SEO Dataforseo

DataForSEO: Live SEO Data (Extension)

Live search data via DataForSEO API credentials. Provides real-time SERP results (organic + images), keyword metrics, backlink profiles, on-page analysis, content analysis, business listings, AI visibility checking, and LLM mention tracking across 10 API modules. MCP tools may be used when already configured, but are not required.

Prerequisites

Set credentials in the selected project .env:

DATAFORSEO_USERNAME=your-login
DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD=your-password

DATAFORSEO_LOGIN is also accepted as an alias for DATAFORSEO_USERNAME. The extension installer and MCP server are optional for users who already prefer MCP.

Check availability: First check for DATAFORSEO_USERNAME or DATAFORSEO_LOGIN plus DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD in the selected project environment. Use python scripts/dataforseo_api.py ... or specialized scripts for direct API calls. If an optional DataForSEO adapter is already available, you may use it quietly, but do not require MCP setup or spend context inventorying MCP servers unless the user asks.

API Credit Awareness

DataForSEO charges per API call. Be efficient:

• Prefer bulk endpoints over multiple single calls
• Use default parameters (US, English) unless user specifies otherwise
• Cache results mentally within a session; don't re-fetch the same data
• Warn user before running expensive operations (full backlink crawls, large keyword lists)

Cost Guardrails

Before every DataForSEO API call, run cost estimation:

python3 scripts/dataforseo_costs.py check <endpoint> [--count N]

• If "status": "approved" → proceed with the API call
• If "status": "needs_approval" → show the cost estimate to the user and ask for confirmation before proceeding
• If "status": "blocked" → inform the user that the daily budget limit would be exceeded; do NOT proceed

After each API call completes, log the cost:

python3 scripts/dataforseo_costs.py log <endpoint> <actual_cost>

User commands for cost management:

• /seo dataforseo costs today → show today's spending breakdown
• /seo dataforseo costs summary → show 7-day spending history
• /seo dataforseo costs config --mode threshold --threshold 0.50 → configure approval mode

Load references/cost-tiers.md for the full pricing table, budget presets, and cost reduction tips.

Quick Reference

SERP Analysis

/seo dataforseo serp <keyword>

Fetch live Google organic search results.

Direct API operation: serp_organic_live_advanced

Default parameters: location_code=2840 (US), language_code=en, device=desktop, depth=100

Also supports: The serp_organic_live_advanced tool supports Google, Bing, and Yahoo via the se parameter. Specify "bing" or "yahoo" to switch search engines.

Output: Rank, URL, title, description, domain, featured snippets, AI overview references, People Also Ask.

/seo dataforseo serp-youtube <keyword>

Fetch YouTube search results. Valuable for GEO. YouTube mentions correlate most strongly with AI citations.

Direct API operation: serp_youtube_organic_live_advanced

Output: Video title, channel, views, upload date, description, URL.

/seo dataforseo youtube <video_id>

Deep analysis of a specific YouTube video: info, comments, and subtitles. YouTube mentions have the strongest correlation (0.737) with AI visibility, making this critical for GEO analysis.

Direct API operation: serp_youtube_video_info_live_advanced, serp_youtube_video_comments_live_advanced, serp_youtube_video_subtitles_live_advanced

Parameters: video_id (the YouTube video ID, e.g., "dQw4w9WgXcQ")

Output: Video metadata (title, channel, views, likes, description), top comments with engagement, subtitle/transcript text.

/seo dataforseo serp-images <keyword>

Fetch live Google Images search results. See which images rank for a keyword, which domains dominate image results, and identify visual content opportunities.

Direct API operation: serp_google_images_live_advanced

Default parameters: location_code=2840 (US), language_code=en, device=desktop, depth=100

Parameters: keyword (required), depth (optional, max 700, billed per 100-result increment), search_param (optional, e.g. "site:example.com")

Cost warning: Using site: or filetype: operators incurs 5x API cost. Warn user before running filtered queries.

Output: Position, title, alt text, source page URL, direct image URL, domain, encoded URL.

Analysis to provide:

• Domain dominance: which sites own the most image positions (top 10 domains by count)
• Alt text patterns: common title/alt text patterns in top-ranking images
• Format distribution: WebP vs JPEG vs PNG in top results (infer from image_url extension)
• Opportunity identification: keywords where user has organic rankings but no image presence

Keyword Research

/seo dataforseo keywords <seed>

Generate keyword ideas, suggestions, and related terms from a seed keyword.

