Keyword Research with dataforseo-cli

LLM-friendly keyword research CLI. Wraps the DataForSEO API and outputs TSV by default — compact, structured, and optimized for agent context windows.

npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/dataforseo-cli GitHub: https://github.com/alexgusevski/dataforseo-cli

Setup

1. Install from npm

npm install -g dataforseo-cli

2. Check credentials

dataforseo-cli status

If credentials are already configured, you're good to go. If not, authenticate:

# With login + password
dataforseo-cli --set-credentials login=YOUR_LOGIN password=YOUR_PASSWORD

# Or with base64 token (from DataForSEO email)
dataforseo-cli --set-credentials base64=YOUR_BASE64_TOKEN

Credentials are stored in ~/.config/dataforseo-cli/config.json. The locations and languages commands work without credentials (local data).

Commands

status — Check credentials

Check if API credentials are configured without making any API calls.

dataforseo-cli status

Exits 0 if configured, exits 1 if not. Shows login username (not password).

volume — Keyword metrics

Get search volume, CPC, keyword difficulty (0–100), competition level, and 12-month search trend.

dataforseo-cli volume <keywords...> [options]

Arguments:

• <keywords...> — One or more keywords (required). Batch multiple keywords in one call to save API requests.

Options:

• -l, --location <code> — Location code (default: 2840 = US)
• --language <code> — Language code (default: en)
• --json — Output as JSON array
• --table / --human — Output as human-readable table

Example:

dataforseo-cli volume "seo tools" "keyword research" "backlink checker"

Output (TSV):

keyword	volume	cpc	difficulty	competition	trend
seo tools	12500	2.35	45	HIGH	14800,13900,12500,12100,11800,12000,12500,13000,12800,12500,12200,11900

• difficulty — 0–100 scale (0-30 easy, 31-60 medium, 61-100 hard)
• cpc — Cost per click in USD
• competition — LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH
• trend — 12 monthly search volumes, newest first

related — Keyword suggestions

Find related keyword ideas from a seed keyword.

dataforseo-cli related <seed> [options]

Arguments:

• <seed> — Seed keyword (required, single keyword)

Options:

• -l, --location <code> — Location code (default: 2840 = US)
• --language <code> — Language code (default: en)
• -n, --limit <n> — Max results (default: 50)
• --json — Output as JSON array
• --table / --human — Output as human-readable table

Example:

dataforseo-cli related "ai agents" -n 20

Output (TSV):

keyword	volume	cpc	competition	difficulty
best ai agents	8100	3.10	0.82	52
ai agent framework	2400	1.85	0.65	38

competitor — Domain keyword analysis

See what keywords a domain currently ranks for.

dataforseo-cli competitor <domain> [options]

Arguments:

• <domain> — Target domain (required, e.g. ahrefs.com)

Options:

• -l, --location <code> — Location code (default: 2840 = US)
• --language <code> — Language code (default: en)
• -n, --limit <n> — Max results (default: 50)
• --json — Output as JSON array
• --table / --human — Output as human-readable table

Example:

dataforseo-cli competitor semrush.com -n 10

Output (TSV):

keyword	position	volume	cpc	difficulty	url
backlink checker	1	33100	4.50	72	https://ahrefs.com/backlink-checker

locations — Look up location codes

List all available location codes, or filter by name. Works offline — no API credentials needed.

dataforseo-cli locations [search] [--json]

Arguments:

• [search] — Optional filter by name (e.g. sweden, new york)

Without search — lists all locations:

dataforseo-cli locations

With search — filters by name:

dataforseo-cli locations sweden

Output (TSV):

code	name	country	type
2752	Sweden	SE	Country

languages — Look up language codes

List all available language codes, or filter by name. Works offline — no API credentials needed.

dataforseo-cli languages [search] [--json]

Without search — lists all languages:

dataforseo-cli languages

With search — filters by name:

dataforseo-cli languages swedish

Output (TSV):

name	code
Swedish	sv

Output Formats

All data commands default to TSV (tab-separated values) — the most token-efficient structured format for LLMs.

Caching

Results are cached in ~/.config/dataforseo-cli/cache/ to avoid duplicate API calls and save costs. Same query + location + language = cache hit.

dataforseo-cli --print-cache

Workflow: SEO Article Research

1. Start with seed keyword: dataforseo-cli volume "your topic"
2. Expand: dataforseo-cli related "your topic" -n 30
3. Filter: Pick keywords with volume > 100, difficulty < 60
4. Check competitors: dataforseo-cli competitor competitor-domain.com -n 20
5. Write article targeting the best keyword cluster

Tips

• Batch keywords in volume — DataForSEO charges per API request, not per keyword
• Default location is USA (2840). Always set --location for local/international SEO
• Use locations and languages without arguments to see all available options
• Difficulty scale: 0-30 easy, 31-60 medium, 61-100 hard