Keyword Research Pro: Bulk Google Search Volume, CPC and Competition

An Apify Actor for SEO keyword research at scale. Paste a seed keyword list or enter a competitor domain, pick a research mode, and get structured metrics for up to 10,000 keywords per run across 230+ countries. No Google Ads account required.

It returns average monthly search volume, CPC, competition, top-of-page bid ranges, keyword difficulty, search intent, backlink-gap signals, and a 12-month volume series for every term. Optional enrichments add SERP competitors, AI search volume, extended trends, and clickstream demographics. White-label HTML (+ CSV) and PDF reports are available for client delivery.

Designed for SEO teams, PPC planners, agencies, and automation workflows, the Actor uses official search data APIs. Pay only for keywords returned, and cap spend with maxTotalChargeUsd.

No scraping. No broken runs. No captchas to solve.

🚀 Launch pricing: 80% DISCOUNT

$0.50 per 1,000 keywords

Launch rates apply until 31 October 2026. Regular rates start on 1 November 2026 which will also be very competitive. See the price tables.

Use Cases

• Run bulk search volume checks on hundreds or thousands of keywords in one job
• Prioritize SEO content by real search demand before you write
• Plan PPC / Google Ads budgets with CPC and top-of-page bid ranges
• Spot seasonality and demand shifts with 12-month volume history
• Feed agents and automation with stable JSON field names for API, MCP, n8n, or Make

Index

• Use Cases
• Release Notes
• Research Modes
• Features
• Optional Enrichments
• Pricing
• Input
• Input Example
• API and MCP usage
• Output Structure
• Output Example

Release Notes

v1.0 - Initial public release

• Five research modes: Suggestions, Ideas, Related, Overview (metrics for your own list), and Competitor (domain seed)
• Built-in filters: min/max volume, max difficulty, search intent, include/exclude words, questions only, min/max word count
• Backlink gap metrics: average backlinks, referring domains, and domain rank of top-ranking pages (included in base metrics)
• Optional enrichments: SERP overview (top competitors), AI search volume, extended trend history
• SERP feature flags: SERP feature types (including AI Overview), clickstream demographics and normalized volumes
• White-label reports: HTML (+ CSV) and PDF with custom title, logo, subline, and domain line
• Export toggles: omit metric, intent, backlink, AI, SERP, or clickstream field groups from dataset rows
• Pay-per-event pricing: Actor start, per keyword result, optional SERP / AI / trends / clickstream / report charges; spending-limit safe
• Launch pricing: discounted flat rates until 31 October 2026. Regular rates apply from 1 November 2026.

Research Modes

Choose how the Actor discovers or scores keywords. Set Mode in the Input tab or pass mode in your API call.

Mode	Seed required	What it does
suggestions	Seed keywords	Longtail phrases and close variants from each seed
ideas	Seed keywords	Broad topic expansion from seed keywords (default)
related	Seed keywords	Semantically related terms from each seed
overview	Seed keywords	Metrics only for the keywords you provide. No expansion.
competitor	Competitor domain	Organic keywords the domain ranks for

If you provide only a competitor domain and leave the mode on the default, the Actor auto-infers Competitor mode and logs a seed warning.

Ideas expands by Google Ads category, not by semantic similarity. Use Suggestions for close variants, or add includeWords / excludeWords.

Use Overview when you already have a keyword list and need volume, CPC, and competition only. One dataset row per keyword.

Features

🔍 Five research modes: Expand from seeds, score your own list, or map a competitor domain

🎯 Built-in filters: Volume, difficulty, intent, include/exclude words, questions only, exact phrase match, word-count bounds

📈 Core SEO metrics: Search volume, CPC, competition, keyword difficulty (0-100), bid range, monthly history, trend %, opportunity score

🔗 Backlink gap: Average backlinks and referring domains of pages ranking for each keyword

🌍 230+ countries: Location and language targeting for local and international research

📄 White-label reports: HTML (+ CSV) and/or PDF with your branding; first 500 keywords in the report table

🛡️ Reliable by design: Official search data APIs. No scraping. No broken runs.

Optional Enrichments

Turn these on in the Input tab when you need deeper data. Each optional enrichment is billed only when enabled and data is returned.

• SERP overview (includeSerpOverview) - Top organic competitors per keyword with position and visibility signals. Charged as serp-overview ($3.20 / 1,000 keywords at launch).
• AI search volume (includeAiSearchVolume) - LLM / AI search volume and AI share for GEO and AI-SEO workflows. Charged as ai-search-volume ($0.40 / 1,000 keywords at launch).
• Trend data (includeTrends) - Extended monthly search-volume history beyond the default series. Charged as trends ($2.30 / 1,000 keywords at launch).
• Clickstream data (includeClickstreamData) - Demographics and clickstream / Bing-normalized volumes. Charged as clickstream ($0.22 / 1,000 keywords at launch).
• SERP feature flags (includeSerpInfo) - SERP feature types (including AI Overview) and indexed result counts from the discovery call. No separate enrichment charge.

