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APIEndpoint 13 of 40Keyword Research / Competitor Analysis / Rank Intelligence

Keywords for Site API

The competitor keyword intelligence API for the new local SEO stack.

What keywords does my competitor rank for? This is the highest-value question in SEO — Ahrefs built a $129+/mo subscription around Site Explorer to answer it, Semrush built Organic Research at $139.95/mo to answer it, Moz built its entire ranking product to answer it. We expose the data as an API. One domain, all ranking keywords, position, volume, CPC, and search intent — in one POST call. 3 credits ($0.015) per domain. Your agent reverse-engineers their strategy.

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POST /v1/keywords/for-site · 3 credits / domain

POST /v1/keywords/for-site5 of 1,247
Keywords competitor ranks for
KeywordVolumeCPCTrend
plumber near me12,100$45.20
emergency plumber austin2,400$38.50
best plumber austin tx880$22.10
pipe repair cost590$12.40
drain cleaning austin720$18.90
▌ Ask your agent

These prompts are the new competitive research workflow.

Connect Local SEO Data as an MCP server once (60 seconds, below). Then your agent owns competitor research. Replace bracketed domains and locations with your own.

Competitor keyword gap analysis

Pull all ranking keywords for [competitor.com] in [Denver]. Filter for volume >500 and position <5. Show me the top 20 keywords they own that I don't rank for yet.

Multi-competitor strategy mapping

Pull ranking keywords for [5 top competitors in my market]. Find keywords they all rank for vs keywords unique to each. Which keywords are the battleground?

High-value opportunity discovery

Get ranking keywords for [competitor.com] in [Austin]. Filter for position 6-20 (they're ranking but not dominating). Find the keywords where a push could move me from 0 to top 3.

Content strategy reverse-engineering

Pull [abcplumbing.com] ranking keywords in [Denver]. Group by search intent. Which service categories are they competing in? Where should I focus my content?

▌ Real response

What you get back

Live response for a competitor plumbing domain in Denver. Real API response, May 2026.

response · application/json~3-8s · 3 credits
{
  "status": "success",
  "credits_used": 3,
  "data": {
    "domain": "abcplumbing.com",
    "location": "Denver, Colorado, United States",
    "total_keywords": 847,
    "keywords": [
      {
        "keyword": "plumber denver",
        "position": 2,
        "search_volume": 1200,
        "cpc": 48.00,
        "competition": 0.85,
        "search_intent": "local"
      },
      {
        "keyword": "emergency plumber",
        "position": 4,
        "search_volume": 880,
        "cpc": 62.50,
        "competition": 0.92,
        "search_intent": "commercial"
      },
      {
        "keyword": "drain cleaning denver",
        "position": 1,
        "search_volume": 390,
        "cpc": 32.00,
        "competition": 0.72,
        "search_intent": "local"
      },
      {
        "keyword": "pipe repair near me",
        "position": 8,
        "search_volume": 520,
        "cpc": 41.50,
        "competition": 0.78,
        "search_intent": "local"
      },
      {
        "keyword": "water heater installation",
        "position": 6,
        "search_volume": 280,
        "cpc": 35.25,
        "competition": 0.64,
        "search_intent": "commercial"
      }
    ]
  }
}
▌ Returns

Everything your agent needs to reverse-engineer competitor strategy

Per keyword

Position, volume, CPC, competition, intent

For each ranking keyword: current SERP position (1-20+), monthly search volume, cost-per-click in USD, competition index (0-1), and inferred search intent (local, commercial, informational). This is the dataset that Ahrefs Site Explorer charges $129+/mo to access. One API call, structured JSON, your agent does the analysis.

Domain ranking summary

Total keywords ranked, position distribution

You get the count of all keywords the domain ranks for. This tells you their keyword footprint — a plumbing company ranking for 847 keywords is much more aggressive than one ranking for 120. Pair this with position distribution to see if they're dominating (lots of position 1-3 keywords) or scattered (spread across positions 6-20).

