Keyword Research Tool MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides comprehensive SEO keyword research and analysis capabilities. This server adapts the functionality from the original boringmarketer/keyword-research-tool into a single, powerful MCP tool.

Features

🔍 Comprehensive Analysis

• Website content crawling and analysis using Firecrawl
• AI-powered seed keyword generation with Perplexity
• Search volume and competition data via DataForSEO
• Smart keyword clustering and competitor analysis
• Timestamped report generation

📊 Detailed Reports

• Keyword clusters with commercial intent scoring
• Quick wins (low competition opportunities)
• High-value targets (commercial keywords)
• Competitor domain analysis with AI research
• Actionable SEO strategy recommendations
• Dual format: JSON (technical) + Text (human-readable)
• Professional text reports matching original HTML tool format

🎯 Business-Focused

• Auto-detects and optimizes for business type
• Commercial intent scoring for ROI focus
• Industry-specific keyword suggestions
• Professional report format

Prerequisites

You'll need API keys from these services:

Required APIs

1. Firecrawl (Website Scraping)

   • Sign up at: https://firecrawl.dev/
   • Format: fc-xxxxxxxxxx
   • Cost: ~$0.01 per website scrape

2. Perplexity (AI Keyword Generation)

   • Sign up at: https://www.perplexity.ai/
   • Format: pplx-xxxxxxxxxx
   • Cost: ~$0.02 per keyword generation

3. DataForSEO (Keyword & SERP Data)

   • Sign up at: https://dataforseo.com/
   • Uses your login credentials (username/password)
   • Cost: ~$0.50-1.00 per analysis

Total estimated cost per analysis: ~$0.53-1.03

Installation

1. Clone and install dependencies:

git clone <this-repo>
cd keyword-research-tool-mcp
npm install
npm run build

2. Add to your MCP client configuration (e.g., in Claude Desktop's config):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seo-keyword-research": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/keyword-research-tool-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "fc-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "pplx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "DATAFORSEO_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you are running a tool like Cursor or Windsurf, you may need to remind it to search for API keys in the above JSON file.

3. Build the Server

npm run build

Usage

The server provides one comprehensive tool:

analyze_website

Performs complete SEO keyword research and analysis for any website.

Parameters:

• website_url (string): Website URL to analyze (e.g., "https://example.com")
• business_type (enum): Business type for targeted analysis
  • Options: "E-commerce", "SaaS", "Service Business", "Blog/Content", "Education", "Other"
• firecrawl_api_key (string): Firecrawl API key (format: fc-xxxxxxxxxx)
• perplexity_api_key (string): Perplexity API key (format: pplx-xxxxxxxxxx)
• dataforseo_username (string): DataForSEO username (your email)
• dataforseo_password (string): DataForSEO password

Example Usage:

analyze_website({
  "website_url": "https://example.com",
  "business_type": "SaaS", 
  "firecrawl_api_key": "fc-your-key-here",
  "perplexity_api_key": "pplx-your-key-here",
  "dataforseo_username": "your@email.com",
  "dataforseo_password": "your_password"
})

Output

The analysis generates:

Console Output

• Analysis Summary: Total keywords, search volume, traffic potential
• Quick Wins: Low competition opportunities for immediate targeting
• High-Value Targets: Keywords with highest commercial potential
• Top Keyword Clusters: Organized keyword groups with metrics
• Main Competitors: Competing domains identified
• Report Location: Path to detailed JSON report

Saved Reports

Timestamped reports are automatically saved to reports/ directory in two formats:

JSON Report (<company domain>_YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS.json):

• Complete analysis data for technical use
• All keyword metrics and search volumes
• Competitor domains and SERP analysis
• Commercial intent scores
• Clustering analysis
• Raw API response data

Text Report (<company domain>_YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS_formatted.txt):

• Comprehensive formatted report matching the original HTML tool
• Executive summary with key metrics
• Quick wins section (low competition opportunities)
• High-value targets (commercial keywords)
• Detailed keyword clusters with complete breakdowns
• Competitor analysis with AI and SERP sources
• Strategic action plan (immediate, medium-term, long-term)
• Raw analysis data section
• Professional formatting with ASCII art borders

Analysis Process

The tool follows the same comprehensive process as the original app.js:

1. Website Scraping: Extract content using Firecrawl API
2. Content Cleaning: Filter technical terms, focus on business-relevant content
3. Keyword Generation: AI-powered seed keyword creation with Perplexity
4. Keyword Enhancement: Get search volumes, competition data via DataForSEO
5. SERP Analysis: Analyze top-ranking pages and competitor domains
6. Clustering: Group related keywords into themed clusters
7. Scoring: Calculate commercial intent and difficulty scores
8. Report Generation: Create comprehensive analysis report

Code Structure

The MCP server is built by adapting the original app.js functions:

src/index.ts
├── KeywordResearchTool class
│   ├── scrapeWebsite()          # Website content extraction
│   ├── cleanWebsiteContent()    # Content filtering and cleaning  
│   ├── generateKeywords()       # AI keyword generation
│   ├── filterTechnicalKeywords() # Remove irrelevant terms
│   └── performAnalysis()        # Main orchestration function
├── MCP Server setup
│   ├── Tool definition (analyze_website)
│   ├── Request handlers
│   └── Response formatting
└── Report generation and file saving

Key Adaptations from Original

• Single Tool: Condensed the multi-step web UI into one comprehensive MCP tool
• Simplified Flow: Removed UI progress indicators, kept core analysis logic
• Enhanced Output: Structured markdown output plus detailed JSON reports
• Type Safety: Full TypeScript implementation with proper interfaces
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error messages and validation
• Report Persistence: Automatic timestamped report saving

Development

Build the project:

npm run build

Run in development mode:

npm run dev

Start the server:

npm start

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Analysis failed" errors:

• Verify all API keys are correct and active
• Check API credit balances
• Ensure website URL is accessible
• Test individual API endpoints

"Failed to scrape website":

• Check if website blocks crawlers/bots
• Try with different website URL
• Verify Firecrawl API key format and permissions

DataForSEO errors:

• Confirm username/password are correct
• Check account has sufficient credits
• Some keywords may have limited data available

API Documentation

• Firecrawl: https://docs.firecrawl.dev/
• Perplexity: https://docs.perplexity.ai/
• DataForSEO: https://docs.dataforseo.com/

License

MIT License - Feel free to use and modify for your SEO research needs.

Built for marketers and SEO professionals who want comprehensive keyword research integrated into their AI workflows.