you to discover keyword gaps and semantically-linked keywords. However, there are some areas where both of them have a unique advantage over the other.
Semrush is way better than SimilarWeb when it comes to managing your PPC keywords. Its Keyword Manager allows you to add the desired keywords to various keyword baskets for easier sorting and campaign creation. This functionality is not available in SimilarWeb.
SimilarWeb Ad Manager
SimilarWeb, on the other hand, also helps you in creating your display ad campaigns by suggesting ad creatives that are working for your competitors, the channels that they are using to display them, and the estimated costs of running such campaigns.
This makes SimilarWeb an all-rounder when it comes to online advertising campaign management and monitoring.
Verdict: Both tools offer excellent paid advertising functionality. But if your website completely focuses on organic traffic, my two cents go to Semrush.
Semrush Topic Research Page
Content marketing is also a crucial part of the digital marketing landscape, and both these platforms offer some features to help you with this too. You can identify the top converting marketing channels (i.e. direct, email, social media, etc.) of your competitors using both SimilarWeb and Semrush. You can also get content ideas based on what works and doesn’t work for your industry in both these tools, and you are also allowed to track how your posts and content are performing.
SimilarWeb Competitor Marketing Channel Overview Page
However, Semrush offers much more than that. It helps you with topic research and market research, provides SEO-based writing suggestions for your content, and also has a content marketplace from where you can hire writers or copywriters to help you with your content requirements. SimilarWeb doesn’t get you any of that.
Verdict: SimilarWeb is only able to provide the traffic source of competitors, while Semrush goes beyond that and provides a detailed report. Additionally, Semrush includes many content creation tools and templates that make writing SEO-optimized content a breeze.
SimilarWeb Customer Support
SimilarWeb offers email and live chat support as its customer support options. Their live chat is intuitive and responsive. For any queries, you will get a response from a human agent within 24 hours.
However, their email support is not very fast or responsive. After going through a 3-step process, you may receive a response in 2 or 3 days. It is better to take self-help from their Knowledge Base, where you can find detailed guides for different troubleshooting issues.
Semrush Customer Support
Semrush provides you with multiple types of support, including phone support. On the dashboard, when you click on the “Question Mark” from the bottom right corner, you will find all options related to contacting customer support.
Contacting their customer staff is fairly easy; in return, you will get a quick response. Users can also check out their Blog and Semrush Academy, which is free to enroll. The academy is best for honing your SEO skills if you are a beginner in this field.
Looking at the table above, it’s easy to see that SimilarWeb is a costlier choice than Semrush. However, that’s not the ideal way to look at it. For a full picture, you must look at what’s offered in both these plans. So let’s take a look at Semrush plans and their offerings first:
Semrush Plans
Semrush offers a tiered pricing structure designed to cater to a wide range of users, from individual marketers to large enterprises. Their plans are structured to provide increasing value and functionality as you move up the tiers.
If you’re planning to use Semrush for in-depth SEO tasks like keyword research, backlink audits, or content analysis, LimeLight Digital recommends starting with a discount. We’ve partnered to bring our readers an exclusive 17% Off Semrush Coupon which is ideal for freelancers, agencies, or anyone looking to get long-term value from one of the best SEO tools on the market.
If you are a new user, you can get started with our exclusive Semrush 14-day free trial offer. After the free trial, you can get a 17% discount on any plan with our Semrush coupon codes.
And here’s what you get with SimilarWeb in its plans:
SimilarWeb Plans
As you can see, both these platforms have structured their offering in very different ways. While Semrush has made its suite available in a manner that’s more suitable to digital marketing agencies that cater to multiple clients, SimilarWeb has structured its offering in a way that is more suitable for individual business owners and agencies.
In addition, unlike Semrush, which is more focused on search engine and social media marketing, the SimilarWeb suite is also a 360° digital marketing solution, so it includes many things that are not included in Semrush (e.g., media buying research tools, ad creative research tools, etc.).
Therefore, the higher price is rightly justified, and there’s no clear winner.
Verdict: Semrush plans are designed to cater to businesses of different sizes, while SimilarWeb’s plans are structured to provide solutions to marketing professionals. Since the target audience is different for both tools, choosing between them depends on the user’s preferences.
“Where does this tool get its data?” This question often circulates in the user’s mind when choosing an SEO tool. So, data reliability is crucial; otherwise, why would one pick one of these expensive tools? Here’s what I found about the data sources of SimilarWeb and Semrush.
SimilarWeb collects data from a range of sources, such as proprietary databases, web crawlers, and third-party providers. The platform combines data from these various sources and then provides accurate and refined metrics tailored to different SEO needs.
Unlike SimilarWeb, Semrush collects data directly from the internet using its own web crawler. The crawler continuously scans the internet to gather information on organic search traffic, page authority, domain authority, keywords, and many more.
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After reviewing the key features, strengths, and limitations of both tools, it is clear that Semrush is the superior option. However, some apparent differences still emerge.
Ultimately, your business needs should drive your choice between these powerful web analytics platforms. The best part is that both tools offer a free trial to new users.
You can use most of the features with SimilarWeb’s 7-day free trial, but our exclusive 14-day trial on Semrush will allow you to access all the features of the Pro and Guru plans. So, check them out and find the best tool for your business.
Yes, both Semrush (14 days) and SimilarWeb (7 days) offer a free trial of their tools. To get Semrush’s free trial, you will need to give your credit card details, whereas you can get SimilarWeb’s free trial without needing to add your credit card details.
Semrush’s basic plan costs $139.95/mo, while SimilarWeb’s basic plan costs $199/mo, so it is clear that Semrush is much more affordable than SimilarWeb.
Semrush offers many features that SimilarWeb doesn’t, including advertising management, rank tracking, alerts and notifications, ROI tracking, application management, and more.
Both Semrush and SimilarWeb offer comprehensive and accurate analytics data. But only Semrush offers advanced analytics & SEO tools to help you rank better on search engines.
Only Semrush offers refunds within seven days of the purchase of its subscription. SimilarWeb does not offer any refunds on its subscription.
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