Location-specific results

All ranking data is geographic

The keywords a competitor ranks for in Denver are different from their ranking keywords in Austin. All results are location-scoped from day one. Multi-location competitors are easy to analyze: one agent call per city, one agent prompt surfaces which markets they're strongest in.

Pair with other keyword endpoints

Compose with Search Volume, Keyword Gap, Keyword Opportunities

Start here to find competitor keywords. Use Keyword Opportunities to rank them by difficulty vs your current rank. Use Related Keywords to expand each discovery. Use Search Volume to validate trends. Composite workflows: one agent, four endpoints, $0.025 per domain analyzed.

▌ Built for

What competitive operators ship with this endpoint

Agency competitive audits

Agencies pull ranking keywords for all top 5 local competitors for each client. Identify the gap: 'competitor X ranks for 300 keywords you don't; here are the 50 highest-value ones.' Build 6-month content plans around closing that gap. One audit = 15 credits (~$0.075); delta between agency margin and cost is pure leverage.

→ For agencies

Pre-pitch competitive intelligence

Before the pitch call with a prospect, pull their top 3 competitors' ranking keywords in their market. Walk in with 'your competitors rank for 400+ keywords; your site ranks for 12. Here's our content strategy to close that gap.' Diagnosis beats guesswork.

→ For consultants

AI-driven content strategy mapping

Pull competitor keywords, group by search intent and service type. Feed to Claude with a prompt: 'these are our competitors' keywords — rank them by difficulty and align with our service offering.' Claude surfaces the 50 content pieces you should write first. Then slot into content calendar.

→ For in-house teams

M&A diligence and market entry

Before acquiring a business or entering a new market, pull the top 20 competitors' ranking keywords. Understand the keyword landscape: which keywords are worth fighting for, which are niche opportunities, what the SEO investment looks like. Same question Ahrefs Site Explorer was built to answer.

→ For strategists
▌ vs. the alternatives

Why not just use Ahrefs Site Explorer, Semrush, or Moz?

All of them show you competitor keywords. Here's why the API model is fundamentally better for agents.

ToolData modelBatch domainsSetupCost model
Ahrefs Site Explorer ($129/mo)Position, volume, traffic estimateOne domain at a time (UI)Login, no API (dashboard-first)$129–299/mo per seat, $1,548–3,588/year
Semrush Organic Research ($139.95/mo)Position, volume, estimated trafficUI-limited, slow exportsDashboard + limited API$139.95–499.95/mo per seat, $1,679–5,999/year
Moz Keyword Explorer ($99/mo)Position, volume, keyword difficultyLimited batchingDashboard UI, API secondary$99–599/mo per seat
SE Ranking ($159/mo)Position, volume, rank trackingLimited via dashboardProject-based dashboard$159/mo for 1M credits (opaque)
DataForSEO Organic Research ($0.01 per domain)Position, volume, traffic estimate, intentYes, via APIAPI key + integration work$0.01–0.05 per domain, no MCP
LocalSEOData Keywords for Site APIPosition, volume, CPC, competition, intentUnlimited domains per agent runAPI key + 1-line MCP config$0.015 per domain, no seats, agent-native
▌ Connect in 60 seconds

Use it from your agent

Two integration surfaces: MCP for clients that speak MCP, REST API for everything else.

Direct MCP integration

Drop-in support in Claude Desktop, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, and any MCP-aware client.

Add to your client's MCP config (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "localseodata": {
      "url": "https://mcp.localseodata.com",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer sk_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

REST API

For Perplexity Computer, ChatGPT Custom GPTs, custom agents, and any platform that calls REST endpoints directly.

Base URL:

api.localseodata.com

See the docs for endpoint reference and auth.

