--- title: "Semrush CTO priorities: its plans and your checklist." description: "Semrush's last SEC filings list Oleg Shchegolev as CTO since March 10, 2025, and name AI and enterprise products. See what your team should control." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/semrush-cto-priorities" date: "2026-10-03" modified: "2026-10-03" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Real estate - Real estate - [Real estate](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - Work - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Prepare your six-question brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prepare-your-six-question-brief) - Build - [Site build, content library with SEO, signal desk](https://scalewithsearch.com/work) - For your business - Trades and home services - [Auto body and collision shops](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/auto-body-and-collision-shops) - [Foundation and home repair contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/foundation-and-home-repair) - [Garage door and fencing contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/garage-door-and-fencing-contractors) - [HVAC contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/hvac-contractors) - 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The search "semrush cto priorities" has two readings. The first asks what Semrush's own technology leaders prioritize. Co-founder Oleg Shchegolev [became Semrush's CTO on March 10, 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828025008190/semr-20250222.htm). The company's [last annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013259/semr-20251231.htm) names AI products, enterprise products, and its data as the focus. Adobe [completed its purchase of Semrush on April 28, 2026](https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/04/adobe-completes-semrush-acquisition). The second reading asks what your CTO should prioritize when your company uses Semrush. That answer is five controls: data access, Site Audit work, seats, API unit cost, and history in files you own. > **Quick Summary** > - **What this covers:** Semrush's dated technology priorities, and the controls a CTO sets around Semrush. > - **Who it's for:** CTOs and engineering leads at companies that pay for Semrush. > - **Key takeaway:** Semrush published its direction in SEC filings until May 2026. For later statements, read Adobe announcements. Your team controls access, cost, and the history you keep. ## Read what Semrush says it prioritizes. This section uses only dated, published statements. It does not guess at an internal roadmap. Semrush has not published one, and this page does not claim to know it. ### Who leads technology at Semrush. On February 22, 2025, the board appointed Oleg Shchegolev as CTO. The [Form 8-K](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828025008190/semr-20250222.htm) dates the change to March 10, 2025. Shchegolev had been CEO. William Wagner, a board member, took the CEO role on the same date. The same filing moved Vitalii Obishchenko from Chief Operating Officer to Chief Product Officer. From March 2025, product and technology sat with two named officers. The [February 26, 2025 earnings release](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828025008190/semrush8-kexhibit991q42024.htm) quotes Shchegolev on the reason. He said the move "allows me to focus 100% of my time on my passion to leverage AI, drive innovation and expand our product offerings." That is the clearest on-record statement from Semrush's CTO about his priorities. Shchegolev signed the [annual report on March 2, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013259/semr-20251231.htm) with the title "Chief Technology Officer and Director". His [Form 4 dated April 28, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000095010326006324/ownership.xml) still lists him as Chief Technology Officer. That is the day the Adobe purchase closed. Semrush [filed a Form 15 on May 8, 2026](https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0001831840.json) to end its SEC reporting. No public filing after that date confirms his title. ### What the filings name as priorities. The annual report for 2025, filed March 2, 2026, is the most detailed statement. The table quotes it and later Adobe announcements, each with its date. | Date | Source | Statement | |---|---|---| | March 2, 2026 | [Annual report, research and development](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013259/semr-20251231.htm) | Semrush planned to raise research spending "as we focus on developing new AI-specific products." | | March 2, 2026 | [Annual report, growth strategy](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013259/semr-20251231.htm) | Semrush expected to "heavily market, cross-sell and up-sell our Enterprise portfolio." | | March 2, 2026 | [Annual report, product](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013259/semr-20251231.htm) | Semrush said it would keep investing "to improve and increase our data assets." | | March 2, 2026 | [Fourth-quarter results](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013251/semrush8-kexhibit991q42025.htm) | AI products passed $38 million in ARR at December 31, 2025. | | April 28, 2026 | [Adobe, purchase closed](https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/04/adobe-completes-semrush-acquisition) | Customers "can expect continued investment and an expanded product roadmap." | | June 17, 2026 | [Adobe Brand Visibility launch](https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/06/introducing-adobe-brand-visibility) | A new product combines Adobe LLM Optimizer with "Semrush's AI Optimization." | Three themes repeat across these sources. **AI products.