Semrush Boston Consulting Group Matrix
Fully Editable
Tailor To Your Needs In Excel Or Sheets
Professional Design
Trusted, Industry-Standard Templates
Pre-Built
For Quick And Efficient Use
No Expertise Is Needed
Easy To Follow
Semrush Bundle
Unlock Strategic Clarity
Curious where Semrush’s products land — Stars, Cash Cows, Dogs, or Question Marks? This preview teases the placement; the full Semrush BCG Matrix gives you quadrant-by-quadrant clarity, data-driven recommendations, and a ready-to-use strategy you can act on. Purchase the complete report to get a polished Word analysis plus an editable Excel summary, so you can present, prioritize, and allocate capital with confidence.
Stars
SEO Toolkit (Keyword Magic + Position Tracking)
SEO Toolkit (Keyword Magic + Position Tracking) is a Stars-class asset with high market share in a still-growing SEO category, driven by core daily workflows that keep users engaged and subscribed. Continuous expansion of keyword databases and SERP feature tracking increases stickiness and retention. Prioritize investment in freshness, intent clustering, and deeper international coverage to solidify leadership.
Site Audit & Technical SEO
Semrush Site Audit delivers a leader-grade crawler with clear, actionable fixes as sites grow heavier and Core Web Vitals—used as ranking signals since 2021—remain central to performance. HTTP Archive reports average page weight now exceeds 2 MB (2024), increasing the need for automated technical checks. As a gateway feature it proves value fast and pairs with Position Tracking to convert fixes into visible ranking ROI; keep shipping automations and developer-friendly exports.
Competitive Research & .Trends
Decision makers buy Semrush for strategy, not just keywords: Market Explorer, Traffic Analytics and share-of-voice slides become boardroom staples each quarter. Google holds ~92% search market share in 2024, making category-level SOV insights critical. Network effects across Semrush's data sources create defensibility; continuous gains in accuracy and refresh rates widen the moat.
Backlink Analytics & Link Building
Backlink analytics is table stakes for SEO; Semrush leverages a multi-trillion link index and integrated outreach workflows to capture usage, with over 1.5M users in 2024 making link checks a daily habit. The link-building market continues expanding via digital PR and partnerships, so prioritizing link-quality scoring and toxic-link detection preserves competitive edge.
- Index: multi-trillion links (2024)
- Users: >1.5M (2024)
- Usage: daily link checks
- Focus: quality scoring + toxic detection
Content Marketing Platform (Topic Research + SEO Writing Assistant)
Content-led growth is booming and budgets are shifting to briefing, optimization, and on-page guidance that keep teams inside Semrush. As AI scales content output, guidance quality matters more. Invest in real-time SERP intent and editorial guardrails to cement leadership. Google holds ~92% global search share, making SERP intent critical.
- Briefing→optimization→retention
- Real-time SERP intent (Google ~92%)
- Editorial guardrails + AI quality
Defend SEO leadership with freshness, intent clustering, automation and multi-trillion link scale
Stars: SEO Toolkit, Site Audit, Content & Backlink tools hold high share in a growing SEO market with strong retention and daily workflows. Prioritize freshness, intent clustering, international depth, quality scoring and automation to defend leadership. Network effects and data scale sustain the moat.
| Metric | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Users | >1.5M |
| Link index | Multi-trillion |
| Avg page weight | >2 MB |
| Google share | ~92% |
What is included in the product
Detailed Word Document
Semrush BCG Matrix: evaluates products by quadrant and advises which to invest, hold, or divest.
Customizable Excel Spreadsheet
One-page BCG matrix placing each business unit in a quadrant for instant portfolio clarity and fast decision-making
Cash Cows
Advertising Research & PPC Toolkit
Advertising Research & PPC Toolkit is a cash cow: mature, sticky, and bundled across many Semrush plans, serving stable demand from performance teams needing competitor ad intel and keyword economics. Global search ad spend topped $200B in 2024, underpinning steady usage; low incremental cost to serve keeps margins high. Upsell and retention focus on templates, alerts, and automation rather than heavy new acquisition spend.
Core Databases (Keywords, SERP, Backlinks)
Core databases (keywords, SERP, backlinks) are foundational assets driving Semrush’s suite, with coverage spanning roughly 6 billion keywords, 27 trillion backlinks and SERP snapshots across 141 countries as of 2024. These assets deliver high share, predictable renewals (customer retention north of 80%) and minimal promo needs. Margins improve as pipelines scale, driven by fixed-data costs vs. growing subscription revenue. Incremental coverage expansion preserves perceived depth and pricing power.
