"How to Use Semrush for Keyword Research, Backlinks & Site Audit"

Starting a website or online business is exciting. But how do you get people to find it? How do you know what words people type into Google? How do you make your website better than others?

The answer is SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the art and science of making your website friendly for Google, so it shows up higher in search results.

Doing SEO can feel complicated. But there is a tool that makes it much easier. That tool is called SEMrush.

This guide will explain what SEMrush is and show you, in very simple steps, how to use its three most important features: Keyword Research, Backlink Analysis, and Site Audit.

What is SEMrush? A Simple Explanation

Imagine you are a general going to battle. You wouldn't go without a map, a spy report on the enemy, and a report on your own army's strength, right?

Think of SEMrush as your command center for digital marketing. It is a software tool that gives you all the information you need to win online. It tells you:

• What words your customers are searching for (Keyword Research).

• Who is linking to your website and your competitors' websites (Backlinks).

• What's wrong with your own website that might be stopping it from ranking (Site Audit).

It is one of the most popular tools in the world for SEO. Big companies and small bloggers use it.

A Quick Look at SEMrush Numbers and Pricing

Before we learn how to use it, let's talk about two important things: how big it is and how much it costs.

Some Key Statistics:

• Used by Millions: Over 10,000,000 marketers around the world use SEMrush. That is a huge number!

• A Giant Database: SEMrush has information on over 45 trillion links and 1.4 billion keywords. It knows almost everything about the internet.

• Trusted by Big Brands: Companies like eBay, Tesla, and Walmart use SEMrush. This shows it is a powerful and serious tool.

How Much Does SEMrush Cost?
SEMrush is not free, but it is an investment in your business's growth. They have a free 7-day trial so you can test it yourself.

After the trial, these are the main plans (prices are in US dollars):

• Pro Plan ($129.95/month): Perfect for freelancers and small businesses. It gives you most of the essential tools to get started.

• Guru Plan ($249.95/month): For growing businesses and marketing agencies. It includes more historical data, more reports, and content marketing tools.

• Business Plan ($499.95/month): For large agencies and big companies. It has the most features, including API access for custom reports.

The price might seem high, but the information you get can save you months of guesswork and help you make more money.

Now, let's learn how to use it!

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Part 1: How to Use SEMrush for Keyword Research

What is a Keyword?
A keyword is simply a word or phrase that people type into Google. For example, "best running shoes" or "how to make pizza."

Why is this important?
If you know what words people are searching for, you can create content around those words. This makes it much more likely that they will find your website.

Simple Steps to Do Keyword Research in SEMrush:

Step 1: Use the Keyword Overview Tool
When you log in to SEMrush, you will see a search bar at the top. Type in a main keyword for your business (e.g., "yoga mats") and select "Keyword Overview" from the dropdown menu.

This tool gives you a super helpful report. It shows you:

• Volume: How many people search for that word every month. (e.g., "yoga mats" is searched 165,000 times a month in the U.S.).

• Keyword Difficulty (KD): A score from 0 to 100 that shows how hard it would be to rank on the first page of Google for that keyword. A high number means it's very competitive.

• Trend: A graph that shows if the keyword is getting more or less popular over time.

Step 2: Find More Keyword Ideas
Now, click on the "Related Keywords" tab in the report. This is like magic. SEMrush will give you a huge list of hundreds of other keywords that are related to your main word.

For example, for "yoga mats," it might suggest:

• "best yoga mats for beginners"

• "eco friendly yoga mats"

• "thick yoga mat"

Look for keywords that have a good search volume (like 100-1,000+ per month) and a low Keyword Difficulty score (like under 30 for beginners). These are your golden opportunities! These are phrases you can actually rank for.

Step 3: Analyze the Competition
For your chosen keyword, see what websites are already on the first page of Google. SEMrush will show you this. Look at them. What have they written? Can you write something better, more detailed, or more helpful? This is how you plan to beat them.

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Part 2: How to Use SEMrush for Backlink Analysis

What is a Backlink?
A backlink is when another website links to your website. Think of it like a vote of confidence. If a good, trusted website links to you, Google thinks, "This site must be helpful and trustworthy." This helps you rank higher.

Why is this important?
Getting good backlinks is one of the most powerful ways to improve your SEO. SEMrush helps you find these opportunities.

Simple Steps to Analyze Backlinks in SEMrush:

Step 1: Analyze Your Competitors' Backlinks
You don't need to invent a new strategy. You can learn from your successful competitors!

In the SEMrush search bar, type your competitor's website address (e.g., "verycoolyogamats.com") and select "Backlink Analytics" from the menu.

The report will show you:

• How many backlinks they have.

• Where those backlinks are coming from.

Step 2: Find Link Opportunities
Look at the list of websites that are linking to your competitor. These websites clearly care about your topic. Now, you can make a plan to get a link from them too.

How?

• You could write a guest article for their blog.

• You could tell them about a product of yours they might want to review.

• You could create an amazing resource (like a big guide or a study) and ask if they want to link to it.

This is called "outreach," and it is a core part of SEO.

Step 3: Check Your Own Backlink Profile
Do the same thing for your own website. See who is already linking to you. More importantly, SEMrush can warn you about toxic backlinks. These are bad links from spammy websites that can actually hurt your SEO. If you find them, you can tell Google to ignore them.

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Part 3: How to Use SEMrush for a Site Audit

What is a Site Audit?
A site audit is like a doctor's check-up for your website. It looks for technical problems that might be making Google unhappy.

Why is this important?
You can have the best content in the world, but if your website is slow, has broken links, or other errors, Google will not show it to people. Fixing these issues is like fixing the foundation of your house.

Simple Steps to Do a Site Audit in SEMrush:

Step 1: Set Up the Project
Inside your SEMrush dashboard, find the "Site Audit" tool. Add your website URL. The tool will ask you to connect it to your Google Search Console (this is helpful but optional for starters). Then, click "Start Audit."

SEMrush will now "crawl" your website. This means it will visit every page, just like Google does, and look for problems.

Step 2: Read the Report
When the audit is finished, you will get a very clear report with a health score out of 100. The higher the score, the healthier your site is.

The report will list every issue it found, such as:

• Broken links: Links that lead to a missing page (Error 404). This is bad for users.

• Slow pages: Pages that take too long to load. People will leave your site if it's slow.

• Missing page titles or descriptions: These are important for SEO. Every page must have them.

Step 3: Fix the Errors!
This is the most important step. The report is useless if you don't act on it.

SEMrush makes this easy. It tells you exactly which page has the problem and what the problem is. You can then work with your web developer (or if you built the site yourself, you can often fix it in your website builder like WordPress or Wix) to solve each issue one by one.

Start with the errors marked as "Critical" first. Fixing these will give your health score a big boost.

Final Thoughts: Your Next Steps

SEMrush can feel overwhelming at first because it gives you so much information. But you don't need to use everything at once.

As a beginner, just focus on these three steps:

1. Keyword Research: Find 5-10 easy keywords to target.

2. Site Audit: Fix the top 5 critical errors on your website.

3. Backlinks: Find 5 websites linking to a competitor and think of a way to politely ask for a link.

Using SEMrush is like having a superpower. It takes away the guesswork. Instead of wondering what to do, you have a clear list of actions that will actually improve your website and help more people find it.

Use the 7-day free trial to explore. Play with the tools. Run an audit on your site. You will be amazed at what you can learn. This tool can truly change the game for your online business.