** The annual report said Semrush would focus on "new AI-specific products, features, and enhancements" to its platform. In October 2025, Semrush [introduced Semrush One](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013259/semr-20251231.htm), which joins SEO tools with AI search tracking. The [fourth-quarter release](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013251/semrush8-kexhibit991q42025.htm) also lists an official Semrush app in ChatGPT. **Enterprise products.** The [annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013259/semr-20251231.htm) says Semrush added Enterprise AIO and Enterprise Site Intelligence in 2025. Enterprise platform ARR reached $37 million across 579 customers, per the [fourth-quarter release](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013251/semrush8-kexhibit991q42025.htm). **Data and infrastructure.** Semrush says it crawls over 10 billion URLs per day on average, per the [annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000162828026013259/semr-20251231.htm). The same report lists two US data centers plus Google Cloud and AWS for customer data. It reports 584 full-time employees in product and development at December 31, 2025. ### What changed after Adobe closed the purchase. Adobe [agreed to buy Semrush on November 18, 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831840/000114036126017299/ef20071354_8k.htm). On April 28, 2026, Semrush became a wholly owned subsidiary of Adobe. The same filing says Semrush asked the NYSE to suspend trading of its stock. Adobe's [closing announcement](https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/04/adobe-completes-semrush-acquisition) lists "search engine optimization (SEO), generative engine optimization (GEO) and agentic search optimization (ASO)" among the solutions the purchase expands. It also names Adobe products that Semrush's "discoverability intelligence" will unite with, such as Adobe Experience Manager and Adobe LLM Optimizer. Semrush filed its last SEC report, a Form 15, on May 8, 2026. For statements after that date, read Adobe's announcements, not old Semrush investor pages. ## Set five priorities if your company uses Semrush. The second reading is a practical one. Your CTO does not set Semrush's priorities. Your CTO sets the controls around your Semrush account. For the general order of SEO engineering work, read [how to sequence SEO engineering priorities](/articles/cto-seo-engineering-priorities). This section covers only what Semrush adds. ### 1. Plan data access and export first. Semrush data reaches your systems through the API. The standard API is [an add-on to the Business tier](https://www.semrush.com/kb/5-api) of the SEO Toolkit. After an upgrade, the unit balance starts at zero, and you buy unit packages. Semrush sells packages of 2, 5, 10, or 20 million units. Unused units expire at renewal. Two limits shape any data pipeline. The [API usage restrictions](https://developer.semrush.com/api/v3/introduction/api-usage-restrictions/) allow 10 requests per second and 10 simultaneous requests per account. They also say you cannot cache API data for more than one month without written consent from Semrush. Design the pipeline around both limits before you build it. The [quick start guide](https://developer.semrush.com/api/v3/get-started/quick-start/) tells you to add error handling, logs, and retries to scripts. It also lists Supermetrics, Workato, and Zapier as third-party options for loading data into BI tools. ### 2. Put Site Audit inside engineering work. Site Audit findings help only when they reach the team that fixes them. Semrush offers two direct paths. From the Issues report, you can [send a task to Trello](https://www.semrush.com/kb/845-trello-and-semrush) with a link back to the report. Through [Zapier](https://www.semrush.com/kb/1097-integration-of-site-audit-with-zapier), you can create tasks in Asana, Monday, or Jira. The [Projects API](https://www.semrush.com/kb/5-api) can also pull Site Audit and Position Tracking data. Engineering must also let the crawler in. Site Audit crawls with a bot called SiteAuditBot. The [troubleshooting guide](https://www.semrush.com/kb/681-site-audit-troubleshooting) gives its subnet, 85.208.98.128/25, for your allowlist. Add the subnet to your CDN and firewall rules, or the audit sees blocked pages. Set the crawl to match your site. The [Site Audit setup