Semrush CLI

SEMrush CLI (Local)

Fast keyword research, domain analytics, backlinks, traffic analysis, and competitive intelligence using the locally installed semrush CLI. This CLI is built from the unified semrush-mcp repo and shares the same API client as the MCP server.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS

• A keyword, domain, or command to run (e.g., "seo tools", "example.com", "kw seo --related")
• If blank, will prompt for a target

Prerequisites

The CLI is installed globally from the semrush-mcp repo. Verify it's available:

semrush --version

Ensure SEMRUSH_API_KEY is set in your environment or .env file.

Available Commands

1. Quick Overview

Auto-detects whether the target is a keyword or domain and returns the appropriate overview.

semrush q "seo tools"           # Keyword overview
semrush q example.com           # Domain overview
semrush quick "content marketing" -d uk  # Specify database

Options:

• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

2. Keyword Research

In-depth keyword analysis with multiple sub-commands.

# Basic keyword overview
semrush kw "content marketing"

# Related keywords
semrush kw "seo" --related -l 20

# Question-based keywords
semrush kw "marketing" --questions -l 10

# Broad match keywords
semrush kw "email marketing" --broad -l 15

# SERP organic results (who ranks for this keyword)
semrush kw "seo tools" --organic -l 10

# SERP paid results
semrush kw "ppc software" --paid -l 10

Options:

• --related: Get related keywords
• --questions: Get question-based keyword variations
• --broad: Get broad match keywords
• --organic: Get organic SERP results for the keyword
• --paid: Get paid SERP results for the keyword
• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

3. Batch Keyword Difficulty

Analyze difficulty scores for multiple keywords at once.

semrush kd "seo" "content marketing" "link building"
semrush kd "keyword1" "keyword2" "keyword3" -d uk

Options:

• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

4. Domain Analytics

Comprehensive domain analysis with multiple views.

# Domain overview
semrush d semrush.com
semrush domain example.com

# Organic keywords the domain ranks for
semrush d example.com --organic -l 30

# Paid keywords the domain bids on
semrush d example.com --paid -l 20

# Organic search competitors
semrush d example.com --competitors -l 10

Options:

• --organic: Get organic keywords for the domain
• --paid: Get paid keywords for the domain
• --competitors: Get organic search competitors
• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

5. Backlinks

Backlink analysis for domains and URLs.

# Backlink overview
semrush bl example.com
semrush backlinks example.com

# Referring domains
semrush bl example.com --domains -l 20

Options:

• --domains: Get referring domains instead of individual backlinks
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

6. Traffic Analytics

Traffic data for domains (requires .Trends subscription).

# Traffic summary
semrush traffic example.com

# Traffic sources breakdown
semrush traffic example.com --sources

Options:

• --sources: Get traffic sources breakdown
• --country <code>: Country filter (default: us)
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

7. Keyword Gap Analysis

Find keyword opportunities by comparing two domains.

semrush gaps mysite.com competitor.com -l 50
semrush gaps mysite.com competitor.com -d uk -l 30

Options:

• -d, --database <db>: Country database code (default: us)
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text or json (default: text)

8. API Units Balance

Check remaining API units on your account.

semrush units

Process

Step 1: Understand the request

Determine what kind of research the user wants:

• Quick lookup: Use semrush q for fast overview of a keyword or domain
• Keyword deep-dive: Use semrush kw with appropriate flags
• Domain analysis: Use semrush d with appropriate flags
• Competitive intel: Use semrush d --competitors or semrush gaps
• Backlink audit: Use semrush bl
• Traffic check: Use semrush traffic

Step 2: Run the appropriate command

Based on $ARGUMENTS, construct and execute the right command. Always use -f text for human-readable output unless the user specifically wants JSON.

Step 3: Present findings

Summarize results clearly:

Overview: Brief summary of key metrics

Key Data Points:

• Volume, difficulty, CPC for keywords
• Traffic, keyword count, competitors for domains
• Authority, referring domains for backlinks

Insights: Actionable observations based on the data

Global Options

All commands support these flags:

• -d, --database <db>: Country/database code (default: us). Codes: us, uk, ca, au, de, fr, es, it, br, mx, in, jp, etc.
• -l, --limit <n>: Number of results to return
• -f, --format <fmt>: Output format — text (colorized tables) or json (raw data, pipe to jq)

Example Usage

Research a keyword and its competition

semrush kw "project management software" --related -l 20
semrush kw "project management software" --organic -l 10
semrush kd "project management" "task management" "team collaboration"

Audit a competitor domain

semrush d competitor.com
semrush d competitor.com --organic -l 50
semrush d competitor.com --competitors -l 10
semrush bl competitor.com --domains -l 20

Find keyword gaps

semrush gaps mysite.com competitor.com -l 100

Quick lookups

semrush q "best crm software"
semrush q hubspot.com
semrush units

API Units

Different API calls consume different amounts of units per line returned:

Check your balance anytime with semrush units.

Source: mrkooblu/semrush-mcp — distributed by TomeVault.