Direct API operation: dataforseo_labs_google_keyword_ideas, dataforseo_labs_google_keyword_suggestions, dataforseo_labs_google_related_keywords

Default parameters: location_code=2840 (US), language_code=en, limit=50

Output: Keyword, search volume, CPC, competition level, keyword difficulty, trend.

/seo dataforseo volume <keywords>

Get search volume and metrics for a list of keywords.

Direct API operation: kw_data_google_ads_search_volume

Parameters: keywords (array, comma-separated), location_code, language_code

Output: Keyword, monthly search volume, CPC, competition, monthly trend data.

/seo dataforseo difficulty <keywords>

Calculate keyword difficulty scores for ranking competitiveness.

Direct API operation: dataforseo_labs_bulk_keyword_difficulty

Parameters: keywords (array), location_code, language_code

Output: Keyword, difficulty score (0-100), interpretation (Easy/Medium/Hard/Very Hard).

/seo dataforseo intent <keywords>

Classify keywords by user search intent.

Direct API operation: dataforseo_labs_search_intent

Parameters: keywords (array), location_code, language_code

Output: Keyword, intent type (informational, navigational, commercial, transactional), confidence score.

/seo dataforseo trends <keyword>

Analyze keyword trends over time using Google Trends data.

Direct API operation: kw_data_google_trends_explore

Parameters: keywords (array), location_code, date_from, date_to, language_code

Output: Keyword, time series data, trend direction, seasonality signals.

Domain & Competitor Analysis

/seo dataforseo backlinks <domain>

Comprehensive backlink profile analysis.

Direct API operation: backlinks_summary, backlinks_backlinks, backlinks_anchors, backlinks_referring_domains, backlinks_bulk_spam_score, backlinks_timeseries_summary

Default parameters: limit=100 per sub-call

Output: Total backlinks, referring domains, domain rank, spam score, top anchors, new/lost backlinks over time, dofollow ratio, top referring domains.

/seo dataforseo competitors <domain>

Identify competing domains and estimate traffic.

Direct API operation: dataforseo_labs_google_competitors_domain, dataforseo_labs_google_domain_rank_overview, dataforseo_labs_bulk_traffic_estimation

Output: Competitor domains, keyword overlap %, estimated traffic, domain rank, common keywords.

/seo dataforseo ranked <domain>

List keywords a domain ranks for with positions and page data.

Direct API operation: dataforseo_labs_google_ranked_keywords, dataforseo_labs_google_relevant_pages

Default parameters: limit=100, location_code=2840

Output: Keyword, position, URL, search volume, traffic share, SERP features.

/seo dataforseo intersection <domain1> <domain2> [...]

Find shared keywords and backlink sources across 2-20 domains.

Direct API operation: dataforseo_labs_google_domain_intersection, backlinks_domain_intersection

Parameters: domains (2-20 array)

Output: Shared keywords with positions per domain, shared backlink sources, unique keywords per domain.

/seo dataforseo traffic <domains>

Estimate organic search traffic for one or more domains.

Direct API operation: dataforseo_labs_bulk_traffic_estimation

Parameters: domains (array)

Output: Domain, estimated organic traffic, estimated traffic cost, top keywords.

/seo dataforseo subdomains <domain>

Enumerate subdomains with their ranking data and traffic estimates.

Direct API operation: dataforseo_labs_google_subdomains

Parameters: target (domain), location_code, language_code

Output: Subdomain, ranked keywords count, estimated traffic, organic cost.

/seo dataforseo top-searches <domain>

Find the most popular search queries that mention a specific domain in results.

Direct API operation: dataforseo_labs_google_top_searches

Parameters: target (domain), location_code, language_code

Output: Query, search volume, domain position, SERP features, traffic share.

Technical / On-Page

/seo dataforseo onpage <url>

Run on-page analysis including Lighthouse audit and content parsing.

Direct API operation: on_page_instant_pages, on_page_content_parsing, on_page_lighthouse

Usage:

• on_page_instant_pages:Quick page analysis (status codes, meta tags, content size, page timing, broken links, on-page checks)
• on_page_content_parsing:Extract and parse page content (plain text, word count, structure)
• on_page_lighthouse:Full Lighthouse audit (performance score, accessibility, best practices, SEO, Core Web Vitals)

Output: Pages crawled, status codes, meta tags, titles, content size, load times, Lighthouse scores, broken links, resource analysis.

/seo dataforseo tech <domain>

Detect technologies used on a domain.

Direct API operation: domain_analytics_technologies_domain_technologies

Output: Technology name, version, category (CMS, analytics, CDN, framework, etc.).

/seo dataforseo whois <domain>

Retrieve WHOIS registration data.

