Adobe Acquires Semrush for $1.9 Billion to Reinforce AI-Powered Marketing Capabilities
Adobe Inc. will acquire Semrush Holdings in a $1.9B all-cash deal, strengthening Adobe’s position in AI-driven marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and brand visibility across web search and LLMs.
Jersey City. N.J., November 26, 2025
Adobe Inc. to acquire Semrush Holdings, a leading SEO and brand-visibility platform, in an all-cash deal valued at $1.9 billion. The deal, priced at $12 per share, is a 77.5% premium over Semrush’s pre-announcement stock price. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026, pending regulatory approvals and shareholder consent.
The acquisition strengthens Adobe’s position in AI-driven marketing. It also marks a major step in the company’s push into Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). This approach combines traditional SEO with AI-powered brand discovery. By integrating Semrush’s analytics into Adobe Experience Cloud, including Adobe Experience Manager and Adobe Analytics. Marketers now can track and optimize brand presence across both web search and large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini.
Adobe highlighted a shift in consumer behaviour as a key reason for the acquisition. Adobe Analytics shows that generative AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail websites jumped 1,200% year-on-year in October 2025. Semrush will help marketers improve “AI search visibility,” ensuring brands are seen in AI-generated results.
The acquisition also positions Adobe at the forefront of agentic AI, where AI does not just assist but makes autonomous decisions. Semrush’s data will feed into Adobe’s brand-visibility stack. This creates a holistic view of brand presence across owned channels, LLMs, and the broader web.
Financially, the market reacted positively. Semrush shares rose around 74% after the announcement. The enterprise segment of Semrush has seen 33% year-on-year growth, showing strong demand for its SEO and analytics tools.
“Brand visibility is being reshaped by generative AI. Brands that don’t embrace this new opportunity risk losing relevance and revenue,” said Anil Chakravarthy, President of Adobe’s Digital Experience Business. “With Semrush, we’re unlocking GEO for marketers as a new growth channel alongside their SEO. This drives more visibility, engagement, and conversions across the ecosystem.”
Bill Wagner, CEO of Semrush, said “This combination provides marketers with more insights and capabilities to increase their discoverability across today’s evolving digital landscape.”
For B2B marketers, the acquisition opens new opportunities. Companies will need partners who understand SEO and AI visibility. A unified technology stack will make integrated, AI-native campaigns easier and more measurable. The deal also highlights the importance of thought leadership in GEO strategy. Brands must focus on discoverability in AI-driven environments.
As marketing embraces agentic AI, firms like Valasys Media can guide clients on governance, data ethics, and brand safety. This ensures responsible adoption of new tools.
Adobe’s acquisition of Semrush signals a shift in digital marketing. AI-powered brand visibility is now as important as content creation and analytics. Adobe is consolidating tools and redefining how marketers engage audiences in an AI-driven world.
