Semrush
Connect Semrush to research domain and keyword analytics, backlinks, traffic, site audits, and position tracking.
The API key from My Profile > API keys, which lists your autogenerated Version 3 and Version 4 keys. PopMCP appends it as the key= query parameter.
Paid plan required before this connector works
Semrush gates the standard Analytics/Projects API behind its top subscription tier, and API calls additionally consume API unit packages that must be purchased separately from the plan.
- Typical wait
- Instant once the qualifying plan and an API unit package are purchased. There is no application and no human review.
- Cost
- Plan naming is in flux: developer.semrush.com still says 'Standard API access is available to users of the SEO Toolkit who have a Business subscription', while semrush.com/prices now lists SEO ($139/mo, $117.33/mo annual), Starter ($199/mo, $165.17/mo annual), Pro+ ($299/mo, $248.17/mo annual) and Advanced ($549/mo, $455.67/mo annual), with 'API data integration' shown only on Advanced. Treat the top tier (legacy Business / current Advanced) as the requirement and confirm the current price on semrush.com/prices. API units are bought on top of the plan in packages of 2,000,000 / 5,000,000 / 10,000,000 / 20,000,000 units; Semrush does not publish the package prices, so budget from the in-account API Units screen rather than from any figure quoted elsewhere.
- Blocked until approved
- Below the API-enabled tier the API key page will not issue a working standard-API key, so every Analytics and Projects endpoint is unavailable. Even on the right plan, a zero API-unit balance makes requests fail on quota rather than auth: one line of a Domain Organic Search Keywords response costs 10 API units live and 50 units historical, so a modest report can burn tens of thousands of units.
- Works meanwhile
- Read the endpoint reference at developer.semrush.com and pre-compute your unit budget from the per-line costs. Map Rank Tracker API and Listing Management API run off Local subscriptions and do not consume standard API units, and the Trends API is sold as its own Basic/Premium plan with a request quota instead of units, so those can be exercised without the top SEO tier.
Where to apply: Upgrade at semrush.com/prices to the tier that lists API access, then buy a unit package under Subscription Info > API Units, then generate the key at semrush.com/accounts/api-keys/active.
- The subscription does NOT bundle any API units. Semrush's own docs warn that after upgrading 'the number of units will still be zero' — people buy the plan, generate a key, and every call fails until a unit package is purchased on top.
- Semrush repackaged its plans (SEO / Starter / Pro+ / Advanced) while the developer docs still describe the old Pro / Guru / Business tiers. If you are matching a doc to a checkout page, match on whether the tier lists API access, not on the tier name.
- Listing Management API and Map Rank Tracker API need a Local subscription, a different product from the SEO Toolkit; buying the wrong one leaves those endpoints closed.
- Historical data costs 5x live data in units, so a backfill run can exhaust a package in a single job.
- Units do not expire but also do not refund, and there is no sandbox that returns free sample data.
- Setup time
- 5 min
- Auth
- API credentials
- API base URL
- https://api.semrush.com
- Rate limits
- Semrush caps every API method at 10 requests per second and 10 simultaneous requests per account. On top of that, each Standard API report deducts API units from the balance on the API units tab and stops returning data at zero. Trends API adds a monthly request quota set by its subscription plan, 10,000 requests by default. Balance checks at www.semrush.com/users/countapiunits.html are free.
Before you begin
- A Semrush SEO Business subscription with an API units package. Standard API access is not included with Pro or Guru, and calls fail on a zero balance.
- Access to My profile, where the key sits under API keys and the balance under Subscription info
- A separate Trends API subscription if you want the Traffic Analytics and .Trends reports
Get your credentials
Open the API keys page
Sign in at semrush.com, click your profile icon in the top-right corner, and choose My Profile. In the sidebar select API keys.
API keys
Keys authenticate every request against api.semrush.com.
| Name | Version | Key | Permissions | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AutogeneratedDefault key | v3 | a1b2c3****ff40 | Full | Never |
| AutogeneratedDefault key | v4 | d4e5f6****7b21 | Read and write | Never |
| Reporting botCreated by you | v4 | 98ab21****9c17 | Read-only | Mar 4, 2026 |
You can hold up to 100 v4 keys.
Copy the key, or create a scoped one
Copy the value on the Version 3 row, which is a single long string with no separate secret. To use a dedicated key instead, click + Create API key, set a name, pick read-only or read-and-write, and copy the value straight away.
Create API key
The full key value is shown only once, at creation.
Check the API units balance
Open Subscription info in the sidebar and switch to the API units tab. Confirm the Standard API balance is above zero, and top it up if it is not.
Subscription info
API units are billed separately from your Semrush seat.
- Standard API units
- 2,000,000
- Renews
- Mar 4, 2026
| Package | Status | Units remaining | Renews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard API | Active | 2,000,000 | Mar 4, 2026 |
| Trends API | Not subscribed | 0 | - |
A zero balance authenticates fine but breaks every report.
Paste the key into PopMCP
Paste the key into PopMCP's API Key field and click Connect.
Connect in PopMCP
Open your workspace, choose Semrush in the marketplace, and fill in the connect dialog:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| API Keysecret | In Semrush, click your account icon (top-right) → Subscription info → the API Units tab and copy your API key. A Semrush plan with API units is required (the Trends / Traffic Analytics reports need the separate Trends API subscription). The key is sent as the `key` query param, stored encrypted, and used server-side only.Encrypted with AES-256-GCM on save and never shown again. |
PopMCP verifies the credential against Semrush immediately. On success the connection flips to Verified and its MCP tools are provisioned.
Verify it worked
PopMCP marks Semrush as Connected. Asking for a domain overview returns an authority score and organic traffic numbers rather than an API units or wrong key error.
Troubleshooting
ERROR 50 :: NOTHING FOUND or ERROR 120 :: WRONG KEY
Why: The key was truncated on copy, or it carries whitespace from the clipboard.
Fix: Re-copy the full key from My Profile > API keys and paste it with no leading or trailing whitespace. If you created a scoped v4 key and never copied it, create a replacement, because the value is shown only once.
Every report fails after working fine yesterday
Why: The API unit balance hit zero, or the units package renewed and the key was regenerated.
Fix: Open Subscription info > API units, top the balance up, and re-paste the key into PopMCP if it changed. You can also check the balance for free at www.semrush.com/users/countapiunits.html?key=YOUR_KEY.
Traffic Analytics or Trends tools return an access error
Why: Trends is a separate paid API subscription from the Standard API units.
Fix: Add the .Trends API subscription under Subscription info, then retry. No key change is needed.
Site Audit or Position Tracking returns nothing
Why: Those endpoints read from Semrush Projects, and the domain has no Project configured.
Fix: Create the Project in Semrush, run the audit or tracking campaign once, then query it from PopMCP.