White-label HTML (+ CSV) and PDF reports are flat per-run charges when generation succeeds (html-report $0.05, pdf-report $0.05 at launch).

Pricing

Launch pricing is active until 31 October 2026. Base metrics cost $0.50 per 1,000 keywords, roughly a quarter of what comparable actors charge. Reports cost $0.05 each.

Launch pricing is available to everyone. No code is needed. Runs started before 1 November 2026 are billed at the launch rate.

From 1 November 2026 the regular rates apply.

Launch prices (until 31 October 2026)

Cost item	Launch rate
Keyword result	$0.50 / 1,000 keywords
SERP overview (optional)	$3.20 / 1,000 keywords
AI search volume (optional)	$0.40 / 1,000 keywords
Trend data (optional)	$2.30 / 1,000 keywords
Clickstream data (optional)	$0.22 / 1,000 keywords
HTML report (optional)	$0.05 once per run
PDF report (optional)	$0.05 once per run
Actor start	$0.02 (infrequent)
Apify platform compute (RAM/time)	Billed by Apify platform pricing

Cost per keyword (Overview, no enrichments): ~$0.00052 - about $0.52 per 1,000 keywords including Actor start. 100 keywords cost about $0.07.

No tier discounts during launch. Every plan pays the same launch rate.

Regular prices (from 1 November 2026)

Cost item	Regular rate
Keyword result	$1.80 / 1,000 keywords
SERP overview (optional)	$5.00 / 1,000 keywords
AI search volume (optional)	$0.80 / 1,000 keywords
Trend data (optional)	$3.50 / 1,000 keywords
Clickstream data (optional)	$0.40 / 1,000 keywords
HTML report (optional)	$0.25 once per run
PDF report (optional)	$0.15 once per run
Actor start	$0.02 (infrequent)
Apify platform compute (RAM/time)	Billed by Apify platform pricing

Volume discounts on keyword results down to $1.20 per 1,000 apply from the Bronze plan upwards after 1 November 2026.

Optional enrichments are billed separately when enabled. Use maxTotalChargeUsd (default $25) to cap run cost. The Actor stops charging and keeps results already written.

Cost Examples (launch rates)

Scenario A: 1,000 keywords, Overview, no enrichments

• Actor start: $0.02
• 1,000 keyword results: $0.50
• Total: ~$0.52

Scenario B: 1,000 keywords + HTML report

• Actor start: $0.02
• 1,000 keyword results: $0.50
• HTML report: $0.05
• Total: ~$0.57

Scenario C: 1,000 keywords + live SERP overview

• Actor start: $0.02
• 1,000 keyword results: $0.50
• SERP overview (1,000 x $0.0032): $3.20
• Total: ~$3.72

Scenario D: 1,000 keywords + AI search volume + PDF report

• Actor start: $0.02
• 1,000 keyword results: $0.50
• AI volume (1,000 x $0.0004): $0.40
• PDF report: $0.05
• Total: ~$0.97

Input

The Actor accepts the following input parameters (see the Input tab in the Apify Console for the full, interactive schema):