guide](https://www.semrush.com/kb/539-configuring-site-audit) lists a limit of 20,000 pages per audit on Pro and Guru. Business allows 100,000 pages per audit. You can turn on JavaScript rendering. You can also give the bot a login for a staging site that is not public. ### 3. Control seats and access. Semrush's [terms of service](https://www.semrush.com/company/legal/terms-of-service/) say each Authorized User must use their own login. Two people may not share one account. Semrush may suspend an account that it sees used from too many locations or devices. A shared team password puts the whole account at risk. The [user management guide](https://www.semrush.com/kb/250-user-management) says every plan comes with one user seat. It lists four roles: owner, admin, user, and guest. There is one owner per account. Assign the owner seat to a named job role, and write a handover plan for when that person leaves. Every person, the owner included, keeps their own login. Removing a user does not remove the paid seat. The same guide says you must ask Semrush support to remove an extra seat. Review the seat count at each renewal. ### 4. Cap the cost of API units. API units add a variable cost to the account. The [API unit guide](https://developer.semrush.com/api/v3/get-started/api-units-balance/) says each request costs units based on the report and the number of lines. Historical data costs more than current data. Semrush gives a worked example. Take 500 keywords for each of 50 domains. Current data costs 250,000 units. Historical data for the same request costs 1,250,000 units. Four controls keep that cost visible: - Use the `display_limit` parameter to return only the lines you need. - Test with small limits, because [test calls consume units](https://developer.semrush.com/api/v3/get-started/quick-start/). - Export the API query log from My Profile to see which requests used units. - Watch AI tools, because the [Semrush MCP server](https://developer.semrush.com/api/v3/introduction/semrush-mcp) uses the same unit system as the API. MCP adds a new path to that balance. A team member can connect Semrush to ChatGPT or Claude through MCP. Each request from that chat draws from the same unit balance as your scripts. If units run out, some requests fail. Others return only the lines you have units for, per the [API unit guide](https://developer.semrush.com/api/v3/get-started/api-units-balance/). ### 5. Keep history in files you own. A tool change should not erase what your team learned. The [terms of service](https://www.semrush.com/company/legal/terms-of-service/) say Semrush may erase customer data after the agreement ends. It allows a period of at least 30 days. Keep these outside Semrush, in storage your company controls: - the dates and details of each technical fix your team shipped; - the ticket links that connect each Site Audit issue to its fix; - your own Search Console exports and server logs; - the decisions about which pages to build, merge, or remove, and why. Semrush data copies are a separate question. The one-month cache limit applies to API data. If you need Semrush data for longer, ask Semrush for written consent. Your own fixes, tickets, and Search Console exports stay yours whatever tool you use next. A CTO choosing between tools can compare the options in [Ahrefs vs Semrush vs Moz](/articles/ahrefs-vs-semrush-vs-moz). The history you keep makes that switch possible without a loss. ## Answer common questions. ### Who is the CTO of Semrush? Co-founder Oleg Shchegolev became CTO on March 10, 2025, per a Semrush SEC filing. A Form 4 dated April 28, 2026, the day Adobe closed the purchase, still lists him as CTO. Semrush stopped SEC reporting in May 2026, so no later filing confirms the title. ### Is Semrush owned by Adobe? Yes. Adobe completed the purchase on April 28, 2026, and Semrush became a wholly owned subsidiary of Adobe. ### Does the Semrush MCP server use API units? Yes. Semrush's MCP documentation says the server uses the same unit system as the Semrush API. Requests from AI tools draw from the same balance as your scripts. ### How long can you keep Semrush API data? The API usage restrictions say you cannot cache API data for more than one month without written consent from Semrush. Ask Semrush in writing if you need a longer period. Do your fixes, tickets, and search history live inside one vendor's tool? [Send your brief](/work#send-your-brief) to get a written scope. ## Key Recap. - Oleg Shchegolev became Semrush's CTO on March 10, 2025, and said he would focus on AI and product innovation. - Semrush's March 2, 2026 annual report names AI products, enterprise products, and data as priorities. - Adobe completed its purchase of Semrush on April 28, 2026; for statements after May 2026, read Adobe announcements. - A CTO at a Semrush customer controls API access, Site Audit work, seats, unit cost, and owned history. - Semrush API data carries a one-month cache limit, so keep your own fixes and exports outside the tool. ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. Scale With Search 2026 [scalewithsearch.com](https://scalewithsearch.com) ```