Reporting & Projects (My Reports, dashboards)
Reporting & Projects (My Reports, dashboards) are classic cash cows: once configured teams rarely churn—enterprise retention commonly exceeds 90% for reporting modules, anchoring monthly client comms and internal ops. Growth is low (typical module revenue growth ~2–4% annually) but recurring value and high lifetime value keep margins strong. Small QoL investments and brandable outputs like white-label PDFs and scheduled exports yield outsized ROI and keep the product indispensable.
Agency Solutions (Client Portal, seats, templates)
Agencies standardize on Semrush for workflow and reporting, embedding client portals and seat-based access into agency processes rather than just using raw data. Seat expansion and client-facing portals convert one-off projects into recurring, resilient revenue streams with predictable renewals. Growth is modest while unit economics remain strong, so light product improvements focused on switching costs and ARPU expansion are high-impact.
- Process lock-in via client portals
- Seat expansion drives ARPU
- Recurring revenue resilience
- Optimize minor UX/features to reduce churn
Local SEO (Listing Management add-on)
Local SEO (Listing Management add-on) sits in Cash Cows: steady demand from SMBs and multi-location brands that renew primarily for accuracy and reviews; 2024 data shows ~87% of consumers consult online reviews and local queries represent about 46% of search intent, keeping renewal revenue predictable with low churn.
- Low Promo Needs — embedded service reduces acquisition spend
- High Renewals — multi-location clients prioritize accuracy & reviews
- Operational Leverage — bulk ops/integrations lift margins
- Action — scale API + bulk tools to squeeze more cash flow
Ad tools + SEO databases = high-margin subs on a $200B+ search market
Semrush cash cows — Advertising PPC toolkit, core databases, Reporting & Projects, and Local SEO — deliver stable, high-margin subscription revenue supported by 2024 facts: global search ad spend >$200B, ~6B keywords, ~27T backlinks across 141 countries, enterprise reporting retention >90% and Local SEO renewals ~87%.
| Metric | 2024 Value |
|---|---|
| Global search ad spend | $200B+ |
| Keywords | ~6B |
| Backlinks | ~27T |
| Enterprise reporting retention | >90% |
| Local SEO renewals | ~87% |
Preview = Final Product
Semrush BCG Matrix
The file you're previewing here is exactly the final Semrush BCG Matrix you'll receive after purchase. No watermarks, no placeholders—just a fully formatted, analysis-ready report built for strategic clarity. Once bought, the same document is sent straight to your inbox for immediate download, editing, printing, or presenting. It's created by strategy pros and ready to slot into your planning or client work with zero fuss.
Dogs
Legacy Display Ads Research
Legacy Display Ads Research functions as a Dogs quadrant asset: privacy shifts (iOS ATT pushed IDFA opt‑in to ~25%) and cookieless moves by 2024 clipped upside, while market growth in 2024 stayed low single digits. Specialized vendors dominate, with Google and Meta taking over 50% of display revenue, so heavy turnarounds are hard to justify; keep minimal maintenance or quietly bundle.
Minor-Engine Rank Tracking (outside top markets)
Minor-Engine Rank Tracking sits in Dogs: thin usage, low impact and little differentiation—global searches in 2024 were dominated by Google at about 92%, with Bing ~2.5%, Baidu ~1.2% and others under 1.5%, so customers prioritize Google and a few majors. Effort to support fringe engines rarely pays back given near-zero adoption outside key markets. De-scope or sunset these trackers where usage approaches 0%.
Lightweight Brand Mentions/Monitoring
Crowded field with dozens of strong point solutions like Brandwatch, Meltwater and Mention; Semrush’s lightweight Brand Mentions sits among 50+ tools in its suite and is functional but not a category leader. Attention and roadmap allocation appear break-even at best, with product updates infrequent versus specialist competitors. Maintain this feature as a checkbox capability rather than a strategic focus.
