Key Takeaways
- Increase your competitor analysis frequency to weekly to identify emerging keyword trends and competitor strategies in real-time.
- Refine your Google Ads Quality Score by A/B testing at least two different ad variations per ad group every month to improve ad relevance and landing page experience.
- Implement a content repurposing strategy that converts each long-form piece of content into at least three shorter, platform-specific formats (e.g., blog post to infographic, video, and social media thread) to maximize reach and engagement.
In the crowded digital space of 2026, simply having a great product or service isn’t enough. You need to ensure your target audience can actually find you. Effective discoverability, interwoven with smart marketing tactics, is now the cornerstone of success. But how can you cut through the noise and make your brand stand out? This tutorial will show you how to use Semrush to boost your discoverability.
Step 1: Keyword Research and Competitive Analysis
First, you need to know what your audience is searching for and how your competitors are ranking. This is where Semrush’s keyword research tools come into play. Forget guessing; data is king.
Finding Seed Keywords
Start by brainstorming a list of keywords related to your business. These are your seed keywords. Let’s say you run a local bakery in Atlanta specializing in custom cakes. Your seed keywords might include “custom cakes Atlanta,” “wedding cakes Atlanta,” “birthday cakes Atlanta,” and “cupcakes Atlanta.”
Now, in Semrush, navigate to the Keyword Research Toolkit. You’ll find this under the “SEO” menu on the left sidebar. In the search bar, enter one of your seed keywords, like “custom cakes Atlanta,” and select “United States” as your target location.
Click the “Search” button. Semrush will generate a report showing you related keywords, their search volume, keyword difficulty, and more. Pay close attention to the “Questions” tab. This reveals the questions people are asking related to your seed keyword. For instance, you might find questions like “how much are custom cakes in Atlanta?” or “where to order custom cakes in Atlanta?”
Pro Tip: Focus on long-tail keywords (phrases with three or more words). These keywords have lower search volume but also lower competition, making them easier to rank for.
Analyzing Competitors
Next, identify your top competitors. If you’re a bakery in Buckhead, look at other bakeries in that area, like Henri’s Bakery & Deli or Alon’s Bakery & Market. Enter their domains into Semrush’s Organic Research tool (also found under the “SEO” menu). This will show you the keywords they are ranking for, their estimated traffic, and their top pages.
Look for keywords that your competitors are ranking for but you aren’t. These are potential opportunities. Also, analyze their content strategy. What type of content are they creating? What topics are they covering?
Expected Outcome: A list of 20-30 relevant keywords with varying search volumes and keyword difficulties. A clear understanding of your competitors’ keyword strategy and content strategy.
Step 2: On-Page Optimization
Once you have your target keywords, it’s time to optimize your website. On-page optimization involves making changes to your website’s content and HTML code to improve its ranking in search results.
For a deeper dive, check out our guide to on-page SEO for 2026.
Optimizing Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Your title tag and meta description are the first things people see in search results. They need to be compelling and accurately reflect the content of your page. Include your target keyword in both the title tag and meta description.
In Semrush, use the On-Page SEO Checker tool (under “SEO”). Enter the URL of the page you want to optimize and your target keyword. Semrush will provide a list of recommendations for improving your on-page SEO. This includes suggestions for your title tag, meta description, header tags, content, and internal links.
To edit your title tag and meta description, access your website’s content management system (CMS). If you’re using WordPress, you can use a plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math. These plugins allow you to easily edit your title tag and meta description for each page.
Common Mistake: Keyword stuffing. Don’t cram your keywords into your title tag and meta description. Write naturally and focus on providing value to the user.
Optimizing Header Tags and Content
Use header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure your content and make it easier to read. Include your target keyword in at least one of your header tags, preferably the H1 tag. Also, use your target keyword naturally throughout your content.
Make sure your content is high-quality, informative, and engaging. Write for your audience, not for search engines. Focus on providing value and answering their questions. Aim for a readability score of 60 or higher on the Flesch Reading Ease scale. Semrush provides this metric in its On-Page SEO Checker tool.
Pro Tip: Incorporate multimedia elements into your content, such as images, videos, and infographics. This can help to keep your audience engaged and improve your website’s bounce rate.
Step 3: Off-Page Optimization (Link Building)
Off-page optimization refers to activities you do outside of your website to improve its ranking in search results. The most important off-page optimization factor is link building. Links from other websites act as votes of confidence, telling search engines that your website is trustworthy and authoritative.
Identifying Link Building Opportunities
Use Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool (under “SEO”) to analyze your competitors’ backlinks. This will show you the websites that are linking to your competitors. Look for opportunities to get links from these same websites.
For example, if you see that a competitor has a link from a local blog about Atlanta restaurants, reach out to the blog owner and see if they would be willing to review your bakery. Or, if a competitor has a link from a directory of Atlanta businesses, submit your bakery to the directory.
Here’s what nobody tells you: Link building is hard work. It takes time, effort, and persistence. Don’t expect to get hundreds of links overnight. Focus on building high-quality links from relevant websites.
Creating Linkable Assets
One of the best ways to attract links is to create linkable assets. These are pieces of content that other websites will want to link to. Examples of linkable assets include infographics, data-driven reports, and comprehensive guides.
For our bakery example, you could create an infographic about the history of wedding cakes or a data-driven report about the most popular cake flavors in Atlanta. Promote your linkable assets on social media and reach out to relevant websites and bloggers to let them know about them.
