SE Ranking

You can connect your AI assistants to SE Ranking’s SEO data and project management capabilities using an MCP server. This enables natural language queries for keyword research, backlinks, domain insights, audits, and project management tasks, all backed by token-authenticated API access and configurable hosting.

How to use

You interact with the SE Ranking MCP server through an MCP-compatible client. Start by ensuring your tokens are available and the MCP server is running in a container or local process. Once connected, you can ask your assistant for keyword research, domain analytics, backlink data, site audits, and project management actions. The server exposes a suite of data and project tools that your assistant can call to retrieve information, run analyses, and generate insights in natural language.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installation include an active SE Ranking account to obtain API tokens, Docker to run containers, and a client that supports MCP, such as Claude Desktop or the Gemini CLI.

Step-by-step installation using Docker (recommended) and a ready MCP client:

1. Ensure you have an active SE Ranking account to obtain tokens.
2. Install Docker from the official site.
3. Install your MCP client (Claude Desktop or Gemini CLI).
4. Prepare tokens and start the MCP server container using the provided configuration.

Additional configuration and troubleshooting

This setup relies on two API tokens for access: one for Data API tools and one for Project API tools. You’ll configure these tokens in the MCP client and container environment. If you modify token values while the server is running, restart the container or process to apply changes.

To verify the server is running, check your MCP client for the connected server name and ensure it appears under MCP Servers. If the container is started correctly, the client should list seo_data_mcp as an available server.

If you run into connectivity issues, verify that Docker is running, that the container is up, and that the correct environment variables are provided to the container. You can inspect a running container to confirm environment variables and settings.

Security and environment variables

The server uses two tokens to access SE Ranking APIs. Do not share tokens publicly. Store tokens securely in your MCP client configuration or container environment.

Usage examples and prompts

You can prompt your assistant to perform complex analyses, such as identifying keyword opportunities, analyzing domain visibility, or tracking backlinks and rankings. Use natural language prompts that map to the available Data API and Project API tools to fetch data and produce actionable SEO insights.

Troubleshooting tips

If the MCP server container is running but the assistant cannot access it, verify the environment variables DATA_API_TOKEN and PROJECT_API_TOKEN are correctly set. Restart the container after changes.

Notes on testing and development

You can perform sample requests or test runs against the MCP server using the client’s built-in testing features or simple curl-like commands if provided by your setup. Ensure tokens are valid before testing with live API calls.

Supported tools overview

The MCP server exposes a range of data and project tools to support SEO workflows, including SERP analyses, keyword research, backlinks data, domain insights, website audits, and project management operations. Use your MCP client to invoke these tools via natural language prompts.

Best practices

Organize your queries by domain, market, or project to get targeted results. Use domain-level prompts to compare competitors, and combine keyword research with backlink and domain authority metrics for holistic analyses.

Notes on installation variants

If you prefer a local Node.js setup for development, you can run a local server, build the project, and start the HTTP server. The Docker path is recommended for stability and ease of updates.

Available tools

DATA_getSerpHtmlDump

Retrieves the raw HTML dump of a completed SERP task as a ZIP file.

DATA_getSerpLocations

Retrieves a list of available locations for SERP analysis.

DATA_getSerpResults

Runs a SERP query and returns results, including organic, ads, and featured snippets.

DATA_getSerpTaskAdvancedResults

Retrieves the status or advanced results of a specific SERP task.

DATA_getSerpTaskResults

Retrieves the status or standard results of a specific SERP task.

DATA_getSerpTasks

Retrieves a list of all SERP tasks added to the queue in the last 24 hours.

DATA_getAiDiscoverBrand

Identifies and returns the brand name associated with a given target domain, subdomain, or URL.

DATA_getAiOverview

Retrieves a high-level overview of a domain's performance in AI search engines.

DATA_getAiPromptsByBrand

Retrieves a list of prompts where the specified brand is mentioned in AI search results.

DATA_getAiPromptsByTarget

Retrieves a list of prompts that mention the specified target in AI search results.

DATA_exportBacklinksData

Retrieves large-scale backlinks asynchronously, returning a task ID to check status later.

DATA_getAllBacklinks

Retrieves a comprehensive list of backlinks for the specified target.

DATA_getBacklinksAnchors

Retrieves a list of anchor texts for backlinks pointing to the specified target.

DATA_getBacklinksAuthority

Fetch authority metrics for a target (domain, host or URL).

DATA_getBacklinksCount

Returns the total number of backlinks for the target.

DATA_getBacklinksExportStatus

Checks the status of an asynchronous backlinks export task.

DATA_getBacklinksIndexedPages

Fetch site pages that have backlinks, with sorting and limit controls.

DATA_getBacklinksMetrics

Returns key statistics for a target. Supports batch requests.

