Semrush, a leading online visibility management SaaS platform, was at a crossroads with its proprietary affiliate management platform.
Initially developed in 2009, Semrush’s in-house platform was at the time state-of-the-art, featuring a first-click attribution model paired with a 10-year cookie life. This system, which enabled businesses globally to run search engine optimization, advertising, content, social media and competitive research campaigns and get measurable results from online marketing, was beneficial for incentivizing early-stage growth by rewarding partners who discovered and promoted Semrush’s tools.
As their affiliate program evolved and the brand expanded, the limitations of this setup became increasingly apparent. The outdated attribution model began to skew results, emphasizing initial touch points at the expense of recognizing new partners’ contributions to conversions. This imbalance hindered the onboarding of fresh affiliates struggling with the long cookie life and stifled growth opportunities.
Making an Impact
Additionally, the user interface and user experience fell short of modern expectations. The internal platform’s design lacked visual appeal and intuitive navigation. The absence of visual reporting tools meant partners were greeted with data tables that offered little actionable insight, further complicating their ability to optimize strategies.
To help remedy this, Semrush teamed up with impact.com, the world’s leading commerce partnership marketing platform that transforms the way businesses grow by enabling them to discover, manage, and scale partnerships across the entire customer journey.
From affiliates and influencers to content publishers, brand ambassadors, and customer advocates, impact.com empowers brands to drive trusted, performance-based growth through authentic relationships. As consumers increasingly rely on recommendations from people and communities they trust, impact.com helps brands show up where it matters most.
Changes Made
Semrush’s transition to impact.com was a “meticulously planned and executed process involving a few key teams and services,” said Lina Tichomirova, Head of Affiliate Marketing at Semrush.
A dedicated impact.com technical manager enabled seamless API integration, ensuring technical requirements were met without disrupting operations and laying a strong foundation for a successful migration. And the customer success team provided timely solutions to any issues, strengthening trust and confidence within Semrush’s team and partners.
Multiple contract terms simplified the onboarding process for both new and existing partners. The feature streamlined the approval process by differentiating partners migrating from the previous program and new partners. This was accomplished by comprehensive training and onboarding, supported by a user-friendly help center, equipped Semrush’s team and partners to maximize the platform’s capabilities—enabling effective use of the platform’s enhanced features and resources.
Improving Cookie Life
The transition from a rigid first-click model with a 10-year cookie life to a more dynamic last-click attribution system was pivotal. “This shift allowed for a more accurate representation of partner contributions, effectively enhancing transparency and performance measurement,” said Tichomirova.
With a 120-day cookie life, the updated model aligned better with modern privacy standards and provided a clearer picture of affiliate marketing efforts, ultimately boosting partner satisfaction and program effectiveness.
All of these upgrades resulted in before migrating to impact.com, Semrush began by running parallel programs. The evaluation compared the in-house 1st click attribution and a 10-year cookie life against impact.com’s last-click attribution and a 120-day cookie life.
In just six months, the transition resulted in a 400% increase in new partner sign-ups compared to their in-house program in 2021. Despite the surge in interest, Semrush ensures a selective, high-quality partnership program.
Top Results
In an impressive feat, the impact.com team assisted Semrush in migrating over 1,000 partners following the evaluation’s success, including some long-standing affiliates as far back as 2012.
The brand witnessed remarkable advancements in its affiliate program’s efficiency and performance—like the following:
- Customizable payout terms lead to more precise management of affiliate relationships and a significant uplift in program optimization.
- Enhanced product and commission launches by leveraging sustainable API integration with impact.com and customizable payout terms, enabling affiliates to quickly expand their reach and earnings.
- Integrated email systems, such as newsletters, streamlined marketing communications, further improving outreach efficiency.
“Partnering with impact.com transformed the way we manage and scale our affiliate program,” said Tichomirova. “By modernizing attribution, streamlining onboarding and equipping partners with intuitive tools and enhanced reporting, we’ve not only improved transparency and performance measurement but also significantly accelerated new partner growth.”
