By The Legends.
As digital marketers, having the right digital marketing tools to analyse and optimise websites is crucial. SEMrush stands out as an all-in-one solution designed to enhance your SEO efforts. Packed with features for keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink checking, and rank tracking, SEMrush can significantly boost your online visibility. In this review, We’ll share my experience using the free version of SEMrush to conduct an SEO audit on the iHub Africa website and provide tips for maximising its potential.
What is SEMrush
SEMrush is an all-in-one tool suite that empowers marketers to improve online visibility and uncover valuable marketing insights. Known for its capabilities in keyword research, competitor analysis, and Google Ad campaign optimisation, SEMrush stands out as a go-to resource for those looking to elevate their digital marketing strategies.
Key Features Explored
Competitive Research
The Competitive Research feature includes Domain Overview, Traffic Analysis, Organic Research, Keyword Gap, and Backlink Gap tools. This functionality allows users to gain insights into competitors’ strategies – from their top-ranking keywords to their traffic sources. It’s an excellent way to learn from others and identify opportunities for your strategy.
Keyword Research
Keyword research forms the backbone of effective SEO. SEMrush’s keyword tool provides insights into search volume, competition level, and related keywords. This makes it easy to find valuable keywords, including less competitive long-tail options that can help improve your rankings.
For instance, during an audit of the iHub Africa website, the keyword “digital marketing” has a high search volume of 22.2K in South Africa but comes with an 80% difficulty rating. Additionally, common user queries such as “What is digital marketing?” and “How does digital marketing work?” have search volumes ranging from 320 to 4.4K – topics worth exploring.
Link Building
SEMrush’s Backlink Audit Tool enables users to monitor their website’s backlinks and identify any harmful links that could negatively impact rankings.
In the audit of iHub Africa, 145 backlinks were discovered pointing to the site. Its authority score of 15 is marked as “Fine,” indicating a decent overall SEO strength compared to other websites.
On-Page and Technical SEO
At the core of SEMrush’s technical analysis capabilities lies the SEO Audit feature. This tool evaluates a website’s health by pinpointing errors, warnings, and notices related to broken links, meta tags, and page speed.
The audit of iHub Africa revealed a health score of 82%, which lags behind top-performing websites that typically score around 92%. The analysis covered 43 pages and flagged 21 errors, 211 warnings, and 161 notices needing attention.
User Experience
SEMrush’s audit tool is both user-friendly and thorough. However, one limitation encountered was the daily trial cap—only 10 free trials per day. This often leaves users in the middle of a task, realising they have hit their limit and must wait until the next day to continue.
Practical Tips for Maximising SEMrush
To get the most out of SEMrush, consider these practical tips:
Work in Sections: When conducting an SEO audit, focus on one aspect at a time (e.g., keywords) before moving on to others like backlink audits or site health checks. This strategy helps stay within trial limits and prevents overwhelm.
Start with the Free Version: For those new to SEMrush, the free version is perfect for learning the platform and familiarising oneself with its features. As progress is made, additional capabilities offered in the paid version will become more appealing.
Integrate Other Tools: For certain features like Listing Management, consider using additional tools such as Google Search Console for deeper insights into data.
While the free version of SEMrush is excellent for learning the platform and handling basic tasks, those needing more data or managing multiple campaigns should consider upgrading to a paid version. With its user-friendly interface and actionable insights, SEMrush has become an indispensable tool for many digital marketers.
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References
https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/semrush
https://www.semrush.com/projects
https://www.semrush.com/free-tools
Researched by Lethukuthula Ntuli, Bilene Mazibuko, Velile Mkane. Written by Kgomotso Molomo. Edited by Jamin Campbell.