SEO Research
Enables AI coding assistants to perform SEO research tasks including backlink analysis, keyword research, traffic estimation, and keyword difficulty analysis using Ahrefs data directly within IDEs.
What is SEO Research?
SEO Research is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to enables ai coding assistants to perform seo research tasks including backlink analysis, keyword research, traffic estimation, and keyword difficulty analysis using ahrefs data directly within ides.
Enables AI coding assistants to perform SEO research tasks including backlink analysis, keyword research, traffic estimation, and keyword difficulty analysis using Ahrefs data directly within IDEs.
This server falls under the Marketing & SEO category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Enables AI coding assistants to perform SEO research tasks i
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx seo-research-mcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use SEO Research
SEO Research MCP (dataseo-mcp) brings Ahrefs-powered SEO analysis directly into AI coding assistants, exposing tools for backlink analysis, keyword research, traffic estimation, keyword difficulty scoring, domain comparison, content brief generation, and AI search query generation. It uses CAPTCHA-solving providers (CapSolver or Anti-Captcha) to access Ahrefs data without an Ahrefs API subscription, making professional SEO data accessible in IDEs and chat interfaces. Teams building content strategies, auditing competitors, or planning link-building campaigns can run research queries conversationally without leaving their development environment.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10+ and the uv package manager
- A CapSolver API key (CAPSOLVER_API_KEY) or Anti-Captcha API key (ANTICAPTCHA_API_KEY) — at least one is required
- Optionally an OpenRouter API key (OPENROUTER_API_KEY) for AI-assisted query generation features
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Claude Code
Install and run with uvx
Run dataseo-mcp directly with uvx targeting Python 3.10. No separate installation step is needed.
uvx --python 3.10 dataseo-mcpObtain a CAPTCHA solver API key
Register at https://www.capsolver.com or https://anti-captcha.com and copy your API key. This is required — without it the server cannot fetch Ahrefs data.
Configure your MCP client
Add the dataseo-mcp server block to your claude_desktop_config.json with at least one CAPTCHA provider key set.
Optional: configure OpenRouter for AI features
Set OPENROUTER_API_KEY and optionally OPENROUTER_MODEL (defaults to openai/gpt-4o-mini) to enable the ai_search_queries and seo_content_brief tools.
Test a domain overview query
Ask the assistant to summarize a domain. This exercises the domain_overview tool and confirms the server can reach and parse Ahrefs.
SEO Research Examples
Client configuration
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json. At least one CAPTCHA provider key is required. OPENROUTER_API_KEY is only needed for AI-assisted tools.
{
"mcpServers": {
"seo-research": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["--python", "3.10", "dataseo-mcp"],
"env": {
"CAPSOLVER_API_KEY": "<your-capsolver-key>",
"OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "<your-openrouter-key>",
"OPENROUTER_MODEL": "openai/gpt-4o-mini"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts mapped to the server's actual tool names for SEO research tasks.
- "Show backlinks for suparank.io"
- "Find SaaS SEO keywords for an onboarding flow page"
- "Estimate traffic for ege.md"
- "Check the keyword difficulty for 'AI SEO tools'"
- "Summarize the domain overview for ahrefs.com"
- "Compare suparank.io and ahrefs.com across key SEO metrics"
- "Find backlink gap opportunities for my domain vs competitor.com"
- "Create an SEO content brief for 'AI SEO audit'"Troubleshooting SEO Research
CAPTCHA solver API key errors on startup
Confirm CAPSOLVER_API_KEY or ANTICAPTCHA_API_KEY is set in the env block of your MCP config. The server requires at least one of these; without a valid key it cannot bypass Ahrefs CAPTCHA challenges.
Requests timeout when fetching Ahrefs data
Increase DATASEO_REQUEST_TIMEOUT (default: 30 seconds) and DATASEO_MAX_POLLING_ATTEMPTS (default: 120) in the env block. Ahrefs pages with heavy CAPTCHA challenges can take longer to resolve.
ai_search_queries or seo_content_brief tools return errors
These tools require OPENROUTER_API_KEY to be set and a valid model accessible via OpenRouter. Check your OpenRouter account balance and confirm the OPENROUTER_MODEL value is a model you have access to.
Frequently Asked Questions about SEO Research
What is SEO Research?
SEO Research is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables ai coding assistants to perform seo research tasks including backlink analysis, keyword research, traffic estimation, and keyword difficulty analysis using ahrefs data directly within ides. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install SEO Research?
Follow the installation instructions on the SEO Research GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with SEO Research?
SEO Research works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is SEO Research free to use?
Yes, SEO Research is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
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