SEMrush Keyword Research - Volume, Difficulty, CPC & Related Keywords

Get comprehensive keyword data from SEMrush including search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, competition level, SERP features, 12-month trends, and related/phrase match keywords. Perfect for content planning, PPC research, and SEO strategy. BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) - use your SEMrush API key.

Features

• Search Volume - Monthly search volume for any keyword
• Keyword Difficulty (KD) - SEMrush's 0-100 ranking difficulty score
• CPC Data - Cost-per-click and competition level for PPC planning
• SERP Features - Featured snippets, PAA, local packs, images, and more
• 12-Month Trends - Historical volume data for seasonality analysis
• Related Keywords - Semantically similar keyword suggestions
• Phrase Match Keywords - Keywords containing your seed phrase
• Question Keywords - "How", "what", "why" variations
• Broad Match Keywords - Expanded keyword variations
• Search Intent - Informational, transactional, navigational, commercial
• 45+ Country Databases - US, UK, DE, FR, and more
• Batch Keyword Research - Research multiple seeds in one run
• Webhook Support - Async delivery for automation pipelines
• Demo Mode - Test with sample data before going live

Who Should Use This Actor?

Content Strategists

Find high-volume, achievable keywords for content calendars. Identify question-based keywords for FAQ content.

SEO Specialists

Research keywords for on-page optimization. Understand difficulty and competition before targeting keywords.

PPC Managers

Get CPC data for campaign planning and budget forecasting. Find high-intent keywords for ad groups.

Copywriters

Discover related terms and questions for comprehensive content. Understand search intent for better targeting.

E-Commerce Teams

Research product keywords and category terms. Find buyer-intent keywords for commercial pages.

Affiliate Marketers

Identify profitable keywords with volume and intent data. Find lower-competition alternatives in your niche.

Quick Start

Demo Mode (Free Test)

{
  "demoMode": true
}

Basic Keyword Research

{
  "semrushApiKey": "your_semrush_api_key",
  "keywords": ["email marketing software", "crm for small business"],
  "database": "us",
  "includeRelatedKeywords": true,
  "includePhraseMatch": true,
  "demoMode": false
}

Deep Keyword Expansion

{
  "semrushApiKey": "your_semrush_api_key",
  "keywords": ["project management"],
  "database": "us",
  "includeRelatedKeywords": true,
  "includePhraseMatch": true,
  "includeBroadMatch": true,
  "includeQuestions": true,
  "relatedLimit": 100,
  "phraseMatchLimit": 100,
  "demoMode": false
}

Filtered by Difficulty

{
  "semrushApiKey": "your_semrush_api_key",
  "keywords": ["seo tools", "keyword research"],
  "database": "us",
  "includeRelatedKeywords": true,
  "includePhraseMatch": true,
  "relatedLimit": 50,
  "phraseMatchLimit": 50,
  "minVolume": 500,
  "maxDifficulty": 50,
  "demoMode": false
}

International Keyword Research

{
  "semrushApiKey": "your_semrush_api_key",
  "keywords": ["marketing software"],
  "database": "de",
  "includeRelatedKeywords": true,
  "demoMode": false
}

How to Get Your SEMrush API Key

1. Go to semrush.com/api/
2. Log in with your SEMrush account
3. Copy your API key from the dashboard
4. Paste it in the semrushApiKey field

Note: Free SEMrush accounts do NOT include API access. You need a paid plan with API units.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
semrushApiKey	string	-	Your SEMrush API key (required for real data)
keywords	array	-	Seed keywords to research
database	string	"us"	Country database (45+ options)
includeRelatedKeywords	boolean	true	Get semantically related keywords
includePhraseMatch	boolean	true	Get keywords containing seed phrase
includeBroadMatch	boolean	false	Get broad keyword variations
includeQuestions	boolean	false	Get question-based keywords
relatedLimit	number	20	Max related keywords per seed
phraseMatchLimit	number	20	Max phrase match per seed
broadMatchLimit	number	20	Max broad match per seed
questionsLimit	number	20	Max question keywords per seed
minVolume	number	0	Filter by minimum volume
maxDifficulty	number	100	Filter by max difficulty
demoMode	boolean	true	Return sample data for testing
webhookUrl	string	-	Webhook URL for results delivery
webhookPlatform	string	"custom"	Platform: zapier, make, n8n, custom

Common Database Codes

Code	Country
us	United States
uk	United Kingdom
de	Germany
fr	France
es	Spain
it	Italy
ca	Canada
au	Australia
br	Brazil
in	India
jp	Japan
nl	Netherlands

Output Format

{
  "keyword": "email marketing software",
  "database": "us",
  "metrics": {
    "searchVolume": 22200,
    "keywordDifficulty": 78,
    "cpc": 15.42,
    "competition": 0.94,
    "intent": "commercial",
    "results": 1240000000
  },
  "trends": [18100, 18100, 22200, 24400, 27100, 22200, 22200, 22200, 18100, 18100, 22200, 22200],
  "serpFeatures": [
    "Featured snippet",
    "Reviews",
    "Site links",
    "People also ask",
    "Top stories"
  ],
  "relatedKeywords": [
    {
      "keyword": "best email marketing software",
      "volume": 8100,
      "difficulty": 72,
      "cpc": 12.85,
      "competition": 0.89,
      "intent": "commercial"
    },
    {
      "keyword": "email marketing platforms",
      "volume": 5400,
      "difficulty": 68,
      "cpc": 14.20,
      "competition": 0.91,
      "intent": "commercial"
    }
  ],
  "phraseMatchKeywords": [
    {
      "keyword": "email marketing software for small business",
      "volume": 1900,
      "difficulty": 65,
      "cpc": 18.20,
      "competition": 0.87,
      "intent": "commercial"
    },
    {
      "keyword": "free email marketing software",
      "volume": 6600,
      "difficulty": 58,
      "cpc": 8.50,
      "competition": 0.75,
      "intent": "transactional"
    }
  ],
  "questionKeywords": [
    {
      "keyword": "what is the best email marketing software",
      "volume": 720,
      "difficulty": 45,
      "cpc": 10.20,
      "intent": "informational"
    }
  ],
  "summary": {
    "totalRelated": 50,
    "totalPhraseMatch": 50,
    "totalQuestions": 20,
    "averageVolume": 3500,
    "averageDifficulty": 62
  },
  "analyzedAt": "2026-01-28T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Understanding the Metrics

