Semrush

<h2 id="history">History</h2>
Semrush was first released as Seodigger before becoming an <a href="/facts/Browser_extension/jzkeh57V">extension</a> of <a href="/facts/Firefox/xez2zv8H">Firefox</a>, then renamed SeoQuake Company in 2007,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a> before landing on Semrush (the <a href="/facts/Acronym/nlHK7aRt">acronym</a> SEM stands for <a href="/facts/Search_engine_marketing/eXmAwcKY">Search engine marketing</a>). 
In April 2018, the company received $40 million in funding as part of a financing transaction co-led by <a href="/facts/Venture_capital/yeH3m7zo">venture capital</a> firms <a href="/facts/Greycroft/h5ERAj1I">Greycroft</a>, <a href="/facts/E.ventures/WmWVI7AT">E.ventures</a> and Siguler Guff, in preparation for its expansion into various platforms of research, including those owned by <a href="/facts/Amazon_(company)/YzUTUVE8">Amazon</a>, <a href="/facts/Microsoft/nGIDDXdx">Microsoft</a>, and <a href="/facts/Baidu/VgAx7Pfu">Baidu</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a>
In December 2020, the company rebranded with a new visual identity, updating its name from "SEMrush" to "Semrush".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a>
In March 2021, Semrush had an <a href="/facts/Initial_public_offering/2NntDhrG">initial public offering</a> and went public on <a href="/facts/New_York_Stock_Exchange/XgSV32lk">NYSE</a> under the symbol <a href="/facts/New_York_Stock_Exchange/XgSV32lk">NYSE</a>: <a href="https://www.nyse.com/quote/XNYS:SEMR">SEMR</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a> The S-1 form revealed that the company had sales of $213 million and more than 82,000 customers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a>
Semrush's founders are Russian, and relocated to the US in 2017. In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the company ceased all operations in Russia and offered relocation to Russian-based staff to other European countries.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a>
In June 2022, the company launched a beta tool for content generation called Content Outline Builder. The tool will suggest ideas for article writing and blog posts.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a> Semrush also announced on June 27, 2022, that their Backlinks insights data is now integrated with SurferSEO, a marketing tool focused on content creation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22">22</a>
In June 2024, Semrush launched "Semrush Enterprise", an AI-driven platform to streamline digital marketing for large businesses.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23">23</a>
In March 2025, Bill R. Wagner became CEO of Semrush, succeeding co-founder Oleg Shchegolev, who transitioned to the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Wagner is the former CEO of GoTo Group.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24">24</a>

<h2 id="mergers-and-acquisitions">Mergers and acquisitions</h2>
In 2022, Semrush acquired Backlinko from Brian Dean. <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25">25</a> In March 2022, Semrush acquired intelligence and sales platform Kompyte, marking the companies first acquisition of a non search focused platform.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26">26</a>
In March 2023, SEO community Traffic Think Tank was also acquired.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27">27</a> 
In October 2024, Semrush acquired Third Door Media, publisher of Search Engine Land.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28">28</a>
Other 2024 acquisitions include "Brand24" (brand monitoring platform),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29">29</a> "Ryte" (SEO & UX),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30">30</a> "Datos" (data analytics),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31">31</a> and "Exploding Topics" (SEO training platform).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32">32</a>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
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<li id="fn:2">Maffei, Lucia (March 2, 2021). "Boston software company SEMrush plans IPO". Boston Business Journal – via Bizjournals. <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2021/03/02/boston-software-company-semrush-plans-ipo.html" target="_blank">https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2021/03/02/boston-software-company-semrush-plans-ipo.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Sabin-Wilson, Lisa (2013). WordPress All-in-One For Dummies. For Dummies. p. 429. ISBN 978-1118383346. <a href="978-1118383346" target="_blank">978-1118383346</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Jones, Kristopher (2013). Search Engine Optimization: Your Visual Blueprint for Effective Internet Marketing. