Product Review

Is BrightEdge Content Worth the Money?

Using AI in marketing is now more critical than ever.

Businesses realize this, which is why in 2021, the market for AI in marketing was estimated at $15.84 billion. And it’s predicted to grow to a whopping $107.5 billion by 2028.

Not only does AI help businesses streamline their processes. It also helps them improve their content to a point where potential buyers are flocking to their sites daily. 

And the growing list of Fortune 100 companies that are heralded on SEO companies’ websites speaks for itself.

But no company seems to have more foothold in the Fortune 100 world than BrightEdge.

Headquartered in Foster City, CA (with offices in Seattle, Cleveland, Chicago, New York, London, Sydney, and Tokyo), this 400+ employee team is one of the biggest in the SEO game.

Billed as an “enterprise-level toolset,” BrightEdge boasts extraordinary reporting, educational information, and SEO tools.

But it comes at quite a price.

In this article, we’ll look at the platform’s features, pros and cons, and pricing. Then, after reading our BrightEdge review, you can decide if it’s the right SEO marketing tool for your company.

Our Verdict

At the end of the day, when more than half of Fortune 100 companies use BrightEdge, there’s a good reason.

What is BrightEdge, and why should marketing professionals care?

According to BrightEdge’s internal research, SEO experts spend up to four hours per day on research and analysis. They also use up to six different tools to accomplish their tasks.

That’s a lot of time to spend on preparing content.

For many years, content marketing performance was a challenge to gauge ROI on. Content marketers would come up with ideas that they believed would interest their target audience.

Then, they’d post them and pray that the search engine gods would find them favorable. BrightEdge claims to be the global leader in organic search and content performance.

BrightEdge website home page

In other words, it believes that it’s the best at helping marketing professionals optimize their writing, build clear content strategies, and get results.

Thus, eliminating the need to post and pray.

But how does BrightEdge do this, and why is it different?

Pros of BrightEdge Content

We’ll start by taking a look at the pros of BrightEdge.

1. Data Cube

Let’s begin by talking about one of the largest differentiators BrightEdge’s SEO Platform has in its corner: Data Cube.

Data Cube is a content repository that hosts billions of pieces of information. This information includes search terms, rich media, content, and keywords.

BrightEdge Data Cube feature

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In 2014, BrightEdge unlocked this data and enabled its customers to tap into the massive amount of information. That allowed content marketers to gain insights that fuelled their strategy from the start to achieve content marketing success.

This tool allows marketers to: 

  • Perform extensive site research: This way, they can do competitive analysis and see a complete list of keywords that competitors are ranking for. From there, they can evaluate it to create their own content. 
  • Find high-value SEO topics: Marketers can quickly identify high-performing and semantically related SEO topics to write about. Considering the intent behind search queries, the tool closes the content gap and allows marketers to capture new ranking opportunities for content relevant to their audiences.
  • Create content priority lists: Often, marketers can get lost in the sea of content opportunities. Data Cube allows them to set powerful filters that make it easy to narrow down which opportunities are most important and aligned with their goals. 

Understand content performance trends: Marketers can see how their content and competitors perform over time through trended graphs. This way, they can spot topics to pay extra attention to for better search rankings.

2. The Toolkit

BrightEdge has broken down its toolkit into three easy-to-understand segments: Discover, Create, and Measure.

BrightEdge Toolkit segments

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These segments showcase how you can use the tool to guide you through the entire lifecycle of website content optimization.

Let’s look at what makes them each a benefit.

1. Discover

  • Data Cube: As previously discussed, Data Cube is a massive content repository that fuels the service. This is where BrightEdge differs from its competitors.
  • Share of Voice: Share of Voice identifies competitive URLs that outrank your pages and reviews their content. Then, it provides feedback to optimize your pages to compete for higher rankings.
  • Opportunity Forecasting: This tool forecasts the potential revenue gain that you could see once your pages are optimized. It’s a major benefit when trying to quantify the price of SEO optimization and plan out your SEO strategy.
  • Intent Signal: As SERP layouts evolve, Intent Signal provides current feedback on content that will rank above the fold. It takes the guesswork out of Google.

2. Create

  • Recommendations: Provides detailed SEO recommendations for your existing content. This helps to improve your organic search visibility. Use this to re-optimize your old articles to get a higher ranking.
  • Content IQ: Robust site auditor. Great interface, with easy-to-understand graphs. It helps you find errors and correct them. This improves marketing performance.

