Adobe to Acquire Semrush Platform for $1.9 Billion

Adobe Inc. announced on Wednesday that it has reached an agreement to acquire Semrush Holdings — a leading software provider specializing in digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) — for approximately $1.9 billion USD.

Under the terms of the deal, Adobe will pay $12 per Semrush share, representing a premium of about 77.5% over the company’s last market price.

Semrush shares surged roughly 75% in pre-market trading. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, pending shareholder and regulatory approval.

The key goal of the acquisition is to strengthen Adobe’s capabilities in marketing powered by generative artificial intelligence. Semrush focuses on tools that help brands track their online visibility — across search engines, social networks, and increasingly through AI-powered bots and platforms such as ChatGPT.

According to Anil Chakravarthy, Adobe’s President of Digital Experience, “brand visibility is being reshaped by generative AI — companies that fail to embrace these new capabilities risk losing relevance.”

Semrush serves major clients such as Amazon.com, Inc., TikTok, and others. Integrating Semrush into Adobe’s marketing portfolio will give brands “a more complete view of how they appear across websites, chatbots, and search.”

For the Canadian and Ottawa markets, this means Adobe — already well-established in the corporate sector — may offer local businesses enhanced digital marketing tools with advanced AI functionality. However, experts note that while the acquisition is strategically important, it does not resolve all of Adobe’s challenges, including this year’s stock decline and the need to diversify its business.