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. p. 21. ISBN 978-1118551745. <a href="978-1118551745" target="_blank">978-1118551745</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:7">Shulman, Robyn D. (7 April 2017). "Oleg Shchegolev & Dmitri Melnikov: How These Two Self-Proclaimed Enthusiastic Nerds Built A Global SEO Company". Huffington Post. Retrieved 9 July 2021. <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oleg-shchegolev-dmitri-melnikov-how-these-two-self_b_58e79624e4b00dd8e016eadd" target="_blank">https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oleg-shchegolev-dmitri-melnikov-how-these-two-self_b_58e79624e4b00dd8e016eadd</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Marvin, Rob (August 31, 2019). "Semrush Review". PCMag. <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/semrush" target="_blank">https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/semrush</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">"Semrush Headquarters & Office Locations". Clay. <a href="https://www.clay.com/dossier/semrush-headquarters-office-locations" target="_blank">https://www.clay.com/dossier/semrush-headquarters-office-locations</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">"Semrush". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. March 1, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022. <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828021003658/semrushforms-1.htm" target="_blank">https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828021003658/semrushforms-1.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">"Document". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-02. <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828021003658/semrushforms-1.htm" target="_blank">https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828021003658/semrushforms-1.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">"SeoQuake Presents New SEO Product for Analyzing Web Sites' Search Engines Traffic". PR Web. 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on December 6, 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2021. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091206050726/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/06/prweb530661.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20091206050726/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/06/prweb530661.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">Mullin, Benjamin (April 24, 2018). "Search Marketing Firm SEMrush Raises $40 Million to Fund Expansion". The Wall Street Journal. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/search-marketing-firm-semrush-raises-40-million-to-fund-expansion-1524582001?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1" target="_blank">https://www.wsj.com/articles/search-marketing-firm-semrush-raises-40-million-to-fund-expansion-1524582001?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">Shapland, Mark (25 April 2018). "Tech Tracker round-up". Evening Standard. <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/business/tech-tracker-roundup-twitter-posts-healthy-profit-pusher-raises-8-million-in-funding-a3823456.html" target="_blank">https://www.standard.co.uk/business/tech-tracker-roundup-twitter-posts-healthy-profit-pusher-raises-8-million-in-funding-a3823456.html</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">"Semrush Unveils New Logo and Refreshed Visual Identity". Semrush. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2021. <a href="https://www.semrush.com/news/semrush-unveils-new-logo-and-refreshed-visual-identity/" target="_blank">https://www.semrush.com/news/semrush-unveils-new-logo-and-refreshed-visual-identity/</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">Hill, Chris (2022-01-27). "SEMrush: What to Know About This Overlooked IPO Stock". The Motley Fool. Retrieved 2022-06-16. <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2022/01/27/semrush-what-to-know-about-overlooked-ipo-stock/" target="_blank">https://www.fool.com/investing/2022/01/27/semrush-what-to-know-about-overlooked-ipo-stock/</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">"Yahoo news". <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/semrush-announces-fourth-quarter-full-234500092.html" target="_blank">https://finance.yahoo.com/news/semrush-announces-fourth-quarter-full-234500092.html</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">Hogan, Bruce (21 May 2021). "Semrush IPO: S-1 Data, Product Overview & Competitive Landscape". SoftwarePundit. Retrieved 9 July 2021. <a href="https://www.softwarepundit.com/technology-research/semrush-ipo" target="_blank">https://www.softwarepundit.com/technology-research/semrush-ipo</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:19">Warden, Andrew. "A message from Semrush's CMO to our community — Standing with Ukraine". LinkedIn. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/message-from-semrushs-cmo-our-community-standing-ukraine-semrush/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/message-from-semrushs-cmo-our-community-standing-ukraine-semrush/</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:20">"Semrush Introduces Tools To Help Build Content, Expands Support For List Management". