Adobe said it will acquire Semrush in a deal valued at $1.9 billion as the company plans to meld search engine optimization and generative engine optimization in its marketing stack.
The deal values Semrush at $12 a share.
Adobe has been adding brand visibility tools into its marketing platform as well Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Analytics and Adobe Brand Concierge. Enterprises are well versed in search engine optimization and need to optimized for large language models.
For marketing chiefs, maintaining visibility in LLMs is critical given the models are becoming the interface for consumers looking to make purchase decisions.
According to Adobe and Semrush, the companies will look to provide a holistic view into how brands are performing across multiple channels.
“With Semrush, we're unlocking GEO for marketers as a new growth channel alongside their SEO, driving more visibility, customer engagement and conversions across the ecosystem," said Anil Chakravarthy, president of Adobe’s Digital Experience Business.
- Adobe expand GenStudio, launches custom Firefly models, Firefly Foundry
- Adobe reports strong Q3, raises outlook
- Adobe launches LLM Optimizer, GenStudio and Firefly updates
For 2025, Semrush was projecting revenue between $443.5 million and $445.5 million, up 18% from a year ago. Semrush CEO Bill Wagner said during the company's third quarter earnings report that LLMs are additive to search engines. Semrush has pivoted to targeting enterprise customers.
"The search landscape is shape-shifting before our eyes, and we're giving marketers the power to have a full picture of their visibility, act quickly and improve their position to win," said Wagner. "AI search isn’t replacing the SEO opportunity; it’s compounding it."
