It’s become almost impossible to position your website high in the search engine rankings manually. If you already tried and it didn’t work, finding a powerful SEO and digital marketing tool that provides valuable data is imperative.
In this article, our focus will be on the Semrush vs Moz showdown. These two expert solutions for individuals and agencies offer similar tools with different features.
Our experts left no stone unturned to ensure you have all information needed to find the best tool for your needs. Feel free to keep reading and see how we compare Moz and Semrush!
What Are Semrush and Moz?
Semrush Overview
Semrush is an all-around marketing tool focused on gathering useful data to improve your brand or website’s internet visibility. Its range of features covers everything from keyword research and SEO to competitive research, marketing insights, and campaign management.
Pros
- User-friendly interface and well-sorted data
- It comes with a huge range of tools
- A comprehensive report creator is included
- The keyword magic tool and manager are very useful
Cons
- Some tools are surprisingly slow
- It only uses Google data when displaying results
Moz Overview
Moz is a software platform with a suite of tools that primarily focus on enhancing search engine visibility but can also help overall digital marketing . The range of available tools covers keyword research, rank tracking, backlink analysis, and much more.
Pros
- Convenient for local SEO
- Excellent at detecting even the smallest site issues
- Searching keywords by site provides useful information
- Limits for different subscriptions are quite generous
Cons
- The interface isn’t beginner-friendly
- You have to read explanations to understand some of the metrics
- Starting a trial requires entering card details
Features Comparison
In the following section we’ll compare Semrush and Moz features with a special focus on four crucial areas – keyword research, backlink analysis, site audit, and local SEO. We tested both tools, and here are our impressions!
Keyword Research
Keyword research is crucial for any SEO and marketing expert, so that’s where our Semrush vs Moz comparison starts. This tool gathers data on search terms related to your brand or website and sees how to use them to your benefit. Here’s how both tools work in this department.
Semrush
Once you register, you’ll find the dashboard’s main menu on the left section of your web browser. This is where there is an entire section dedicated to keyword research. Our Semrush comparison starts with the Keyword overview, which makes it easy to search the company’s database.
You can enter up to 100 keywords in the search field, which is convenient since you can search for multiple terms at once. The next thing to do is to localize your search by country or location. Semrush will show a list of cities in the chosen country.
After you double-check all the settings, click on Analyze, and you’ll receive results in seconds. Our Semrush comparison clearly shows that this tool is surprisingly fast. The results you receive are also quite detailed. If you search for multiple keywords, you will receive a bulk analysis first.
You can get a detailed keyword overview for each term, and the layout is well-presented. You can also see the global volume for each searched phrase, as well as the search volume for the intended market. Other statistics include estimated CPC cost and keyword difficulty. The difficulty also has a description, which makes it easy to understand when it will be hard to rank for a particular keyword.
We found it convenient that Semrush shows different keyword variations, including questions and related keywords because it can help you pick a similar phrase that might be a better fit for your ranking.
Keyword trends and historical information can show you potential seasonal spikes, which can be important in different industries. You can see how different ad and PLA copies look, which is great if you are selling products online. You can also access a quick SERP analysis that includes backlinks, traffic, and other details on various URLs.
You can also use the Keyword Magic Tool, which will suggest keywords based on the entered phrase. The Keyword Manager is convenient for grouping keywords into clusters, which can speed up the gathering of search phrases. Position tracking for a particular website and keyword is also convenient, as you can see if you have made any progress with a particular phrase.
To delve deeper into the capabilities of this tool, consider reading a comprehensive Semrush Review.
Moz
Moz has about two decades of experience in search engine optimization, and its keyword research tool has been improved numerous times over the years. Today, you might say that this platform wins the Semrush vs Moz race if you are an industry professional.
It all begins with the Keyword Explorer, where you enter the desired phrase. The tool will show a nice visual presentation of graphic bars. The info they contain includes monthly volume, difficulty, organic CTR, and priority. These metrics are useful, but you might need to read the guide to understand them better. And that’s the key difference between Moz and Semrush – this tool has a higher learning curve.
The results will include other keyword suggestions, as well as a SERP analysis. Theanalysis comes with page and domain potential metrics, which are unique ratings offered by Moz. These scores are good for understanding the authority of certain pages.
