Semrush is a leading SEO and digital marketing platform. The Semrush MCP server lets you analyze domains, research keywords, and audit backlinks using natural language.
What Can It Do?
- Analyze domains for keywords, traffic, and competitors
- Research keywords with volume, difficulty, and SERP data
- Audit backlinks and referring domains
- Compare competitors by shared or unique keywords
Where to Use It
In Agents (Recommended)
Add Semrush as a tool to any agent. The agent can then perform SEO research conversationally, choosing the right actions based on context.
To add an MCP tool to your agent:
- Open your agent’s configuration
- Click Add tools → Connect an app with MCP
- Search for the integration and select it
- Authenticate with your account
You can control which tools your agent has access to. After adding an integration, click on it to enable or disable specific tools based on what your agent needs.
In Workflows (Via Agent Node)
For automated pipelines, use an Agent Node with Semrush tools. This gives you the flexibility of an agent within a deterministic workflow.
As a Custom MCP Node
You can also create a standalone MCP node for a specific action. This generates a reusable node that performs one task, useful when you need the same operation repeatedly in workflows.
To create a custom MCP node:
- Go to your node library and search for the integration
- Click Create a node with AI
- Describe the specific action you want (e.g., “Get domain keywords for hubspot.com”)
- Test the node and save it for reuse
Custom MCP nodes are single-purpose by design. For tasks that require multiple steps or dynamic decision-making, use an agent instead.
| Tool | Description |
|---|
| Get Domain Keywords | List keywords driving traffic |
| Get Domain Competitors | Find organic/paid competitors |
| Get Domain Overview Data | High-level domain stats |
| Get Keyword Overview | Keyword metrics and trends |
| Get Keyword Difficulty Score | Calculate difficulty index |
| Research Related Keywords | Find related phrases |
| Get Backlinks Overview | Summarize backlinks |
| Get Backlinks List | Detailed backlink data |
| Get Backlinks Competitors | Find backlink competitors |
| Compare Domains By Keywords | Compare up to 5 domains |
| Get Domain Ad Copies | Retrieve ad copies |
| Get Organic Pages | List ranking pages |
Credit Costs
| Tool | Credits |
|---|
| Get Domain Keywords | 3 |
| Get Domain Competitors | 4 |
| Get Domain Overview Data | 5 |
| Get Keyword Overview | 5 |
| Get Keyword Difficulty Score | 8 |
| Compare Domains By Keywords | 8 |
| Get Backlinks Overview | 5 |
| Get Backlinks Historical Data | 10 |
Example Prompts
Use these with your agent or in the Agent Node:
Competitive analysis:
Who are the top organic competitors for monday.com?
Get the search volume and difficulty for "digital nomad visa"
How many backlinks does shopify.com have?
Give me an overview of tesla.com's organic and paid traffic
Compare shopify.com, wix.com, and bigcommerce.com by unique keywords
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|
| Agent not finding the right data | Use exact domain names without https:// |
| Action not completing | Check that you’ve authenticated with Semrush |
| Unexpected results | The agent may chain multiple tools (e.g., getting overview first, then keywords). Review the agent’s reasoning to understand its approach. |
| Tool not available | Verify the tool is enabled in your agent’s MCP configuration |
Agents are smart enough to chain multiple API calls together. For example, asking “Analyze competitor.com’s SEO” will gather overview, keywords, and backlinks. If results seem off, check the agent’s step-by-step reasoning.
Need Help?
Use this integration directly in Claude or Cursor. Connect remotely via the Semrush MCP server using your Gumloop credentials. 
