AI-Powered Keyword Research: What’s New in Semrush and How It Can Revolutionize Your SEO in 2025
The world of search engine optimization (SEO) is constantly evolving, but few shifts have been as transformative as the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into keyword research. What used to be a time-intensive, manual process is now faster, more precise, and deeply personalized—all thanks to advancements in AI.
Semrush, already a dominant force in the SEO tools landscape, has taken a significant leap forward in 2025 by embedding AI and large language models (LLMs) into its keyword research suite. These innovations are designed to reduce time, improve targeting, and give SEO professionals unprecedented insight into how and where to compete.
With these updates, Semrush is doing more than just evolving with the industry; it’s leading the charge. From domain-specific keyword difficulty scoring to AI-generated content strategy planning, users now have access to a dynamic ecosystem that thinks several steps ahead.
This blog will walk you through everything that’s new, from the upgraded Keyword Overview and Keyword Magic Tool to the all-new Keyword Strategy Builder. You’ll learn how Semrush’s AI features like Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD%) and Topical Authority are revolutionizing research by making keyword recommendations more relevant to your domain. We’ll also explore real-world use cases and show you how these tools can help you build smarter strategies and rank faster.
Whether you’re a seasoned SEO expert or just diving into keyword research, this guide will give you the actionable insights needed to elevate your content strategy in 2025.
The Rise of AI in Keyword Research
AI is no longer just a buzzword in digital marketing—it’s become a core component of modern SEO strategies. In keyword research, AI is changing the game by automating data analysis, uncovering patterns, and generating insights that would take humans hours or even days to discover.
Traditional keyword research often involved manually sifting through keyword suggestions, checking competition levels, and guessing intent. But with AI, all of that changes. AI models can now process vast keyword databases and interpret contextual relationships between topics and domains. The result? Smarter keyword targeting and content recommendations tailored to your niche and website authority.
Semrush has embraced this evolution by integrating AI deeply into its keyword tools. Using advanced LLMs, Semrush now provides domain-aware metrics, intent classification, and content planning capabilities that are more accurate and more aligned with user needs than ever before.
Some of the major benefits of this AI integration include:
- Speed: AI dramatically reduces the time it takes to analyze and identify viable keywords.
- Precision: Keyword suggestions are more relevant to your specific site and business goals.
- Scalability: Automate the creation of full keyword strategies including clusters and content maps.
With AI, the focus shifts from “what people are searching” to “what your website can realistically rank for.” This change helps marketers create strategies grounded in data, not guesswork. In short, AI empowers SEO professionals to work smarter, not harder.
New Feature Overview: Smarter Keyword Research Tools in Semrush
Semrush’s new keyword research toolkit is a powerhouse of AI-fueled features, built to meet the needs of modern marketers. This revamped suite includes major enhancements across three core tools: Keyword Overview, Keyword Magic Tool, and the newly rebranded Keyword Strategy Builder (formerly Keyword Manager).
Let’s break down what each tool offers:
1. Keyword Overview
This tool gives a detailed analysis of individual keywords, including metrics like search volume, CPC, keyword difficulty, and SERP features. With AI enhancements, it now also provides:
- Topical Authority
- Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD)
- Potential SERP positions
- Domain Competitive Power
2. Keyword Magic Tool
Traditionally a favorite for keyword discovery, this tool now comes with dual difficulty metrics:
- Standard Keyword Difficulty (KD)
- Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD)
This allows you to assess keyword potential based not just on the web at large, but specifically on your domain’s current strength.
3. Keyword Strategy Builder
Formerly known as Keyword Manager, this tool has undergone a complete transformation. It now enables you to:
- Generate pillar page and subpage recommendations
- Build keyword clusters with themes and intent
- Map keywords to specific pages for a full content strategy
Together, these tools form a cohesive ecosystem. Whether you’re starting from scratch or optimizing an existing strategy, the updated suite helps you create a data-driven SEO roadmap faster than ever before.
Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD): Domain-Specific Ranking Insights
One of the standout features introduced by Semrush is Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD). Unlike traditional Keyword Difficulty (KD), which gives a general sense of how competitive a keyword is, PKD customizes this analysis based on your specific domain.
Here’s how it works: Semrush uses AI to compare a keyword’s thematic relevance to your site’s core content topics. The result is a PKD score that reflects how easy or difficult it will be for your domain to rank for that keyword.
This personalized approach is a game-changer because:
- It helps you avoid wasting time on unattainable keywords
- It uncovers “low-hanging fruit” that others might overlook
- It prioritizes keywords with high strategic relevance to your site
For example, let’s say your site is focused on fitness gear. The keyword “best running shoes” may have a high general KD, but a much lower PKD if your domain already ranks well for related topics like “trail running gear” or “shoe reviews.”
With this insight, you can build content around keywords that align with your domain’s strengths, increasing your chances of ranking faster and higher.
In a nutshell, PKD provides clarity. Instead of wondering “Can I rank for this?” you get a straight answer, backed by AI-powered analysis.
Topical Authority: Measure Your Domain’s Relevance
Topical Authority is another AI-powered feature that helps you understand where your site stands in terms of subject matter expertise. In SEO, topical authority reflects how well your domain is aligned with specific topics across the web.
Semrush calculates this by mapping your existing content to semantic themes and analyzing how consistently and thoroughly you cover those topics. The closer your content matches the intent and structure of top-ranking content in your niche, the higher your topical authority.