A huge advantage that this platform has when picking Moz or Semrush is that you can search keywords by site. That means you enter the desired root domain, subdomain, or page URL and then collect suggested phrases and see top-ranking keywords. The information provided in the basic overview also includes monthly volume and keyword difficulty, as well as ranking distribution details. You can explore all ranking keywords, which can be convenient if you are analyzing a major industry competitor.
Verdict
We liked how Semrush presents the keyword research results a tad better since it’s easier to navigate. However, there’s no doubt that both tools are quite detailed, so it’s hard to pronounce a clear winner in this area of our Semrush VS Moz comparison. However, Semrush might be more beginner-friendly, although Moz provides tons of useful information, too.
Site Audit
If your aim is to gain a high position on search engines, it is mandatory to have a site audit in the SEO platform. The good news is that Semrush and Moz both have one, which we will cover in the next sections.
Semrush
You can start a site audit from the main menu offered to Semrush clients. We strongly suggest creating a project first, especially since the tool will create a new project for each audit you perform. After entering the domain’s address, you can pick different crawler settings. These adjustments include the subdomains to crawl and the sources to use, as well as advanced features like JS rendering.
The site audit process can last a while, but that’s understandable since it collects large sums of data. You can choose to receive an email once the platform completes the audit, which will allow you to do other tasks while Semrush performs the audit.
If we compare Semrush and Moz, we can say both tools offer a nice overview of site health after the audit. The basic info includes site health, issues, and warnings. However, once you enter the Site audit results, you get detailed reports in different areas.
Site health is a metric shown in percentages, and you can compare it to average results in different industries. Semrush considers errors to be major issues on your site, which is why they are considered as top-priority issues . They could be certificate expirations, 4xx errors, and other problems. You’ll also see warnings, but those aren’t urgent matters, so you can focus on resolving them later.
Semrush offers thematic reports like crawlability, HTTPS implementation, site performance, and internal linking. Each report covers relevant areas showing errors and warnings that affect them, which is very useful for grouping data.
It’s possible to see a detailed report on crawled pages, as well as some useful statistics like crawl depth, AMP links, and incoming internal links.
Moz
It’s important not to get confused as Moz calls this tool the Site Crawl feature. Once you run it, it seems reasonably fast. The tool covers a huge range of potential issues, ranging from missing title tags to broken redirects and more. If you compare Moz and Semrush, both tools will prioritize similar problems, such as 4xx errors, and recommend priority fixes.
Moz will show total issues in a convenient graph that shows which problem types are most common on your website. It also compares information to previous reports and shows fresh issues. This should make it easier to identify trends if any particular problem starts appearing.
Another convenient feature offered by Moz is that you can check issues that you have already resolved. This is useful for large websites where there’s a huge range of unresolved problems, as it ensures you know you haven’t missed a single issue. You can even signal to the site crawler that you don’t mean to resolve a particular issue. That will ensure the problem doesn’t show up in the upcoming results.
For a more thorough understanding of Moz’s capabilities, check out the detailed Moz Review.
Verdict
Our impression is that Moz is a bit faster in performing site audits, so if speed matters, you could consider that an advantage in our Moz vs Semrush comparison. On the other hand, Semrush seems to offer more useful data, which appears to be better sorted. You can easily navigate to any issues on a particular page, and the thematic reports are a huge hit.
Backlink Analysis
Backlinks are an integral component of any page search engine optimization, and analyzing the quality and quantity of websites that link to your site is imperative. It’s no wonder that both Semrush and Moz consider this a primary feature, and here’s how they tested in our review!
Semrush
Semrush has a subsection called Backlink Analytics. You can use it to initiate a backlink audit of a particular URL or domain. The overview offers statistics on the number of backlinks and referring domains, including a comparison with numbers in the previous month.
Most platforms have an authority metric, so we weren’t surprised when we encountered one in our Semrush vs Moz comparison. The authority score trend also shows your backlink profile rating from the previous year. For those who enjoy visuals, you’ll appreciate the detailed Network Graph, which also has a descriptive measure to see if your backlinks are relevant.
There is also a graphical presentation for the top anchors and referring domains, and you can see the authority scores for those domains. Link attributes and backlink types are incredibly useful, and you can enter the Backlinks page to see a list of all of the pages from which you receive a backlink.
Another important advantage is that you can compare your website with up to three competitors. It’s easy to add links and insert them into reports.
