Semrush SEO: Rank Higher & Dominate Local Marketing

Want to boost your website’s visibility and attract more customers? Then you need to understand SEO. Search engine optimization isn’t some mysterious art; it’s a practical skill you can learn. This guide will walk you through using Semrush to improve your site’s ranking – and maybe even dominate your local marketing scene. Ready to get started?

Step 1: Setting Up Your Semrush Account

1.1: Creating Your Account

First, head over to Semrush and sign up for an account. While Semrush offers free features, a paid subscription unlocks the full potential of the platform for in-depth SEO analysis. Semrush offers several different tiers, but the Pro or Guru plan will be sufficient for most small to medium-sized businesses. Choose the plan that best fits your budget and needs.

1.2: Adding Your Project

Once you’re logged in, the next step is to add your website as a project. On the main dashboard, click on the “Projects” tab in the left-hand menu. Then, click the “Add New Project” button. Enter your website’s domain name (e.g., yourwebsite.com) and give your project a name. Click “Create Project,” and Semrush will set up a dedicated workspace for your site.

Step 2: Performing a Site Audit

2.1: Navigating to the Site Audit Tool

With your project created, you can now run a site audit. In your project dashboard, find the “Site Audit” card and click “Set up.” This will take you to the configuration page where you can customize the audit settings.

2.2: Configuring the Audit Settings

On the configuration page, you’ll see several options. The default settings are usually a good starting point, but you can adjust them to fit your specific needs. For example, you can set the crawl scope, limit the number of pages crawled, and specify which user agent to use. We typically set the crawl source to “Website” and ensure “Crawl all website pages” is selected. Pay close attention to the “Crawl Scope” setting; you want to make sure you’re not accidentally excluding important sections of your site. Click the “Start Site Audit” button to begin the crawl.

2.3: Analyzing the Audit Results

Once the audit is complete (this can take a few minutes to several hours depending on the size of your site), you’ll be presented with a report summarizing the health of your website. Pay attention to the overall “Site Health” score and the number of errors, warnings, and notices. Semrush categorizes issues into these three levels of severity. Errors are the most critical and should be addressed first. Click on each category to see a detailed list of the specific issues identified.

Pro Tip: I had a client last year, a local law firm specializing in personal injury cases near the Fulton County Courthouse, whose Site Health was abysmal due to broken links and missing meta descriptions. Fixing these issues, along with some targeted content updates, led to a significant increase in organic traffic within a few months.

2.4: Addressing Technical SEO Issues

Now comes the important part: fixing the issues identified in the audit. Start with the “Errors” section. Common errors include broken links (404 errors), duplicate content, and crawlability issues. For example, if Semrush reports a broken link, you’ll need to either fix the link or remove it. If it identifies duplicate content, you’ll need to either consolidate the content or add canonical tags to tell search engines which version is the preferred one. For crawlability issues, check your robots.txt file and make sure you’re not accidentally blocking search engines from accessing important pages. You can edit robots.txt directly through the Semrush interface if you connect your Google Search Console account. After fixing a batch of issues, rerun the site audit to see if your Site Health score has improved.

Step 3: Keyword Research with the Keyword Magic Tool

3.1: Accessing the Keyword Magic Tool

Now that you’ve addressed the technical SEO issues on your site, it’s time to focus on content. The first step is to identify the right keywords to target. Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool is an excellent resource for this. You can access it from the left-hand menu under “SEO” > “Keyword Research” > “Keyword Magic Tool”.

3.2: Entering Your Seed Keyword

In the Keyword Magic Tool, enter a broad keyword related to your business. For example, if you’re a dentist in Atlanta, you might enter “dentist Atlanta.” Semrush will then generate a list of related keywords, along with data on their search volume, keyword difficulty, and cost-per-click (CPC).

3.3: Filtering and Analyzing Keyword Results

The Keyword Magic Tool offers several filters to help you narrow down your results. You can filter by keyword difficulty, search volume, and intent (informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional). Pay attention to the “KD%” (Keyword Difficulty) score. A lower KD% indicates that it will be easier to rank for that keyword. I usually aim for keywords with a KD% of 50 or less when starting a new marketing campaign. Look for long-tail keywords (longer, more specific phrases) as they often have lower competition and higher conversion rates. For example, instead of targeting “dentist Atlanta,” you might target “affordable dentist in Buckhead Atlanta.”

