Semrush Blog | SEO, SEM, AI Search, & Content Strategy

5 min read

Increase Website Speed Using .htaccess

Are you challenged by slow page load times? You can shorten the time it takes to load your page and possibly improve your Google search ranking by altering your .htaccess file.What is an .htaccess file?An .htaccess file is a file used on Apache webservers to configure the server software.

Chris SimmanceDec 22, 2020

Affiliate Marketing: Beginners Guide 2021

General Marketing

6 min read

How to Start Affiliate Marketing in 2021: Beginner's Guide

Affiliate Marketing is still a growing segment, that allows you to earn money online and to create a passive income. This beginner‘s guide will take you through the basics and will show you how to get started. Find out how affiliate marketing works, how cookies are used for tracking, the different attribution-models, and how to pick the right affiliate program.

Dave BassiDec 22, 2020

General SEO

5 min read

Do TLDs Affect SEO?

Does using an alternative TLD or so-called new-gTLD affect SEO? Common knowledge suggests that it doesn’t, so why do people insist that you use ‘.com’?

Nick SawinyhDec 21, 2020

How to Reverse Engineer Competitors’ Backlinks

Competitor Intelligence & Research

9 min read

How to Reverse Engineer Competitors’ Backlinks (and find valuable links)

Links are still one of the most vital parts of SEO and the best place to find backlink opportunities is your competitors‘ backlinks profile. Knowing what is working for your competitors not only shows you what to replicate but it will also stimulate new ideas for your content campaigns and where to find backlinks your competitor hasn‘t found yet.

Kevin IndigDec 14, 2020

Industry News

4 min read

Analyzing Google’s December 2020 Core Update

On December 3rd, 2020 Google announced that a core algorithm update was starting to roll out. Check what has happened so far, and which industries seem to be SERP winners and losers, and which websites seem to be the most affected ones.

Erika VarangouliDec 11, 2020

Best Practices for Content Delivery Networks (CDN) SEO

General SEO

4 min read

Best Practices for Content Delivery Networks (CDN) SEO

A content delivery network (CDN) definitely wins the SEO battle when it comes to page speed optimization techniques. Server location does matter a lot for search engine rankings and there are issues with internal web hosting. Plenty of discussions, how-to-guides and articles supporting CDN usage are already all over the Internet. So, let us not add one more to it.

William JohnsonDec 11, 2020

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Editors' Choice

Link Building

12 min read

Link Building for SEO: A Guide to the Basics

Link building can give you the SEO edge you need to get more Google traffic. Here‘s your quick-start guide.

Rachel HandleyJan 17, 2025

On-page SEO

8 min read

On-Page SEO: What It Is and How to Do It

This is a guide to on-page SEO. Learn exactly how to optimize your titles, descriptions, and content in 2024.

Kelly LyonsDec 15, 2024

Local SEO

11 min read

Local SEO: What Is It & How to Do It

Local SEO is the process of improving search visibility, traffic, and brand awareness for local businesses.

Carlos SilvaDec 04, 2024

Check Website Accessibility: Manual Checks and Tools to Use in 2025

Technical SEO

7 min read

Check Website Accessibility: Manual Checks and Tools to Use in 2025

Is it time to check your website accessibility? Remember that accessibility is about improving the user experience for everyone – including people with disabilities.

Luke HarselNov 27, 2024

General SEO

11 min read

What Is SEO? An Intro to Search Engine Optimization

SEO (search engine optimization) is an effort to get more unpaid visibility in search engines like Google.

Rachel HandleyNov 25, 2024

Keyword Research

19 min read

Keyword Research for SEO: What It Is & How to Do It

Keyword research is the process of finding & analyzing what relevant audiences search for in search engines.

Rachel HandleyJun 25, 2024

Competitor Intelligence & Research

10 min read

What Is a Competitive Analysis? (with Template + Examples)

Learn how to do a competitive analysis and compare your brand against your competitors.

Alex LindleyJul 11, 2025

Paid Advertising

8 min read

Banner Ad Sizes: Choosing the Right Size

Knowing your options is important so you can visualize how your ad will look, and how easily people will be able to see the ad.

Grace BrennanOct 18, 2024

Ecommerce

6 min read

What Is Ecommerce? How It Works & Getting Started

Ecommerce is selling products and/or services online via websites and apps instead of in physical stores.

Sydney GoOct 15, 2024

General Marketing

6 min read

What Is Marketing? [Simple Definition, Purpose, & Types]

Marketing is all the activities your brand uses to reach your target audience and turn them into buyers.

Sydney GoOct 11, 2024

Paid Advertising

10 min read

How to Make an Ad, Step by Step

A great ad doesn’t bombard audiences’ in their newsfeed, it conveys a clear brand message, offers value, and earns users’ attention.

Grace BrennanSep 05, 2024

Social Media

8 min read

How to Find YouTube Influencers

Need help finding influencers on YouTube for a partnership campaign? Follow these steps.

Grace BrennanApr 18, 2024

Original Research & Studies

8 min read

10 Small Business Trends for 2025

Learn the top small business trends for 2025 to stay ahead of the competition and keep employees happy.

Ankit VoraFeb 19, 2024

Which Companies Spend the Most on Digital Advertising? [Study]

News & Research

7 min read

Which Companies Spend the Most on Digital Advertising? [Study]

Learn what companies spend the most on advertising across 12 separate industries—and how you can gather competitive ad intel for your own niche.

Shannon O‘SheaNov 14, 2023

Average CPM for Display Ads: Benchmarks by Industry [Study]

Original Research & Studies

4 min read

Average CPM for Display Ads: Benchmarks by Industry [Study]

If you‘re looking for CPM benchmarks for digital ads in your industry, this study is for you.

Luke HarselOct 23, 2023

Advertising Trends: The Most Popular Types of Digital Ads [Study]

Original Research & Studies

5 min read

Advertising Trends: The Most Popular Types of Digital Ads [Study]

By partnering with AdClarity, we’ve investigated ad types, ad channels and ad spend so you can plan and strategize with the kind of competitive edge that other players don’t have in your industry.

Luke HarselOct 10, 2023

Original Research & Studies

2 min read

Top 100: The Most Visited Websites in the US [2025 Top Websites Edition]

This post uncovers the top 100 most visited websites in the US, deep-diving into a few industries — Media, Retail, and Streaming Services — that show the biggest position changes.

Natalia ZhukovaDec 23, 2022