For alternative tools and how they stack up against Semrush, our Semrush Alternatives article provides valuable insights.
Moz
Our next part of the Moz vs Semrush comparison is the Link Research feature offered by this platform. The basic details are identical – you enter the desired page, subdomain, or root domain address and receive a comprehensive overview in no time.
The domain authority score is also present, and in the couple of searches we made for our Moz comparison, the ratings were similar to the ones presented in other SEO tools. You can see nice graphics of how different metrics perform over time, as well as lost and discovered linking domains.
Moz gives an overview of follow and no-follow links, along with information on Page Authority. You can see a list of top anchors and top site pages, and also compare link profiles.
An interesting addition is the Spam Score tool, which helps to decrease the number of links that could potentially damage your reputation. Moz will show how many links come from websites that have a low reputation, and you can start working on removing your links from there.
Link intersections are useful for learning which platforms link to your competition. If you are looking to find new opportunities to build link juice, Moz has you covered well. You can also create Link Tracking lists, which is a convenient feature that allows you to get all the information you need on a single page.
Verdict
Semrush gathers new information and refreshes its tool every 15 minutes, and its live update feature is excellent for advanced professionals. But it’s not only that – this tool is far more comprehensive and offers far more useful data for backlink analysis. In this section, there’s no debate about whether you should go with Semrush or Moz. Despite the latter having some interesting features like quick download links, Semrush is the better option.
Local SEO
Local SEO is a subsection of search engine optimization that focuses on your local market. Small businesses usually find this important, as well as stores with physical locations. Here’s a brief overview of whether Semrush or Moz is a better fit for optimizing local SEO!
Semrush
Semrush allows you to check your local listings for free, and that’s an excellent starting point. Just enter the company name, website, or phone number to see if the database can find it in any listings. The results will give you an online presence rating and warn you if there’s room for improvement. You’ll also find suggestions on how to fix an average star rating.
Managing reviews is also possible as Semrush offers review management. It allows you to manage all reviews from a single dashboard, which ensures you will be able to address any negative feedback quickly. The system will also show reply rates and display your star rating progress over time.
The On-Page SEO checker is another available Semrush SEO feature. It reviews your report but also analyzes competitors. Based on that, it delivers ideas regarding strategy, backlinks, technical SEO, and content to enhance your online visibility. It could be one of the strongest features offered by Semrush.
Moz
Moz Local is a separate service intended for Moz Pro clients. It focuses on managing your local SEO and reputation. You can create and customize local business listings on Facebook, Google, and other platforms. You’ll have all the data available on a single page, which is great. And if the tool identifies duplicate listings, it will immediately suggest deleting the duplicate to avoid confusion. Moz Local also offers suggestions on how to optimize your local listings, which is great if you need to better understand the photos and data to use.
Customer Feedback is a section that offers detailed review management. You can collect reviews from multiple platforms and respond from a single dashboard. The system can alert you about new reviews instantly, and it also monitors common keywords and sentiments in reviews.
Moz Local also has decent reporting features. These include a Visibility index, profile completeness, and online presence rating. You’ll see how many users discovered you online, which can be crucial for optimizing your local SEO strategy.
Explore more options in our article on Moz Alternatives to see how other tools compare in local SEO capabilities.
Verdict
It seems that Moz Local does quite a good job in helping you optimize the strategy for the nearby market. You will find useful feedback, as well as simple ways of sharing and updating the content in different profiles and responding to reviews. Although, it’s a shame that Moz Local is only available after you register for the company’s Pro products. On the other hand, Semrush offers free listing checks and detailed listing and review management. Together with some other tools provided by this platform, it can be a powerful asset for optimizing your SEO strategy.
Comparison of Other Features
Many features are intertwined, and there are tools you can use as a part of the analysis in the areas we covered above. But if we consider our Semrush vs Moz showdown, there’s no doubt that Semrush offers more additional utilities.
Here’s an overview of what you can expect from Semrush:
- Advertising features. You can use PLA and Advertising research, as well as the PPC keyword tool and position tracking.
- Social Media. Users can benefit from useful features like Social Inbox, but also a poster, tracker, and even influencer analytics tool.
- Content Marketing. You can audit your content, use the SEO writing assistant or content templates, and other useful features.
- Reports. Although both tools have this option available, Semrush offers far more detailed reporting options and a bigger template number to use.
