The two search engine marketing (SEM) companies that I mentioned earlier, SEM Rush and SpyFu, have been around for quite some time. Both provide a complete suite of various SEM features, from keyword analysis and monitoring to link tools. Both SEM Rush and SpyFu also specialize in digging deep into what your competition is doing, but which one emerges on top? You can read an honest SEMrush Review before you dig deeper into the comparison.

In my opinion, it’s still largely up for grabs (if not, then maybe by a long shot). In this article, I’m going to discuss the ways in which both SEM Rush and SpyFu rank above the rest, and hopefully give you some good ideas on how to evaluate these two engines.
On this page, you’ll learn about the following:
SEMRush Vs SpyFu: Similarities
As mentioned above, both SEMrush and SPyFu focus primarily on optimizing content. They each have unique keyword tools (the former focuses on backlinks more than the latter), and both have special themes for optimizing content.
- Both are incredibly intuitive and can give you a decent idea of the current search engine standings of your target keywords.
- Another major similarity between the two is that while they’re both primarily focused on content optimization, they also emphasize social media presence and user-friendliness (i.e., both offer easy-to-use plug-ins for Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube). Both offer good value.
SEMrush vs SpyFu: Differences
As far as backlinks, both SEMrush and SpyFu have fairly good reputations. SEMrush focuses more on link building, whereas SpyFu emphasizes quality backlinks from related websites, and they share a core focus on keyword research.
With respect to competitor analytics, both engines focus equally on organic searches, and both are fairly accurate. This suggests that both SEMrush and SpyFu are fairly good at determining the strength of their competitors’ backlinks.
While both tools offer comprehensive backlink data, there is one key difference: SpyFu relies solely on link data gathered from web pages that Google considers “related.” On the other hand, SEMrush separates “relevant” backlinks from unrelated backlinks. This is important because when you build backlinks organically, you want those that are truly relevant to your site’s content to show up in your statistics. If backing is coming from an unrelated source, it can create a “weakness score” that hurts your overall rankings.
SEMrush Vs SpyFu: Which is Better?
What makes either tool a better choice than the other? In short, both offer a solid return on investment. They also both offer comprehensive reports. Here’s a look at how each one measures up.
The main thing each SEO tool does differently is the way they determine the value of backlinks. Both tools provide comprehensive reports on backlinks but in very different formats. The former focuses on backlinks from related and authoritative sites, whereas the latter reports on backlinks from all sources and from any given keyword in particular.
This means that in addition to providing a backlink analysis from SEMrush keyword research tool or from any of the additional tools offered by SEMrush (such as the competition report), you’ll also receive a report that breaks down the top 10 sites for each of the keywords studied, as well as who they attracted, how long they’ve been ranking for each, and other metrics.
My Final Verdict – A Comparative Study
As far as SEO tools go, the biggest winner by far is SEMrush. The reason is that it provides more than just backlink analysis. It also offers insights on the best landing pages for each major keyword, the most competitive landing pages, and even the most profitable pages for those keywords.
The report shows you where your SEMrush landing pages are making the most money. Since these pages are what attract backlinks, you can be certain that improving the landing page will improve your return on investment for that particular keyword.
SpyFu is not as all-encompassing as SEMrush, but it does have some valuable features. First, spyFu will let you know which of the many competing search engines are providing excellent ranks to your site. Some tools such as Open Directory List, Competition Finder, and others do not provide this information, and only show rankings based on link data from certain search engines.
Wrapping Up
If you have used any of these tools, do let us know what your take on them. Leave your valuable comments below in the comment section. Share your experience with us.