This Semrush vs. Similarweb review is long overdue. Inevitably, they are two large competitor analytics tools that every business worth its salt either subscribes to or at least seriously considers at some point in its digital marketing journey.
Both the tools come equipped with a list of unbeatable features for a strategic and comprehensive approach to your own branding and marketing efforts, along with an unending list of tools for competitive analysis.
Let’s dig deeper to find out how these two compare, what’s different between Semrush vs Similarweb, and more:
Semrush vs. Similarweb: Who are these tools for? What do they Do?
Semrush and Similarweb are both competitive intelligence tools. However, they differ in how they provide intelligence, the competitive (and self) analytic tools they provide, and the target audiences they cater to.
Semrush
Semrush sticks predominantly to the digital marketing side focusing on tools and resources catering to SEO, social media, advertising, market research, and content.
Search Engine Optimization
- Keyword Research (with tools such as organic research, keyword overview, keyword magic tool, organic traffic insights, and keyword strategy builder)
- On-page SEO Optimization (On-page SEO checker, SEO audit, and log file analyzer)
- Local SEO (Listing Management, Position Tracking, Listing Management, Review Management, and more)
- Link Building (backlink analysis, backlink audit tool, backlink gaps, link building tools, and bulk backlink analysis)
- Competitor SEO analysis (most of the above tools overlap here and can be used interchangeably + reporting)
- Rank Tracking
Semrush sticks predominantly to the digital marketing side focusing on tools and resources catering to SEO, social media, advertising, market research, and content.
Content Marketing & Distribution
- Content marketing suite (with most of the tools below)
- Content optimization (SEO content templates and SEO writing assistant)
- Content Creation & Distribution ( ContentShake AI tool, social media poster, and topic research)
- Market research (across markets, paid advertising, competitive analytics tools, and also competitive PR monitoring)
The advertising suite includes paid ads management, paid ads competitive research, website monetization, and keyword research (Keyword Magic tool, PPC Keyword Tool).
Finally, a well-built social media management and social media content poster.
Similarweb
Similarweb tends to focus more on the enterprise level and overall competitive intelligence.
On top of digital marketing intelligence itself, aspects that Similarweb focuses on also include sales intelligence, stock intelligence, digital research intelligence, and shopper or consumer insight intelligence.
Sales Intelligence
- Lead generation
- Lead enrichment
- Sales engagement
- Ecommerce company finder
Digital Research
- Benchmarking & market research
- Audience analysis
- Company research and consumer journey
- App intelligence
Shopper Intelligence
- Consumer behavior & insights
- On-site search optimization
Similarweb tends to focus more on the enterprise level and overall competitive intelligence.
Digital Marketing Intelligence (where you see similarities with Semrush)
- Competitive analysis
- Keyword research
- SEO and PPC tools
- Ad intelligence
- Affiliate research
Similarweb recently also started to cater to venture capital firms, retail, quant funds, hedge funds, and investment banking.
Semrush Vs Similarweb: The downsides? Negatives? Cons?
First, there are some general takes (applicable to most tools that’ll join your marketing stack).
Software is only as good as the approach, commitment, and work you are willing to put in. There are many cases of “tool deluge” and “paralysis by tools” in the digital marketing niche. Agencies, freelancers, and businesses -- they are all guilty of it.
With that out of the way, let’s see when Semrush or Similarweb might not be a good fit for you:
Semrush Disadvantages
- Semrush is a Swiss army knife but you don’t get “everything” with the tool. For instance, you can search for keywords (Keyword Gap tool or Keyword Magic) and the SEO-writing assistant can help you write content.
But the real effectiveness of Semrush comes in after you already have basics in place -- you create content, you share content, you distribute content, and you do well enough. Semrush makes you do what you do even better.
- Semrush is relatively expensive (starting at $99 or so). To justify the cost of your purchase, you have to be truly committed to digital marketing. It’s not for businesses that want to “try”, “see”, and “experiment”.
- Semrush data is not known to be accurate to the bone. Most of the data comes through from Google Ads and a few other sources of data.
Also, their estimated data is off the charts, and overblown, and keyword-specific metrics are not always reliable.
Similarweb Disadvantages
- Similarweb’s data accuracy is questionable, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. Hence, you should really take what Similarweb gives you with a grain of salt.
Granted that they have billions of data points. With more acquisitions off late such as Rank Ranger, Embee, and Quettra -- they do have sources though.
- Similarweb works much better on the external level than going “deep”. You miss out on several critical aspects of digital marketing campaigns (even with their intelligence tools).
For instance, simple things like email marketing campaign details are sorely missed. Meanwhile, Panoramata has these showing up in their full glory.
- The entire suite of intelligence tools is a little too much of a buy for small businesses. Unless you are a large retail business or a huge manufacturer, you wouldn’t need consumer behavior metrics or intelligence.
Furthermore, you won’t need the stock intelligence feature if you aren’t a hedge fund manager or a mutual fund house.
Semrush vs. Similarweb: What Should You Choose?
If you are an agency, marketer, or business with a firm focus on nothing but improving your digital web presence, Semrush is relatively more affordable with a focused set of tools to help you in your marketing journey.
Similarweb aligns itself with a slightly different target audience of businesses who want to go beyond digital marketing with aids like shopping intelligence (mainly for retailers, large brands, and popular ecommerce stores to understand consumer demand and shopper behavior).
Similarweb is also good for mid and large B2B companies that want to streamline and improve sales efforts.
For competitive analysis as far as creative campaigns go (which Semrush doesn’t cover), consider Panoramata-- a competitive analysis tool focusing on actual campaigns brands run and manage.
Deep dive into actual campaigns covering email marketing, automation campaigns, landing pages, websites, marketing tools used, changes made to campaigns over time, content calendars, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What’s the main difference between Semrush and Similarweb for competitor analysis?
Semrush focuses heavily on SEO, keyword research, and content marketing insights, making it ideal for digital marketing strategy. Similarweb, on the other hand, specializes in web traffic and audience data, offering a more holistic view of competitor performance across channels.
2. Which tool is better for tracking SEO metrics, Semrush or Similarweb?
Semrush is generally preferred for tracking SEO metrics, as it provides in-depth keyword analysis, site audits, and backlink tracking. It’s specifically designed for SEO professionals, while Similarweb covers broader traffic and market insights.
3.Can I use both Semrush and Similarweb together for competitor analysis?
Yes, many teams use both tools to get a full spectrum of competitor insights. Combining Semrush’s SEO data with Similarweb’s traffic and audience analytics offers a more comprehensive view of your competitors’ digital presence. Combine them with a competitor tracking tool like Panoramata for the most comprehensive analysis.