- Trends. EyeOn is a 24/7 competitor monitoring utility that ensures you stay up to date with their content. You’ll also find the One2Target tool, which analyzes the audience to help you learn how they engage.
The next part of our Moz vs Semrush comparison focuses on other features that Moz offers to its users:
- True Competitor. It’s a great feature to identify your biggest competitors that focus on similar keywords.
- Keyword Gap. This option helps you identify the keywords that you could use to your advantage against competitors.
- On-Page Grader. It’s a separate tool that focuses on analyzing page optimization while providing content suggestions.
- On-Demand Crawler. This can be convenient for advanced users.
Price Comparison
Semrush
Let’s start our Moz pricing vs Semrush pricing with the cost details of the second tool. You get a seven-day free trial, and then you can pick from these plans:
- Pro. You get all basic tools like keyword research, competitor analysis, site audit, social media and advertising tools for $119.95 a month.
- Guru. The additional details include historical data, a content marketing toolkit, and more projects to create for $229.95 a month.
- Business. The most extensive package includes API access, PLA analytics, and other useful additions for $449.95 a month.
Moz
There’s a 30-day free trial for Moz Pro, but you need to add payment details for it to work. Once the trial expires, here are the available pricing plans:
- Standard. You get unlimited scheduled reports but limited keyword research, crawling, and tracking features for $99 a month.
- Medium. The package includes two user seats, branded reports, and several report templates for $179 a month.
- Large. The package is more suitable for agencies as it increases the amount of available searches you can do at the price of $299 a month.
- Premium. You receive five user seats, a faster crawling speed, and unlimited on-page grader reports for $599 a month.
Verdict
Our Semrush pricing vs Moz pricing shows there isn’t much difference in the default price of the premium packages. However, Moz offers a 30-day free trial, which is much longer than a week to try Semrush. Another advantage of Moz is that you can get a higher discount for yearly payments – 20% compared to 17% or less offered by Semrush.
Alternative to Moz and Semrush
Ultimately, it all comes down to what you need from the chosen SEO tool. What if you read our Moz vs Semrush comparison and discovered none of these solutions was a great choice for you? That’s when you should look for an alternative, and here’s why SE Ranking is our top suggestion!
SE Ranking
SE Ranking has over 800,000 users, including reputable companies like Zapier and Cars.com. This cloud-based platform offers an SEO software suite for individuals and businesses.
As an example, even the priciest Moz package limits you to 40 projects. SE Ranking includes unlimited projects in the Pro and more expensive subscriptions. Overall, a monthly plan starts at only $55 , and a free trial is included.
But it’s not only about affordability because SE Ranking offers comprehensive tools that can match Moz and Semrush in almost every department.
Here’s an SE Ranking feature overview:
- Rank tracker. You can pick up to five different locations for each keyword at no extra charge.
- Website audit. Even the most basic package includes 100,000 pages per account. Pricier subscriptions also include a Page Changes monitor, which can provide useful info.
- Backlink checker. You can analyze domains for backlinks, use the backlink gap analyzer, and other useful features.
- Keyword research. It’s possible to search for organic and paid keywords, and pricier packages also include historical data and other important details.
- SEO reports. Unlimited manual reports and templates are available, and you can also schedule reports at the desired timeframes.
- Content and local marketing. From a content editor and plagiarism checker to Google Business Profile integration and other local marketing features, SE Ranking provides excellent value for the price.
- Other features. These cover special agency packs, academies for new users, mobile app and API access, and other tools and features.
You can take advantage of the free trial to test SE Ranking and see if it’s a good alternative to Moz or Semrush.
Conclusion
If we have to pronounce a single winner in our Moz vs Semrush showdown, it would be Semrush. The reason is that it has better-sorted data and visual presentation. The tool makes it possible for beginners to dive into comprehensive data and receive valuable insights into improving their website performance and SEO.
Moz offers a range of tools that are a bit faster than the competitor, although some reports are nowhere nearly as comprehensive when considering Moz comparison to Semrush. The price tag is unusually high, but the good news is that you get an entire month to use the tool for free.
Ultimately, both tools can meet your SEO expectations, so it’s all about checking to see which is the more suitable choice. At first glance, it seems that Semrush is better value for money. But if you aren’t sure, we suggest checking both tools via free trial offers to avoid any unnecessary investments!