3. Measure

  • Site Report: Track the performance of areas that drive organic traffic. This is something that all SEO optimization software offers. However, the BrightEdge layout is more intuitive.
  • Story Builder: Helps you create dashboards that evaluate your website’s performance. Story Builder offers an easy way to take mined data and transform it into visually pleasing reports.
  • Keyword Reporting: Prioritizes the keywords that will optimize your content. Like Site Report, this is a tool all SEO optimization software offers. BrightEdge’s “edge” is in how it is displayed.
  • Page Reporting: Where Keyword Reporting looks at the keywords that will optimize your content, Page Reporting looks at the content that will drive brand engagement. See the above points about the same product — better delivery.

Additional tools:

  • Market Insights: Helps you stay up to date with the latest trends in your market and discover how users make decisions online. This way, you can cater your message and content to suit their needs and questions. 
Example of BrightEdge's market insights

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  • Hyperlocal: Helps you analyze search volume and local paid and organic search data. This way, you can target locations close to you to get clients to your brick-and-mortar store. 
  • Daily Pulse: Allows you to adjust to the rapid pace of Google algorithm updates that impact your search rankings the most. It gives you actionable SERP insights so you can keep your rankings high. 
  • Instant: Allows you to understand the customer experience as it’s happening and optimize in real-time. With it, you get to discover in-the-moment opportunities as they arise and act on them instantly.

3. Integrations with other programs

Marketers need to use web analytics to achieve success with digital marketing programs. Unfortunately, integrating web analytics with data can be extremely challenging. 

BrightEdge makes this much easier since it allows integrations with the following programs:  

  • BrightEdge Connect API
  • Adobe Analytics
  • Google Analytics
  • Coremetrics
  • Webtrends
  • Majestic and Moz
  • Facebook — BrightEdge is the sole Facebook-approved vendor for content performance technology in the Facebook® Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) program.

4. Tools and training

Before you even buy the product, Brightedge offers a variety of unique tools and training opportunities to help users master its software. These can be found, for free, on its website.

BrightEdge educational resources

Blogs help keep users updated about the most current software releases.

Checklists, Quizzes, and the SEO Glossary help keep users on track and optimize their time.

Finally, there are video tutorials, walkthroughs, and interviews that help educate and teach you about the software and its capabilities.

5. Educational resources

Customer Case Studies and Stories allow users to browse through the many professional brands that have found success with BrightEdge.

White Papers, POV’s, and Research Reports keep marketing professionals up to date on trends and industry insights.

Webinars continue to educate and give insight in a palatable video format.

6. BrightEdge for Fortune 100 companies

One of the big indicators that the BrightEdge platform works is that 57% of Fortune 100 companies use it.

List and data of BrightEdge's customers

Some could point to a fantastic sales team, but I think the better guess is that they’re getting results.

BrightEdge also isn’t shy about sharing company testimonials on their social media channels and YouTube.

Companies such as Hallmark, Adobe, L’oreal, Microsoft, and Marriott are just some of the many well-known brands that have seen success.

7. Great customer support

BrightEdge offers exceptional customer service during each step of the process. This video on BrightEdge’s website showcases several of its clients talking about their customer experience — specifically the support they received.

BrightEdge customer service testimonial video

Inside the video, clients mention how dedicated BrightEdge is to customer service and success. Many of them talk about the excellent customer support and onboarding process — saying BrightEdge’s team is attentive and knowledgeable.

Cons of BrightEdge

BrightEdge offers many excellent features. However, there are some downfalls to the platform.

1. There’s just too much

The major issue we’ve found with the BrightEdge platform is that it’s a pretty complex program. With so much to offer, many users find that there’s a learning curve when trying to get used to the software.

Sure, there are many resources on the company’s site and YouTube to help users find their way around the platform. But figuring everything out — even with the help of resources — takes up valuable time.   

There seems to also be a pretty hefty onboarding process. With SEO Marketers’ busy schedules, this may prove to be a deterrent when looking at this specific program.

Just like the experts from our MasterClass review can attest, the details make all the difference!

Bottom line: It’s tough to know where to begin. Without an a-la-carte choice, you’re left with a massively powerful yet overly enormous amount of tools.

2. Search and keyword recommendations

Users have complained about the time that search terms take to show up. With hundreds of terabytes crunched daily, one can assume processing takes time.

Example of BrightEdge's keyword recommendations tool

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Sometimes, keyword ideas feel as though they’re coming out of the left field. I’ve run into this challenge with other SEO optimizers too.

You’re also required to use keywords too many times in one content piece to hit your score. If I have to find a use for the keyword “SERP” one more time, I’m going to scream!

Some say that keywords seem too similar to one another, while others say they don’t match the initial search query.

