Really the choice between SEMrush vs Majestic SEO is based on what you’re trying to achieve. If you want more of an all-in-one SEO website that does keyword research, competitive analysis, and site audits, then this is likely your best bet.
If deep back link analysis is your thing and you want to have unique metrics and data from the past, then Majestic provides you with some other specific features.
Both are useful tools, but they are designed to meet different ends. I’ll run through what each does most of at them so you can decide which best fits into your SEO workflow.
Whether your building a new site or are just a link building junkie – knowing where these tools perform well can save you a headache or a few bucks.
Semrush vs Majestic SEO: Core Differences
In the world of digital marketing, these two products are important but they “cover different aspects of SEO”. Even what they’re currently good at, or are targeted at, and what they collect data on really demonstrates this divide.
Overview of Semrush
Semrush is a beast for website growth. This encompasses keyword research, competitor analysis, content planning, PPC campaigns, site audits and backlink research.
The website is designed to be a one-reference point for SEO professionals and digital marketers. It follows keyword rankings and digs into what your competitors are doing. The site audit feature will give you a sense of technical and on-page problems.
The backlink data in Semrush is fairly good, though not quite as in depth as Majestic’s. Yet, because it includes so many features, it is well-liked by those looking for an all-inclusive marketing suite.
Overview of Majestic SEO
Majestic SEO is primarily concerned with back links. It touts one of the largest backlink databases and has created its own, unique link metrics known as Trust Flow and Citation Flow that help to measure quality and quantity of links.
This tool has very complete historical backlink data, so you can see how your link profile is changing over time. It will also display the locations of where links are situated within a page, which is helpful for outreach.
Majestic is somewhat limited in its functionality outside of backlinks, and is best for those deeply interested in link data rather than all facets of SEO.
Majestic SEO Review: Comparing Link Building with Ahrefs and Other Tools
Intended Users and Use Cases
Semrush’s audience is generally SEO professionals, digital marketers, content creators, and agencies. If you want a set of tools that does everything from keyword research to paid ads, it’s a good fit.
Majestic caters largely to SEO specialists and link builders looking for more in-depth backlink information. Firms that lean towards link acquisition as a core business, or work on massive link-building campaigns are the ones that benefit the most from Majestic.
If you have a personal website or run a small business, Semrush is generally sufficient for the backlink insight they provide and the other tools for successful SEO and marketing . Majestic is a bit more niche – ideal for backlink-heavy campaigns.
Data Accuracy and Coverage
For these calculations, Semrush provides the ideal accuracy/keyword tracking ratio for global search engines. Hundreds of billions of backlinks are crawled, but it is comparable to Ahrefs in se that their index is not as vast or specific as Majestic’s.
Majestic has probably the best backlink data coverage. These focus on the quantity and quality of the links, as well as the measurements for trust and influence. Historical backlink data is available up to several years, rather than just a small snapshot of data at one point in time.
Semrush vs Majestic SEO: Backlink Analysis Comparison
One of the most important components of analyzing links is performing a backlink analysis, which is necessary in order to determine the strength and quality of a site’s link profile. I focus on three things: the size of their backlink database, the different metrics they provide for link quality, and the information they offer about referring domains and link profiles.
Backlink Database Size
Majestic has a very large backlink index. It has a large databank of backlinking with a very deep history. I can see backlinks that some other tools will not be able to show, particularly if I need to monitor the development of links over time.
Though SEMrush offers a reliable backlink database, it is typically smaller than Majestic. Where SEMrush has a broad index along many SEO features, meaning its index isn’t as deep of pure link data.
If you’re looking to scrape the maximum amount of backlink data for your own research or link building, then you benefit from Majestic’s bigger data set.
Trust Flow and Citation Flow Metrics
The Trust Flow and Citation Flow statistics from Majestic are actually very useful. Trust Flow monitors the link quality and checks how safe or trusted the linking site is. Citation Flow is more of an indication of how many backlinks there are, not the quality of them.
I take both as an indicator of a domain’s backlink authority and popularity. These measures help me to determine the value of the links to chase for my strategy.