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
mode	string	no	ideas	Research mode: suggestions, ideas, related, overview, or competitor.
seedKeywords	string	for non-competitor modes	-	One seed keyword per line (up to 1,000). Required for Suggestions / Ideas / Related / Overview.
seedDomain	string	for competitor	-	Bare hostname of the competitor (no https:// or www). Required for Competitor; ignored otherwise (warning only).
location	string	no	Germany	Country or region for volume and competition data (English country name preferred).
language	string	no	de	Two-letter ISO language code.
limit	integer	no	100	Maximum keywords returned for the whole run (1-10,000).
maxTotalChargeUsd	number	no	25	Stop the run once this USD amount has been charged.
limitPerSeed	integer	no	-	Optional cap per seed for Suggestions / Ideas / Related. Ignored in Overview and Competitor.
minVolume	integer	no	-	Drop keywords below this monthly search volume.
maxVolume	integer	no	-	Drop keywords above this monthly search volume.
maxDifficulty	integer	no	-	Drop keywords harder than this score (0-100).
intentFilter	string	no	-	Keep only informational, commercial, transactional, or navigational.
includeWords	array	no	-	Keep only keywords that contain every listed word (case-insensitive).
excludeWords	array	no	-	Drop keywords that contain any listed word (case-insensitive).
questionsOnly	boolean	no	false	Keep only question-style keywords (who / what / how / why / when / where).
exactMatch	boolean	no	false	Suggestions / Related only: keyword must contain the exact seed phrase.
ignoreSynonyms	boolean	no	false	Prefer core keywords; skip near-duplicate synonym variants.
includeSeedKeyword	boolean	no	false	Also return metrics for the seed itself (Suggestions / Ideas / Related).
includeSerpInfo	boolean	no	false	Add SERP feature types and result counts (no separate enrichment charge).
includeClickstreamData	boolean	no	false	Add demographics and clickstream / Bing-normalized volumes (extra charge per keyword with data).
includeSerpOverview	boolean	no	false	Enrich with top organic SERP competitors ($0.0032 / keyword at launch when data returned).
includeAiSearchVolume	boolean	no	false	Enrich with AI / LLM search volume ($0.0004 / keyword at launch when data returned).
includeTrends	boolean	no	false	Add extended monthly search-volume history ($0.0023 / keyword at launch when data returned).
htmlReport	boolean	no	false	Write white-label HTML (+ CSV) to the key-value store ($0.05 once at launch). Auto-enabled by custom title/logo.
pdfReport	boolean	no	false	Write white-label PDF to the key-value store ($0.05 once at launch; independent of HTML).
reportTitle	string	no	Keyword Research Report	Report headline. Non-default title auto-enables HTML report.
reportLogoUrl	string	no	-	Public logo URL. Setting a logo auto-enables HTML report.
reportShowSubline	boolean	no	true	Show meta line (keyword count, location, language, mode).
reportShowDomain	boolean	no	true	Show "for domain: ..." line on reports.
reportDomain	string	no	-	Domain label for reports; falls back to competitor seed when empty.
minWords	integer	no	-	Keep keywords with at least this many words (1-32).
maxWords	integer	no	-	Keep keywords with at most this many words (1-32).
disableMetrics	boolean	no	false	Omit volume, CPC, competition, difficulty, and related columns.
disableIntent	boolean	no	false	Omit intent columns.
disableBacklinkGap	boolean	no	false	Omit backlink-gap columns.
disableAiVolume	boolean	no	false	Omit AI volume columns (even if enrichment ran).
disableSerpOverview	boolean	no	false	Omit SERP competitor columns (even if enrichment ran).
disableSerpInfo	boolean	no	false	Omit SERP-feature columns.
disableClickstream	boolean	no	false	Omit demographics / clickstream columns.

Input Example

Overview: bulk Volume / CPC for your list

{
  "mode": "overview",
  "seedKeywords": "seo tools\nkeyword research\nbest crm for startups",
  "location": "United States",
  "language": "en",
  "limit": 1000
}

Competitor domain

{
  "mode": "competitor",
  "seedDomain": "ahrefs.com",
  "location": "United States",
  "language": "en",
  "limit": 500,
  "minVolume": 100,
  "includeSerpOverview": true,
  "pdfReport": true,
  "reportTitle": "Competitor Keyword Map: Ahrefs",
  "reportLogoUrl": "https://cdn.example.com/brand/logo.png",
  "reportDomain": "your-agency.com"
}

Ideas from seed keywords

{
  "mode": "ideas",
  "seedKeywords": "seo tools\nkeyword research",
  "location": "Germany",
  "language": "de",
  "limit": 100,
  "minVolume": 50,
  "maxDifficulty": 40,
  "intentFilter": "commercial",
  "includeAiSearchVolume": false,
  "htmlReport": false
}

API and MCP usage

Runs write one dataset row per keyword. Optional reports are stored in the run key-value store as HTML_REPORT / CSV_REPORT and/or PDF_REPORT. Fetch rows from the default dataset after the run succeeds (or use the synchronous endpoint below).

REST (sync, returns dataset items): replace YOUR_USERNAME, YOUR_API_TOKEN, and use the same JSON body as in Input Example.

curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/YOUR_USERNAME~keyword-research-pro/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"overview","seedKeywords":"seo tools\nkeyword research","location":"United States","language":"en","limit":50}'

JavaScript (apify-client):

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const input = {
  mode: 'overview',
  seedKeywords: 'seo tools\nkeyword research',
  location: 'United States',
  language: 'en',
  limit: 50,
};
const run = await client.actor('YOUR_USERNAME~keyword-research-pro').call(input);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

// Optional reports (when enabled in input):
// await client.keyValueStore(run.defaultKeyValueStoreId).getRecord('HTML_REPORT');
// await client.keyValueStore(run.defaultKeyValueStoreId).getRecord('PDF_REPORT');

Apify MCP server (AI agents): configure your MCP client with URL https://mcp.apify.com?tools=YOUR_USERNAME~keyword-research-pro (you can combine multiple tools per Apify MCP docs). Pass the API token via your client (for example an Authorization: Bearer ... header), not inside the Actor input JSON.

Output Structure

The Actor returns structured data for each keyword. The table below lists the main fields. Optional dataset views in the Apify Console (Overview, Metrics, Enrichments, Diagnostics) may show a subset. When disable options are enabled, the corresponding keys are omitted from each row.

