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.shCheck 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
| 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.
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: