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 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

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

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.

Domain & Competitor Analysis

/seo dataforseo backlinks <domain>

Comprehensive backlink profile analysis.

MCP tools: