Monday, 23 Dec 2024

Semrush buys Kompyte so it can upsell competitive intelligence tools

The acquisition is Semrush’s first foray into products not specifically designed for search and content marketing teams.

Why we care. Semrush is a major player in the SEO tool space, and this announcement, along with its recent acquisition of Backlinko, shows that the company is serious about expanding both its audience and capabilities for search marketing as well as sales teams.

The acquisition may also provide Semrush with a path to increasing the business it’s already doing with existing users: “Kompyte is the perfect product to upsell to our existing customers who already use our competitive intelligence features,” Eugene Levin, chief strategy and corporate development officer at Semrush, said in the announcement. “With an average ARR [annual recurring revenue] per customer of about $20,000, there’s a great opportunity for us to elevate our customers to the next level.”

More anecdotally, demand for SEO professionals has risen over recent years, especially since the outset of the pandemic. That may make SEO tools a more common part of MarTech stacks, fueling growth for tool providers.

What Kompyte does. Based in Austin, TX, Kompyte offers competitive analysis tools that help marketers track changes on a competitor’s site, ad copy, social media and more. It’s products are designed primarily for marketing, product development, and sales and enablement teams.

Why Semrush wants Kompyte. Semrush’s goal with this acquisition is to diversify its offerings from search marketing-specific tools to products for a wider audience of professionals. “We were always looking for a MarTech product that uses market data to bring other teams to the table,” Levin said.

“The acquisition will expand Semrush’s ability to help its customers beyond their marketing departments, especially considering 88% of Kompyte’s total user base falls within sales organizations,” the announcement said.