Semrush
Semrush is a popular SEO tool suite that specializes in keyword research, competitor analysis, and Google Ad campaign optimization.
Verdict
Common use cases
- Validate blog topics with keyword volume data
- Audit competitor backlink profiles during strategy calls
- Compare domain authority across five competitors
- Surface ad copy competitors are testing
- Find keyword gaps between your site and rivals
Integration
- Vendor
- Semrush
- Category
- other
- Auth
- API_KEY
- Tools
- 36
- Composio slug
semrush
Tools
- Backlinks overview
Provides a csv-formatted summary of backlinks, including authority score and link type breakdowns, for a specified and publicly accessible domain, root domain, or url.
- Batch comparison
Compares backlink profiles for multiple specified targets (domains, subdomains, or urls) to analyze and compare link-building efforts.
- Batch keyword overview
Fetches a keyword overview report from a semrush regional database for up to 100 keywords, providing metrics like search volume, cpc, and keyword difficulty.
- Broad match keyword
Fetches broad match keywords for a given phrase; `display sort` and `display filter` parameters are defined but currently not utilized by the api call.
- Compare domains
Analyzes keyword rankings by comparing up to five domains to find common, unique, or gap keywords, using specified organic/paid types and comparison logic in the `domains` string.
- Find related keywords
Call this to find related keywords (including synonyms and variations) for a target phrase in a specific regional database; `display date` (if used for historical data) must be 'yyyymm15' for a past month.
- Get ad copies
Retrieves unique ad copies semrush has observed for a specified domain from a regional database, detailing ads seen in google's paid search results.
- Get anchor texts
Use this action to get a csv report of anchor texts for backlinks pointing to a specified, publicly accessible domain, root domain, or url.
- Get authority score profile
Retrieves the authority score (as) profile for a specified target, showing the count of referring domains that link to the target for each as value from 0 to 100.
- Get backlinks
Fetches backlinks for a specified domain or url as a csv-formatted string, allowing customization of columns, sorting, and filtering; ensure `display limit` surpasses `display offset` when an offset is used, and note the `urlanchor` filter
- Get categories
Retrieves categories and their 0-1 confidence ratings for a specified domain, subdomain, or url, with results sorted by rating.
- Get categories profile
Retrieves a profile of content categories from referring domains for a specified target, analyzing its first 10,000 referring domains and sorting results by domain count.
- Get competitor data
Retrieves a customizable csv report of competitors for a specified target (root domain, domain, or url) based on shared backlinks or referring domains, ensuring the target is valid and its type is correctly specified.
- Get competitors in organic search
Use to get a domain's organic search competitors from semrush as a semicolon-separated string; `display date` requires 'yyyymm15' format if used.
- Get competitors in paid search
Retrieves a list of a domain's competitors in paid search results from a specified regional database.
- Get domain ad history
Retrieves a domain's 12-month advertising history from semrush (keywords bid on, ad positions, ad copy) for ppc strategy and competitor analysis; most effective when the domain has ad history in the selected database.
- Get domain organic pages
Fetches a report on a domain's unique organic pages ranking in google's top 100 search results, with options for specifying database, date, columns, sorting, and filtering.
- Get domain organic search keywords
Retrieves organic search keywords for a domain from a specified semrush regional database; `display positions` must be set if `display daily=1` for daily updates.
- Get domain organic subdomains
Retrieves a report on subdomains of a given domain that rank in google's top 100 organic search results for a specified regional database.
- Get domain paid search keywords
Fetches keywords driving paid search traffic to a specified, existing domain using a supported semrush regional database.
- Get historical data
Retrieves monthly historical backlink and referring domain data for a specified root domain, returned as a time series string with newest records first.
- Get indexed pages
Retrieves a list of indexed pages from semrush for a specified `target` (root domain, domain, or url) and `target type`, ensuring `target` is publicly accessible, semrush-analyzable, and correctly matches `target type`.
- Get keyword difficulty
Determines the keyword difficulty (kd) score (0-100, higher means greater difficulty) for a given phrase in a specific semrush regional database to assess its seo competitiveness.
- Get keyword overview for one database
Fetches a keyword summary for a specified phrase from a chosen regional database.
- Get keywords ads history
Fetches a historical report (last 12 months) of domains advertising on a specified keyword in google ads, optionally for a specific month ('yyyymm15') or the most recent period, returning raw csv-like data.
- Get organic results
Retrieves up to 100,000 domains and urls from google's top 100 organic search results for a keyword and region, returning a raw string; use `display date` in 'yyyymm15' format (day must be '15') for historical data.
- Get paid search results
Fetches domains ranking in google's paid search results (adwords) for a specified keyword and regional database.
- Get PLA competitors
Retrieves domains competing with a specified domain in google's product listing ads (pla) from a given semrush regional database.
- Get PLA copies
Fetches product listing ad (pla) copies that semrush observed for a domain in google's paid search results.
