ContentShake Review: Has SEMRUSH Made The Ultimate Content Creation Tool?

Introduction

SEMRush is a legend in the online world for its SEO tools. Now it has gone to the next level and will write SEO optimized content that is ready to go. It isn’t perfect, yet, but this is a seriously slick content machine for marketers, bloggers, small and big businesses.

Could it be the ultimate writing tool? Maybe in the end, but it’s a work in progress.

It takes a second round of edits for keywords out the equation and could save you hours a day with an AI writing assistant, content templates for basically any kind of canned writing project and full keyword integration.

You still need to human edit, because ContentShake got flagged hard by AI detectors in our test. So it isn’t perfect, but it is a major step forward that could hit all the high notes with Google.

ContentShake Pricing

There’s a free version you absolutely should check out to see if ContentShake can meet your needs without spending too much time learning the system. If you start to use it for your site, you’ll want to upgrade to the $60/month tier. That gives you unlimited posts, AI rewrite features and 25 more content suggestions each week.

Combine a ChatGPT topical map with SEMRush’s SEO-friendly suggestions and you’re well on your way to topical authority.

Our Experience

We have used SEMRush for years and everybody knows its one of the most advanced Search Engine Optimization tool sets on the planet. Now the AI writer can use all that data to plan the perfect content strategy and write the posts with almost no input. Almost…

The content is great, even though it does tend to veer off track if you ask for a longer post. You can fix this with some input in the outline stage, and you really need to, or you can get a meandering post back that doesn’t feel focused. So much so that you’ll end up chopping whole sections, which inevitably unbalances the SEO work.

Also we got flagged hard for AI content, like 100%. Nobody knows how bad that is with Google, but we think it’s a bad plan to just post clear AI content. So you have to run it through a humanizer, then edit the results to get a 0% AI score. It doesn’t take that much work if you’re an old hand at stripping typical AI quirks and features. It’s a few minutes’ work, but new users will have to get to grips with the process.

It’s still hours faster than using ChatGPT for an outline and then writing the content, or totally rewriting and fact-checking GPT content. If you want to build out a site with base content that is SEO friendly, SEMRush ContentShake is the secret sauce. You can bang out 10 posts a day without worrying about the SEO score.

That makes it worth it, in our opinion.

Features

ContentShake is packed with features designed to streamline content creation:

1. AI-Powered Writing Assistance: ContentShake generate ideas, draft content, and even optimizes it for SEO. The AI suggests topics based on trending keywords, ensuring that the content is both relevant and engaging.
2. Keyword Integration: Integrated with SEMRush’s extensive keyword database, ContentShake allows users to effortlessly incorporate high-ranking keywords into their content. This lets you create SEO friendly copy the first time round, which is a serious time-saver.
3. Content Templates: The tool offers a variety of templates tailored for different content types, including blog posts, social media updates, and marketing emails. These templates provide a structured approach to content creation, making it easy to maintain consistency and quality.
4. Real-Time SEO Analysis: ContentShake continuously analyzes and optimizes SEO content. It provides real-time feedback on keyword density, readability, and other critical SEO factors. That is pretty cool.
5. Collaboration Tools: For teams working on content, ContentShake includes collaboration features that allow multiple users to edit and comment on drafts simultaneously. This fosters a more cohesive workflow and improves the overall quality of the content.
6. Content Calendar: A built-in content calendar helps users plan and schedule content months in advance.

Usability

ContentShake’s user interface is intuitive and user-friendly. Here are some key aspects of its usability:

1. Easy Onboarding: The onboarding process is straightforward, with guided tutorials that help new users navigate the tool’s features. This ensures that even those with minimal technical expertise can start creating content quickly.
2. Clean Interface: The dashboard is clean and well-organized, with all the essential tools and features easily accessible.
3. Drag-and-Drop Functionality: The drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to arrange and format content. Users can effortlessly add images, videos, and other multimedia elements to enhance their articles.
4. Responsive Support: SEMRush provides excellent customer support for ContentShake. Users can access a comprehensive knowledge base, video tutorials, and live chat support to resolve any issues they encounter.

