When looking for keyword research and to better understand your website’s performance, you’re likely to encounter Semrush and Moz. They are the leaders in the digital industry and direct competitors. But which one is better? Read our review of Moz vs Semrush to learn more.
Moz vs Semrush: An Overview
Moz (also known as Moz Pro) and Semrush are popular SEO tools that help improve the search engine ranking of websites. Moz focuses more on SEO beginners with user-friendly features for keyword research, link-building, and content optimization. Semrush offers broader digital marketing solutions, including SEO tools alongside products for social media, content marketing, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. This makes Semrush suitable for users looking for a more comprehensive approach.
What is the Difference Between Moz and Semrush?
Both are great search marketing engines, but Moz is an SEO-only platform, while Semrush is a robust digital marketing suite. These qualities are crucial for users and businesses when deciding between Moz vs. Semrush.
Pros and Cons of Moz
Moz Pro has numerous features that make it an excellent investment for online businesses. Learn more about Moz vs. Semrush in this compilation of its advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
1. Keyword Explorer
The Keyword Explorer is one of users’ favorite Moz Pro tools. It allows users to categorize, prioritize, and compare keywords. Also, users can create keyword lists to organize their keyword research efforts for specific campaigns. More importantly, this feature has options for competitive keyword analysis, helping users understand how to stay ahead in the game.
2. Link Explorer
This link research tool allows users to analyze their website’s internal link profile and evaluate the quality of backlinks. Link Explorer offers in-depth insights into everything that goes into a quality linking strategy, from domain authority to spam scores and followed links to and from your site.
3. Website analytics
Another perk of using Moz Pro is its in-depth analytics and reporting functionalities, assisting users in evaluating their site for on-page and technical SEO issues. The web analytics tools also monitor your site for changes in SEO performance, help you identify opportunities to improve, and even launch competitive analyses.
Cons
1. Pricing
Despite having starting prices that are cheaper than Semrush, Moz Pro is still pricey. Ranging from $69 to $419 monthly, Moz Pro can get expensive as you grow and want to access more features. Like Semrush, Moz Pro has many features hidden behind paywalls, and their higher subscription tiers can grow to be just as expensive.
2. Onboarding
The onboarding process of Moz can be challenging for beginners. Likewise, the user interface is often less user-friendly than other SEO platforms.
3. Limited features
While Moz Pro has an extensive list of features and tools, many users have reported feeling there are still limitations on what they can do with the platform, considering the extra costs associated with them. Lower-tier subscriptions offer some features, but users must upgrade to higher-priced subscriptions to unlock Moz Pro’s full functionality.
Pros and Cons of Semrush
Learn more about Semrush below:
Pros
1. In-depth analytics
One of the reasons users love Semrush is its in-depth analytics capabilities—Semrush aids users in formulating excellent SEO strategies and data-driven objectives. In short, the software can give you specific, measurable, and detailed insights about your marketing campaigns.
2. Keyword research tools
Many users turn to Semrush for keyword research because of its extensive keyword database, which exceeds 25 billion keywords, plus over 20 million ideas for a single keyword. When using Semrush for keyword research, you’ll gain access to six different keyword tools, including Keyword Magic, Keyword Gap, Organic Traffic Insights, and more.
3. All-in-one platform
What makes Semrush stand out is its comprehensive features, which make it a multifaceted marketing platform.
Semrush isn’t just an SEO tool — it’s marketing software that includes toolkits for content marketing, social media, paid advertising, and more. This suite of features makes it a valuable asset for any business looking to increase its online visibility beyond search engines.
Cons
1. Pricing
The most common complaint of Semrush users is its high cost. Generally, Semrush’s pricing tiers are high, with the lowest subscription starting at $129.95 per month and the highest tier reaching up to $499.95 per month. But, if you want to access additional features, you must pay a certain amount not disclosed in their pricing scheme.
The pricing can hinder small businesses from maximizing Semrush’s full potential.
2. Learning curve
Another downside of Semrush is the learning curve associated with its software, especially when you’re new to marketing tools.
3. User experience
Once you get over Semrush’s learning curve, you may still have some user experience issues. If you’re new to marketing software, Semrush can be a bit overwhelming to navigate, considering the vast amount of tools and features it houses for SEO, paid advertising, and more.
Even business owners with experience with these platforms have reported feeling overwhelmed and sometimes needing help while accessing certain features.
How to Choose the Best SEO Tool
After weighing the pros and cons of Moz and Semrush, it’s time to choose which is the better tool for search engine optimization. Consider the following factors to guide you in your journey:
- Determine your budget
- Assess and list your needs and requirements
- Identify your stakeholders and users
Once you consider the above factors, you can see if a tool won’t meet your needs, budget, or team preferences. If both meet your requirements, then grab the free trials from both software.
Conclusion
Moz could be a good choice for beginners or those focused on SEO fundamentals such as link building and on-page optimization. In contrast, we recommend Semrush for users who need comprehensive digital marketing solutions. Ultimately, it is best to take advantage of the complimentary trials offered by both platforms to see which one aligns better with your workflow and requirements.
