Keyword research usually starts the same way: type a seed term into a keyword tool and get handed thousands of rows of data. The hard part isn't finding keywords, it's turning that data dump into something actionable without burning hours filtering, exporting, and re-analyzing. That's the gap between Semrush, the long-standing leader in SEO tooling, and a newer agentic approach built into Saaga Solve.
How Semrush Handles Keyword Research
Semrush is the legacy tool most people in digital marketing and SEO have used at some point. Searching a term like "agentic marketing" through Semrush's keyword magic tool returns roughly 11,000 related keywords, with filters for broad match, phrase match, exact match, related terms, intent, keyword difficulty, and CPC.
Semrush's keyword database is genuinely strong, with billions of keywords indexed and updated constantly, and that's credit worth giving. But despite marketing language that suggests otherwise, Semrush is not free, and basic functionality is often locked behind higher-tier plans. Updating keyword lists beyond 250 a month, for example, requires upgrading to the Guru plan, on top of what can already be hundreds of dollars a month in spend. Add-ons and credit top-ups are frequently needed just to assemble a full SEO workflow.
Once you have that raw data, the real work begins: parsing thousands of rows, often with an AI or MCP tool, just to figure out what's actually worth acting on.
How Saaga Solve Approaches the Same Problem
Saaga Solve takes a different route, and it natively integrates the same Semrush and Ahrefs databases that justify Semrush's pricing in the first place. That means there's no need for a separate Semrush license to access that data. Saaga Solve's Pro plan runs $129 a month, compared to close to $300 a month spent on Semrush, while unlocking more features out of the box than Semrush offers by default.
Instead of returning a data dump, Saaga Solve lets you interact with keyword data through natural language. Asking the default Solve SEO model to "pull 10 high intent keywords for agentic marketing that are low difficulty for sagasolve.com" prompts it to ask clarifying questions, such as how to define low difficulty and whether to exclude current rankings, before running the query.
Semrush and legacy tools like Ahrefs are natively integrated in the Saaga Solve platform.
What the Agentic Workflow Returns
After setting a keyword difficulty threshold of 30 or below and excluding existing rankings, the result was a targeted list: keywords like "agentic marketing tools" and "agentic marketing software," complete with intent, volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC data (with some CPC fields returning null, which is expected for low-volume terms). This was a direct, curated answer to the original question rather than a broad list that still needs to be filtered down.
The same conversation can continue from there, mapping keywords to pillar and spoke content, building an internal linking strategy, or running SERP analysis, all without leaving the chat or switching tools.
Choosing Between the Two
Semrush's database is not in question here, it's one of the best in the market. The difference is in workflow and cost: Semrush hands over a large dataset and leaves the analysis to you, often across multiple paid tiers and add-ons. Saaga Solve uses that same caliber of data (via native Semrush and Ahrefs integration) but leads with a conversation, letting you state the intent and outcome you want up front instead of reverse-engineering it from 11,000 rows.
For anyone weighing tools, the practical question is whether you want to spend time parsing data or spend time acting on it. Saaga Solve is built around the latter, with agents you build and control shaping the keyword and content strategy as an output rather than a starting point.