Benefits

ContentShake offers several significant benefits for its users:

1. Efficiency: By automating many aspects of content creation, such as keyword research and SEO analysis, ContentShake significantly reduces the time and effort required to produce high-quality content. This efficiency is particularly beneficial for small businesses and solo marketers who need to maximize their productivity.
2. Improved SEO: With its deep integration with SEMRush’s SEO tools, ContentShake ensures that the content is optimized for search engines from the start. This leads to better rankings, increased visibility, and ultimately, more traffic.
3. Enhanced Creativity: The AI-powered writing assistant provides a constant stream of new ideas and suggestions, helping users overcome writer’s block and maintain a steady flow of fresh, engaging content. This can be a game-changer for bloggers and marketers.
4. Consistency: The content calendar and templates help users maintain a consistent content strategy. This is crucial for building a loyal audience and establishing a strong online presence.
5. Collaboration: For teams, the collaboration tools ensure that everyone is on the same page, reducing miscommunication and enhancing the quality of the final content. This is particularly valuable for larger organizations with multiple stakeholders involved in the content creation process.

Drawbacks

Despite its many strengths, ContentShake has some potential drawbacks:

1. Learning Curve for Advanced Features: While the basic features are easy to use, some of the more advanced tools, such as in-depth SEO analysis and content optimization, take a little work to fully exploit. This could be a barrier for those who are not familiar with SEO practices, but get over that and you stand to make huge gains with your content marketing strategy.
2. Dependence on AI: Although the AI-powered suggestions are generally helpful, there is a risk of becoming too reliant on them. Over-reliance on AI could potentially lead to a lack of originality and a homogeneous writing style without much personality.
3. Cost: ContentShake is a premium tool, and its pricing may be a consideration for small businesses or individual bloggers with limited budgets. While it offers a range of features that justify the cost, it might still be a significant investment for some users.
4. Integration with Other Tools: Currently, ContentShake is deeply integrated with SEMRush’s ecosystem. While this helps existing SEMRush users, it might be less appealing for those who use other SEO tools or platforms. Improved integration with a broader range of tools could enhance its appeal.
5. AI Detectors – Our test showed that the content was 100% AI. That’s kind of expected, but also means you should either edit heavily or use a Humanizer GPT to hide its origins.

Comparison with Competitors

To provide a comprehensive review, it’s essential to compare ContentShake with other similar tools in the market:

1. Grammarly: While Grammarly excels in grammar and style suggestions, it lacks the in-depth SEO and keyword integration that ContentShake offers. For users focused primarily on SEO-driven content, ContentShake provides more comprehensive features.
2. Yoast SEO: Yoast is a popular WordPress plugin known for its SEO capabilities. However, it is limited to WordPress users and doesn’t offer the same level of content creation assistance as ContentShake. ContentShake’s broader applicability and advanced AI features give it an edge.
3. MarketMuse: MarketMuse is another content optimization tool that offers in-depth content analysis and recommendations. While it provides detailed SEO insights, it lacks the user-friendly content creation features and collaboration tools that make ContentShake stand out.

Conclusion

ContentShake by SEMRush is a powerful tool that bridges the gap between content creation and SEO optimization. Its AI-driven features, user-friendly interface, and comprehensive toolset make it an excellent choice for marketers, bloggers, and businesses looking to enhance their content strategy. While there are some potential drawbacks, such as the learning curve for advanced features and the cost, the overall benefits far outweigh them.

By automating time-consuming tasks and providing real-time SEO feedback, ContentShake not only improves the efficiency of content creation but also ensures that the content is optimized for search engines from the outset. This leads to better rankings, increased visibility, and ultimately, more traffic.

For teams, the collaboration tools and content calendar are invaluable, ensuring a streamlined workflow and consistent content output. The templates and AI-powered suggestions further enhance creativity and help maintain a steady flow of fresh, engaging content.

In comparison to other tools, ContentShake’s unique combination of content creation and SEO optimization features sets it apart. It offers a more comprehensive solution for those looking to improve their online presence through high-quality, SEO-friendly content.

In conclusion, ContentShake is a worthwhile investment for anyone serious about content marketing. Its innovative features and seamless integration with SEMRush’s existing tools make it a standout choice in the crowded landscape of content creation tools. Whether you are a solo blogger or part of a large marketing team, ContentShake has the potential to revolutionize your content strategy and drive significant results.

Our Verdict

This is a major step forward when it comes to your content planning, production and analysis. Pretty much everything you need to do can happen in one dashboard, automatically. Yes you need to edit or humanize the content, and it does go off on tangents in longer pieces. But it leaves this program SEO ready and you can process and publish in a few minutes.

So we think it’s worth putting in to your workflow and checking your results.