In this comprehensive Serpstat review, I’m finally taking the time to answer a question I’ve been asked so many times by countless bloggers and novice content marketers:
Is this popular keyword research tool actually worth adding to your SEO tool kit?
If you read my guide to the top five best keyword research tools for 2022, you may recall that I praised Serpstat for its excellent Pay Per Click (PPC) research features which help you to boost the Return on Investment (ROI) of your paid search efforts.
Yet, at the same time, I also told you that the limitations on daily search queries might make it unsuitable for large-scale blogs or those running multiple content platforms.
Since then, my inbox and social media mentions have been flooded with questions from readers, all of who want to know more about Serpstat and whether they should invest in what is, quite honestly, a reasonably affordable SEO tool.
Today, I’ll get round to discussing just that, answering all your most pressing questions about the Serpstat keyword research tool so that you can decide whether or not it’s the right one for you.
What is Serpstat?
Serpstat bills itself as the ultimate growth hacking tool for anyone serious about boosting their paid and organic traffic results.
Whether you’re a content marketer, a PPC professional, or a novice blogger learning how to do the most effective keyword research possible as part of your overall blog content strategy, this all-in-one SEO platform promises to provide all the tools you need to successfully monetize your website or at least grow your audience.
So far, the platform has clearly done a good job of that, earning itself a reputation as the go-to SEO tool of choice for major names like Uber, Shopify, Samsung, and Rakuten Viber.
For those companies, it’s undoubtedly the large collection of different SEO and keyword research tools, combined with in-depth reporting and PPC data, that makes it a worthwhile investment.
Who is Serpstat for?
Just because Serpstat is the preferred keyword research tool for some of the world’s biggest brands doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best choice for everybody.
Admittedly, the company pitches itself at SEO pros and digital marketing agencies, which means the initial learning curve is steeper than my favorite beginner-friendly keyword tool, KWfinder.
If you’re already well experienced in keyword research for SEO but find entry-level tools like the kind of advanced features and sophistication you need, then there’ll be a lot that you’ll like about Serpstat.
And if you’re not yet at that level but aspire to get to the top of your game sooner rather than later? Serpstat could prove to be the best tool to achieve that goal providing you’re willing to spend a little longer learning the ins and outs of this comprehensive keyword tool.
Serpstat Key Features
Setting its stall as the only SEO tool anyone will ever need, Serpstat features over 30 different tools.
You’d be reading this article all day and all night if I talked about each and every one of them, but here are some of the main highlights.
Organic Keyword Tracking
Keyword research lies at the heart of everything that Serpstat does.
When you first navigate to it, all you need to do is enter the URL of the website you want to analyze, choose which country you want your data to come from, and determine whether you want data from Google or the Russian search engine Yandex.
Honestly, the fact that you can only draw data from two different search engines is a little underwhelming when you consider the likes of Ahrefs offers no less than 10 different data sources, including Amazon and YouTube.
Still, what Serpstat lacks in data source options, it more than makes up for with the level of data it provides.
After submitting your website, you’ll be presented with a detailed dashboard that provides an at-a-glance look at all of the following essential details:
- Estimated traffic number generated from search results
- The number of organic keywords for which your website ranks in the top 100 search results
- How many paid keywords you’re using as part of your adds
- Which organic keywords do you rank for and their position
- And more.
One of the most useful sets of data Serpstat provides you with here is a breakdown of the main competitors who are trying to out-muscle you for those top-placed rankings.
This not only tells you which domains are competing for the same organic keywords but also how well they’re doing at it.
PPC Research
Keyword research may be the heart of Serpstat, but its PPC research features are the jewels in its proverbial crown.
Here, the platform provides you with a well of useful data about both your paid search ads and those run by your competitors.
By default, Serpstat tells you:
- Which SERP features your PPC ads own
- How many ads are running for that keyword
- The search volume for those PPC keywords
- Cost per Click.
It also tells you how many competitors there are for that keyword, and if you’re interested in getting ahead of them, all you need to do is to go to the competitors’ tab under PPC research.
That will provide you with a breakdown of all the data you need to make strategic decisions about how to edge out the competition for those valuable paid keywords.
Elsewhere, the PPC research tools also provide a breakdown of which landing pages are getting the most clicks from your ads and show you examples of ads you could use for your keywords.
Keyword Research
Serpstat doesn’t just do a great job of showing you which organic keywords you already rank for, and it also helps you decide which ones to target next.
When you’re stuck for ideas for your next excellent, optimized blog post, you can simply enter any topic or keyword, and Serpstat will show you the most searched terms related to that keyword.
