Seo Dataforseo

DataForSEO: Live SEO Data (Extension)

Shared Data Cache

Step 0 -- Check shared data cache:

Before gathering, check .seo-cache/ for reusable context from related SEO skills. Reference: ../seo/references/shared-data-cache.md for schemas and dependency map.

Check these cache files when present:

• .seo-cache/site-meta.json for domain, business type, industry, and crawl context
• .seo-cache/audit-scores.json for prior full-audit priorities
• .seo-cache/pages/{url-slug}/page-analysis.json for page-level context when a URL is provided

• If found: parse and use clearly valid fields (note "Using cached [X] from [date]")
• If missing, corrupt, or irrelevant: continue with fresh evidence
• If the user says "refresh" or "re-run": ignore cache reads and overwrite on write

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 10 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 serp_organic_live_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:

python 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:

python 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

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SERP Analysis

/seo dataforseo serp <keyword>

Fetch live Google organic search results.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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

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Keyword Research

/seo dataforseo keywords <seed>

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

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

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Domain & Competitor Analysis

/seo dataforseo backlinks <domain>

Comprehensive backlink profile analysis.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: dataforseo_labs_google_top_searches

Parameters: target (domain), location_code, language_code

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

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Technical / On-Page

/seo dataforseo onpage <url>

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

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: domain_analytics_technologies_domain_technologies

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

/seo dataforseo whois <domain>

Retrieve WHOIS registration data.

MCP tools: domain_analytics_whois_overview

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

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Content & Business Data

/seo dataforseo content <keyword/url>

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

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: business_data_business_listings_search

Parameters: keyword, location (optional)

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

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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.

MCP tools: 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.

MCP tools: 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.).

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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 codex-seo skills can leverage live data:

• 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

• 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 codex-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

Write to shared data cache

After completing all work, write a concise JSON summary to .seo-cache/ when the workflow produced durable findings. Use the schemas and naming rules in ../seo/references/shared-data-cache.md; include at least cache_type, analyzed_at, source URL/domain, key findings, issues, recommendations, and tool limitations. Add .seo-cache/ to .gitignore if it is missing.

DataForSEO API Cost Reference

Pricing Tiers (USD per call, standard queue)

Budget Presets

Configure with: python scripts/dataforseo_costs.py config --mode threshold --threshold 0.50 --daily-limit 10.00

Cost Reduction Tips

• Use live_regular instead of live_advanced when full SERP features aren't needed (50% savings)
• Batch keywords into single search_volume calls instead of individual SERP lookups
• Use standard task queue instead of live for non-urgent analysis (60-80% savings)
• Avoid site: and filetype: operators in image SERP queries (5x cost multiplier)
• Cache session results — don't re-fetch the same keyword/domain within a session

Approval Flow

Before any DataForSEO MCP call: 1. Run python scripts/dataforseo_costs.py check <endpoint> [--count N] 2. If status: "approved" → proceed 3. If status: "needs_approval" → show cost to user, ask to confirm 4. If status: "blocked" → inform user daily limit would be exceeded 5. After call completes, log: python scripts/dataforseo_costs.py log <endpoint> <cost>

Warn Endpoints

These endpoints always require user confirmation regardless of approval mode:

• backlinks_backlinks (can generate large result sets)
• backlinks_domain_intersection (expensive multi-domain comparison)
• ai_optimization_chat_gpt_scraper (ChatGPT web scraping)
• ai_opt_llm_ment_search (LLM mention tracking)
• merchant_amazon_products_search (Amazon product data)

DataForSEO MCP Tool Catalog

Load this reference when you need to find a specific DataForSEO MCP tool

that is not covered by the main SKILL.md commands. These are utility tools

available for internal use but without dedicated /seo dataforseo commands.

SERP Utilities

• serp_locations: Location code lookups for SERP queries
• serp_youtube_locations: Location code lookups for YouTube queries

Keyword Data Utilities

• kw_data_google_ads_locations: Location lookups for keyword data
• kw_data_dfs_trends_demography: Demographic data for trend analysis
• kw_data_dfs_trends_subregion_interests: Subregion interest data for trends
• kw_data_dfs_trends_explore: DFS proprietary trends data
• kw_data_google_trends_categories: Google Trends category lookups

DataForSEO Labs Utilities

• dataforseo_labs_google_keyword_overview: Quick keyword metrics overview
• dataforseo_labs_google_historical_serp: Historical SERP results for a keyword
• dataforseo_labs_google_serp_competitors: Competitors for a specific SERP
• dataforseo_labs_google_keywords_for_site: Keywords a site ranks for (alternative to ranked)
• dataforseo_labs_google_page_intersection: Page-level intersection analysis
• dataforseo_labs_google_historical_rank_overview: Historical domain rank data
• dataforseo_labs_google_historical_keyword_data: Historical keyword metrics
• dataforseo_labs_available_filters: Available filter options for Labs endpoints

Backlinks Utilities

• backlinks_competitors: Find domains with similar backlink profiles
• backlinks_bulk_backlinks: Bulk backlink counts for multiple targets
• backlinks_bulk_new_lost_referring_domains: Bulk new/lost referring domains
• backlinks_bulk_new_lost_backlinks: Bulk new/lost backlinks
• backlinks_bulk_ranks: Bulk rank overview for multiple targets
• backlinks_bulk_referring_domains: Bulk referring domain counts
• backlinks_domain_pages_summary: Summary of pages on a domain
• backlinks_domain_pages: List pages on a domain with backlink data
• backlinks_page_intersection: Shared backlink sources at page level
• backlinks_referring_networks: Referring network analysis
• backlinks_timeseries_new_lost_summary: Track new/lost backlinks over time
• backlinks_bulk_pages_summary: Bulk page summaries
• backlinks_available_filters: Available filter options for Backlinks endpoints

Domain Analytics Utilities

• domain_analytics_whois_available_filters: WHOIS filter options
• domain_analytics_technologies_available_filters: Technology detection filter options

AI Optimization Utilities

• ai_opt_kw_data_loc_and_lang: AI optimization keyword data locations/languages
• ai_optimization_keyword_data_search_volume: AI-specific keyword volume data
• ai_optimization_llm_response: Direct LLM response analysis
• ai_optimization_llm_mentions_filters: Available filters for LLM mentions
• ai_optimization_chat_gpt_scraper_locations: Available locations for ChatGPT scraper