Adobe is doubling down on AI-powered marketing. The company announced a $1.9 billion deal to acquire Semrush, a widely used SEO and brand visibility platform. Adobe will pay $12 per share in cash, and the deal should close in the first half of 2026. Semrush stock surged more than 70% after the news, while Adobe shares dipped about 2%.

This move marks Adobe’s biggest push yet into AI search optimization. The company wants to strengthen its grip on digital experience tools at a time when algorithms, not humans, shape discovery. The shift toward LLM search is accelerating, and Adobe intends to meet that moment.

Semrush offers tools that thousands of marketers use to track visibility, manage SEO, and monitor audience reach. It also brings a decade of expertise in what it calls generative engine optimization. The approach blends search optimization with AI-driven discovery across platforms such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Brands need those tools as customers increasingly rely on AI agents for recommendations and decisions.

Adobe argues that this shift will redefine how brands stay visible. The company cites new Adobe Analytics data showing a massive 1,200% spike in traffic from AI-driven sources to U.S. retail sites over the past year. That growth signals a new distribution channel. It also explains why Adobe wants Semrush before the landscape moves further.

Marketers feel the pressure as search habits evolve. Traditional SEO is only part of the equation now. AI summaries and chat-based search reshape what customers see and trust. Many CMOs know that visibility is slipping into algorithmic black boxes. Adobe wants to sell them a way out. Semrush’s tools will fold into Adobe’s stack, joining AEM, Adobe Analytics, and Adobe’s emerging Brand Concierge service.

Semrush enters this acquisition with momentum. The company recently reported 33% year-over-year ARR growth in its enterprise segment. Its biggest customers include Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and TikTok. Adobe believes the platform will accelerate its push into the agentic AI era, where autonomous systems manage everything from content workflows to customer interactions.

Competition across martech remains intense. Many SaaS platforms have struggled this year as AI eats into legacy software budgets. Adobe has felt that pain as well. Its stock is down more than 25% in 2025. Semrush, however, held steady. The pairing may help Adobe regain ground in a market where AI-native platforms expand quickly.

This also is not Adobe’s first major bid to reshape its ecosystem. The company attempted a $20 billion acquisition of Figma in 2022, but regulators blocked the deal in late 2023. Figma went public this July as the IPO market reopened. Regulators will likely take a close look at this Semrush deal as well, though it sits in a less crowded segment.

Both company boards have already approved the acquisition. Semrush founders and major shareholders, representing more than 75% of voting power, agreed to support the sale. Semrush will soon file a proxy statement with the SEC. Shareholders will then vote on the agreement.

If the deal clears regulatory review, Adobe gains a powerful asset in the new race for AI-driven brand visibility. Semrush gains the scale and distribution of one of the world’s most established software giants. And marketers get one more sign that AI search will soon rival traditional search as a discovery channel.

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