Editorial Aside: Here’s what nobody tells you: keyword research is an ongoing process. You shouldn’t just do it once and forget about it. Consumer behavior changes, new trends emerge, and your competitors are constantly updating their strategies. Set aside time each month to revisit your keyword research and identify new opportunities.

3.4: Creating a Keyword List

As you find keywords that are relevant to your business and have a good balance of search volume and keyword difficulty, add them to a keyword list. You can create multiple keyword lists for different topics or sections of your website. This will help you stay organized and track your progress.

Step 4: Analyzing Competitors

Understanding what your competitors are doing is crucial for SEO success. Semrush offers several tools for competitive research. Start by identifying your main competitors. You probably already know some of them, but you can also use Semrush to find others. In the “Competitive Research” section, use the “Organic Research” tool. Enter your domain name and then click on the “Competitors” tab. Semrush will show you a list of websites that are ranking for the same keywords as you.

4.2: Analyzing Competitor Keywords

Once you’ve identified your competitors, you can analyze the keywords they’re targeting. In the “Organic Research” tool, enter a competitor’s domain name. Click on the “Keywords” tab to see a list of the keywords they’re ranking for. Pay attention to the keywords that are driving the most traffic to their site. Are there any keywords that you’re not currently targeting? Add them to your keyword list.

Case Study: We ran a competitive analysis for a local bakery in Decatur using Semrush. We discovered that their main competitor was ranking highly for “vegan cupcakes Decatur” and “gluten-free cakes Decatur.” The bakery didn’t offer many vegan or gluten-free options at the time. By adding these options to their menu and creating targeted content, they were able to significantly increase their organic traffic and sales.

4.3: Analyzing Competitor Backlinks

Backlinks are an important ranking factor. Use Semrush’s “Backlink Analytics” tool to analyze your competitors’ backlink profiles. Enter a competitor’s domain name and click “Analyze.” You’ll see a list of the websites that are linking to them. Look for high-quality websites that are relevant to your industry. Try to get backlinks from these same websites. You can do this by reaching out to them and offering to write a guest post, or by creating valuable content that they’ll want to link to.

Step 5: Tracking Your Progress

5.1: Setting Up Rank Tracking

The final step is to track your SEO progress and measure the impact of your efforts. Semrush’s Rank Tracker is a great tool for this. You can access it from the left-hand menu under “SEO” > “Rank Tracking” > “Position Tracking”. Enter your domain name and the keywords you want to track. Specify your target location (e.g., Atlanta, Georgia) and the search engine you want to track (e.g., Google). Click “Start Tracking” to begin monitoring your keyword rankings.

5.2: Monitoring Your Keyword Rankings

The Rank Tracker will show you your current rankings for each keyword, as well as your historical rankings. Monitor your rankings regularly to see how your marketing efforts are paying off. If you see that your rankings are declining, you’ll need to investigate and make adjustments to your strategy. Semrush provides daily tracking of your keyword positions, allowing you to react quickly to changes.

5.3: Reporting and Analysis

Semrush allows you to generate reports on your rank tracking data. You can customize these reports to show the metrics that are most important to you. Use these reports to track your progress over time and identify areas for improvement. Share these reports with your team or clients to demonstrate the value of your SEO efforts. A Nielsen study found that consistent reporting and analysis of marketing data leads to a 20% increase in ROI, so don’t skip this step.

This is just a starting point, of course. Semrush offers a wealth of other features and tools that can help you improve your SEO. But by following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to achieving better rankings and more traffic. For example, you might also look at local marketing moves that matter to your Atlanta small business. You can also stop wasting ad dollars by tracking the right metrics. And if you’re thinking about the future, future-proof your brand with smart marketing strategies.

Now you have a clear path to improving your site’s SEO using Semrush. The next step? Put this plan into action. Start with that site audit, identify the most pressing issues, and begin fixing them today. Your future website traffic will thank you.