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 9 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 claude-seo run 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:
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
| Command | What it does |
|---|
/seo dataforseo serp <keyword> | Google organic SERP results |
/seo dataforseo serp-images <keyword> | Google Images SERP results |
/seo dataforseo serp-youtube <keyword> | YouTube search results |
/seo dataforseo youtube <video_id> | YouTube video deep analysis |
/seo dataforseo keywords <seed> | Keyword ideas and suggestions |
/seo dataforseo volume <keywords> | Search volume for keywords |
/seo dataforseo difficulty <keywords> | Keyword difficulty scores |
/seo dataforseo intent <keywords> | Search intent classification |
/seo dataforseo trends <keyword> | Google Trends data |
/seo dataforseo backlinks <domain> | Full backlink profile |
/seo dataforseo competitors <domain> | Competitor domain analysis |
/seo dataforseo ranked <domain> | Ranked keywords for domain |
/seo dataforseo intersection <domains> | Keyword/backlink overlap |
/seo dataforseo traffic <domains> | Bulk traffic estimation |
/seo dataforseo subdomains <domain> | Subdomains with ranking data |
/seo dataforseo top-searches <domain> | Top queries mentioning domain |
/seo dataforseo onpage <url> | On-page analysis (Lighthouse + parsing) |
/seo dataforseo tech <domain> | Technology stack detection |
/seo dataforseo whois <domain> | WHOIS registration data |
/seo dataforseo content <keyword/url> | Content analysis and trends |
/seo dataforseo listings <keyword> | Business listings search |
/seo dataforseo ai-scrape <query> | ChatGPT web scraper for GEO |
/seo dataforseo ai-mentions <keyword> | LLM mention tracking for GEO |
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. Some third-party studies report a 0.737 correlation between YouTube mentions and AI visibility, so treat this as a methodology-dependent GEO signal.
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. 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.
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:
- Search LLM mentions with
ai_opt_llm_ment_search (find mentions of a brand/keyword across LLM responses)
- Get top cited domains with
ai_opt_llm_ment_top_domains (which domains are most cited for this topic)
- Get top cited pages with
ai_opt_llm_ment_top_pages (which specific pages are most cited)
- 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