Part 1. Let’s Understand What Semrush Offers
One of the most frustrating feelings in marketing is not knowing whether your efforts are working. You publish blog posts, spend money on ads, push content on social media—yet results often remain unclear. Semrush is a tool designed to reduce that uncertainty, turning guesswork into data-driven decisions. Let’s break down what it does in simple terms, from a marketer’s perspective.
1) Shows what people are actually searching for Two people might describe the same product in very different ways. Suppose you sell “eco-friendly water bottles.” Do people type “eco-friendly bottle,” “reusable bottle,” or something else entirely? Semrush reveals the real search habits with numbers. This way, you know exactly which words to use in your ad copy or article titles. It also highlights which terms are too competitive to bother with, and which ones are realistic targets for your size of business.
2) Acts like a health check-up for your website Ranking low on Google isn’t always about poor content. Sometimes your site is simply slow, not mobile-friendly, or has duplicate descriptions. Semrush’s Site Audit scans your website automatically and delivers a prioritized checklist: “Fix these first for the biggest impact.” That turns vague frustration into concrete action items you can give your team.
3) Reveals what competitors are doing well Marketing is never done in isolation. You need to know which keywords your rivals rank for, which articles bring them traffic, and what ad messages they’re paying for. Semrush makes all of this transparent, so you can quickly spot the gaps you’re missing. The point isn’t to copy blindly, but to find your own angle and exploit opportunities they overlooked. (Its position-tracking tool can even break things down by region and device.)
4) Manages trust through “recommendation links” (backlinks) Search engines don’t just look at your site—they also ask, “Who else recommends you?” Every time another site links to yours, it’s like a reference letter. A link from The New York Times or a respected blog signals credibility. Semrush compares your backlink profile with competitors, shows which trusted sites are linking to them, and suggests places where you might win links too. For scale: Semrush says its database contains 43 trillion backlinks across 390 million domains.
5) Brings social media and local listings into one dashboard Google search isn’t the only channel that matters anymore. Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and even map searches (local SEO) drive business too. Semrush lets you manage social posts and performance tracking in one place, while also updating your business info—address, hours, phone number—across multiple directories at once. That saves time and gives you a single view of how everything is performing.
6) Prepares you for the “AI search” era Search no longer stops at a list of blue links. Tools like Google’s AI Overviews or ChatGPT-based search now generate answers directly on the results page. Semrush has rolled out features to track how often your brand shows up inside those AI answers. In other words, it helps you measure visibility in places that traditional SEO tools never touched.
In short: Semrush helps marketers know what to do (keywords), what to fix (site issues), where competitors are strong (analysis), how to boost credibility (backlinks), and how to manage all channels together (social, local, AI visibility). It’s an all-in-one platform for being found online.
Part 2. Semrush’s Growth Story (2024–2025)
Now let’s look at the company itself. The following numbers are based on official earnings reports and SEC filings, with the jargon unpacked for clarity.
① Revenue and Customers (2024): In 2024, Semrush generated $376.8 million in revenue, up 22% from 2023. The number of paying customers reached about 117,000, and the company’s annual recurring revenue (ARR)—that’s the subscription revenue already locked in for the coming 12 months—stood at $411.6 million, also up 22%.
② Do existing customers spend more over time? (DBNRR): Semrush reported a DBNRR of 106% at the end of 2024. DBNRR (Dollar-Based Net Revenue Retention) means: take the group of customers you had a year ago, and see how much money they’re paying you now. A result above 100% shows that upgrades and add-ons outweighed any cancellations. In other words, the average customer not only stayed but also spent more.
③ Mid-2025 update (as of June 30, 2025): Quarterly revenue was $108.9 million, up 20% year over year. ARR was $435.3 million, up 15% year over year. Paying customers were about 116,000, and DBNRR was 105%. This reveals a shift: smaller, price-sensitive customers have dropped off slightly, but larger enterprise clients are more than making up for it. In fact, the number of customers spending over $10,000 per year rose by 35%, and those spending over $50,000 jumped by 83%.
④ Share buybacks show confidence: In August 2025, Semrush announced a $150 million share repurchase program. Companies usually do this when they believe their own stock is undervalued and want to signal confidence to investors.
⑤ Leadership and strategy change: In March 2025, William R. Wagner became CEO, while co-founder Oleg Shchegolev shifted to CTO to focus fully on AI and product innovation. The leadership shakeup reflects a stronger emphasis on building AI-driven features.
⑥ Betting big on the AI search era: Throughout 2025, Semrush has leaned heavily into tools that measure brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, such as Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT or SearchGPT, and it has rolled out enterprise AI optimization solutions. It’s a recognition that the battleground of search is moving beyond blue links, and Semrush wants to stay essential in that shift.
Revenue Chart
ARR Chart
Paying Customers Chart
Conclusion: Why Pay Attention to Semrush Now?
At its core, Semrush sells the power of being seen. The numbers show consistent growth: 22% revenue growth in 2024, 20% growth in Q2 2025, ARR over $400 million, retention above 100%, enterprise clients expanding fast, and a confident share buyback. Yes, the company faces challenges such as churn among smaller customers. But the strategy is clear: shift toward larger, higher-value clients and stay ahead in the AI-driven search landscape.
Note: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
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