DataForSEO MCP Server
Give AI agents live SEO data — SERPs, keywords, backlinks, and on-page analysis — via DataForSEO's MCP server.
Updated
What is DataForSEO MCP?
The DataForSEO MCP server is a Model Context Protocol server that gives AI agents and assistants direct, structured access to DataForSEO's SEO data APIs — search engine results (SERPs), keyword metrics, backlinks, on-page crawls, domain analytics, and competitor research — without writing any custom integration code.
DataForSEO officially hosts a remote server at https://mcp.dataforseo.com/mcp, so clients can connect over HTTP without running anything locally. The server authenticates against your existing DataForSEO account using your API login and password (sent as a credentialed authorization header). The same project also ships as an open-source TypeScript package (dataforseo-mcp-server on the dataforseo/mcp-server-typescript GitHub repo) that you can self-host via npx or deploy to your own infrastructure if you prefer.
Because the MCP server is a thin bridge over the DataForSEO REST API, every call draws from your DataForSEO pay-as-you-go credit balance — there is no separate MCP pricing tier. Once connected, an agent can ask natural-language questions like "what keywords does this domain rank for?" and the server translates them into the right DataForSEO API calls and returns structured results.
Tools the DataForSEO MCP server exposes
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| SERP | Real-time search engine results for Google, Bing, and Yahoo. |
| Keywords Data | Keyword research, search volume, and clickstream metrics. |
| DataForSEO Labs | Keyword, SERP, and domain intelligence for competitor research. |
| Backlinks | Backlink profiles and referring-domain analysis. |
| OnPage | Website crawling and on-page SEO metrics. |
| Domain Analytics | Website technology detection and Whois data. |
| Content Analysis | Brand monitoring and sentiment analysis across content. |
| Business Data | Business listings, reviews, and related information. |
| Merchant | Product data and price monitoring from shopping sources. |
| AI Optimization | Keyword discovery, conversational optimization, and LLM benchmarking. |
Connect the DataForSEO MCP server
Claude Code
- 1
Get DataForSEO credentials
Log in at dataforseo.com and copy your API login and API password from the dashboard.
- 2
Add the remote MCP server
Use `claude mcp add` to register the HTTP server at https://mcp.dataforseo.com/mcp, supplying your DataForSEO API login and password for authentication.
- 3
Verify the connection
Run `claude mcp list` to confirm DataForSEO is connected, then ask Claude an SEO query (e.g. a SERP or keyword lookup) to test it.
Prefer self-hosting? Run `npx dataforseo-mcp-server@latest` with DATAFORSEO_USERNAME / DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD set instead of the hosted URL.
Cursor
- 1
Get DataForSEO credentials
Copy your API login and API password from your DataForSEO account dashboard.
- 2
Add the server in MCP settings
In Cursor's MCP configuration (mcp.json), add a server pointing to https://mcp.dataforseo.com/mcp with an authorization header carrying your DataForSEO login:password credentials.
- 3
Enable and test
Reload Cursor, confirm the DataForSEO server shows as connected in Settings → MCP, and run an SEO query to verify.
For a local setup, configure the command `npx dataforseo-mcp-server@latest` with your credentials as environment variables.
Sample use cases
An agent monitors keyword rankings for a list of target terms on a schedule.
Weekly SERP-position and volume reports delivered automatically, flagging movement vs. the prior run.
An agent audits a domain's backlink profile and referring domains.
A structured backlink summary the team can act on for link-building or risk review.
An agent runs on-page SEO checks during content drafting.
Live on-page metrics surfaced inline so writers fix issues before publishing.
Security & permissions
The DataForSEO MCP server authenticates with your DataForSEO API login and password, passed as a credentialed authorization header (the hosted remote server and the self-hosted package both use your account credentials). The agent gains read access to whatever DataForSEO APIs your account is provisioned for — SERP, Keywords Data, Backlinks, OnPage, Labs, Domain Analytics, and more — and every call consumes your account's credit balance, so treat the credentials as billable secrets and scope/rotate them accordingly. Self-hosting via the open-source package keeps credentials inside your own environment variables (DATAFORSEO_USERNAME / DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD).
Using DataForSEO MCP with Gamut
In Gamut, DataForSEO is wired in as a connected tool that an agent calls inside an automated, event- or schedule-triggered workflow — Gamut manages the MCP connection and credentials so the agent can pull SERP positions, keyword volumes, backlink profiles, or on-page metrics on demand. For example, a weekly scheduled agent can fetch ranking and backlink data for a set of target keywords or competitors, compare it against the prior run, and post a summary to chat or a dashboard — all without a human manually querying the API.
Frequently asked questions
What is the DataForSEO MCP server?
It is a Model Context Protocol server that lets AI agents and assistants query DataForSEO's SEO data APIs — SERPs, keyword metrics, backlinks, on-page crawls, domain analytics, and competitor data — directly through a standardized interface, without custom code.
Is the DataForSEO MCP server free?
The MCP server itself has no separate fee, but it requires a DataForSEO account, and every call consumes your DataForSEO pay-as-you-go API credit balance at the same rates as the REST API. There is no MCP-only pricing tier. Check DataForSEO for current trial credit availability.
Is the DataForSEO MCP server hosted or self-hosted?
Both. DataForSEO officially hosts a remote server at https://mcp.dataforseo.com/mcp that you can connect to over HTTP, and it also publishes an open-source TypeScript package you can self-host via npx or deploy to your own infrastructure.
How do I connect DataForSEO MCP to Claude or Cursor?
Get your DataForSEO API login and password from the dashboard, then point your client at the remote server https://mcp.dataforseo.com/mcp with those credentials. In Claude Code use `claude mcp add`; in Cursor add the server to your MCP settings (mcp.json). Alternatively, run `npx dataforseo-mcp-server@latest` locally with your credentials as environment variables.