When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), two of the most recognized tools in the market are Semrush and Ahrefs. Both are robust and feature-packed, but each offers unique strengths. Choosing between them largely depends on your specific needs. Whether you’re optimizing for backlinks, running PPC campaigns, or developing a holistic digital marketing strategy, one of these tools will be better suited for your business.

In this article, we will explore the main features of both platforms, analyzing their key offerings like keyword research, backlink analysis, technical SEO capabilities, pricing, and more. Our objective is to help you determine which tool will give you the most value for your business.

Introduction to Semrush and Ahrefs

Semrush is a full-fledged digital marketing suite that goes beyond just SEO. While its primary focus is SEO, it also offers tools for content marketing, social media, PPC, and more. Since its inception in 2008, Semrush has developed a wide range of features that appeal to marketers with diverse needs.

Ahrefs, on the other hand, started in 2010 as a backlink analysis tool but has since evolved into a more complete SEO platform. While it now includes tools for keyword research, rank tracking, and site audits, it still retains its dominance in backlink analysis.

Semrush Features:

• Keyword Research
• Backlink Analysis
• On-page SEO and Technical Audits
• Content Marketing Tools
• PPC Advertising Suite
• Social Media Toolkit
• Detailed Competitor Analysis
  

Ahrefs Features:

• Keyword Research
• Backlink Analysis (Renowned feature)
• On-page SEO and Technical Audits
• Content Explorer
• Historical Data for SEO Performance
• Rank Tracking
  

SEMrush or Ahrefs? Which one working best nowadays?
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Keyword Research: Who Does it Best?

Semrush Keyword Research

Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool offers deeper insights compared to Ahrefs. In addition to standard metrics like search volume, competition, and CPC (cost-per-click), Semrush goes a step further by providing data on:

• Search Intent: Understand whether users searching for a particular keyword are looking to make a purchase, gather information, or navigate to a specific website.
• Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD%): This personalized difficulty score helps you understand how hard it would be for your domain to rank for that keyword.

Semrush also integrates data from Google PPC campaigns, which can be crucial for businesses running both organic and paid marketing strategies.

Ahrefs Keyword Research

Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer excels in presenting the Traffic Potential of keywords, making it easier to understand how much organic traffic a keyword could bring. It also shows how many actual clicks the top results get after appearing on search results, considering Google’s increasing trend of featuring Rich Snippets that steal clicks from organic results.

Ahrefs’ interface is also user-friendly, and while it doesn’t offer as much data as Semrush, it provides enough to make well-informed decisions.

Verdict: Semrush wins the keyword research battle due to the extra layers of insight it offers, especially for businesses running integrated SEO and PPC campaigns.

Backlink Analysis: Semrush vs Ahrefs

Semrush Backlink Analysis

Semrush boasts a massive database of 43 trillion backlinks, updated daily. The tool allows users to:

• Analyze referring domains and backlinks.
• Conduct Backlink Gap Analysis to compare your site’s backlinks with those of competitors.
• Identify toxic backlinks that could hurt your SEO performance and use the Backlink Audit Tool to remove or disavow them.

Semrush also includes features for tracking changes in backlinks over time, which is particularly useful for monitoring the progress of link-building campaigns.

Ahrefs Backlink Analysis

Ahrefs was originally known as the best backlink analysis tool, and it continues to excel in this area. With a database of over 30.6 trillion backlinks, it might not be as large as Semrush’s, but it’s highly accurate. Ahrefs also allows users to:

• See detailed anchor text for backlinks.
• Identify broken links to recover lost backlinks.
• Use the Broken Link Building feature to find link-building opportunities.

Verdict: Ahrefs is the go-to for backlink analysis due to its simplicity, accuracy, and the broken link-building feature, which is extremely helpful for any link-building campaign.

Technical SEO: Site Audits

Semrush Technical SEO

Semrush’s Site Audit feature is one of the most comprehensive in the industry. It provides:

• SEO Health Score: An overall score indicating how SEO-friendly your site is.
• Detailed insights into site issues such as broken links, HTTP status code errors, crawl errors, and more.
• Internal Link Distribution: A report that shows how well your internal links flow through your site.

Semrush goes a step further with features like Keyword Cannibalization Detection and a user-friendly dashboard that prioritizes tasks based on the potential impact on SEO performance.

Ahrefs Technical SEO

Ahrefs’ Site Audit is effective but less detailed than Semrush’s. It gives you a health score based on errors like slow-loading pages, 301 redirects, and issues with meta descriptions. However, some users have reported that Ahrefs overemphasizes issues like Noindex Tags, which aren’t always critical problems.

Ahrefs also has a Structure Explorer that helps you assess the depth of different pages from your homepage, aiding in maintaining a flat site architecture.

Verdict: Semrush wins with its more detailed reports and extra features like internal link distribution.

Rank Tracking

Both Semrush and Ahrefs offer reliable rank tracking tools, but they differ in how often they update their data.

Semrush Rank Tracking

Semrush updates its keyword rankings on a daily basis, which is helpful for marketers who need to stay on top of ranking fluctuations. It also provides a Visibility Score that shows how visible your site is on search engines.

Ahrefs Rank Tracking

Ahrefs updates its rank tracking once or twice a week, depending on your pricing plan. While it’s accurate, the less frequent updates may not be suitable for marketers who need daily insights.

Verdict: Semrush takes the lead with more frequent updates and additional ranking features like Visibility Score.

Pricing and Value

Semrush Pricing

Semrush’s pricing starts at $139.95/month for the Pro plan, which includes most of the basic features needed for SEO and PPC campaigns. More advanced features like historical data are only available in higher-tier plans.

Ahrefs Pricing

Ahrefs starts at $99/month for the Lite plan, but it uses a credit-based system. For each action (like keyword research or site audits), you consume credits, which can quickly run out. Many users find this system frustrating because once you use up your credits, you must either wait or pay for more.

Verdict: Semrush wins for pricing and value, offering more features for a flat rate without credit limitations.

Content Marketing and Unique Features

Semrush Content Marketing

Semrush offers a Content Marketing Platform that helps marketers:

• Identify trending topics.
• Create optimized content briefs.
• Use the SEO Writing Assistant to optimize content in real-time. This platform integrates well with their overall SEO and PPC features, making it a one-stop shop for content marketers.

Ahrefs Content Marketing

Ahrefs provides a Content Explorer, which is helpful for finding top-performing content and link-building prospects. However, it lacks tools for creating content briefs or real-time optimization.

Verdict: Semrush is the better choice for content marketing, thanks to its powerful content tools and seamless integration with other marketing features.

Customer Support

Semrush Support

Semrush offers email, phone, and live chat support. Their customer service team is responsive and generally resolves issues quickly.

Ahrefs Support

Ahrefs also provides live chat and email support, but it lacks phone support, which could be a downside for some users.

Verdict: Semrush wins with more comprehensive support options.

Conclusion: Which SEO Tool is the Best?

While both Semrush and Ahrefs offer powerful tools for SEO, Semrush comes out on top in this comparison. Its broader feature set, including PPC advertising, content marketing, and more robust technical SEO tools, makes it a more well-rounded choice for digital marketers. Additionally, Semrush’s pricing model is simpler and provides more value for the money compared to Ahrefs’ credit-based system.

However, Ahrefs still shines in backlink analysis and remains the preferred choice for marketers focused primarily on building links. If your work revolves around backlink analysis and content research, Ahrefs could still be the better fit.

Ultimately, your choice will depend on your specific business needs. Both platforms offer free trials, so it’s worth testing both to see which fits your workflow best.