Semrush is an all-in-one digital marketing platform for SEO, keyword research, competitor analysis, backlinks, content optimization, and website auditing.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Open the Semrush Website
Go to the official Semrush website using your browser.
What to do:
- Open Chrome, Edge, Safari, or another browser.
- Visit the official Semrush website.
- Click Sign Up to create a new account.
- If you already have an account, select Log In.
Step 2: Create Your Semrush Account
Click Sign Up and open the account registration page.
What to do:
- Enter your email address.
- Create a secure password.
- Alternatively, choose Continue with Google.
- Click Create account.
The Semrush registration page currently provides both Google sign-in and email/password registration.
Step 3: Verify Your Email
After registration, check your email inbox for a Semrush verification message.
What to do:
- Open your email account.
- Find the Semrush verification email.
- Click the verification/confirmation button.
- Return to Semrush after verification.
Tip: If you don’t see the email, check your Spam or Junk folder.
Step 4: Log In to Semrush
Once your account is created, log in to your Semrush account.
What to do:
- Open the Semrush login page.
- Enter your registered email.
- Enter your password.
- Click Log In.
If you registered through Google, use the Google login option. Semrush notes that Google-created accounts may not initially have a separate Semrush password.
Step 5: Explore the Semrush Dashboard
After logging in, you will reach the Semrush workspace/dashboard.
What to look for:
- SEO tools
- AI Visibility tools
- Keyword research
- Domain Overview
- Site Audit
- Position Tracking
- Backlink tools
- Content tools
Semrush currently recommends creating a project and then using tools such as Site Audit, keyword research, and Position Tracking as core starting activities.
Step 6: Create Your First Project
A project organizes SEO information for your website.
What to do:
- Open the Projects or project area.
- Select Create Project.
- Enter your website/domain.
- Give your project a name.
- Follow the setup instructions.
- Save the project.
Semrush describes a project as a workspace for a domain or subdomain.
Step 7: Perform Keyword Research
Keyword research helps you discover what people search for on Google.
What to do:
- Open Keyword Magic Tool.
- Enter your main topic or keyword.
- Select your target country/database.
- Click Search.
- Review search volume and keyword difficulty.
- Save useful keywords to your list.
Semrush recommends building a keyword list that includes both popular queries and long-tail keywords.
Step 8: Audit Your Website
Use Site Audit to find technical SEO problems.
What to do:
- Open Site Audit.
- Select your project.
- Configure the crawl settings.
- Start the audit.
- Wait for the crawl to finish.
- Review errors, warnings, and notices.
- Fix the most important issues first.
Semrush’s current onboarding specifically recommends running a Site Audit to identify issues affecting organic search performance.
Step 9: Check Competitors and Backlinks
Semrush can help you understand your competitors’ SEO strategies.
What to do:
- Open Domain Overview.
- Enter a competitor’s website.
- Review organic keywords and traffic estimates.
- Check competing domains.
- Open Backlink Analytics to study backlinks.
- Compare your website with competitors.
Semrush recommends using competitor reports to identify competing websites and then examining their organic rankings, advertising data, and backlinks.
Step 10: Track Your Google Rankings
Finally, use Position Tracking to monitor your keyword rankings.
What to do:
- Open Position Tracking.
- Select your project.
- Add your target keywords.
- Choose your location and device.
- Start tracking.
- Regularly check ranking changes.
- Improve pages when important keywords drop.
Semrush’s onboarding recommends Position Tracking for monitoring keyword ranking improvements and drops.
Quick Semrush Workflow
Create Account → Create Project → Research Keywords → Audit Website → Analyze Competitors → Check Backlinks → Track Rankings → Improve SEO
This is also broadly aligned with Semrush’s current recommended onboarding sequence.
Best tools for beginners
| Tool | Main purpose |
|---|---|
| Domain Overview | Analyze a website |
| Keyword Magic Tool | Find keywords |
| Site Audit | Find technical SEO issues |
| Position Tracking | Monitor rankings |
| Backlink Analytics | Analyze backlinks |
| Organic Research | Research competitors |
| On Page SEO Checker | Improve existing pages |