Integrations / DataForSEO
SerpDad + DataForSEO: content planning on your own account.
DataForSEO content planning in SerpDad runs on one required key. Your DataForSEO account fetches the live Google top 10 and the search volume for every keyword, and SerpDad turns that into a page plan with one owner page per keyword. DataForSEO bills you directly. SerpDad never sees a cent of it.
Our 1,797-keyword run spent $11.25 at DataForSEO.
What flows where. How DataForSEO content planning works in SerpDad.
Your key buys the data. Your workspace keeps it. Every DataForSEO call SerpDad makes for you runs on your key, and the results stay in your workspace.
The top 10 for every keyword
SerpDad fetches the live Google top 10 for each keyword in a run. Keywords that share 3 or more of the same URLs go on one page.
Search volume
The volume for each keyword, which the plan is built from alongside the top 10.
Seed and competitor keywords
Keyword ideas from up to 20 seed keywords through DataForSEO Labs, or the keywords up to 5 competitor domains rank for. Both show an estimate before they fetch.
Rank checks
A fresh result per tracked focus keyword, weekly by default or daily. About $0.0006 per keyword per check at depth 10.
AI Mode checks
Scheduled checks on the queries you choose, about $0.0012 per query. AI Overviews are read from results already fetched, at no extra cost.
Reuse inside your workspace
Results fetched in your workspace in the last 30 days are reused at no cost. Other workspaces never read your data.
What you need. One account, two credentials, a little balance.
- A DataForSEO account. New accounts get $1.00 of sign-up credit from DataForSEO.
- Your API login and API password from the API Access page. The API password is not the password you sign in with.
- The Owner or Admin role in your SerpDad workspace. Only they can add or change keys.
- Funds in your DataForSEO balance. A run pauses if the balance drops below $2.00.
- One AI provider key as well. A run needs both keys to pass a live check.
DataForSEO is the only data provider a SerpDad plan needs. Ahrefs and Search Console are optional extras on top.
If you already use DataForSEO for something else, set a daily spend limit in DataForSEO billing before you connect. It works as a second guard next to the monthly cap you set in SerpDad.
The cost box. What DataForSEO charged for our own run.
| Line | Run 2 actual | Per 1,000 keywords |
|---|---|---|
| SERP fetch (top 10 results) | $0.83 | $0.46 |
| Keyword data | $10.42 | $5.80 |
| DataForSEO total | $11.25 | $6.26 |
Why the SERP line was small. 408 SERPs were reused from cache at no cost. The other $1.85 of the run (classification $1.67, briefs $0.18) went to the AI provider key, not DataForSEO. The whole run cost $13.10 against an estimate of $4.32 to $14.77, shown before it started.
Your numbers will differ. Try your own keyword count in the run cost calculator, or read the price-page estimates per 1,000 keywords in the provider keys docs. SerpDad shows the estimate for your own run before it spends.
Setup. Connect DataForSEO in three steps.
Copy your API login and API password
Sign in to DataForSEO and open API Access. Copy both. While you are there, set a daily spend limit in DataForSEO billing.
Paste them in Workspace, Provider keys
SerpDad checks them live and reads your balance before it saves. A failed check says why, for example that you pasted the sign-in password.
Read the estimate, then approve
Every run shows one line per spending step, your DataForSEO balance and your monthly cap after the run. Nothing is spent until you approve.
Full steps and fixes for a key that will not save: DataForSEO key help. How keys are stored and checked: provider keys docs.
What it won't do. It never resells your DataForSEO usage.
SerpDad adds no markup to DataForSEO fees and never falls back to a SerpDad key for your work. Every charge sits on your own DataForSEO account, where you can check it line by line.
Your key is encrypted and write-only. After you save it, SerpDad shows only the last 4 characters, its status and your balance. It never appears in logs, emails or links.
Want a tighter lock? Turn on the IP allowlist in DataForSEO and add the SerpDad address shown on the Provider keys page. DataForSEO then refuses calls from anywhere else.
Templates. Workflows that spend on this key, only after approval.
Keyword pile to page plan
The default workflow for every project: import, fetch the top 10 and volumes, then plan. The estimate comes first.
Monthly re-run
Runs the plan again on a schedule. An Owner or Admin can grant a standing approval for it, up to a per-run ceiling ($10.00 by default).
Weekly AI visibility
AI Mode checks on your chosen queries each week, on your DataForSEO key, with the cost shown before it starts.
Questions and answers.
Can't find the answer? Email us.
Do I need a DataForSEO account to use SerpDad?
Yes. DataForSEO is one of the two required keys, next to one AI provider key. A run cannot be approved until both keys pass a live check. New DataForSEO accounts get $1.00 of sign-up credit from DataForSEO.
Which password do I paste into SerpDad?
The API password from the API Access page in DataForSEO, together with your API login. It is not the password you use to sign in to the DataForSEO dashboard. SerpDad refuses the save and says so if you paste the wrong one.
How much will DataForSEO charge for one plan?
It depends on how many keywords you run and how many results are already in your workspace. Our Run 2 on 1,797 keywords spent $0.83 on SERP fetches and $10.42 on keyword data, with 408 SERPs reused at no cost. SerpDad shows the estimate for your own run before anything is spent.
What happens if my balance runs out during a run?
The run pauses when your DataForSEO balance drops below $2.00 and asks you to top up. It waits 72 hours. Once you add funds and check the key again, it fetches only what is still missing, so nothing is paid twice. If nobody fixes it, the run fails cleanly and your old plan stays live.
Does SerpDad reuse results I already paid for?
Yes. Results fetched in your workspace in the last 30 days are reused at no cost. Data bought with your key stays in your workspace, and other workspaces never read it.
Does SerpDad add a markup to DataForSEO fees?
No. DataForSEO bills your own account at its own prices. SerpDad never resells provider usage and never falls back to its own key for your work. You pay SerpDad only for the plan.
Your key, your bill, your plan.
Plan 1,000 keywords free on your own DataForSEO key.
Your first plan is free up to 1,000 keywords, with briefs for the top 5 pages. No card needed.