These specific metrics are not available in SEMrush. It does provide general “authority” scores for backlinks, although the more accurate measurement of the quality of the link is more of a Majestic thing.
Referring Domains and Link Profiles
Referring domains are important as they will count how many unique sites are pointing to a domain. Majestic has interesting specifics on referring domains and few other services provide as much information on understanding link profile diversity and strength.
Majestic also provides “link context,” which tells me where a backlink is on a page. It’s especially helpful in choosing anchor text and staging link placement.
One of the highlights of SEMrush are the very good backlink profile analyses it provides, including on competitor backlinks and link types. While less granular as Majestic’s, the data it provides is useful when running larger SEO campaigns .
Neither tool is recommended as a do-all site-wide backlink checker, but Majestic is better for large volumes. And that’s a win for large scale backlink research projects.
Keyword Research and Position Tracking
I’m most interested in tools that provide me obviously useful statistics about the keywords that I am using. It enables me to choose keywords, based on search volume, difficulty, and cost. It important to see if I “get credit” for this as I track my rank over-time.
Keyword Research Tools
SEMrush’ keyword research tool is good, and has a large database. It provides keyword ideas from a few seed keywords and gives an indication of volume and trends. This allows me to identify new opportunities that would cater to my niche;
Majestic doesn’t offer keyword research tools whatsoever. If I require keyword information in order to do content planning then I rely wholly on SEMrush. In addition, I can also use SEMrush to look at my competitors keywords, which is super useful.
Keyword Difficulty and CPC Insights
Part of the keyword analysis that SEMrush provides is called keyword difficulty, which gives you an idea of how difficult it will be to rank for a term. This score informs my attack plan, which keywords I should go after and which to avoid.
It also provides CPC (cost per click) information so if I’m doing paid ads in addition to SEO. The price advertisers are willing to pay for keywords, this indicates commercial intent. Majestic doesn’t report on any of this stuff – it’s not their thing.
Rank Tracking Capabilities
It is important to track keyword rankings over time so that you can track your progress. I use SEMrush’s position tracking tools that check my keywords daily and detect any changes in the SERPs.
This is what helps me to see increases or decreases quickly. Since Majestic doesn’t provide rank tracking, SEMrush is where I get a complete keyword performance report.
Site Audits and On-Page Optimization
I particularly keep each of these as they assist me in identifying and resolving problems that may have an impact on site performance. This includes all technical health, such as broken links, and all on-page elements that influence search visibility.
Technical SEO and Site Health
Where SEMrush really shines is in its site audit. It picks up on technical SEO problems such as crawlability, page speed, HTTPS, and mobile responsiveness. It tells me what’s wrong and gives warnings and errors to help direct me to the most important stuff first.
Majestic provides some technical advice but sticks primarily to backlinks. It does not include the deeper, technical audit capabilities that SEMrush offers. SEMrush is a better and more user-friendly tool for catching hidden technical problems.
Broken Links Detection
They can also work against your SEO efforts, and be frustrating for readers. Broken links, internal and external, are automatically detected by SEMrush’s site audit. It just gives me the list in a report form so I can go and correct them and remove them quickly.
It also will track images and redirects that are broken, so it keeps the site clean as well. Majestic doesn’t feature broken links as its main thing; it’s not what they focus on.
On-Page Optimization Features
SEMrush’s on-page SEO factors include title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and content quality. It identifies omitted or redundant tags and advises to enhance the position of the article.
Majestic will also report on some on-page factors, such as titles and headers, but is more focused on backlinks themselves . I prefer the more detailed and SEO focused on-page optimization features within SEMrush.
| Feature | SEMrush | Majestic |
|---|---|---|
| Technical SEO Audit | Extensive and detailed | Limited |
| Broken Links Detection | Automatic & detailed | Not comprehensive |
| On-Page SEO Analysis | Full-featured | Basic coverage |
Competitor and Domain Analysis
I do this by analyzing backlinks, domain strength, and historical data, to attempt to understand who’s who and how they compete online. Unless you’re able to see where they’re weak, it would be impossible to outrank these sites yourself.
