How to add a domain to the dashboard on Semrush

beginner 7 min read Updated 2026-03-13

Quick Answer

Adding a domain to Semrush dashboard involves entering the URL on the Home screen to create an SEO Dashboard or project folder, which triggers monitoring and optional Site Audit crawling. Ensure the site is crawlable by whitelisting SemrushBot and fixing DNS/robots.txt issues. Free plans limit to one domain; paid plans allow up to five.

Prerequisites

Active Semrush account with Site Audit access
Live domain resolvable via DNS (root, subdomain, or subfolder)
Site access to edit robots.txt or whitelist SemrushBot
Optional: Sitemap.xml and hosting support for redirects

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access Home Screen and Enter Domain

From the Home screen, enter your website's name or URL (e.g., example.com) in the prompt field, then click 'Start now'. This launches your SEO Dashboard as the command center for domain monitoring.

Create a Project Folder

On the Home screen or Get Started screen, click the 'Create Folder' button for a new domain analysis. Name the folder based on the domain or business (e.g., 'My Site SEO'), and it will be saved for future access.

Folders organize multiple domains; first folder auto-configures Site Audit.

Launch SEO Dashboard

Once the domain is entered, your SEO Dashboard appears automatically. Select the project from the folder list to view domain-specific metrics like traffic and SEO performance widgets.

Add Competitor Domains

In the project dashboard, use the upper section or '+ Add more competitors' link to enter competitor domains, subdomains, or URLs for comparison in Traffic & Market dashboards.

Edit competitor lists anytime via the drop-down without losing your place.

Configure Site Audit

Navigate to Site Audit from the left-hand menu. Enter the domain in the scope field, choose to crawl root domain, subdomains, or subfolders (uncheck 'Crawl all subdomains' if needed), set page limits, and click 'Start audit'.

First folder auto-launches Site Audit; configure manually for others.

Access Domain Overview

Go to SEO → Domain Overview in the left sidebar. Enter the domain and click 'Search' for detailed metrics like organic traffic and keywords.

Review and Monitor Dashboards

Click any domain in your folder list to access dashboards. Use the left-hand menu for SEO Dashboard, Site Audit results, or full reports via 'View Full Report' buttons.

Data updates automatically; check widgets for quick snapshots.

Adjust Crawler Settings

In Site Audit settings, go to Crawler settings to allow/disallow URLs, remove parameters, bypass robots.txt if needed, or add credentials for password-protected areas.

Whitelist <code>SemrushBot</code> user-agent for smooth crawling.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

"Domain could not be resolved by DNS" or "Pages couldn't be crawled (DNS issues)"

Ensure root domain (example.com) matches live version (e.g., www); fix DNS records, set proper redirects (root to www), and verify site is online.

Robots.txt blocks ("Disallow" commands)

Edit robots.txt to allow <code>SemrushBot</code>; avoid blocking major paths or use crawl settings to bypass.

Noindex tags preventing crawl

Remove <code><meta name="robots" content="noindex"></code> tags from pages; rescan after changes.

Large landing pages (>2MB) or crawler blocks

Optimize page size, whitelist SemrushBot in server config, or adjust crawl limits in settings.

Free plan domain limit reached

Upgrade to paid plan for up to five domains; each includes one by default with add-on purchases.

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