This document discusses how SEMrush has grown to become a leading competitive intelligence platform through an agile approach. It details how SEMrush implemented agile principles across its marketing teams, including autonomous cross-functional teams, frequent iterations, and customer collaboration. This allowed SEMrush to rapidly expand its tool offerings, achieve over 90% growth in emerging markets in 2016, and add 500,000 new users within 8 months. The document also addresses the challenges of an agile approach, such as hiring flexible employees and performance management.

1. How to grow up to 500+
staying Agile and Happy
positive and negative experience

3. Key Facts
SEMrush is world’s most
widely used platform for SEM
competitive intelligence
Industry
Standard
SEMrush is trusted
by 3,000,000+ professionals,
including 7 out top 10 biggest
AdWords spenders
Trusted
Brand
SEMrush raised over $40m
from top US and EU investors
such as Greycroft, e.ventures
and Siguler Guff
Backed by Tier 1
Investors
SEMrush has customers in
190+ countries
Truly Global
Brand

4. 4

5. Strong brand recognition in the SEO software sector

6. SEMrush
Clients
6

7. We face the challenge of
giving clients relevant data
on the market that is
constantly changing.

8. BIENVENIDO!

9. Web changes
FAST (almost in
real-time)
10
More devices,
more data, more
content
Attention span is
decreasing

10. The world is changing very fast

11. Evolution of SEMrush
tools
Domain/Keyword analytics
Advertising research
Domain vs Domain
Position Tracking Tool
Domain/Keyword analytics
Advertising research
Display Ads
Domain vs Domain
Position Tracking Tool
Domain/ Keyword analytics
Advertising research
Product Listing
Ads (PLA) Report
Site Audit Tool
Keyword Difficulty Tool
Display Ads
Domain vs Domain
Position Tracking Tool
Domain/Keyword analytics
Advertising research
Social Media Tool
Video Advertising Report
SEO Ideas
Product Listing
Ads (PLA) Report
Site Audit Tool
Keyword Difficulty Tool
Display Ads
Domain vs omain
Position Tracking Tool
Domain/Keyword analytics
Advertising research
SEO Keyword Magic Tool
Content Tool
Traffic Analytics
Lead Generation Tool
Organic Traffic Insights
Brand Monitoring Tool
Notes
Backlink Audit Tool
PPC Keyword Tool
Traffic Analytics
Social Media Tool
Video Advertising Report
SEO Ideas
Product Listing
Ads (PLA) Report
Site Audit Tool
Keyword Difficulty Tool
Display Ads
Domain vs Domain
Position Tracking Tool
Domain/Keyword analytics
Advertising research
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
2 new tools
1 new tool
2008
3 new tools
2 tools
3 new tools
10 new tools
2017
?

12. Agile
INDIVIDUALS
INTERACTIONS over processes and tools
RESPONDING
to CHANGE over following a plan
WORKING
SOFTWARE over comprehensive documentation
CUSTOMER
COLLABORATION over contract negotiation

13. 10
SEMrush is the most innovative
company in it’s niche. Ability to
change and adjust quickly to the
new market needs is one of our
core competitive advantages.
Agile

14. People is the only element of
your success that competitors’
can’t replicate

15. The perfectteam formula
FULL
COMMITMENT UNITY CONSTANT DEVELOPMENT

16. Autonomous cross-functional teams
Product owners or process leads are setting a direction, not telling how to achieve goals
10Image source: https://labs.spotify.com/2014/03/27/spotify-engineering-culture-part-1/

17. Cross-
functional
teams
Improved product stability
Improved speed of delivery
Faster better feedback
Risk reduction
Expanded skillsets

18. AGILE PRINCIPLES
in SEMrush marketing teams

19. Before Agile
10
3 Marketing Leads managing
separate teams
Lack of communication and
interaction between teams
Uncoordinated efforts –low
results and a lot of attitude

20. Change = disaster
If you’re not ready for it
Change = opportunity
If you’re agile

21. Agile
Marketing
Validated learning over opinions
Adaptive and iterative campaigns over Big-Bang campaigns
Customer focused collaboration over silos and hierarchy
The process of customer discovery over static prediction
Responding to change over following a plan
Many small experiments over a few large bets
Flexible planning over rigid planning

22. What marketers love
CREATIVITY FREEDOM BUDGETS J

23. What we gave to marketing teams
CREATIVITY FREEDOM BUDGETS RESPONSIBILITY

24. Benefits of Agile Marketing
Beautiful things that happened once we have implemented Agile

25. Happy and motivated people
Create awesome things.

26. When a team commits to
something they initiated
themselves, it's likely to be
finished, because they care
about the end result.

27. Natural leaders stand out
immediately. Every team
member reveals talents and
focus on what they do best.

28. Marketing Team for France

29. Challenges of Agile
What we have faced once we implemented Agile
10

30. HIRING
Proactive + creative + responsible + flexible
people are hard to find
FIRING
Equals find it hard to give negative
feedback and let team members go

31. Proactive team members suffer
from the lack of involvement of
others. Hiring mistakes lead to
Disfunctional teams and
communicational disasters.

32. Performance management and workflow
Finally a bit about Scrum!
10

33. Scrum
10
3-week sprints
(tested 3 vs. 2 weeks)
The team is the product owner
(high level goals introduced by C-level)
Backlog is created through
brainstorm sessions
Planning sessions, standups and
retrospectives

34. Test: 2-week vs. 3 week sprints
Marketing is distribution and promotion. 2 weeks are not enough to plan and execute
10Image source: http://chiefmartec.com/2013/10/3-myths-agile-marketing/

35. Test: task management tools
Teams can use whatever tool they like best. Tools tested: Trello, Asana, Wrike, Todoist

36. 10
Solution to staying united: team
results matter. In SEMrush team
results are valued over personal
results. Teams demonstrate
results to the whole company.
Acting as one

37. How to achieve constant (self) development
All teams compete with each other in activities and results. Recognition matters.
10

38. Results
10
> 90% growth for emerging
markets in 2016
500,000 new users within 8
months
Happy people who see work as a
part of their life, not just a job.

39. There is a saying…
YOU CAN’T DO EPIC SHIT
WITH BASIC PEOPLE

40. But the truth is different
ALL PEOPLE ARE EPIC, BUT OFTEN
THERE ARE BASIC RULES THAT
BLOCK CREATIVITY

41. GIVE YOUR TEAM THE FREEDOM TO CREATE
Agile is just one of many effective ways to do it

42. Communities on Linkedin are big, you have to be part of
them.
@fernando1angulo
BEST SEO SUITE SOFTWARE
WINNERS!
E U R O P E A N S E A R C H A W A R D S - P O L A N D
BEST SEO SUITE SOFTWARE
WINNERS!
E U R O P E A N S E A R C H A W A R D S - P O L A N D

43. A world of opportunities to improve your conversions, take
advantage of tools like Unbounce:
@fernando1angulo
BEST SEO SUITE SOFTWARE
WINNERS!
U S S E A R C H A W A R D S - V E G A S
BEST SEO SUITE SOFTWARE
WINNERS!
U S S E A R C H A W A R D S - V E G A S

44. A world of opportunities to improve your conversions, take
advantage of tools like Unbounce:
@fernando1angulo
BEST SEO SUITE SOFTWARE
WINNERS!
U K S E A R C H A W A R D S - L O N D O N

46. Thank you!

47. Thank you!
Fernando Angulo
Corporate Speaker and
Evangelist
f.angulo@semrush.com