Why does this matter? Because Google increasingly prioritizes content from sites that demonstrate subject-matter expertise. That means:
- Higher topical authority = better chances of ranking for competitive keywords
- It helps Google understand your site’s focus areas
- It guides your content strategy toward themes you can own
Semrush now shows Topical Authority scores in tools like Keyword Overview. You can instantly assess whether a new topic aligns with your domain’s strengths. If you lack authority in a certain area, this also signals that you need more content or backlinks on that subject to compete effectively.
With Topical Authority, you’re no longer guessing what your site is “good at.” You have concrete data showing where you should double down—and where to improve
Keyword Overview: More Personalized SERP Intelligence
The Keyword Overview tool has received a significant AI-powered upgrade that gives you personalized, actionable insights—not just raw data.
What makes this version different?
Semrush now analyzes keywords in the context of your domain, giving you deeper intelligence on how keywords align with your current authority and competitive standing.
Key Features:
- Topical Authority: Shows how authoritative your site is around a specific keyword or theme.
- Potential SERP Positions: Predicts where your content could rank with proper optimization, based on your current authority and competitors’ standings.
- Domain Competitive Power: Indicates how well your domain can perform for a given keyword compared to the broader market.
These insights go beyond traditional volume and difficulty metrics. You can now focus your efforts where you have the best chance of ranking—and avoid chasing after keywords that might be out of reach.
For example, if a keyword has high volume but your Domain Competitive Power is low and your Topical Authority is weak, you’ll know it’s better to build supporting content first before targeting that term directly.
The new Keyword Overview is more than a snapshot—it’s a strategic guide, helping you make informed, high-impact decisions about your SEO priorities.
Keyword Magic Tool: Dual Difficulty Metrics for Smarter Filtering
The Keyword Magic Tool has long been essential for discovering high-potential keywords. Now, it’s even more powerful thanks to the integration of Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD%) alongside the traditional Keyword Difficulty (KD%).
This dual-difficulty metric system allows you to evaluate keywords in two contexts:
- KD%: General competition level across the web
- PKD%: Your site’s specific difficulty in ranking for that term
Why This Matters
This update eliminates the guesswork. You’re no longer wondering if a keyword that looks good “in theory” is realistically achievable for your domain.
Let’s say you’re analyzing the keyword “best CRM software.” It may have a KD% of 75—suggesting it’s tough to rank for. But your PKD% is only 42 because your site has a strong track record in CRM-related content. That’s a green light.
Strategic Benefits:
- Filter smarter: Quickly identify keywords where your site has a competitive edge.
- Save time: Avoid investing in terms that are too difficult for your current authority level.
- Plan content: Find easier wins to build momentum before tackling more competitive terms.
And because the tool lets you bulk-analyze thousands of keywords, you can apply this personalized filtering at scale. This is especially useful for e-commerce, content hubs, SaaS platforms, and affiliate marketers managing hundreds of pages.
In short, the updated Keyword Magic Tool helps you prioritize strategically, not just statistically.
Keyword Strategy Builder: Build a Full Website Plan with AI
Meet your new SEO headquarters: the Keyword Strategy Builder (formerly Keyword Manager). This isn’t just a rebrand—it’s a total transformation into an AI-powered strategy engine.
What’s New?
With just a few seed keywords, the Strategy Builder now:
- Organizes content into Pillar Pages and Subpages
- Clusters keywords by theme and search intent
- Automatically maps keywords to relevant pages
- Calculates volume and PKD% per cluster and per page
Key Features:
- Website Hierarchy Planning: Instantly see how topics should be grouped and structured to maximize SEO performance.
- Page-Level Recommendations: Each recommended page comes with its own keyword list and performance metrics.
- Content Gap Detection: Find areas where your site lacks content for high-opportunity keywords.
Let’s say you enter “online store builder” as your seed keyword. The tool may generate:
- A Pillar Page: “How to Build an Online Store”
- Subpages: “Top Online Store Platforms,” “Best Store Builders for Small Business,” “Free Store Builders Comparison”
- Keyword clusters mapped to each page, sorted by volume, KD%, PKD%, and intent
Strategic Advantages:
- Faster planning: What used to take hours now takes minutes.
- Better targeting: Every page has a purpose, every keyword is relevant.
- Full-funnel mapping: Address ToFu, MoFu, and BoFu keywords in one cohesive structure.
If you’re building a blog, launching a product hub, or revamping your SEO site map, the Strategy Builder offers an AI-driven blueprint that removes the guesswork and accelerates implementation.
Real-World Example: Promoting an Online Platform Using AI Tools
Let’s look at how these tools come together in action.
Scenario: You’re promoting Wix.com, focusing on growing organic visibility for online store-related keywords.
Step 1: Start with Seed Keywords
Enter “how to make an online store” into the Keyword Magic Tool. Apply the PKD filter to see which keywords Wix.com can realistically rank for based on its domain authority.
You find several opportunities like:
- “best free online store builder” – PKD: 35%
- “create eCommerce website free” – PKD: 42%
Step 2: Dive Deeper with Keyword Overview
Use the Keyword Overview tool to examine one keyword in detail. For “best free online store builder,” the tool shows:
- High Topical Authority for Wix
- High Potential SERP Position (positions 1–3)
- Low PKD relative to competitors
This tells you Wix.com is well-positioned to rank for the term.
Step 3: Use the Strategy Builder
Feed the keywords into Keyword Strategy Builder, and it generates:
- A Pillar Page: “Top Free Online Store Builders in 2025”
- Subpages: “Best Platforms for Small Businesses,” “How to Set Up a Free eCommerce Store,” etc.
- Keyword clusters, organized by volume and intent
This gives you a ready-made content structure, mapped to achievable keywords tailored to Wix’s domain strengths.
Results?
Instead of guessing which keywords to target, you’ve created a full, data-backed content plan based on real ranking potential.