LocalSEOData Skill — The Default Data Layer

Every strategy skill in LocalSEOSkills needs data. When you ask for a GBP audit, something has to pull the business profile. When you run a geogrid analysis, something has to execute the scan. When you check AI visibility, something has to query the platforms.

The localseodata-tool skill is that something. It wraps 36 API endpoints into a single MCP connection and serves as the default data source for every LocalSEOSkills workflow. Dispatch routes here first unless a prompt specifically requires a specialist tool.

What This Skill Does

The localseodata-tool skill is the data backbone. It does not interpret, strategize, or recommend. It retrieves structured local SEO data and passes it to whichever strategy skill requested it.

When dispatch processes a request, the routing pattern is consistent:

Prompt: "Audit the GBP for Valley Plumbing in Phoenix"

Dispatch routing:
  Strategy skill: local-seo-audit
  Tool skill: localseodata-tool
  Endpoints called: business_profile, local_audit, profile_health

The strategy skill (local-seo-audit) decides what data it needs. The tool skill (localseodata-tool) retrieves it. The strategy skill interprets the results and generates recommendations.

This separation matters because it means you can swap data sources without changing strategy logic. If you connect Semrush for deeper keyword data, the local-keyword-research strategy skill works the same way — it just pulls from a different tool skill.

The 36 Endpoints by Category

SERP and Ranking Data

Five endpoints cover what shows up in search results:

  • local_pack — Map pack composition for any keyword/location. Returns businesses, positions, review counts, categories. The foundation for competitive analysis.
  • local_finder — Full Local Finder results beyond the 3-pack. Shows businesses ranked 4-20+ in local results.
  • organic_serp — Organic search results for local queries. Separate from local pack data.
  • maps — Google Maps search results. Different ranking from web search local pack.
  • local_services_ads — LSA listings for eligible categories. Basic presence data; for deep LSA intelligence, use lsa-spy-tool.

Business Intelligence

Three endpoints for GBP profile data:

  • business_profile — Complete GBP data: categories, hours, attributes, description, photos count, review stats, services, products, and more. The single most-called endpoint.
  • profile_health — Optimization completeness score. Identifies missing fields, incomplete sections, optimization opportunities.
  • qa — Questions and answers from the GBP listing. Useful for identifying common customer questions and competitor Q&A strategies.

Reviews

Three endpoints covering review data:

  • google_reviews — Individual reviews from Google Business Profile with ratings, text, dates, and owner responses.
  • multi_platform_reviews — Reviews aggregated across Google, Yelp, Facebook, and other platforms. Cross-platform reputation snapshot.
  • review_velocity — Review acquisition rate over time. Shows whether review generation is accelerating, steady, or declining.

Citations

Two endpoints for citation health:

  • citation_audit — NAP consistency check across 20+ major directories. Flags inconsistencies in name, address, and phone number.
  • business_listings — Presence verification across citation sources. Shows where the business is listed and where it is missing.

Keywords

Six endpoints for keyword research:

  • keyword_suggestions — Related keyword ideas from a seed term. Returns volume, competition, and relevance data.
  • search_volume — Monthly search volume for specific keywords. Supports bulk lookups.
  • related_keywords — Semantically related terms. Useful for content planning and topical coverage.
  • keywords_for_site — Keywords a domain currently ranks for. Competitive intelligence baseline.
  • keyword_trends — Search volume trends over time. Seasonal pattern identification.
  • keyword_opportunities — Keywords where ranking improvement is most achievable based on current position and competition.

