Adobe and Semrush announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Adobe to acquire Semrush in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.9 billion. Adobe will pay $12.00 per share, describing Semrush as a “leading brand visibility platform.”
The acquisition brings a widely used SEO platform under Adobe’s Digital Experience umbrella.
The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and the approval of Semrush stockholders.
What Adobe Is Buying
Semrush is a Boston-based SaaS platform best known in search marketing for keyword research, site audits, competitive intelligence, and online visibility tracking.
Over the past two years, Semrush has added enterprise products focused on AI-driven visibility, including tools that monitor how brands are referenced in responses from large language models such as ChatGPT and Gemini, alongside traditional search results.
Semrush has also been an active acquirer. Recent deals have included SEO education and community assets like Backlinko and Traffic Think Tank, as well as technology and media acquisitions such as Third Door Media, the publisher of Search Engine Land.
For Adobe, this gives the Experience Cloud portfolio a direct line into the SEO workflow that many in-house teams and agencies already use daily.
How Semrush Fits Adobe’s AI Marketing Stack
Adobe positions the deal as part of a broader strategy to support “brand visibility” in what it describes as an agentic AI era.
In the announcement, Anil Chakravarthy, president of Adobe’s Digital Experience business, says:
“Brand visibility is being reshaped by generative AI, and brands that don’t embrace this new opportunity risk losing relevance and revenue.”
Semrush’s “generative engine optimization” positioning aligns with that narrative. The company has been pitching GEO as a counterpart to traditional SEO, focused on keeping brands discoverable inside AI-generated answers, not just organic listings.
Adobe plans to integrate Semrush with products like Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Analytics, and its newer Brand Concierge offering.
Deal Terms And Timeline
Under the terms of the agreement, Adobe will acquire Semrush for $12.00 per share in cash, representing a total equity value of roughly $1.9 billion.
Coverage from financial outlets notes that the price reflects a premium of around 77 percent over Semrush’s prior closing share price and that Semrush stock jumped more than 70 percent in early trading following the announcement.
According to the companies, the transaction has already been approved by both boards. An associated SEC filing shows the merger agreement was signed on November 18.
Closing is targeted for the first half of 2026, pending customary regulatory reviews and the approval of Semrush shareholders. Until then, Adobe and Semrush say they will continue to operate as separate companies.
Why This Matters
This deal continues a broader trend: core search and visibility tools are moving deeper into large enterprise suites.
If you already rely on Semrush, you can expect tighter integration with Adobe’s analytics and customer experience products over time.
It also raises practical questions:
- How will Semrush be packaged and priced once it sits inside Adobe’s enterprise stack?
- Can agencies and smaller teams keep using Semrush as a relatively independent tool?
- How will Adobe choose to handle Semrush’s media holdings, including Search Engine Land and related properties?
For now, both companies are presenting the acquisition as a way to give marketers a more complete view of brand visibility across search results and AI-generated answers, rather than as a change to Semrush’s current product line.
Looking Ahead
In the near term, there are two things to watch.
First, regulators will review the transaction, particularly given Adobe’s history with large acquisitions in the digital experience space. That process will shape the closing timeline.
Second, Adobe will need to decide how quickly to integrate Semrush into Experience Cloud and how much to preserve the existing product and brand. Those choices will influence how disruptive this feels for your current workflows.
Watch for changes to Semrush’s API access, plan structure, and reporting integrations once the deal moves closer to completion.
Featured Image: IB Photography/Shutterstock