For example, if I know I want to write about SEO tools, Serpstat tells me that the most popular search terms are ‘best SEO software tool’ and ‘famous SEO tools,’ so they’re both words that I might want to base my next blog around.
Another feature I love about Serpstat is that it lets you generate blog post ideas by searching for the most commonly-asked questions related to your.
This not only provides you with even more ideas for your content but may also prove invaluable in helping you capture precious SERP features such as Google’s People Also Ask.
I’m also a big fan of the ‘Top Pages’ feature, which shows you the top-ranking pages for any given search term, along with how much traffic they generate and how many Facebook shares they receive.
Why is this so important?
Simple:
When you know which pages get to the top of search results, you can check them out for ideas, inspiration, and any gaps that you can fill to ensure your own high ranking.
Speaking of other sites, you can also use this feature to check out which keywords are getting your competitors the most traffic so that you can devise a strategy to outrank them.
Other Key SerpStat Features
Organic and PPC keyword research, along with competitor keyword analysis, maybe the most essential tools in Serpstat’s arsenal, but the platform still has a lot more to offer.
Other key features include:
Trending Keywords
Whatever niche you focus on, you can discover the most popular search terms that are trending so that you can drive more traffic to your site by including those trending terms.
In-Depth Competitor Analysis
Beyond all of the competitor analysis tools I’ve already shown, Serpstat will also arm you to do a battle in both organic and PPC by identifying your main competitors and monitoring their SEO efforts.
All of the data it collects is then sent to you in an easy-to-read report which can prove to be an integral part of your SEO strategy.
Contextual Advertising Analysis
One of the best PPC features offered by Serpstat is the ability to look at your competitors’ ads, see which of those ads (and which of the landing pages they lead to) perform the best, and even discover how much your competitors are paying for those clicks.
Backlink Analysis
It’s no secret that generating quality backlinks is vital if you’re going to improve your search rankings.
Serpstat’s Backlink Analysis tool allows you to analyze the success of your link-building efforts, identify any unhelp backlinks that you may need to be removed, and even identify potential opportunities for generating new backlinks.
The Site and Page Audits
Last but not least, I’m impressed by the platform’s site and page audit tools. Type in the URL of either your entire site or a single page, and the tool will analyze all of the important content and technical aspects to identify areas for improvement.
How Much Does Serpstat Cost?
One of the more interesting and appealing things about Serpstat is that, despite being a professional-grade SEO tool, it’s priced at a level that is relatively affordable for growing bloggers and small businesses, especially when compared to the more expensive options offered by the likes of Ahrefs and SEMRush.
There’s even a free plan available, though this is limited to just a handful of search results and restricts access to some of the platform’s most useful features.
To lift those restrictions, you’ll need to pay for one of these four reasonably-priced plans:
PLAN NAME | PLAN DESCRIPTION | PLAN PRICE |
Life | 4,000 x searches per day 10,000 x website analysis results per report 10,000 x backlink analysis results per report 15,000 x Ranking position checks per month. 1 x user 10 x projects. | $69 p/m (or $55 p/m if paid annually) |
Standard | 5,000 x searches per day 30,000 x website analysis results per report 30,000 x backlink analysis results per report 60,000 x Ranking position checks per month. 3 x users 50 x projects. | $149 p/m (or $119 p/m if paid annually) |
Advanced Plan | 8,000 x searches per day 50,000 x website analysis results per report 50,000 x backlink analysis results per report 150,000 x Ranking position checks per month. 5 x users 75 projects. | $299 p/m (or $239 p/m if paid annually) |
Enterprise Plan | 12,000 x searches per day 75,000 x website analysis results per report 75,000 x backlink analysis results per report 300,000 x Ranking position checks per month. 7 x users Unlimited Projects. | $499 p/m (or $239 p/m if paid annually) |
How Difficult is Serpstat to Use?
I’ll be the first to admit that Serpstat isn’t the most beginner-friendly keyword research tool out there.
The sheer number of options alone can be overwhelming, and if you’re a newcomer, you may find it so confusing that you don’t know where to start.
That said, Serpstat is far from complicated.
Once you’ve got to grips with the excessive navigation, you’ll find that even though there are so many tools and so many different data types to consider, actually using Serpstat is a straightforward process for anyone who’s even moderately tech-savvy.
How to Get Started With Serpstat?
Here is all that you need to know about getting started with Serpstat.
1. Visit Serpstat
Point your browser to Serpstat.com and click the ‘sign up’ button at the top-right-hand corner.
2. Create an Account
You can sign up to Serpstat by entering an email, password, and phone number or, to save time, simply connect with your Google or Facebook account.
