To further bolster our best-in-class tool-set for Search Marketing we have chosen SEMrush as our primary software for competitive keyword/creative research and analysis. We chose SEMrush from among dozens of similar tools but it became the obvious choice almost right out of the gate.

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First, SEMrush is the only such software that provides international data segmented by country. This includes the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand; all markets Ten Thousand Foot View services. Second, SEMrush offers the most up to date and complete dataset of competitor keywords/ads in both paid and organic search channels. Third, the software produces great reports that can be shared with our clients in both PDF and Excel formats.

What Does SEMrush Do?

Finds high-quality keywords for a niche by using a root word
Displays paid keywords used by a specific competitor including CPC, clicks and amount spent
Displays organic keywords by specific competitor including current rank and traffic volume
Provides competitor creatives & landing pages along with ad level utilization for search campaigns
Shows display ads competitors are running (Beta Feature)
Generates detailed PDF & Excel reports
Provides a number of SEO related tools for website quality analysis and keyword strategy development

How Do We Use It For AdWords?

Exactly what we do is proprietary but in general terms, we find unique groupings of keywords by “theme” which will be developed into specific ad groups. There are many permutations that can be developed using root words, qualifiers, branded vs. unbranded terms, contextual search and more. Keyword strategy, of course, will be implemented using a variety of match types and negative keywords.

In addition, we will make note of the most effective competitive ads and consider those features/benefits in developing the client offer/strategy.

We, of course, also use other methods such as Rank Tracker and Google’s own keyword research tools to generate a keyword strategy from scratch. And we will generate novel ads based upon our/your own ideas and offers. Your competitors don’t know everything and you have your own unique value proposition!