Social Posting Basics
Social Posting Basics
Social posting is a Dogs quadrant feature: every major suite includes it and best-in-class tools (Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout, Semrush) own perception of the category. Low switching costs, low organic growth and noisy competition make share gains costly; 2024 surveys show ~75% of marketing platforms offer social scheduling, so winning requires heavy investment.- Position: convenience
- Growth: low
- Cost to win: high
- Prevalence: ~75% platforms (2024)
AMP/Legacy Web Checks
AMP/Legacy Web Checks classify as Dogs in the Semrush BCG Matrix: use cases are fading as publishers shift to SPA/CSR and Core Web Vitals, with AMP adoption among top sites falling to single-digit percentages by 2024. Market pull is low and the need is niche, so turnaround plans won’t move the needle. Treat AMP checks as a minor rule set within audits, not a standalone focus.
- Use cases fading; budgets reallocated
- Single-digit AMP adoption (2024)
- Low market pull; niche need
- Turnaround won’t move needle
- Keep as minor rule set in audits
Dogs: Display, rank trackers & social — low growth; Google+Meta >50%, Google search ~92%
Legacy display, niche rank trackers and social posting are Dogs: display revenue concentrated (Google+Meta >50% in 2024), Google search ~92% (2024), AMP adoption <10% (2024); low growth, high cost to win — maintain or sunset.
| Feature | 2024 metric | Growth | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | Google+Meta >50% | low | Maintain/bundle |
| Rank Track | Google ~92% | low | De-scope |
| Social | ~75% platforms | low | Checkbox |
| AMP | <10% adoption | declining | Minor rule set |
Question Marks
AI-Assisted Content & Briefing
AI-Assisted Content & Briefing sits in a rapidly growing but crowded market where leadership isn’t locked; Semrush reported FY2023 revenue of $276.9 million, giving it scale to invest. Pairing proprietary SERP intelligence with controllable AI could convert this Question Mark into a Star amid high demand and mixed margins today. The choice: invest for quality, governance and higher margins, or partner to stay lightweight and preserve cash.
Influencer & Creator Discovery
Influencer & Creator Discovery sits in Question Marks as influencer marketing budgets exploded to an estimated $22.3B in 2024 (Insider Intelligence), while Semrush’s creator/PR share remains modest versus category specialists. A deeper data layer would tightly fit content and PR workflows and drive adoption. The product needs reliable reach/engagement verification and should pursue major integrations aggressively—or plan an orderly exit.
Ecommerce & Marketplace SEO (Amazon, marketplaces)
Ecommerce & Marketplace SEO is a high-growth segment with tool leadership still unsettled; marketplaces drove over 60% of global online transactions in 2024 (Statista). Semrush can win by unifying classic SEO with retail-media insights—Amazon Advertising was $45.8B in 2023—yet data gaps block SKU-level optimization. Invest in expanded marketplace coverage and SKU-level analytics to tilt the table.
Video/YouTube SEO & Analytics
Video search is surging; YouTube exceeds 2.5 billion monthly users (2024) and over 80% of marketers prioritize video for ROI, with demand to tie results to keyword intent and CTR. Semrush has a foothold with video SEO capabilities but not market dominance. Strong upside exists if workflows connect content planning to measurable outcomes. Build creator-friendly tooling and platform integrations to capture growth.
- Market: YouTube >2.5B monthly users (2024)
- Demand: >80% of marketers prioritize video
- Gap: Semrush foothold, not dominant
- Opportunity: Connect planning→outcomes; creator tooling & integrations
BI/RevOps Integrations (BigQuery, Power BI, Salesforce)
Exec teams demand SEO and paid data in unified revenue models; in 2024 Semrush growth is strong but market share is still forming, making BI/RevOps connectors a Question Mark. Robust BigQuery, Power BI, Salesforce integrations—backed by schemas, SLAs, governance—can ease procurement and lift ACVs toward Star status.
- Integrations: procurement+
- Schemas/SLAs: trust+
- Governance: compliance+
SEO platform at inflection: invest in AI quality, creator tools and SKU-level data
Semrush (FY2023 rev $276.9M) faces multiple Question Marks: AI-assisted content sits in a high-growth crowded market that can become a Star with investment in quality/governance. Influencer discovery targets a $22.3B 2024 market but Semrush share is modest. Marketplace, video (YouTube >2.5B users 2024) and BI connectors show clear upside if SKU-level data, creator tooling and enterprise integrations are prioritized.
| Product | 2023/24 Metric | Gap | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Content | Rev $276.9M (2023) | Quality/governance | Invest |
| Influencer | $22.3B market (2024) | Modest share | Data+integrations |
| Marketplace | >60% online txns (2024) | SKU data | Expand coverage |