You’ll then need to verify your account using the activation link sent to your email.
3. Start a Project
With your account verified, you’ll immediately start using the Serpstat free plan. Logging into the dashboard for the first time, you’ll notice that there isn’t much there, so you’ll first have to add a project so that the platform has something to track for you.
The visual style of this dashboard makes it very easy to understand what to do next, and Serpstat will even make recommendations for you based on its most popular features.
You could, for example, go straight into competitor research, start the basic keyword research, or generate a backlink profile.
Alternatively, you can do as I did and simply enter a domain and project name to start your first project.
4. Start Growing Your Site
Once you’ve added a project, Serpstat takes a little while to generate all the relevant data, though it already gives you a good overview of your domain ranking as well as how many organic keywords your site ranks in the top 100 results.
You can click a button to start a site audit or begin tracking your search rankings. Alternatively, you can navigate through the extensive menu to find the tool you need.
5. Upgrade to SerpStat Premium
If you enjoy using the free version of Serpstat and you’re ready to upgrade, you can do so by clicking the Subscribe button at the top of the menu at any time.
This will give you a variety of payment options for your chosen plan so that you can choose the one that best suits your budget.
What is Serpstat Customer Service Like?
When a service provides as many advanced features as Serpstat does, having quality expert support on hand is essential.
Fortunately, the company more than delivers in this regard.
Live chat and email support are available across all plans, and both provide a fast response time, though -as with most companies- using the live chat will get you talking to a support agent much quicker than email.
If you’re on the Advanced or Enterprise plans, you’ll also have access to a dedicated account manager who you can contact by telephone if that’s the way you prefer to access support.
Whichever method you choose, you’ll find that Serpstat’s support staff are among the best in their field. In my personal experience, I’ve discovered that they’re knowledgeable and patient and not only resolve the majority of issues in just a few minutes but also provide you with actionable tips.
Ultimately empowering you to do more with your keyword research tool without having to waste a second contacting support.
Tutorials and Added Support
On a final note about Serpstat customer support, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one feature that truly sets the company apart from its competitors:
One-on-One Training
If you’re new to keyword research and you’re on a paid plan, you access face-to-face training, support, and best practice advice via Skype or Google Hangouts.
What Do Other People Say About Serpstat?
If you’ve read this entire Serpstat review so far, I’m guessing you’ve got a good idea of what I like and don’t like about it.
Still, if you really want to be sure that Serpstat is worth it for you before you buy it, it pays to check out other opinions as well.
So what do other people have to say about this popular all-in-one SEO tool?
Honestly, mostly a lot of good things.
On the highly-respected software research site, G2, Serpstat scores an impressive 4.6 out of 5 stars, with 80% of its 439 reviewers giving it a full five stars and a further 16% awarding it 4 stars.
Most of the praise for Serpstat is placed on its affordable pricing, comprehensive array of SEO features, and quality customer support. Meanwhile, the majority of criticism is levied at problems with using the API and the limited number of searches and search results on each plan.
Serpstat Pros and Cons:
[elementor-template id=”17468″]Frequently Asked Questions About Serpstat
What are the Best Serpstat Alternatives?
Ahrefs, SEMRush, and KWFinder are my pick of the best Semrush alternatives on the market right now, thanks to their combination of advanced features and beginner-friendly simplicity.
How Accurate is Serpstat’s Data?
Serpstat relies on its own in-house database, which isn’t as big as the ones used by some of its competitors.
As a result, I’ve found that the precise figures are sometimes not as accurate as they are on other tools. That said, the data is only ever out by the tiniest of margins, and it still gives you a solid idea of how you and your competitors are performing.
Is Serpstat Free?
Serpstat does have a free plan, but thanks to its extensive limitations, this is only a good option for new bloggers and small businesses.
Is Serpstat Worth It? My Final Verdict
So, is Serpstat really worth spending your hard-earned money on?
Taking into account everything I’ve said above, I’m afraid that my honest answer is that it all depends on you.
There’s no denying that the comparatively affordable pricing makes this a good value-for-money deal, regardless of whether you’re a blogging beginner or an experienced SEO pro.
In that sense alone, I’d say that, yes, Serpstat is definitely worth it, but only if you’re going to take advantage of everything it has to offer.
If you only need a keyword research tool to help you generate some blog ideas and keep track of your existing search rankings, other tools like KWFinder do this in a much simpler way without overwhelming you with a ton of unnecessary extra features.
However, if you’re truly serious about growing your online presence and want the convenience of using a wealth of advanced SEO features from one intuitive dashboard, then it’s definitely worth giving Serpstat a try.