- Get PLA search keywords for a domain
Retrieves product listing ad (pla) search keywords for a specified domain from a semrush regional database.
- Get referring domains
Retrieves a report as a text string (e.g., csv) listing domains that link to a target, with options to filter by type (not value).
- Get referring domains by country
Generates a csv report detailing the geographic distribution of referring domains (by country, determined via ip address) for a specified, publicly accessible target.
- Get TLD distribution
Fetches a report on the top-level domain (tld) distribution of referring domains for a specified target, useful for analyzing geographic or categorical backlink diversity.
- Keyword overview all databases
Fetches a keyword overview from semrush for a specified phrase, including metrics like search volume, cpc, and competition.
- Phrase questions
Fetches question-format keywords semantically related to a given query phrase for a specified regional database, aiding in understanding user search intent and discovering content ideas.
- Referring i ps
Fetches ip addresses that are sources of backlinks for a specified target domain, root domain, or url.
Setup
Setup guide
- 11. Log into your Semrush account and navigate to the API section under your profile settings to generate an API key. 2. In Switchy, open your workspace settings and select 'Add Integration' from the MCP section. 3. Choose Semrush from the list and paste your API key into the authentication field. 4. Click 'Connect' and wait for Switchy to verify the key against Semrush's API. 5. Once connected, open any Space and type '@Semrush' followed by a request like 'show me backlink overview for example.com' to confirm the integration works. 6. If the connection fails, double-check that your Semrush plan includes API access and that the key hasn't expired. 7. You can now invoke any of Semrush's 36 tools by @mentioning it in any Space where your team collaborates.
What teammates see: by default, memories from Semrush are scoped to the Space (PROJECT visibility) - you can mark any memory PRIVATE or share it ORG-wide.
Works well with
Top models
Compatibility data appears once enough Spaces have used this MCP together with a given model.
How Switchy teams use it
Starter prompts
Keyword Research Sprint
@Semrush run a batch keyword overview for these phrases in the US database: 'project management software', 'team collaboration tools', 'remote work platforms'. Show me volume, CPC, and difficulty.Open in a Space →
Backlink Profile Audit
@Semrush get a backlinks overview for ourcompany.com. Break down the authority score distribution and show me the ratio of dofollow to nofollow links.Open in a Space →
Competitor Ad Copy Review
@Semrush fetch ad copies for competitor-site.com from the US database. Show me the headlines and descriptions they're testing in Google Ads.Open in a Space →
Domain Comparison Analysis
@Semrush compare these domains for organic keywords: oursite.com, competitor1.com, competitor2.com. Highlight common keywords and gaps where we're not ranking.Open in a Space →
Related Keyword Discovery
@Semrush find related keywords for 'customer retention strategies' in the US database. Include variations and synonyms we should consider targeting.Open in a Space →
Example outputs
Illustrative - representative of the model's voice and quality, not literal recordings.
@semrush show me the backlink profile for competitor.com — I need authority score, referring domains, and the breakdown of dofollow vs nofollow links.
Here's the backlink overview for competitor.com: Authority Score 68/100, 12,400 total backlinks from 890 referring domains. Link type breakdown: 78% dofollow (9,672 links), 22% nofollow (2,728 links). Top referring domains include industry-news-site.com (AS 82), tech-blog.net (AS 71), and forum.example.org (AS 54). The profile shows steady growth over the past 6 months with a healthy mix of editorial and resource links.
Backlink data reflects Semrush's crawl index, not real-time link status. Requires an API key with backlink analytics access. Authority Score is Semrush's proprietary metric (0-100 scale) and may differ from other SEO tools' domain ratings. Use this to benchmark competitors before planning outreach campaigns.
@semrush compare keyword rankings for our-site.com, competitor-a.com, and competitor-b.com in the US database — focus on organic search and show me keyword gaps where competitors rank but we don't.
Keyword gap analysis complete for 3 domains (US organic): Our-site.com ranks for 4,200 keywords. Competitor-a.com ranks for 6,800 keywords (2,100 unique to them). Competitor-b.com ranks for 5,400 keywords (1,600 unique). Gap opportunities: 1,850 keywords where both competitors rank in top 20 but our-site.com doesn't appear. Top gap keywords include 'enterprise workflow automation' (vol: 2,400, KD: 62), 'team collaboration software' (vol: 1,800, KD: 58), and 'project management tools comparison' (vol: 1,200, KD: 54).
Comparison limited to 5 domains per query. Keyword volume and difficulty (KD) are database-specific — US figures won't match UK or other regions. Gap analysis helps prioritize content creation but doesn't account for search intent alignment. Refresh this monthly as rankings shift; Semrush updates keyword databases on different cadences by region.
@semrush get batch keyword overview for these 50 product terms we're targeting, then draft a content prioritization memo ranking them by search volume and keyword difficulty — flag any with high volume but low competition.
