SpyFu Alternative — SEO & PPC Competitor Keywords

PPC teams and AI agents turn a competitor domain into SpyFu-style dataset rows: domain overview, organic keywords, paid keywords with ad copy, competitors, keyword overview, top pages, and backlinks. Each run returns structured JSON with organicTraffic, paidKeywordCount, estimatedPaidCostUsd, and backlinks, ready for API, schedule, and MCP use. Owner credentials are already configured.

Best fit for this Actor

• Score a competitor domain's organic traffic estimate, paid keyword count, estimated paid cost, and backlink summary in one row.
• Export the paid keywords a domain bids on, including ad title, ad description, rank, volume, and estimated paid cost.
• List overlapping SEO or PPC competitors, then inspect their top pages.

When you already have a finished keyword list and only need volume plus CPC, start with Keyword Search Volume API. For Semrush-shaped keyword ideas rather than paid-ad spy, use SEMRush Alternative. For Google Ads Transparency creatives, use Google Ads Transparency Scraper.

Practical scenario

A PPC lead pastes shopify.com, keeps mode on domain_overview, and runs the Actor. The dataset returns one row with organicTraffic, paidKeywordCount, estimatedPaidCostUsd, backlinks, and referringDomains. They then switch mode to paid_keywords with maxResults 5 to inspect ad copy before briefing a competitor report. Unknown or empty matches finish SUCCEEDED with VALID_EMPTY and no seo-record charge.

Quick start input

{
  "mode": "domain_overview",
  "target": "shopify.com",
  "locationName": "United States",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "maxResults": 5
}

target accepts a bare domain or a full URL. Keyword overview uses keywords instead of target.

Input reference

Field	Type	What it controls
mode	enum	domain_overview, organic_keywords, paid_keywords, competitors, keyword_overview, top_pages, or backlinks. Default domain_overview.
target	string	Domain or URL for domain, keyword-list, competitor, page, and backlink modes. Example: shopify.com.
keywords	array	Seed phrases for keyword_overview. Example: ["shopify"].
competitorChannel	enum	both, paid, or organic for competitors mode. Default both.
locationName	string	Country name. Default United States.
languageCode	string	Language code such as en. Default en.
maxResults	integer	Row cap 1–100. Default 5. Domain overview still writes at most one row.

Owner API credentials are already configured for Store runs. This Actor does not accept user API keys.

What data you receive

One dataset item is one domain, keyword, competitor, page, or backlink row.

{
  "mode": "domain_overview",
  "target": "shopify.com",
  "domain": "shopify.com",
  "locationName": "United States",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "organicKeywordCount": 149968,
  "organicTraffic": 45000,
  "paidKeywordCount": 36,
  "estimatedPaidCostUsd": 2200,
  "backlinks": 9000,
  "referringDomains": 1200,
  "source": "spyfu_alternative/domain_overview",
  "status": "OK",
  "fetchedAt": "2026-08-22T00:00:00.000Z"
}

Field	Meaning
organicTraffic / paidTraffic	Organic and paid traffic estimates
estimatedPaidCostUsd	Estimated paid traffic value or per-keyword paid cost
adDescription	Public paid-ad description when mode is paid_keywords
source	Mode provenance label for the row

OUTPUT and RUN_SUMMARY in the default key-value store hold outcome, itemsPushed, chargedEventCounts, and providerCostUsd. Download the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, or HTML.

Use through the API

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/khadinakbar~spyfu-alternative/runs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"domain_overview","target":"shopify.com","maxResults":5}'

Use with AI agents through Apify MCP

Run a SpyFu-style domain overview for shopify.com in the United States. Return organicTraffic, paidKeywordCount, estimatedPaidCostUsd, backlinks, referringDomains, source, and fetchedAt. Read OUTPUT.outcome and itemsPushed. Treat estimatedPaidCostUsd as estimated paid traffic value.

Connect via https://mcp.apify.com. Cost signal: about $0.05 per successful SEO API request plus $0.01 per saved row.

Connect the workflow

• When you already have phrases and only need volume plus CPC, then use Keyword Search Volume API.
• For Semrush-style keyword ideas after you pick a seed, continue with SEMRush Alternative.
• For Google Ads Transparency creatives after you identify an advertiser, continue with Google Ads Transparency Scraper.

Pricing

This Actor uses Pay per event plus Apify platform usage. The live Pricing tab is the current source of truth for billing details.

• apify-actor-start: $0.00005 per run
• seo-api-request: $0.05 per successful upstream SEO API task
• seo-record: $0.012 per persisted row

A domain-overview prefill is two API tasks plus one row. Empty matches have no seo-record charge. Provider cost is recorded in RUN_SUMMARY.providerCostUsd.

How it works

1. Normalize the domain or keyword list for the selected mode.
2. Call the matching upstream SEO API endpoint for that mode.
3. Charge seo-api-request after each successful task.
4. Charge seo-record, then write each validated dataset row.

Best results

• Use a real hostname such as shopify.com rather than a SpyFu app URL.
• Keep maxResults at 5 while you confirm the output shape, then raise it for exports.
• Treat traffic, volume, paid cost, and rank as model estimates for public keywords and domains you are authorized to research.
• A valid query with no match finishes SUCCEEDED with VALID_EMPTY.

Builder's note

I found that Store SpyFu scrapers depend on public SpyFu pages that change and that they return one bundled overview per domain. Routing this SKU through owner-managed upstream SEO APIs keeps the SpyFu-shaped modes (overview, organic keywords, paid keywords with ad copy, PPC competitors, top pages, backlinks) on a forecastable HTTP path with owner credentials already configured. Domain overview merges two provider tasks into one billed row so a first run stays cheap to preview.

Legal and responsible use

Use this Actor with public SEO and PPC research you are authorized to run. Metrics are independent of SpyFu, Inc. Follow applicable law and the upstream data provider terms, and keep the output in your own compliance workflow.

Issues and feature requests: use the Actor Issues tab on Apify.