DATA_getBacklinksRaw

Returns all backlinks pointing to a target using cursor-based pagination for large datasets.

DATA_getBacklinksRefDomains

Retrieves a list of referring domains pointing to the specified target.

DATA_getBacklinksSummary

Retrieves a summary of backlink metrics for one or multiple targets.

DATA_getCumulativeBacklinksHistory

Returns live backlinks count for every day within the specified date range.

DATA_getDistributionOfDomainAuthority

Returns distribution of Domain InLink Rank for all referring domains.

DATA_getDomainAuthority

Returns the domain InLink Rank of the target page's root domain.

DATA_getNewLostBacklinksCount

Returns count of newly found or lost backlinks for each day in the date range.

DATA_getNewLostRefDomainsCount

Returns count of referring domains found or lost in the date range, by day.

DATA_getPageAuthority

Returns the InLink Rank for a target URL.

DATA_getPageAuthorityHistory

Returns historical values of InLink Rank for a specific target page.

DATA_getReferringIps

Returns IPv4 addresses that belong to backlinks pointing to a target.

DATA_getReferringIpsCount

Returns the number of unique IPs linking to a target.

DATA_getReferringSubnetsCount

Returns the number of unique subnets/C-blocks linking to a target.

DATA_getTotalRefDomainsCount

Returns the number of unique domains linking to a target.

DATA_listNewLostBacklinks

Returns a list of backlinks found or lost within the specified date range.

DATA_listNewLostReferringDomains

Returns referring domains found or lost in the specified date range.

DATA_getDomainAdsByDomain

Retrieves paid ads for a specific domain.

DATA_getDomainAdsByKeyword

Retrieves paid ads for a specific keyword.

DATA_getDomainCompetitors

Retrieves a list of organic or paid competitors for a domain.

DATA_getDomainKeywords

Retrieves keywords for which a domain ranks in organic or paid search.

DATA_getDomainKeywordsComparison

Compares keyword rankings of two websites.

DATA_getDomainOverviewDatabases

Fetch domain overview by database.

DATA_getDomainOverviewHistory

Retrieves historical data for domain traffic and keyword rankings.

DATA_getDomainOverviewWorldwide

Retrieves an aggregated worldwide overview of domain metrics.

DATA_getDomainPages

Retrieves a list of individual pages ranking within a specified domain.

DATA_getDomainSubdomains

Retrieves a list of subdomains for a domain with search performance metrics.

DATA_getUrlOverviewWorldwide

Retrieves worldwide overview of organic and paid traffic metrics for a specific URL.

DATA_exportKeywords

Retrieves metrics for a bulk list of keywords.

DATA_getKeywordQuestions

Retrieves question-based keywords containing the seed keyword.

DATA_getLongTailKeywords

Retrieves long-tail variations for the seed keyword.

DATA_getRelatedKeywords

Retrieves keywords semantically related to the seed keyword.

DATA_getSimilarKeywords

Retrieves keywords similar to the seed keyword.

DATA_createAdvancedAudit

Launches an advanced website audit that renders JavaScript.

DATA_createStandardAudit

Launches a standard website audit that crawls HTML.

DATA_deleteAudit

Permanently deletes a website audit report and all associated data.

DATA_getAuditHistory

Retrieves a historical snapshot of a specific audit run.

DATA_getAuditPagesByIssue

Retrieves URLs affected by a specific issue within an audit.

DATA_getAuditReport

Retrieves the full detailed report for a completed website audit.

DATA_getAuditStatus

Checks the real-time status of a specific website audit.

DATA_getCrawledPages

Returns all URLs found during an audit.

DATA_getFoundLinks

Returns every hyperlink discovered during the audit.

DATA_getIssuesByUrl

Retrieves all issues found on a specific page within an audit.

DATA_listAudits

Retrieves all website audits associated with your account.

DATA_recheckAudit

Launches a new crawl of a previously completed audit.

DATA_updateAuditTitle

Changes the title of an existing website audit report.

PROJECT_getAccountBalance

Get the current account balance including currency and currency code.

PROJECT_getSubscription

Get information about the current user subscription.

PROJECT_getUserProfile

Get information about the currently logged in user.

PROJECT_getGoogleSearchConsole

Get popular queries from Google Search Console for a website.

PROJECT_getSeoPotential

Assess potential traffic volume, traffic cost, and potential customers for a website.

PROJECT_addDisavowedBacklinks

Add a list of URLs to the disavowed backlinks list.

PROJECT_addProjectBacklink

Add a single backlink to the backlink monitor for a website.

PROJECT_createBacklinkGroup

Create a new group for organizing backlinks.

PROJECT_deleteBacklinkGroup

Delete a backlink group.