▌ Quickstart

Your first call in three lines

Same endpoint, three syntaxes. The `domain` parameter is the competitor's domain (e.g., 'competitor.com'). `location` is required in 'City, State, Country' format (e.g., 'Denver, Colorado, United States'). Optional: `limit` (default 50, max 1000). One call = 3 credits.

terminal · curl
POST /v1/keywords/for-site
curl -X POST https://api.localseodata.com/v1/keywords/for-site \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "domain": "abcplumbing.com",
    "location": "Denver, Colorado, United States",
    "limit": 100
  }'
Full endpoint reference → · Get an API key →
▌ Pricing for this endpoint

$0.015 per domain

3 credits per lookup. Free tier on signup includes 50 credits (16 domain audits). Monthly plans start at $19 and never expire. No per-seat fees, no domain limits.

Free tier
16
competitor audits on signup (50 credits)
Starter · $19/mo
1,266
audits/mo at this rate
Per-domain cost
$0.015
or 3 credits per lookup
▌ FAQ

Common questions

What is the Keywords for Site API?+
A REST endpoint that returns every keyword a domain currently ranks for in search results — up to 1,000 keywords per call. For each keyword, you get the current SERP position (1-50+), monthly search volume, cost-per-click in USD, competition level (0-1), and inferred search intent (local, commercial, informational). The endpoint is POST /v1/keywords/for-site. One call returns structured JSON and costs 3 credits (~$0.015). This is the foundational competitive intelligence endpoint — every market analysis, content strategy, and acquisition diligence workflow starts by asking: what keywords does my competitor rank for?
Where does this keyword ranking data come from?+
DataForSEO, our upstream provider. DataForSEO maintains a real-time SERP index by crawling Google search results at scale — they track millions of keywords and their positions across millions of domains in multiple locations. Most competitive SEO platforms (Ahrefs, Semrush, SE Ranking) license or resell similar data. The difference is we expose it as an API instead of locking it behind a per-seat subscription and dashboard. Data freshness is important: keyword positions update within 24-72 hours of SERP changes, depending on keyword volume and region.
How current is the ranking data?+
Ranking data refreshes daily to weekly depending on keyword volume and location. High-volume keywords (1,000+ monthly searches) are checked more frequently than long-tail keywords. Search volume, CPC, and competition levels are current as of your call. This freshness is good enough for content planning and strategy — you're not doing real-time bid management here. You're asking: 'what is my competitor's keyword strategy?' and the answer is 'everything they ranked for within the past week.' That's accurate.
Can I look up more than 50 keywords per domain?+
Yes. The limit parameter accepts 50-1000. Set limit: 1000 to get up to 1000 keywords per call for a single domain. Most domains rank for more than 50 keywords — a domain targeting local plumbing might rank for 300+ keywords across position ranges. You're charged 3 credits per call regardless of how many keywords are returned, so fetching 1000 costs the same as 50. Batch workflows are standard: agencies pull 5-10 competitor domains at 1000 keywords each = 15-30 credits (~$0.075-0.150) for a full competitive landscape analysis.
Does this show keywords I don't rank for yet?+
Yes. You call the endpoint with a competitor's domain and get all their ranking keywords. You then cross-reference that list against your own rankings (via Keyword Opportunities or your own rank tracker) to find the gap: which keywords they rank for that you don't. That gap is your content roadmap. A typical workflow: 'pull competitor.com's 500 ranking keywords → filter for volume >300 → filter for competition <0.7 → cross-reference my rankings → show me the 50 I should target first.' One agent prompt, multiple endpoints, one data-driven answer.
How does this compare to Ahrefs Site Explorer ($129/mo)?+
Ahrefs Site Explorer shows you a competitor domain's ranking keywords in a dashboard. You type in 'competitor.com', it shows you their top keywords ranked by traffic potential. The interface is interactive and visual, but it's designed for humans clicking around — you can look at one domain at a time, export CSVs slowly, and you pay $129/mo whether you use it or not. The Keywords for Site API does the same thing but as an endpoint: one domain, all ranking keywords, structured JSON, ready for your agent to analyze. For bulk competitive analysis (10+ competitors across multiple locations), the API is faster and cheaper: 3 cents per domain vs $129/mo. For interactive exploration, Ahrefs wins.