Case Study: I worked with a local law firm specializing in personal injury cases near the Fulton County Courthouse. They were struggling to rank for competitive keywords like “car accident lawyer Atlanta.” We used Semrush to identify their competitors’ backlinks and found that many of them had links from local news websites and legal directories. We created a comprehensive guide to Georgia personal injury law (O.C.G.A. Section 34-9-1) and promoted it to these same websites. Within six months, the law firm’s website traffic increased by 40% and they started ranking on the first page of Google for several of their target keywords.
Step 4: Content Marketing
Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage your target audience. Content marketing is essential for building brand awareness, generating leads, and driving sales.
A solid content strategy can really make a difference.
Creating a Content Calendar
Start by creating a content calendar. This is a schedule of the content you plan to create and publish. Your content calendar should include a variety of content formats, such as blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and social media updates.
Use Semrush’s Topic Research tool (under “Content Marketing”) to generate content ideas. Enter your target keyword and Semrush will provide a list of related topics, questions, and headlines. For our bakery example, you might find content ideas like “The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Cake Flavors,” “How to Choose the Perfect Birthday Cake,” or “The Best Cupcake Shops in Atlanta.”
Pro Tip: Repurpose your content. Turn a blog post into a video, an infographic, or a social media thread. This will help you to reach a wider audience and get more mileage out of your content.
Promoting Your Content
Once you’ve created your content, it’s time to promote it. Share your content on social media, email marketing, and other channels. Reach out to influencers and bloggers in your niche and ask them to share your content.
Consider using paid advertising to promote your content. Platforms like Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager allow you to target your audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
Step 5: Local SEO
If you’re a local business, local SEO is crucial. Local SEO involves optimizing your online presence to attract customers from your local area.
If you are based in the Atlanta area, you may find our guide Atlanta SEO: Why Your Business Isn’t Ranking helpful.
Claiming and Optimizing Your Google Business Profile
The first step in local SEO is to claim and optimize your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). This is a free listing that appears in Google search results and Google Maps. Make sure your Google Business Profile is complete and accurate. Include your business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and a detailed description of your business. Also, add high-quality photos of your business.
Building Local Citations
Local citations are online mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). These citations help search engines to verify your business’s location and improve its ranking in local search results. List your business in relevant online directories, such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and industry-specific directories.
Common Mistake: Inconsistent NAP information. Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across all online platforms.
Step 6: Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves optimizing your website’s technical aspects to improve its crawlability and indexability. This includes factors like site speed, mobile-friendliness, and website architecture.
Make sure your website is ready for the future with insights from our guide to Technical SEO’s Future: A 2026 Survival Guide.
Improving Site Speed
Site speed is a ranking factor. A slow website can hurt your search engine rankings and frustrate your visitors. Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to analyze your website’s speed and identify areas for improvement. Common ways to improve site speed include optimizing images, enabling browser caching, and using a content delivery network (CDN).
Ensuring Mobile-Friendliness
More and more people are using mobile devices to search the web. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check your website’s mobile-friendliness. A mobile-friendly website is responsive, meaning it adapts to different screen sizes.
Step 7: Monitor & Adapt
Marketing, and especially discoverability, isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it activity. What works today might not work tomorrow. You need to constantly monitor your results and adapt your strategy accordingly.
Don’t fall victim to discoverability fails; adapt your strategies to stay ahead.
Tracking Your Rankings and Traffic
Use Semrush’s Position Tracking tool (under “SEO”) to track your website’s rankings for your target keywords. This will show you how your website is performing in search results over time. Also, use Google Analytics to track your website’s traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rate.
Analyzing Your Results and Making Adjustments
Analyze your results regularly and make adjustments to your strategy as needed. If you’re not seeing the results you want, try experimenting with different keywords, content formats, and marketing channels. Don’t be afraid to try new things and see what works best for your business.
Remember that algorithms change, and user behavior shifts. Staying agile is paramount to maintain, and improve, discoverability.
How often should I update my Semrush keyword research?
At a minimum, you should refresh your keyword research quarterly. However, in dynamic industries, monthly reviews might be more appropriate to capture trending keywords and competitor shifts.
What’s the best way to find guest blogging opportunities using Semrush?
Use Semrush’s Backlink Gap tool to identify websites linking to your competitors but not to you. Then, research those websites to see if they accept guest posts. Look for contact information of the website’s editor or content manager to pitch your guest post idea.
How can I measure the ROI of my content marketing efforts using Semrush?
Integrate Semrush with Google Analytics to track the traffic and conversions generated by your content. Use Semrush’s Content Analyzer to measure the engagement metrics of your content, such as social shares and backlinks. Then, calculate the cost of creating and promoting your content and compare it to the revenue generated.
What are some common SEO mistakes that can hurt my discoverability?
Some common SEO mistakes include keyword stuffing, duplicate content, slow site speed, lack of mobile optimization, and ignoring local SEO. Addressing these issues will significantly improve your website’s visibility.
Is it worth paying for a premium Semrush subscription?
If you’re serious about SEO and content marketing, a premium Semrush subscription can be a worthwhile investment. The premium features, such as historical data, competitor analysis, and advanced reporting, can provide valuable insights and help you to achieve better results. However, the free version can still be helpful for basic keyword research and website analysis.
Boosting your discoverability in 2026 requires a data-driven, adaptable approach. Using Semrush to guide your keyword research, on-page optimization, and content strategy can significantly improve your online visibility. Don’t just set it and forget it. Consistently monitor, analyze, and adapt to the ever-changing digital environment.
