Adobe Buys Semrush in $1.9 Billion Bet on AI-Driven Search
Adobe says the acquisition positions marketers to compete as traffic shifts from traditional search to AI-generated answers.
News
- Huang Shrugs Off Bubble Fears, Says AI Has Shifted Into Full-Scale Deployment
- Bengaluru Moves Ahead of 2024 Benchmarks in Innovation Review
- Cloudflare’s Worst Outage Since 2019 Disrupts Global Internet
- India Rolls Out Digital Platforms to Modernize Grain Distribution
- Karnataka Pushes Global Partnerships at Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025
- Anthropic Lands $15 Billion From Microsoft, Nvidia in Expansive Cloud Tie-Up
Adobe Inc. on Wednesday said it will buy Semrush in an all-cash deal valued at about $1.9 billion, agreeing to pay $12 a share, a roughly 77% premium to the company’s last closing price.
The transaction has been approved by both boards and is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory and shareholder approval.
Semrush, which provides SEO and brand-visibility tools, has recently expanded into “generative engine optimization (GEO),” a set of products designed to help brands appear in AI-generated search answers, which is a fast-growing space as consumers shift toward conversational and model-driven discovery.
Adobe said the acquisition fits into its plan to broaden its digital-experience business and that it intends to integrate Semrush’s technology into Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Analytics and its new Brand Concierge marketing product.
The announcement came alongside new data from Adobe Analytics showing that traffic to US retail sites from generative-AI sources surged about 1,200% year-on-year in October, highlighting how quickly search behavior is tilting toward AI interfaces.
Semrush CEO Bill Wagner said the combination will give marketers clearer visibility into how customers find and engage with brands across traditional search, AI models and the wider web.
The deal will extend Adobe’s marketing technology stack with SEO workflows widely used by marketers and agencies. Adobe said it expects the integration to help companies maintain reach and visibility as digital channels evolve.
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz advised Adobe. Centerview Partners served as Semrush’s exclusive financial adviser, and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as Semrush’s legal counsel.