Transcript
Let me show you how much easier it is to do keyword research in Saga Solve vs Semrush. By the way, it's a lot cheaper too. Let's go into it. Let's start with Semrush. This is our legacy tech. This is what a lot of you guys should be familiar with if you've done anything in digital marketing and SEO. This is the thousand pound elephant or gorilla in the room, right? Let's use our keyword agentic marketing as an example. Here I popped in Agentic Marketing and through Semrush's keyword magic tool, I'm given about 11,000 of keywords related to agentic marketing. I can filter that broad match, phrase, mass, exact match, related, intent, kd, percentage, et cetera, et cetera. Now, credit where credit is due. Semrush has a fantastic keyword database. It's by far the best in the market, with billions of keywords indexed and updated constantly. Contrary to what their own meta title says though, Semrush is by no means free. Just for example, to update the keywords here, if I want to do more than 250amonth, I have to upgrade my plan to Guru. I'm already spending hundreds of dollars on Semrush, and you wouldn't think that includes all the features of something as basic and as fundamental as keyword research, but that's a complaint I see a lot about Semrush is just that basic features are hidden behind a paywall and not only do you need more expensive plans, but you'll need constant add ons, constant credit, top ups, so on and so forth to have a comprehensive SEO bundle. And they justify that because again, frankly, their database are some of the best in the market. There are alternatives though, not just to accessing that data, but a better workflow in general. In order for me to make this data dump actionable, I have to parse through that data, maybe use an MCP or an AI and export it to to help me figure out what insights I can take from this data and run with that. Saga Solve is a totally different approach, though it really is the best of both worlds. Semrush and legacy tools like Ahrefs as well are natively integrated in the Sega Solve platform. What that means is I don't need a separate Semrush license to access that same database that justifies their high pricing. In fact, Saga Souls licensing is cheaper than Semrush. Their pro plan, which is plenty generous, is just 129amonth. I'm pulling coast to $300 a month for Semrush. And the features I'm restricted to are far less than what I get from Sago Solve out of the box. And again with that same data. That's what I mean when I say background. Best of both worlds. Look at how much better it is to interact with keyword databases through natural language. I simply said using Solve SEO, which is a default model you get in any plans, pull 10 high intent keywords for GenTech marketing that are low difficulty. For sagasolve.com it asked me some questions. Hey, how do we define low difficulty? Um, do we want to exclude current rankings? And I just said hey, less than or equal to 30 is fine for that threshold. And, and let's exclude existing rankings. This more sophisticated approach that is led through uh, agentic power chats is far superior than what I get from Semrush right off the bat because it's not a data dump, it's respective of my own rankings and it's more of a conversation and getting me to think critically through the keyword research rather than just get a bunch of data and then have to think critically after the fact. Right? It's also an unspecified SEMrush. So it's going to use Ahrefs and Semrush data to pull a comprehensive report. If I just wanted to use Semrush's database, I could do that. Now I want to flag again. I don't have any API key, any integration into my Semrush account in Sega Solve. This data is all native. You do not need a separate Semrush description. A, uh, subscription again. I'll say it again. You don't need a separate Semrush subscription. It's that same data you love from that platform. A better interface to interact with it, uh, through an agentic powered workflow that you control for cheaper. For cheaper. It will save you time and money. I mean, when else do you get that? Fantastic. It's pulling through the keywords for me. And like I said, I asked for 10 high intent, low K D, uh, keywords that were relevant to sagasoul.com so let's see where I got. I got Agentic Marketing tools, Agentic marketing software. I'm getting in the tent. The volume, the KDE, the CPC data nulls where CBCs aren't returning, which is not surprising for low volume keywords. So uh, bang on the money for what I asked for. And the beauty of this is whatever data I want I can simply ask, right? So I can lead with the intent and the output I want rather than semrush where I have to work, do a lot of legwork to figure out, you know, within 11,000 keywords. That's great, but how do I make that actionable? I can get that from the get go and I can then interact with this data even further. Right. So here's suggesting I can map keywords to pillar and spokes, do an internal linking strategy, SERP analysis, so on and so forth. The sky's the limit. If you can dream it, you can build it. And that is the heart of agentic marketing. This, that's really where Saga Solve is cutting its teeth. Building the agentic marketing infrastructure so that whatever workflow you have in mind, you can simply come have a natural conversation with agents that you build and control and through its world class databases, get a fully fleshed out keyword strategy, content strategy, whatever you would like on um, as an output. If you haven't integrated agents in your own marketing, you're not just going to be left behind, you're already being left behind. Don't be an archaic marketer. Check out Saga Solve and get started today when they're free trial. That's sagasolve.com s a a g a s o l v e.com My name is Laura, I'm a seasoned SEO and I hope you find this helpful. Have a great day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Saaga Solve's Pro plan is $129 a month compared to close to $300 a month spent on Semrush, while offering more features out of the box with the same underlying data.
No, Saaga Solve natively integrates Semrush and Ahrefs data, so you get access to the same databases without needing a separate Semrush subscription.
Basic features like updating keyword lists beyond 250 a month are locked behind a paywall, requiring an upgrade to the Guru plan plus constant add-ons and credit top-ups for a full SEO bundle.