Keyword Difficulty (KD): A 0-100 score indicating how hard it is to rank on page 1.

Score	Difficulty
0-29	Easy
30-49	Possible
50-69	Difficult
70-84	Hard
85-100	Very Hard

Competition: PPC competition level (0-1). Higher = more advertisers bidding.

Search Intent:

Intent	Description
informational	User wants to learn something
navigational	User looking for specific site
commercial	User researching before purchase
transactional	User ready to buy

Trends Array: Monthly search volumes for the past 12 months (oldest to newest).

Pricing (Pay-Per-Event)

Event	Description	Price
keyword_researched	Per seed keyword analyzed	$0.02
related_keywords	Per 50 related keywords	$0.01
phrase_match	Per 50 phrase match keywords	$0.01
broad_match	Per 50 broad match keywords	$0.01
questions	Per 20 question keywords	$0.01

Example costs:

• 2 keywords with related + phrase match: 2 × ($0.02 + $0.01 + $0.01) = $0.08
• 5 keywords with full expansion: 5 × ($0.02 + $0.01 + $0.01 + $0.01 + $0.01) = $0.30
• Demo mode: $0.00

Note: You also consume your SEMrush API units (billed separately by SEMrush).

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Content Planning

{
  "semrushApiKey": "your_key",
  "keywords": ["content marketing", "blog strategy"],
  "database": "us",
  "includeRelatedKeywords": true,
  "includePhraseMatch": true,
  "includeQuestions": true,
  "relatedLimit": 50,
  "phraseMatchLimit": 50,
  "questionsLimit": 30,
  "minVolume": 200,
  "maxDifficulty": 60,
  "webhookUrl": "https://hooks.zapier.com/...",
  "demoMode": false
}

Find achievable keywords for content calendar.

Scenario 2: PPC Keyword Research

{
  "semrushApiKey": "your_key",
  "keywords": ["crm software", "sales management"],
  "database": "us",
  "includeRelatedKeywords": true,
  "includePhraseMatch": true,
  "relatedLimit": 100,
  "phraseMatchLimit": 100,
  "demoMode": false
}

Build keyword lists for Google Ads campaigns.

Scenario 3: International SEO

{
  "semrushApiKey": "your_key",
  "keywords": ["project management tool"],
  "database": "uk",
  "includeRelatedKeywords": true,
  "includePhraseMatch": true,
  "demoMode": false
}

Research keywords for UK market expansion.

Webhook & Automation Integration

Zapier / Make.com / n8n

1. Create a webhook trigger in your automation platform
2. Copy the webhook URL to webhookUrl
3. Set webhookPlatform to your platform
4. Route keyword data to content tools and spreadsheets

Popular automations:

• High-volume keywords -> Content brief (Notion)
• Keyword data -> Google Sheets (research database)
• Question keywords -> FAQ content pipeline
• Low-difficulty keywords -> Quick wins list (Slack)

Apify Scheduled Runs

Schedule monthly keyword research to discover new opportunities.

SEMrush Keyword Suite Comparison

Actor	Best For
Keyword Research	Researching individual keywords
Content Gap	Finding competitor keyword gaps
Position Tracker	Tracking your keyword rankings
Domain Overview	Domain-level keyword counts

FAQ

Q: What's the difference between related and phrase match?

A: Related keywords are semantically similar (e.g., "email marketing" → "newsletter software"). Phrase match contains your exact seed (e.g., "email marketing" → "email marketing tools").

Q: How accurate is the search volume?

A: SEMrush volumes are monthly estimates based on Google data. Use for relative comparison; exact numbers may vary.

Q: What are SERP features?

A: Special results on Google like featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, image carousels, local packs, reviews, etc.

Q: How do I interpret the trends array?

A: 12 monthly volumes from oldest to newest. Useful for identifying seasonal patterns (e.g., "christmas gifts" peaks in November/December).

Q: Can I filter by search intent?

A: The actor returns intent in the output. You can filter results in your automation workflow based on intent values.

Common Problems & Solutions

"Invalid API key" error

• Get your API key from semrush.com/api/
• Ensure your plan includes API access
• Copy the key exactly without extra spaces

"API limit exceeded" error

• Check your API usage at semrush.com/api/
• Upgrade your plan or wait for renewal
• Reduce keyword expansion limits

"No related keywords returned"

• Keyword may be too niche
• Increase relatedLimit and phraseMatchLimit
• Lower minVolume threshold
• Raise maxDifficulty threshold

"Demo data showing"

• Set demoMode: false
• Provide your semrushApiKey

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📞 Support

• Actor Arsenal: Full Actor Catalog
• Developer: John Rippy

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Built by John Rippy | Actor Arsenal