Semrush
A software platform for search visibility, digital marketing, competitive intelligence, and AI-search monitoring.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Semrush is a United States-based software brand whose platform helps organizations understand and improve their visibility across search engines, websites, digital advertising channels, local listings, and emerging AI-generated search experiences. The company was founded by Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitri Melnikov and is headquartered in Boston, although its founders originated in Russia and relocated to the United States in 2017. The business developed from an early search-data project known as Seodigger, later associated with the SeoQuake name, before adopting Semrush, a name derived from search engine marketing. The platform is primarily used by search-engine-optimization specialists, content teams, advertising professionals, agencies, ecommerce businesses, sales organizations, and enterprise marketing departments. Its capabilities include keyword research, rank tracking, competitor and domain analysis, backlink research, technical website auditing, content planning, content optimization, paid-search intelligence, local SEO, reporting, and integrations with third-party systems. Semrush aggregates and analyzes data associated with search engines including Google and Bing, allowing users to assess demand for search terms, identify competing websites, examine traffic and advertising patterns, and prioritize opportunities for organic and paid acquisition. Over time, Semrush expanded beyond conventional SEO. The company added competitive-intelligence and sales-oriented products through acquisitions such as Kompyte, trend and market-discovery capabilities through Exploding Topics, brand-monitoring capabilities through Brand24, and specialist data assets through Datos. Its acquisition of Ryte strengthened website quality, search optimization, and user-experience functionality. The purchase of Third Door Media also extended the company’s position into industry publishing through properties including Search Engine Land and MarTech. Semrush has additionally developed tools intended to measure how brands and topics appear in answers produced by large language model services, including platforms such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini. The brand raised $40 million in 2018 to support product and geographic expansion. In December 2020, it revised its visual identity and standardized the company name from “SEMrush” to “Semrush.” It completed an initial public offering in March 2021 and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SEMR. Its IPO filing reported $213 million in revenue and more than 82,000 customers. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Semrush ended its operations in Russia and provided relocation assistance to affected employees. Semrush became part of Adobe after Adobe announced an agreement to acquire it for $1.9 billion in November 2025. Shareholders approved the transaction in February 2026, and the acquisition was completed on April 28, 2026. The transaction ended Semrush’s independent public-company status and removed its NYSE listing. The Semrush brand and platform continue as part of Adobe’s broader marketing and customer-experience software portfolio. As of 2025, the company had more than 1,000 employees and offices or operating locations in Boston, Dallas, Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Yerevan, Limassol, Prague, Warsaw, and Amsterdam.
History
Semrush originated in the search-marketing software work of Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitri Melnikov. The earliest version was known as Seodigger and was later distributed in connection with the Firefox ecosystem. The business subsequently used the SeoQuake name before adopting Semrush, reflecting the company’s focus on search engine marketing and search visibility. The company was established in 2008 and developed from a specialist SEO tool into a broader software-as-a-service platform. Its core proposition was the collection and interpretation of search data: marketers could investigate keywords, compare domains, inspect competitors’ organic and paid-search activity, track rankings, analyze backlinks, and identify technical issues affecting website performance. This data-centered approach helped Semrush serve agencies and in-house marketing teams that needed a single research and reporting environment rather than a collection of isolated tools. In April 2018, Semrush raised $40 million in a round co-led by Greycroft, E.ventures, and Siguler Guff. The financing supported international growth and expansion of research coverage, including platforms and ecosystems associated with Amazon, Microsoft, and Baidu. In December 2020, the company refreshed its visual identity and standardized the brand spelling from “SEMrush” to “Semrush.” Semrush became a public company in March 2021 through an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. Its registration statement reported $213 million in revenue and more than 82,000 customers. Public-company status provided a new source of capital and visibility while also placing greater emphasis on recurring software revenue, customer expansion, product breadth, and operating performance. The company continued to widen its scope through acquisitions. Backlinko and Traffic Think Tank strengthened education and professional community resources. Kompyte added competitive intelligence and sales-oriented functionality. Acquisitions and asset purchases involving Datos, Ryte, Brand24, and Exploding Topics expanded Semrush into search-data infrastructure, website quality and user experience, brand monitoring, and trend discovery. In October 2024, Semrush acquired Third Door Media, publisher of Search Engine Land and MarTech, adding an industry-media operation to its portfolio. Semrush also faced a significant geopolitical operating decision in 2022. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it stopped operating in Russia and offered relocation assistance to employees affected by the change. The company’s founders are Russian and had moved to the United States in 2017. The platform later expanded into AI-search visibility, allowing organizations to study how their brands and topics appear in responses generated by large language model services. This represented a strategic extension from monitoring conventional search-engine rankings to measuring visibility in answer-oriented interfaces. In March 2025, Bill R. Wagner became chief executive officer, succeeding co-founder Oleg Shchegolev, who transitioned to chief technology officer. In November 2025, Adobe announced an agreement to acquire Semrush for $1.9 billion. Shareholders approved the proposal in February 2026, and Adobe completed the acquisition on April 28, 2026. Semrush therefore became an Adobe-owned operating brand rather than an independently listed company. As of 2025, the organization had more than 1,000 employees and locations in Boston, Dallas, Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Yerevan, Limassol, Prague, Warsaw, and Amsterdam.