Field	Type	Description	Example Value
keyword	string	Keyword phrase	"seo tools"
seed_keyword	string	null	Seed keyword or competitor domain that produced this row
search_volume	integer	null	Average monthly search volume
cpc	number	null	Cost per click (USD)
competition	number	null	Competition index (0-1)
competition_level	string	null	LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH
low_top_of_page_bid	number	null	Lower Ads top-of-page bid
high_top_of_page_bid	number	null	Upper Ads top-of-page bid
keyword_difficulty	integer	null	Difficulty score 0-100
words_count	integer	null	Number of words in the keyword
search_intent	string	null	Primary intent
search_intent_probabilities	object	number	null
foreign_intent	array	null	Secondary intents
monthly_searches	array	Monthly volume history	see below
search_volume_trend	object	null	MoM / QoQ / YoY trend percentages
opportunity_score	number	null	Volume / max(difficulty, 1)
categories	array	Category IDs / labels from the API	[10004]
core_keyword	string	null	Core form of the keyword when provided by the API
avg_backlinks	number	null	Avg backlinks of top-ranking pages
avg_dofollow	number	null	Avg dofollow links
avg_referring_pages	number	null	Avg referring pages
avg_referring_domains	number	null	Avg referring domains
avg_domain_rank	number	null	Avg domain rank of ranking pages
avg_main_domain_rank	number	null	Avg main-domain rank
backlink_gap	number	null	Estimated backlinks needed to compete (same basis as avg backlinks)
serp_item_types	array	SERP feature types when includeSerpInfo is on	["organic","people_also_ask"]
se_results_count	integer	null	Indexed result count for the query
has_ai_overview	boolean	null	Whether an AI Overview appears in the SERP
gender_distribution	object	null	Clickstream gender mix when enabled
age_distribution	object	null	Clickstream age mix when enabled
clickstream_search_volume	integer	null	Clickstream volume
clickstream_normalized_volume	integer	null	Clickstream-normalized volume
bing_normalized_volume	integer	null	Bing-normalized volume
ai_search_volume	integer	null	AI / LLM search volume when enrichment is on
ai_share	number	null	ai_search_volume / search_volume
ai_monthly_searches	array	Monthly AI volume history when AI enrichment is on	see API
ai_search_volume_trend	object	null	AI volume trend percentages when AI enrichment is on
serp_competitors	array	Top organic competitors when SERP overview is on	see below
detected_language	string	null	Detected keyword language
is_another_language	boolean	null	Language mismatch flag
_metadata.resultCharged	boolean	Whether this row was charged as a keyword result	true
_metadata.error	string	null	Present on failure / empty diagnostic rows
_metadata.errorContext	string	null	Extra error context when error is set

Key-value store reports

When enabled, download from the run's key-value store:

Record	Content
HTML_REPORT	White-label HTML report (text/html)
CSV_REPORT	CSV companion written with the HTML report
PDF_REPORT	White-label PDF report (application/pdf)

Output Example

{
  "keyword": "seo tools",
  "seed_keyword": "seo tools",
  "search_volume": 12100,
  "cpc": 2.45,
  "competition": 0.67,
  "competition_level": "MEDIUM",
  "low_top_of_page_bid": 0.85,
  "high_top_of_page_bid": 3.2,
  "keyword_difficulty": 42,
  "words_count": 2,
  "search_intent": "commercial",
  "search_intent_probabilities": 0.82,
  "foreign_intent": ["informational"],
  "monthly_searches": [
    { "year": 2026, "month": 6, "search_volume": 11800 },
    { "year": 2026, "month": 5, "search_volume": 12100 }
  ],
  "search_volume_trend": {
    "monthly": 5.2,
    "quarterly": 8.1,
    "yearly": 12.4
  },
  "opportunity_score": 288.1,
  "categories": [10004],
  "core_keyword": "seo tool",
  "avg_backlinks": 120.5,
  "avg_dofollow": 95.2,
  "avg_referring_pages": 340,
  "avg_referring_domains": 48.3,
  "avg_domain_rank": 512,
  "avg_main_domain_rank": 480,
  "backlink_gap": 120.5,
  "serp_item_types": ["organic", "people_also_ask", "ai_overview"],
  "se_results_count": 125000000,
  "has_ai_overview": true,
  "ai_search_volume": 420,
  "ai_share": 0.03,
  "serp_competitors": [
    {
      "domain": "ahrefs.com",
      "avg_position": 2.1,
      "etv": 15400.5,
      "visibility": 0.42
    }
  ],
  "detected_language": "en",
  "is_another_language": false,
  "_metadata": {
    "resultCharged": true,
    "error": null,
    "errorContext": null
  }
}