How does this compare to Semrush Organic Research ($139.95/mo)?+
Semrush Organic Research is Semrush's answer to 'what keywords does this domain rank for?' It shows position, volume, and estimated traffic. Like Ahrefs, it's dashboard-first with an API available secondary. Both charge per-seat subscriptions ($99-$199/mo). The Keywords for Site API exposes the same core data — position, volume, CPC, competition — as a pure API. No seats, no subscription overhead, $0.015 per domain. For agencies managing 10+ client locations, one call to our API costs $0.15 for 10 competitor audits. The same workflow on Semrush requires a $139.95/mo seat per team member.
What does search intent mean here?+
Search intent is our classification of what someone is trying to accomplish when they search a keyword. Four categories: local (they want a business nearby: 'plumber denver'), commercial (they want to buy or compare: 'best emergency plumber'), informational (they want to learn: 'how to fix a burst pipe'), navigational (they want to go to a specific site). This matters because it tells you the competitor's strategy. If they're ranking for mostly local keywords, they're fighting for local market share. If they're ranking for commercial keywords, they're optimizing for high-intent, high-value searches. Your agent can group their keywords by intent and tell you where the battleground is.
Can I analyze multiple competitors at once?+
Not in one call, but easily in parallel. One API call = one domain. But your agent can call this endpoint for 5-10 competitors in parallel (using batch requests) and get all their ranking keywords at once. A typical agent workflow: 'pull ranking keywords for my top 5 competitors in Denver, find keywords they all rank for vs keywords unique to each, and tell me which keywords are the battleground.' That's 5 API calls = 15 credits (~$0.075). Same analysis on Ahrefs or Semrush requires dashboard clicks or slow exports.
Can AI agents use this directly?+
Yes, two ways. MCP: Add Local SEO Data to your claude_desktop_config.json (or any MCP-compatible client like OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, etc.), and Claude calls this endpoint from your prompt without writing integration code. You say 'what keywords does abcplumbing.com rank for in Denver' and it happens. REST: Any agent that can make HTTPS calls (ChatGPT Custom GPTs, Perplexity Computer, custom Python agents) hits api.localseodata.com with Authorization: Bearer sk_live_.... The agent receives keyword data and can analyze it — finding gaps, grouping by intent, surfacing opportunities. This is why MCP matters: it closes the gap between 'I want to know my competitor's strategy' (human prompt) and 'here are their top 50 keywords to target' (agent answer).
What changed in 2026 that made this category exist?+
Two things. First, MCP (the Model Context Protocol) became standard in late 2024 and went mainstream through 2025. It made agent-driven competitive analysis possible — you don't call this endpoint manually, your agent calls it as part of a larger research workflow. The moment agents could call APIs natively, the value of this endpoint went from 'manual research tool you call once a quarter' to 'daily agent-driven workflow.' Second, SaaS subscription fatigue hit hard. Teams have Ahrefs or Semrush on a credit card ($99-$199/mo), but most don't use them because the dashboard is heavy and per-seat pricing punishes teams that want to automate. The API model (pay $0.015 per domain, no seats, full agent integration) is the response to that fatigue. Same data, zero subscription overhead, agent-native all the way.
▌ Related endpoints

Often used in the same agent prompt

POST /v1/keywords/search-volume
Search Volume API

Validate competitor keywords with volume trends and CPC.

POST /v1/keywords/opportunities
Keyword Opportunities API

Rank competitor keywords by difficulty vs your current rank.

POST /v1/keywords/suggestions
Keyword Suggestions API

Expand competitor keywords into long-tail variants.

POST /v1/keywords/related
Related Keywords API

Find semantically related keywords from competitor data.

Reverse-engineer competitor strategy in one API call.

50 free credits on signup. 16 competitor audits included. Analyze your entire competitive landscape in your first agent prompt.

Start FreeRead the docs
▌ MADE FOR THE NEW LOCAL SEO STACK