Direct API operation: domain_analytics_whois_overview

Output: Registrar, creation date, expiration date, nameservers, registrant info (if public).

Content & Business Data

/seo dataforseo content <keyword/url>

Analyze content quality, search for content by topic, and track phrase trends.

Direct API operation: content_analysis_search, content_analysis_summary, content_analysis_phrase_trends

Parameters: keyword (for search/trends) or URL (for summary)

Output: Content matches with quality scores, sentiment analysis, readability metrics, phrase trend data over time.

/seo dataforseo listings <keyword>

Search business listings for local SEO competitive analysis.

Direct API operation: business_data_business_listings_search

Parameters: keyword, location (optional)

Output: Business name, description, category, address, phone, domain, rating, review count, claimed status.

AI Visibility / GEO

/seo dataforseo ai-scrape <query>

Scrape what ChatGPT web search returns for a query. Real GEO visibility check: see which sources ChatGPT cites for your target keywords.

Direct API operation: ai_optimization_chat_gpt_scraper

Parameters: query, location_code (optional), language_code (optional). Use ai_optimization_chat_gpt_scraper_locations to look up available locations.

Output: ChatGPT response content, cited sources/URLs, referenced domains.

/seo dataforseo ai-mentions <keyword>

Track how LLMs mention brands, domains, and topics. Critical for GEO. Measures actual AI visibility across multiple LLM platforms.

Direct API operation: ai_opt_llm_ment_search, ai_opt_llm_ment_top_domains, ai_opt_llm_ment_top_pages, ai_opt_llm_ment_agg_metrics

Parameters: keyword, location_code (optional), language_code (optional). Use ai_opt_llm_ment_loc_and_lang for available locations/languages and ai_optimization_llm_models for supported LLM models.

Workflow:

1. Search LLM mentions with ai_opt_llm_ment_search (find mentions of a brand/keyword across LLM responses)
2. Get top cited domains with ai_opt_llm_ment_top_domains (which domains are most cited for this topic)
3. Get top cited pages with ai_opt_llm_ment_top_pages (which specific pages are most cited)
4. Get aggregate metrics with ai_opt_llm_ment_agg_metrics (overall mention volume, trends)

Output: LLM mention count, top cited domains with frequency, top cited pages, mention trends over time, cross-platform visibility scores.

Advanced: Use ai_opt_llm_ment_cross_agg_metrics for cross-model comparison (how mentions differ across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, etc.).

Available Utility Tools

Additional DataForSEO API operations are available for internal use but do not have dedicated commands. Load references/tool-catalog.md when you need to find a specific utility tool (location lookups, bulk operations, historical data, filter options).

Cross-Skill Integration

When DataForSEO credentials are available, other SEO Dungeon skills can leverage live data. Optional MCP tools can be used when already configured:

• seo-audit:Spawn seo-dataforseo agent for real SERP, backlink, on-page, and listings data
• seo-technical:Use on_page_instant_pages / on_page_lighthouse for real crawl data, domain_analytics_technologies_domain_technologies for stack detection
• seo-content:Use kw_data_google_ads_search_volume, dataforseo_labs_bulk_keyword_difficulty, dataforseo_labs_search_intent for real keyword metrics, content_analysis_summary for content quality
• seo-page:Use serp_organic_live_advanced for real SERP positions, backlinks_summary for link data
• seo-images:Use serp_google_images_live_advanced for competitor image SERP data, cross-reference with on-page image audit
• seo-geo:Use ai_optimization_chat_gpt_scraper for real ChatGPT visibility, ai_opt_llm_ment_search for LLM mention tracking
• seo-plan:Use dataforseo_labs_google_competitors_domain, dataforseo_labs_google_domain_intersection, dataforseo_labs_bulk_traffic_estimation for real competitive intelligence

Error Handling

• Credentials not found: Ask the user to add DATAFORSEO_USERNAME or DATAFORSEO_LOGIN and DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD to the selected project .env. Do not block on MCP setup.
• API authentication failed: Report invalid credentials. Suggest checking DataForSEO login/password in the selected project .env.
• Rate limit exceeded: Report the limit hit and suggest waiting before retrying
• No results returned: Report "no data found" for the query rather than guessing. Suggest broadening the query or checking location/language codes
• Invalid location code: Report the error and suggest using the locations lookup tool to find the correct code

Output Formatting

Match existing claude-seo output patterns:

• Use tables for comparative data
• Prioritize issues as Critical > High > Medium > Low
• Include specific, actionable recommendations
• Show scores as XX/100 where applicable
• Note data source as "DataForSEO (live)" to distinguish from static analysis