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 2022-06-16. <a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/374684/semrush-introduces-tools-to-help-build-content-ex.html" target="_blank">https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/374684/semrush-introduces-tools-to-help-build-content-ex.html</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:21">"Introducing a Powerful Semrush Backlinks Integration". Semrush. Retrieved 2022-08-12. <a href="https://www.semrush.com/news/integration-with-surferseo/" target="_blank">https://www.semrush.com/news/integration-with-surferseo/</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:22">"Surfer ╳ Semrush | The dynamic duo you've been waiting for". surferseo.com. Retrieved 2022-08-12. <a href="https://surferseo.com/integrations/semrush/" target="_blank">https://surferseo.com/integrations/semrush/</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:23">"'AI will alter the role of the SEO practitioner': How SEO giant sees AI, the future of search analytics and beyond". Techradar. <a href="https://www.techradar.com/pro/website-building/we-spoke-to-semrush-known-for-their-content-marketing-and-seo-tools-about-ai-the-future-of-search-analytics-and-their-new-semrush-enterprise-platform" target="_blank">https://www.techradar.com/pro/website-building/we-spoke-to-semrush-known-for-their-content-marketing-and-seo-tools-about-ai-the-future-of-search-analytics-and-their-new-semrush-enterprise-platform</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:24">"Semrush says director William Wagner to become CEO, Oleg Shchegolev to be CTO". Business Insider. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/semrush-says-director-william-wagner-to-become-ceo-oleg-shchegolev-to-be-cto-1034414302" target="_blank">https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/semrush-says-director-william-wagner-to-become-ceo-oleg-shchegolev-to-be-cto-1034414302</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:25">Nguyen, George (20 January 2022). "Semrush acquires SEO training website Backlinko". Search Engine Land. Retrieved January 20, 2022. <a href="https://searchengineland.com/semrush-acquires-seo-training-website-backlinko-378806" target="_blank">https://searchengineland.com/semrush-acquires-seo-training-website-backlinko-378806</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:26">Nguyen, George (March 2, 2022). "Semrush buys Kompyte so it can upsell competitive intelligence tools". Search Engine Land. <a href="https://searchengineland.com/semrush-acquires-kompyte-upsell-to-customers-381535" target="_blank">https://searchengineland.com/semrush-acquires-kompyte-upsell-to-customers-381535</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:27">Southern, Matt G. (16 March 2023). "After Semrush Acquired Traffic Think Tank, What's Next? Insights From Co-founder Matthew Howells-Barby". Search Engine Journal. <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/semrush-acquire-traffic-think-tank/482099/" target="_blank">https://www.searchenginejournal.com/semrush-acquire-traffic-think-tank/482099/</a> <a href="#fnref:27" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:28">Goodwin, Danny (16 October 2024). "Semrush acquires Search Engine Land". Search Engine Land. <a href="https://searchengineland.com/semrush-acquires-search-engine-land-447555" target="_blank">https://searchengineland.com/semrush-acquires-search-engine-land-447555</a> <a href="#fnref:28" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:29">"Semrush completed the acquisition of a 57.6% stake in Brand24". Merger Links. <a href="https://app.mergerlinks.com/transactions/2024-05-08-brand24/dealmakers" target="_blank">https://app.mergerlinks.com/transactions/2024-05-08-brand24/dealmakers</a> <a href="#fnref:29" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:30">"Semrush acquires German SaaS company Ryte". TechEU. <a href="https://tech.eu/2024/07/15/semrush-acquires-german-saas-company-ryte/" target="_blank">https://tech.eu/2024/07/15/semrush-acquires-german-saas-company-ryte/</a> <a href="#fnref:30" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:31">"Semrush (SEMR) Boosts Digital Marketing With Datos Integration". Nasdaq. <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/semrush-semr-boosts-digital-marketing-datos-integration" target="_blank">https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/semrush-semr-boosts-digital-marketing-datos-integration</a> <a href="#fnref:31" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:32">"Semrush Buys Exploding Topics to Strengthen Market Research Capabilities". Designrush. <a href="https://www.designrush.com/news/semrush-buys-exploding-topics-to-strengthen-market-research-capabilities" target="_blank">https://www.designrush.com/news/semrush-buys-exploding-topics-to-strengthen-market-research-capabilities</a> <a href="#fnref:32" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Semrush open-in-new

Semrush