Many feel that the recommendations are too narrowly focused on exact keyword matches. With SERPs getting smarter, it begs the question of whether keyword technology is keeping up with the times.

There’s also the matter of the time it takes to build out a keyword list for your entire site.

We circle back around to busy marketing schedules here.

3. Integration

Users complain about the site’s integration with their website.

Currently, BrightEdge isn’t able to automatically pull in new URLs from websites. This must be done manually. For many users, this is one more step they believe could be an easy fix for BrightEdge.

There are others who worry about the integrations with Analytics.

With the reports relying so heavily on these integrations, a correct set-up is key. Many users talk about not understanding the set-up of Analytics and the software.

There are steps that are being missed due to a lack of clarification. In turn, reports aren’t coming back correctly.  

Again, you can consult your Success Specialist on this. But, since this is such a critical piece of the puzzle, it shouldn’t be as complex.

If you’re in the market for an app that allows you to export from Google Docs to WordPress in one click, then we recommend checking out Wordable.

It will not only clean and properly format your HTML, but also compress images, open links in a new tab, create a table of contents, and lots more.

4. Too much “hand holding”

There are certain edits that need you to contact the support team.

While it’s awesome to have a dedicated Success Specialist, it’s nice when you don’t need them.

Some reports can only be created by someone that fully understands BrightEdge’s software. This requires “hand holding” from a customer service rep.

There are also reports of Success Specialists that reach out a bit too often.

5. Deep pockets

Finally, let’s look at the subject of price.

You know a company that doesn’t publicly address its pricing structure is going to require a client with deep pockets.

It’s like when you walk into a restaurant, and there are no prices on the menu.

I don’t know about you, but that’s when I’m headed to the drive-through.

While this isn’t a negative point in itself, there are customers who claim to have found the same benefits in less expensive programs.

What are you looking to get out of the platform?

Yes, you can find other products that offer a content optimizer, site audit, keyword ranking tool, and other SEO tools.

The question comes down to whether BrightEdge is worth the price.

BrightEdge plans and pricing

Well, this is going to be a short article segment now, isn’t it?

As stated above, BrightEdge doesn’t publicly display its pricing structure. Their website boasts customized plans for enterprise-level companies. You’ll need to reach out to their sales team to request a quote.

BrightEdge's pricing page request form

Since BrightEdge serves several Fortune 100 companies, you can expect to pay a pretty penny for this SEO platform. 

FAQs about BrightEdge

What is BrightEdge certification? 

The BrightEdge SEO Certification Program covers the core BrightEdge functionalities, including Analysis, Dashboards, Keywords, Recommendations, Search Engines, and Pages. 

It validates a user’s ability to use the BrightEdge platform to its fullest potential so they can deliver value from it. At the end of the Program, users will be required to complete an exam that’ll validate their understanding of SEO and the BrightEdge platform. 

Is BrightEdge a good company to work with? 

Based on customer reviews on various sites, such as TrustRadius, Gartner, and many more, customers rate the tool highly. Many state that BrightEdge’s customer service and powerful tool features are what make the company excellent to work with.       

Here’s a look at the ratings that BrightEdge has received on TrustRadius:

BrightEdge's customer reviews on TrustRadius

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As you can see, a majority of the reviews are mostly positive.

What companies use BrightEdge?

Companies of different sizes, ranging from corporate to global enterprises, use BrightEdge. The company’s 1,700+ global customers also include 57 Fortune 100 brands, including Adobe, Audi, 3M, Robert Half, Microsoft, and others. 

Conclusion

To recap, BrightEdge offers SEO resources that competitors just can’t offer.

The one-on-one dedicated Support Specialist is a big bonus, regardless of the learning curve.

BrightEdge provides you with smart content that helps any marketing professional improve their productivity.

Who uses BrightEdge?

  • SEO experts use the software to track data and optimize search performance
  • Digital Marketers use the software to build a high-performing website without technical issues
  • Content Marketers use the software to create engaging content
  • Executives use the software to track ROI

Whether you decide to use BrightEdge will primarily depend on how much you’re willing to spend and your business needs. While this tool offers great features that can set you up for content success, some of the same features are offered by other SEO solutions. 

For example, many other SEO tools also allow you to do competitive topic research, determine market trends, optimize your content, and more. What truly sets BrightEdge apart is its Data Cube and all-in-one toolkit. 

However, if you have a smaller business that doesn’t publish as much content and you don’t need all of these advanced SEO features, consider other alternatives.  

Have a look at our Searchmetrics review. Also, look at our list of the best content optimization software on the market. These tools have the most critical features that many small-to-medium sized companies need.

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