DataForSEO: Live SEO Data (Extension)

Live search data via the DataForSEO MCP server. 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 9 API modules with 79+ MCP tools.

Prerequisites

This skill requires the DataForSEO extension to be installed:

./extensions/dataforseo/install.sh

Check availability: Before using any DataForSEO tool, verify the MCP server is connected by checking if serporganiclive_advanced or any DataForSEO tool is available. If tools are not available, inform the user the extension is not installed and provide install instructions.

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 MCP call, run cost estimation:

claude-seo run 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:

claude-seo run 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.

MCP tools: serporganiclive_advanced

Default parameters: locationcode=2840 (US), languagecode=en, device=desktop, depth=100

Also supports: The serporganiclive_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.

MCP tools: serpyoutubeorganicliveadvanced

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. Some third-party studies report a 0.737 correlation between YouTube mentions and AI visibility, so treat this as a methodology-dependent GEO signal.

MCP tools: serpyoutubevideoinfoliveadvanced, serpyoutubevideocommentsliveadvanced, serpyoutubevideosubtitleslive_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.

MCP tools: serpgoogleimagesliveadvanced

Default parameters: locationcode=2840 (US), languagecode=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.

MCP tools: dataforseolabsgooglekeywordideas, dataforseolabsgooglekeywordsuggestions, dataforseolabsgooglerelatedkeywords

Default parameters: locationcode=2840 (US), languagecode=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.

MCP tools: kwdatagoogleadssearch_volume

Parameters: keywords (array, comma-separated), locationcode, languagecode

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

/seo dataforseo difficulty <keywords>

Calculate keyword difficulty scores for ranking competitiveness.

MCP tools: dataforseolabsbulkkeyworddifficulty

Parameters: keywords (array), locationcode, languagecode

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

/seo dataforseo intent <keywords>

Classify keywords by user search intent.

MCP tools: dataforseolabssearch_intent

Parameters: keywords (array), locationcode, languagecode

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

/seo dataforseo trends <keyword>

Analyze keyword trends over time using Google Trends data.

MCP tools: kwdatagoogletrendsexplore

Parameters: keywords (array), locationcode, datefrom, dateto, languagecode

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

Domain & Competitor Analysis

/seo dataforseo backlinks <domain>

Comprehensive backlink profile analysis.

MCP tools: backlinkssummary, backlinksbacklinks, backlinksanchors, backlinksreferringdomains, backlinksbulkspamscore, backlinkstimeseriessummary

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.

MCP tools: dataforseolabsgooglecompetitorsdomain, dataforseolabsgoogledomainrankoverview, dataforseolabsbulktraffic_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.

MCP tools: dataforseolabsgooglerankedkeywords, dataforseolabsgooglerelevantpages

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.

MCP tools: dataforseolabsgoogledomainintersection, backlinksdomainintersection

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.

MCP tools: dataforseolabsbulktrafficestimation

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.

MCP tools: dataforseolabsgoogle_subdomains

Parameters: target (domain), locationcode, languagecode

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.

MCP tools: dataforseolabsgoogletopsearches

Parameters: target (domain), locationcode, languagecode

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.

MCP tools: onpageinstantpages, onpagecontentparsing, onpagelighthouse

Usage:

• onpageinstant_pages:Quick page analysis (status codes, meta tags, content size, page timing, broken links, on-page checks)
• onpagecontent_parsing:Extract and parse page content (plain text, word count, structure)
• onpagelighthouse: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.

MCP tools: domainanalyticstechnologiesdomaintechnologies

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

/seo dataforseo whois <domain>

Retrieve WHOIS registration data.

MCP tools: domainanalyticswhois_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.

MCP tools: contentanalysissearch, contentanalysissummary, contentanalysisphrase_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.

MCP tools: businessdatabusinesslistingssearch

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. ChatGPT visibility check: see which sources ChatGPT cites for your target keywords. Check Google AI Overviews and AI Mode with GSC gen-AI reports when available.

MCP tools: aioptimizationchatgptscraper

Parameters: query, locationcode (optional), languagecode (optional). Use aioptimizationchatgptscraper_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.

MCP tools: aioptllmmentsearch, aioptllmmenttopdomains, aioptllmmenttoppages, aioptllmmentagg_metrics

Parameters: keyword, locationcode (optional), languagecode (optional). Use aioptllmmentlocandlang for available locations/languages and aioptimizationllm_models for supported LLM models.

Workflow:

1. Search LLM mentions with aioptllmmentsearch (find mentions of a brand/keyword across LLM responses)
2. Get top cited domains with aioptllmmenttop_domains (which domains are most cited for this topic)
3. Get top cited pages with aioptllmmenttop_pages (which specific pages are most cited)
4. Get aggregate metrics with aioptllmmentagg_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 aioptllmmentcrossaggmetrics for cross-model comparison (how mentions differ across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, etc.).

Available Utility Tools

Additional DataForSEO MCP tools 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 MCP tools are available, other claude-seo skills can leverage live data:

• seo-audit:Spawn seo-dataforseo agent for real SERP, backlink, on-page, and listings data
• seo-technical:Use onpageinstantpages / onpagelighthouse for real crawl data, domainanalyticstechnologiesdomain_technologies for stack detection
• seo-content:Use kwdatagoogleadssearchvolume, dataforseolabsbulkkeyworddifficulty, dataforseolabssearchintent for real keyword metrics, contentanalysissummary for content quality
• seo-page:Use serporganicliveadvanced for real SERP positions, backlinkssummary for link data
• seo-images:Use serpgoogleimagesliveadvanced for competitor image SERP data, cross-reference with on-page image audit
• seo-geo:Use aioptimizationchatgptscraper for real ChatGPT visibility, aioptllmmentsearch for LLM mention tracking
• seo-plan:Use dataforseolabsgooglecompetitorsdomain, dataforseolabsgoogledomainintersection, dataforseolabsbulktrafficestimation for real competitive intelligence

Error Handling

• MCP server not connected: Report that DataForSEO extension is not installed or MCP server is unreachable. Suggest running ./extensions/dataforseo/install.sh
• API authentication failed: Report invalid credentials. Suggest checking DataForSEO API login/password in MCP config
• 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