Batch keyword overview retrieved for 50 terms (US database). High-opportunity keywords identified: 'async standup tools' (vol: 880, KD: 38, CPC: $12.50), 'remote team check-ins' (vol: 720, KD: 41, CPC: $9.80), 'asynchronous collaboration' (vol: 1,400, KD: 45, CPC: $11.20). Prioritization memo: Focus content efforts on the 12 keywords with volume >500 and KD <50 — these offer realistic ranking potential within 6 months. Avoid 'project management software' (vol: 18,000, KD: 89) and similar high-KD terms without significant domain authority. Estimated content investment: 8-10 long-form guides to cover the opportunity set.
Batch limit is 100 keywords per call. CPC (cost-per-click) indicates commercial intent but doesn't guarantee conversion value for your business model. Keyword Difficulty is comparative within Semrush's index — a KD of 50 means different things for a new site vs. an established domain. Pair this data with your own analytics to validate search intent before committing to content production.
Use-case deep-dives
When Semrush MCP beats manual keyword research for content teams
A 3-person content team at a B2B SaaS company ships two blog posts per week and needs to find topics competitors rank for but they don't. The Semrush MCP's compare domains and find related keywords tools let them run gap analysis in Switchy without switching tabs or exporting CSVs. They paste five competitor domains, get a ranked list of keyword opportunities with volume and difficulty scores, then pivot to related keywords to build topic clusters. This works when your domain already has some authority (DA 30+) and you're targeting mid-tail keywords (500-5k monthly searches). If you're chasing long-tail or your site is brand new, the keyword difficulty scores skew high and the gap data gets noisy. Buy this if your team runs competitive content sprints at least twice a month and hates Semrush's UI.
How a 6-person agency uses this MCP for link-building QA
A digital marketing agency manages link-building campaigns for 12 clients and needs to audit new backlinks weekly without logging into Semrush for each domain. The backlinks overview and get anchor texts tools pull authority scores, link types, and anchor text distribution into a shared Switchy workspace where the team tags risky links and flags wins for client reports. The batch comparison tool lets them stack three clients side-by-side to spot patterns (like a spike in low-authority forum links from one vendor). This setup breaks down if you need historical backlink data older than 90 days or if you're auditing domains with under 100 referring domains—Semrush's API returns sparse results for small sites. Use this MCP if your agency bills for monthly link audits and your clients have established backlink profiles.
When to use Semrush MCP for paid search competitive research
A 2-person growth team at a DTC brand runs Google Ads in four countries and wants to see what ad copy competitors test without manually searching each keyword. The get ad copies and batch keyword overview tools surface actual ad headlines and CTAs Semrush observed for competitor domains, plus CPC and search volume for target keywords across regional databases. They pull this data into Switchy before quarterly campaign planning to identify messaging angles and budget thresholds. The limitation: Semrush only shows ads it's crawled, so if a competitor runs ads in a niche geo or pauses campaigns quickly, you miss them. This MCP pays off if you're in a competitive vertical (finance, insurance, SaaS) where competitors run persistent paid campaigns and you refresh your ad strategy at least once a quarter.
Frequently asked
What does the Semrush MCP do in Switchy?
It connects Switchy to Semrush's SEO and competitive intelligence data. Your team can pull keyword research, backlink profiles, domain comparisons, and ad copy analysis directly into AI conversations without logging into Semrush's dashboard. The 36 tools cover organic search, paid search, and link-building workflows—useful for content strategists, SEO leads, and growth teams who need data-driven answers fast.
Do I need a paid Semrush account to use this MCP?
Yes. The MCP authenticates with a Semrush API key, which requires an active Semrush subscription with API access enabled. Free or trial accounts typically don't include API keys. You'll paste the key into Switchy once; after that, anyone on your workspace can query Semrush data without sharing credentials. Check your Semrush plan to confirm API access is included.
Can it track my own site's ranking changes over time?
Not directly. The MCP fetches point-in-time snapshots—keyword volumes, backlink counts, domain comparisons—but doesn't store historical trends or send alerts when rankings shift. For ongoing rank tracking, you'd still use Semrush's Position Tracking tool inside their app. The MCP is best for ad-hoc research: "Show me competitors ranking for X" or "Pull backlink anchors for this URL."
How is this different from just using Semrush's web interface?
Speed and context. Instead of exporting CSVs or switching tabs, you ask questions in Switchy and the AI pulls Semrush data inline—then combines it with other sources (your CRM, analytics, docs) in the same thread. You skip the manual copy-paste loop. The trade-off: you lose Semrush's visual charts and can't configure custom reports beyond what the 36 tools expose.
Who on the team should connect the Semrush MCP?
Whoever owns your Semrush subscription and has admin access to generate API keys. Once connected, the whole Switchy workspace can query it—no per-seat Semrush licenses needed. If your SEO lead, content manager, and growth PM all need keyword data, one connection covers them. Just make sure your Semrush plan's API rate limits can handle multiple users querying simultaneously.