Semrush appears to have taken note of CMI’s advice that the best way to launch a content marketing platform is to acquire one.
Search engine software provider Acquisition of Third Door Mediaowns and operates properties including Search Engine Land, MarTech, Search Marketing Expo and Digital Marketing Depot.
Semrush’s acquisition of the digital publishing and events company is one of the most meaningful content acquisitions in some time. So we asked Robert Rose, chief strategist at CMI, for his thoughts. Read or watch this video for his insights:
Semlash bucks sluggish interest in owned media
In modern marketing, this is the right path.
Last year, I saw a decrease in the launch of owned media properties. Declining organic search traffic, social media’s competition for eyeballs, and larger walled gardens are preventing brands from adopting the classic concepts of publisher marketing.
Ironically, one SEO firm is realizing—or at least betting big—that the battle for owned media properties isn’t over yet.
I rarely look back, but Third Door Media is one of the most legendary digital marketing media companies you’ve never heard of. Back in the early 2000s, marketers were reeling from the disruption brought about by the new phenomenon of online search.
Danny Sullivan is a super smart guy in this field. He founded a company called Search Engine Watch, which later led to an event called Search Engine Strategy, which I attended in November 1999 as a senior web strategy consultant. That was the first time I saw a small startup company exhibiting at an exhibition. It had an interesting name called Google.
Five years later, Danny Elwell and Chris Elwell founded another publication, Search Engine Land, and launched a project called Search Engine Land. Expo” activities.
Third Door Media was founded in 2006 and has been quietly delivering great content and events for the past two decades. In the process, it launched Martech.org and related events about marketing technology, and even invited Scott Brinker and his Marketing Technology Landscape involved.
Now, search engine marketing software company Semrush has it all. Semrush Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Warden said in the announcement that the acquisition is “part of our commitment to inspire and equip current and future generations of digital marketers with the expertise to succeed in an increasingly competitive environment.”
It is no exaggeration to say that Semlash chose his words carefully and executed a media game owned by content marketing in addition to public relations generated quotes. In one fell swoop, it’s now accessible first party data A very valuable audience who enjoy the content produced by Third Door Media.
Semrush also gained several built-in client campaigns, immediately adding a platform like Salesforce Dreamforce to its content marketing mix.
2025 will bring bigger stories and new interest
Given that Semrush is a public company, I expect more to be revealed in the coming quarters on how it will account for this new acquisition that has become a revenue-generating platform. It has the potential to be a marketing strategy that pays for itself in a short period of time.
Heartfelt congratulations to Semrush and the Third Door Media team. It’s a win-win, especially for such legendary content brands currently managed by Semrush.
My only warning: don’t mess this up. Acquisitions can be tricky. It’s easy to lose the trust these publications have built over the years.
I look forward to seeing this instant case study develop. I hope the strategy team at Semrush feels what I feel – owning and building your own portfolio is a returning trend in 2025. There is media as a way to create opportunities.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
