mcp-patterns

name	mcp-patterns
description	This skill should be used when the user asks about "DataForSEO MCP tools", "which DataForSEO tools are available", "how to use DataForSEO MCP", "DataForSEO tool parameters", "dataforseo tool list", or needs to know which MCP operations are available for DataForSEO and how to use them correctly.

DataForSEO MCP Tools Reference

All tools use the mcp__dataforseo__ prefix. 76 tools across 8 API modules.

Task Routing Table

Use this to pick the right tool for a given task.

Task	Best Tools	Category
Research keywords for a topic	mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_google_keyword_ideas, mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_google_keyword_suggestions	Labs
Check keyword difficulty + volume	mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_google_keyword_overview, mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_bulk_keyword_difficulty	Labs
Find keywords a competitor ranks for	mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_google_keywords_for_site, mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_google_ranked_keywords	Labs
Compare domains side-by-side	mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_google_competitors_domain, mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_google_domain_intersection	Labs
Analyze SERP for a keyword	mcp__dataforseo__serp_organic_live_advanced	SERP
Get backlink profile	mcp__dataforseo__backlinks_summary, mcp__dataforseo__backlinks_backlinks, mcp__dataforseo__backlinks_referring_domains	Backlinks
Find competitor backlinks	mcp__dataforseo__backlinks_competitors, mcp__dataforseo__backlinks_domain_intersection	Backlinks
Check for spam/toxic links	mcp__dataforseo__backlinks_bulk_spam_score, mcp__dataforseo__backlinks_anchors	Backlinks
Run on-page audit	mcp__dataforseo__on_page_lighthouse, mcp__dataforseo__on_page_instant_pages, mcp__dataforseo__on_page_content_parsing	OnPage
Analyze content landscape	mcp__dataforseo__content_analysis_search, mcp__dataforseo__content_analysis_summary, mcp__dataforseo__content_analysis_phrase_trends	Content
Track Google Trends	mcp__dataforseo__kw_data_google_trends_explore, mcp__dataforseo__kw_data_dfs_trends_explore	Keywords Data
Check domain tech stack	mcp__dataforseo__domain_analytics_technologies_domain_technologies	Domain Analytics
WHOIS lookup	mcp__dataforseo__domain_analytics_whois_overview	Domain Analytics
Check LLM mentions of brand	mcp__dataforseo__ai_opt_llm_ment_search, mcp__dataforseo__ai_opt_llm_ment_agg_metrics	AI Optimization
Understand search intent	mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_search_intent	Labs
Get historical rankings	mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_google_historical_rank_overview, mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_google_historical_serp	Labs
Estimate traffic for keywords	mcp__dataforseo__dataforseo_labs_bulk_traffic_estimation	Labs
Get search volume from Google Ads	mcp__dataforseo__kw_data_google_ads_search_volume	Keywords Data

Category Overview

Module	Tools	Description
SERP	7	Live Google/YouTube SERP scraping and location lookup
DataForSEO Labs	20	Keyword research, domain analysis, competitor intelligence, search intent
Backlinks	19	Link profiles, anchor text, bulk analysis, spam scores, timeseries
Keywords Data	7	Google Ads search volume, Google Trends, DFS Trends with demographics
OnPage	3	Lighthouse audits, instant page analysis, content parsing
Content Analysis	3	Content search, summaries, and phrase trend tracking
Domain Analytics	4	Technology detection and WHOIS data
AI Optimization	13	LLM mention tracking, ChatGPT scraping, AI keyword data

Location and Language Codes

Most tools require location_name (e.g., "United States") and language_code (e.g., "en").

• Use mcp__dataforseo__serp_locations to look up valid SERP location names by country ISO code.
• Use mcp__dataforseo__kw_data_google_ads_locations to look up valid Google Ads location names.
• If omitted, many tools default to United States / English, but always specify explicitly for accuracy.

Common Parameters

These parameters appear across most tools:

Parameter	Description	Default	Max
limit	Number of results to return	10	1000
offset	Skip N results for pagination	0	--
filters	Array of filter conditions: ["metric", "operator", "value"]	--	--
order_by	Array of sort directives: ["metric,asc"] or ["metric,desc"]	--	--

Filter operators: =, <>, >, <, >=, <=, contains, not_contains, in, not_in, like, not_like.

Combine filters with "and" or "or" between filter arrays.

Cost Awareness

DataForSEO charges per API call. Keep costs down:

1. Use bulk tools -- bulk_keyword_difficulty, bulk_backlinks, bulk_ranks process many targets in one call.
2. Set reasonable limits -- do not request 1000 results when 50 will do.
3. Avoid redundant calls -- check if a broader tool already returns what you need before calling a narrower one.
4. Cache results mentally -- if you already fetched keyword data, do not re-fetch it.

Reference Files

Detailed per-category documentation with full parameter lists and usage examples:

• SERP Tools -- 7 tools for Google/YouTube SERP analysis
• Labs Tools -- 20 tools for keyword research and domain intelligence
• Backlinks Tools -- 19 tools for link analysis
• Keywords Data Tools -- 7 tools for search volume and trends
• OnPage Tools -- 3 tools for page audits
• Content Analysis Tools -- 3 tools for content research
• Domain Analytics Tools -- 4 tools for tech stack and WHOIS
• AI Optimization Tools -- 13 tools for LLM monitoring