- 2026
Adobe completes acquisition
[1]The transaction closed on April 28, 2026, making Semrush an Adobe-owned brand.
- 2025
Adobe announces acquisition agreement
[1]Adobe announced a proposed $1.9 billion acquisition of Semrush.
- 2024
Expansion through data and media acquisitions
[1]Semrush expanded through acquisitions involving Datos, Ryte, Third Door Media, Brand24, and Exploding Topics.
- 2022
Russian operations cease
[1]The company stopped operating in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and supported employee relocation.
- 2021
Initial public offering
[1]Semrush began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SEMR.
- 2020
Brand identity is standardized as Semrush
[1]The company refreshed its visual identity and adopted the Semrush spelling across its brand.
- 2018
Semrush raises $40 million
[1]The financing supported product research, international expansion, and broader coverage of digital platforms.
- 2008
Semrush is founded
[1]Oleg Shchegolev and Dmitri Melnikov founded the company that developed the Semrush platform.
- 2007
SeoQuake identity precedes the Semrush brand
[1]The company used the SeoQuake name before later adopting Semrush.
Products and positioning
An integrated visibility-management and marketing-intelligence platform for SEO professionals, agencies, content teams, advertisers, sales organizations, and enterprise marketers.
Digital marketing SaaS · 2008
Semrush Platform
The central Semrush platform combines research, monitoring, optimization, reporting, and competitive-analysis functions. It is designed to give marketing teams a unified view of organic search, paid advertising, content performance, backlinks, local listings, website health, and competitor activity.
SEO research
Keyword Research
Keyword Research provides information about search terms, including demand-related indicators and competitive characteristics. Marketers use it to discover topics, evaluate potential traffic opportunities, compare keyword portfolios, and develop SEO or paid-search plans using data associated with major search engines.
Technical SEO
Site Audit
Site Audit examines websites for technical and structural issues that can affect crawling, indexing, performance, and user experience. It produces reports intended to help teams identify problems, prioritize remediation, and monitor improvements over time.
Competitive intelligence
Competitive Research
Competitive Research helps users compare domains, keyword visibility, backlinks, advertising activity, and content approaches. The tools are used by agencies and marketing departments to benchmark competitors and identify gaps in organic and paid acquisition strategies.
Content marketing
Content Marketing Toolkit
The content-marketing tools support topic discovery, content planning, optimization, and performance analysis. They connect search-demand information with editorial workflows so teams can create and improve material intended to attract organic visibility.
AI-search analytics
AI Search Visibility
AI-search visibility tools monitor how brands, products, and topics are represented in generated answers from large language model services. They extend Semrush’s traditional search-ranking model to answer-oriented interfaces such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
Industry media · 2024
Search Engine Land and MarTech
Through its acquisition of Third Door Media, Semrush added publishing properties including Search Engine Land and MarTech. These publications cover search marketing, SEO, advertising, marketing technology, and related professional issues.
Brand decisions
2025
Adobe agreement to acquire SemrushM&ABackground
Adobe announced a plan to add Semrush’s search visibility, marketing analytics, and competitive-intelligence capabilities to its software portfolio.
Action taken
Adobe agreed to acquire Semrush for $1.9 billion.
Aftermath
Shareholders approved the transaction in February 2026, and Adobe completed the acquisition on April 28, 2026.
Acquisition value. $1.9 billion agreed transaction value (Announced November 2025; completed April 28, 2026)
2024
Acquisition of Third Door MediaM&ABackground
Semrush sought to extend its role in the search and marketing ecosystem beyond software tooling.
Action taken
The company acquired Third Door Media, publisher of Search Engine Land and MarTech.
Aftermath
Semrush added established industry publications and related editorial capabilities to its portfolio.
2022
Exit from Russia and employee relocation supportStrategyBackground
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created a major operating and employee-relocation issue for the company, whose founders originated in Russia.
Action taken
Semrush ceased operations in Russia and offered relocation assistance to affected employees.
Aftermath
The company continued operating internationally while ending its Russian presence.
Recent events
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