Competitor Research Features
Any time I’m looking at a competitor I want to be able to see their traffic sources, their top keywords, and their backlink profiles. Semrush provides me with a lot of competitor information, organic and paid traffic statistics so I know how my competitors are getting traffic.
It also provides Competitor’s best performing pages and Keyword overlaps. Majestic specializes in the link data, they uncover backlink profiles in detail and show the quality of competitor links. That’s good for link-building but doesn’t inform me about traffic or paid search.
Domain Authority Metrics
Because domain authority counts in the rankings. Quality and quantity of links pointing to a domain are assessed by Majestic through Trust Flow and Citation Flow. These scores assist me in determining a site’s power from a backlink perspective.
Semrush’s domain authority ranking is calculated somewhat differently and is concerned with a more holistic measure of a site’s “SEO health,” which includes things like the quality of the backlinks, number of organic keywords, and overall ranking positions . This provides a more general view of the site which is useful when I want to track overall performance of the website, not just links.
Historic Index and Data
Scraping historical data also allows me to understand how an SEO profile of a location has evolved over time. Majestic keeps track of backlinks dating back several years, so I am able to identify trends in link building. This long-view is actually quite helpful in analyzing the link profile of a site.
Semrush also provides historical data regarding keyword rankings and traffic trends. I put it to use for determining the exact moment a competitor begins or ceases to earn visibility in searches. I am able to observe patterns or changes in the organic traffic from marketing pushes within such time stamped data.
| Feature means to focus. | Ahrefs and Semrush | Royal |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor Traffic Data : | Yes, as a very detailed | Not . |
| Backlink Quality Scores: | Yes, but only one of the component domain scores. | Trust Flow and Citation Flow, yes. |
| History Link Data | Few, if any | Such actions are widespread. |
| Keyword Ranking History. | Yes. | Small/few/fewer |
Semrush vs Majestic SEO: Pricing, Trials, and Value for SEO Needs
Price and trial options are two major things I consider while choosing from them two – SEMrush and Majestic SEO. I generally examine their strategies against several budgets, and also whether their trials in fact allow me to play with the tools.
Pricing Plans Overview
A basic subscription to SEMrush is priced at $119.95 per month. You get all sorts of – keyword research, site audits, backlink tracking, etc. More expensive levels will grant you access to additional tools, and bring up your account limits.
Beginning at $49.99 per month, Majestic SEO’s packages are also cheaper than Moz Open Site Explorer. However, because pricing is based on “machine units” your overall price can begin to rise if you use it a lot. Majestic specifically focuses on backlink data and does not provide as much for on-page SEO or content.
SEMrush’s higher price justifies itself if you love all-in-one SEO platforms. For link-focused strategies, Majestic provides more robust data for a lower starting point, but the costs can be driven up by heavy usage.
Free Trials and Alternatives
SEMrush and Majestic offer free trials of 30 days. You can use most of the features available on SEMrush for free for one week. Majestic also allows you to test run their tools – the trial is usually a tad bit more limited overall.
First, I absolutely should be the one trying out the tools, or at the very least invited to, so I can see if the interface, data, and workflow actually work in any way that matches my process. If possible, go through both trials .
However, other SEO tools offer a taste for free or have a shorter trial period. However, considering the capability of performing SEMrush and Majestic there would be no harm in trying their service through the free trial.
Selecting the Best Tool for Your SEO Strategy
The choice between SEMrush and Majestic is largely than dependent on what you want more out of your SEO efforts. If I desire services such as keyword research, content ideas, technical SEO assistance etc then I will lean towards SEMrush.
However, if link building and deep backlink analysis are important to me and what I really want is that specialized insight into my backlinks – trust flow scores and all that good stuff that Majestic offers you and you can’t get in that depth and detail anywhere else…
Budget is always a factor as well. The base plan from Majestic is nice, if I am a bit short and I just want backlinks. If you need to do large, multi-faceted SEO campaigns, it’s easier to stomach the cost of SEMrush because of the variety of tools you receive.
My suggestion is to try the two versions and see which one really feels right for your workflow and needs.