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Why I Like DataForSEO, Pt. 2

· 3 min read

If you are considering DataForSEO for content strategy or brief creation, I have insights to share. Here's what I found.

DataForSEO handles search intent really well​

Unlike other tools that visualize intent with trees or bubbles, DataForSEO gives you the information straight. The data is raw, structured, and ready for automation. Their Keyword Data API v3 includes an intent field for every keyword.

You can immediately see whether a keyword is associated with informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional intent. There's is no guesswork and no decoding required.

If you are building something semi-automated like my content brief generator, this is what you need. You can filter keywords by intent, group them into clusters, and even change your prompts to GPT based on the different types of intents (for example: writing prompts for a product page versus a blog post).

The Related Keywords API provides long tail keywords, items like questions, modifiers, and SERP indicators (such as PAA boxes or featured snippets). You can sort through this content to build layers of intent, especially if you're trying to map out a full funnel.

Don't dismiss this data as just more keywords. It's key to understanding how people think when they search.

SERP features are also covered​

DataForSEO’s SERP API displays whether a keyword brings up:

  • Featured snippets
  • People Also Ask
  • Shopping results
  • Sitelinks

So you don't have to guess, and you can even spot patterns like:

  • "How to" plus a featured snippet often reveal strong informational intent

  • Product title + shopping results equal clear transactional intent

It's a smart way to match your content format to what Google already rewards.

Why DataForSEO works well my Clearscope-style analyzer​

Here is where the rubber meets the road. The info I get from DataForSEO complements what my Clearscope-style analyzer does.

If you take a closer look, you'll see that DataForSEO is great for:

  • Mapping out keyword intent
  • Viewing SERP structure
  • Scoring keywords by volume, CPC, difficulty

Sure, DataForSEO doesn’t tell me how to structure your page. But that’s where my Clearscope-style tool will comes in. It analyzies how the top content perform, which keywords they’re using, how the page is laid out.

Putting these two tools together gives me a good look at what to write about and why. It tells me how to write the content so it's able to compete in search.

My gains from merging the two​

Connecting these two tools help me create:

  • Smarter briefs: I'm able to pre-load SERP features, keyword intent, and even CPC info into my outlines.

  • Quicker workflowsL Depending on the keyword clusters, I'm able to auto-trigger outline types for my briefs.

  • Better topic prioritization: Keyword gaps are not the end-all when it comes to selecting topics. Together, these tools help me rank potential topics based on intent + volume + keyword difficulty.

In the end, this combo helps me move away from simply "here’s a keyword" to "here’s a well-structured brief for the right type of content". And it does so without having to perform manual sorting. Which is a huge timesaver.