# DataForSEO Labs - Keyword Ideas, Difficulty & Competitors (`santhej/dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer`) Actor DataForSEO Labs keyword toolkit. Get keyword suggestions, related keywords, keyword difficulty, search intent, and a competitor's ranked keywords as structured JSON. Pay per keyword — no DataForSEO account or subscription needed. - **URL**: https://apify.com/santhej/dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer.md - **Developed by:** [Santhej Kallada](https://apify.com/santhej) (community) - **Categories:** SEO tools, Developer tools, MCP servers - **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## DataForSEO Labs — Keyword Ideas, Difficulty & Competitors **A DataForSEO Labs keyword research toolkit on Apify. Get keyword suggestions, related keywords, keyword difficulty, search intent, and any competitor's ranked keywords as clean structured JSON. Pay per keyword — no DataForSEO account, subscription, or minimum top-up required.** This actor wraps the **DataForSEO Labs API** so you can run keyword research without managing your own DataForSEO account or balance. Pick a mode, give it a seed keyword / keyword list / competitor domain, and get back volume, CPC, competition, difficulty and intent. --- ### Modes - **Keyword Suggestions** — long-tail keyword ideas from a seed keyword (volume, CPC, competition, difficulty, intent). - **Related Keywords** — semantically related keyword clusters from a seed keyword. - **Ranked Keywords** — every keyword a competitor domain ranks for, with its rank position and estimated traffic value (ETV). - **Keyword Difficulty** — bulk keyword difficulty (0–100) for a list of keywords. - **Search Intent** — classify keywords as informational / commercial / transactional / navigational. ### How to use it Keyword ideas from a seed: ```json { "mode": "keyword_suggestions", "seedKeyword": "email marketing", "locationCode": "2840", "languageCode": "en", "limit": 100 } ```` Competitor's ranked keywords: ```json { "mode": "ranked_keywords", "target": "mailchimp.com", "locationCode": "2840", "limit": 100 } ``` Bulk difficulty / intent: ```json { "mode": "keyword_difficulty", "keywords": ["email marketing", "crm software", "buy crm"], "locationCode": "2840" } ``` ### Output One dataset record per keyword: ```json { "keyword": "marketing email platforms", "search_volume": 27100, "cpc": 76, "competition": 0.04, "keyword_difficulty": 41, "search_intent": "commercial" } ``` Ranked Keywords rows also include `position`, `etv` and the ranking `url`. ### Pricing Pay-per-event: a small **Actor start** fee plus one **keyword result** charge per keyword row returned. No DataForSEO subscription, no monthly minimum — you only pay for the keywords you get. ### FAQ **Do I need a DataForSEO account?** No. Calls run through managed DataForSEO access; you pay per keyword via Apify. **What metrics do I get?** Search volume, CPC, competition, keyword difficulty and search intent, plus rank position and ETV in Ranked Keywords mode. **Can I spy on competitors?** Yes — use Ranked Keywords with any domain to export every keyword it ranks for. **Good for AI agents / n8n / Make?** Yes — clean JSON output, ideal for MCP servers, automations and LLM agents. *** *Tags: dataforseo, dataforseo labs, keyword research api, keyword difficulty, keyword suggestions, related keywords, search intent, competitor keywords, ranked keywords, seo keyword tool, keyword ideas api.* # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): Which DataForSEO Labs report to run. ## `seedKeyword` (type: `string`): Used by Keyword Suggestions & Related Keywords. Also accepted by Difficulty / Search Intent as a single keyword. ## `keywords` (type: `array`): Used by Keyword Difficulty & Search Intent. Up to 1000 keywords. ## `target` (type: `string`): Used by Ranked Keywords. The domain whose ranking keywords you want, e.g. 'mailchimp.com'. ## `locationCode` (type: `string`): Geographic location for the metrics (ignored for Search Intent). ## `languageCode` (type: `string`): Two-letter language code, e.g. 'en', 'es', 'de', 'fr'. ## `limit` (type: `integer`): Max keyword rows to return (Suggestions / Related / Ranked). Up to 1000. ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "keyword_suggestions", "seedKeyword": "email marketing", "target": "mailchimp.com", "locationCode": "2840", "languageCode": "en", "limit": 100 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `dataset` (type: `string`): One record per keyword with volume, CPC, difficulty and intent. ## `summary` (type: `string`): Mode, rows returned and backend cost. # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "seedKeyword": "email marketing", "target": "mailchimp.com" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("santhej/dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "seedKeyword": "email marketing", "target": "mailchimp.com", } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("santhej/dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "seedKeyword": "email marketing", "target": "mailchimp.com" }' | apify call santhej/dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=santhej/dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "DataForSEO Labs - Keyword Ideas, Difficulty & Competitors", "description": "DataForSEO Labs keyword toolkit. Get keyword suggestions, related keywords, keyword difficulty, search intent, and a competitor's ranked keywords as structured JSON. Pay per keyword — no DataForSEO account or subscription needed.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "gdcT7TwL3F0fEqa1r" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/santhej~dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-santhej-dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/santhej~dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-santhej-dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/santhej~dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-santhej-dataforseo-labs-keyword-explorer", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "enum": [ "keyword_suggestions", "related_keywords", "ranked_keywords", "keyword_difficulty", "search_intent" ], "type": "string", "description": "Which DataForSEO Labs report to run.", "default": "keyword_suggestions" }, "seedKeyword": { "title": "Seed keyword", "type": "string", "description": "Used by Keyword Suggestions & Related Keywords. Also accepted by Difficulty / Search Intent as a single keyword." }, "keywords": { "title": "Keywords list", "type": "array", "description": "Used by Keyword Difficulty & Search Intent. Up to 1000 keywords.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "target": { "title": "Competitor domain", "type": "string", "description": "Used by Ranked Keywords. The domain whose ranking keywords you want, e.g. 'mailchimp.com'." }, "locationCode": { "title": "Location", "enum": [ "2840", "2826", "2124", "2036", "2356", "2276", "2250", "2724", "2380", "2528", "2392", "2076", "2710", "2784" ], "type": "string", "description": "Geographic location for the metrics (ignored for Search Intent).", "default": "2840" }, "languageCode": { "title": "Language code", "type": "string", "description": "Two-letter language code, e.g. 'en', 'es', 'de', 'fr'.", "default": "en" }, "limit": { "title": "Result limit", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Max keyword rows to return (Suggestions / Related / Ranked). Up to 1000.", "default": 100 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```