Where Does SEMrush Get Its Data?

The SEMrush article entitled “Where does Semrush data come from?” does a good job at addressing the question “where does SEMrush get its data?” and the Data Collection section gives us a pretty good idea where the data comes from — quoting the article:

For search engine rankings and keyword analytics, we use third party data providers to collect Google’s actual search results pages for the 500 million most popular keywords. Then, we collect information about the websites that are listed in the top 100 positions. We study both organic search results as well as paid search results to give you a complete picture of any website’s visibility on Google.

I asked ChatGPT “where does SEMrush get its data?” and below is the response I received. Note that I’ve modified some of the text for flow purposes along with a few minor edits.

🤖 SEMrush is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company based in Boston, Massachusetts that provides data and insights for digital marketing professionals. SEMrush gathers data from a variety of sources, including SEMrush crawlers, third-party data providers, and partnerships with major search engines and social media platforms.

SEMrush’s crawlers crawl the web, indexing and analyzing websites to gather data on various metrics such as search engine rankings, backlinks, organic and paid search traffic, and social media engagement. SEMrush also integrates data from third-party providers, such as data aggregators and providers of business information, domain information, and IP address information.

In addition to their own data sources, SEMrush also partners with major search engines and social media platforms such as Google, Bing, Facebook, and Twitter to gain access to additional data and insights.

All of this data is then processed and analyzed by SEMrush’s algorithms and presented to users in various reports, dashboards, and tools to help them optimize their digital marketing efforts. 🤖

Why does it matter where SEMrush gets their data?

Understanding where SEMrush data originates is important because it helps users understand the reliability and accuracy of the data and make informed decisions based on that data. Knowing the sources of the data can also help users identify any potential biases or limitations in the data and adjust their analysis accordingly.

What is Clickstream Data?

As per the article entitled “Where does Semrush data come from?” as well as the article entitled “How Semrush Turns Traffic Data Into Traffic Intelligence“, SEMrush is using clickstream data.

Quoting directly from the source [2]:

[A] clickstream is the record of an individual’s clicks through their journey on the Internet.

Clickstream data consists of the digital record of the clicks that a user makes while browsing the web. This data includes information such as the websites visited, the pages viewed, the time spent on each page, the search terms used, the links clicked, and more.

Clickstream data is often used by marketers, advertisers, and website owners to gain insights into user behavior as well as to optimize their online presence.

Clickstream data can be gathered through a variety of methods, including browser extensions, ISP data, cookies, and web analytics tools. Once collected, clickstream data is processed and analyzed to provide insights into user behavior, website performance, and more.

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How Is Clickstream Data Acquired?

The following is a general description regarding how clickstream data can be acquired.

Clickstream data is acquired by tracking the online activity of users as they browse the web. This tracking is done by collecting data on every click that a user makes while using a browser. Clickstream data can include the websites visited, the pages viewed, the time spent on each page, the search terms used, the links clicked, and more.

Clickstream data can be gathered through a variety of methods, including:

Clickstream data can be acquired via Browser extensions

Users can opt-in to install a browser extension that will track their online activity and provide the data to third-party companies.

Clickstream data can be acquired via ISPs

Internet service providers (ISPs) can collect data on the web activity of their customers and sell that data to third-party companies.

Clickstream data can be acquired via Cookies

Cookies are small files that are stored on a user’s computer or device that track their activity on a website. Third-party companies can use cookies to gather data on users’ online behavior.

Clickstream data can be acquired via web analytics tools

Websites can use web analytics tools like Google Analytics to track visitor behavior and gather clickstream data.

Once the clickstream data is collected, it can be processed and analyzed to provide insights into user behavior, website performance, and more.

Is SEMrush Aggregating Clickstream Data?

Yes, SEMrush aggregates clickstream data from various sources as part of its suite of digital marketing analytics tools. Clickstream data provides insights into user behavior and website performance, and can be used to inform strategies for search engine optimization, advertising campaigns, content marketing, and more.

SEMrush gathers clickstream data from various sources including their own crawlers, third-party data providers, and partnerships with major search engines and social media platforms. The company’s algorithms process and analyze this data to provide actionable insights to its users.