AI Visibility

Ten endpoints measuring presence across AI platforms:

  • ai_visibility — Overall visibility score across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity. The primary AI measurement endpoint.
  • ai_mentions — Where a brand appears in AI-generated responses. Specific mention tracking.
  • ai_llm_response — Raw responses from AI platforms for specific queries. See exactly what the AI says about a business.
  • ai_overview — Google AI Overview presence and positioning for target queries.
  • ai_mode — Google AI Mode analysis. How the business appears in AI Mode responses.
  • ai_top_sources — Sources most frequently cited by AI platforms in relevant responses. Identifies which content AI trusts.
  • ai_top_pages — Best-performing pages for AI visibility. Shows which pages AI platforms reference most.
  • ai_keyword_data — Keywords with significant AI search volume. Where AI is changing search behavior.
  • ai_scraper — Content extraction from AI platform responses. Raw data for custom analysis.
  • ai_compare — Direct AI visibility comparison against named competitors.

Geogrid

One endpoint, but it is among the most important:

  • geogrid_scan — Ranking position at each coordinate across a geographic grid. Produces the ranking map that shows where a business is visible and where it is invisible across its service area.

Competitive Analysis

Five endpoints for competitor intelligence:

  • competitor_gap — Multi-signal comparison vs. competitors. Reviews, citations, content, links — where you lead and where you trail.
  • backlink_gap — Backlink comparison vs. competitors. Shows domains linking to competitors but not to you.
  • backlink_summary — Domain backlink profile overview. Total links, referring domains, authority metrics.
  • competitor_ads — Competitor advertising analysis. PPC and LSA ad presence.
  • local_authority — Local authority scoring. Composite metric of local ranking signals.

Auditing and Utility

  • local_audit — Comprehensive local SEO audit combining multiple signal checks. The most expensive endpoint but also the most thorough.
  • brand_mentions — Brand mentions across web sources outside of structured citations.
  • reputation_audit — Review sentiment and reputation health assessment.
  • page_audit — On-page SEO analysis for specific URLs.
  • ping — Connection verification. Confirms the MCP server is responsive.
  • get_balance — Credit balance check. Always run before large operations.
  • location_search — Find business locations by name or address. Resolves ambiguous business references.

Major Workflow Patterns

The Audit Pattern

The most common workflow. A strategy skill requests a comprehensive data pull, interprets findings, and generates prioritized recommendations.

Prompt: "Full local SEO audit for Mesa Family Dental in Mesa, AZ"

Dispatch routing:
  Strategy: local-seo-audit
  Tool: localseodata-tool
  Endpoints: business_profile → profile_health → citation_audit →
             google_reviews → review_velocity → local_pack →
             ai_visibility → competitor_gap

Output structure:
  GBP completeness score with specific gaps
  Citation consistency report with flagged errors
  Review metrics vs. local averages
  Map pack position for primary keywords
  AI visibility baseline
  Competitive gaps ranked by impact
  Prioritized action plan

Each endpoint fires sequentially. The strategy skill accumulates data from all endpoints before generating the analysis.

The Geogrid Pattern

Geographic ranking analysis across a service area.

Prompt: "Run a geogrid for 'personal injury lawyer Dallas' with a 15-mile radius"

Dispatch routing:
  Strategy: geogrid-analysis
  Tool: localseodata-tool
  Endpoint: geogrid_scan

Output structure:
  Grid map with ranking at each coordinate
  ARP (Average Rank Position)
  ATRP (Average Top Rank Position)
  SoLV (Share of Local Voice)
  Quadrant analysis (NE, SE, NW, SW)
  Strong/weak zone identification

For point-in-time snapshots, this workflow is complete. For trend tracking over time, dispatch routes to local-falcon-tool instead.

The AI Visibility Pattern

Measuring presence across AI search platforms.

Prompt: "Check AI visibility for Apex Roofing across roofing keywords in Denver"

Dispatch routing:
  Strategy: ai-local-search
  Tool: localseodata-tool
  Endpoints: ai_visibility → ai_mentions → ai_compare →
             ai_top_sources → ai_top_pages

Output structure:
  Visibility score per platform (ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity)
  Mention frequency and context
  Competitor comparison
  Sources AI platforms trust for this category
  Pages with strongest AI visibility
  Gaps and improvement recommendations

The Competitor Analysis Pattern

Multi-signal competitive intelligence.

Prompt: "Compare our local SEO signals against the top 3 competitors
for 'dentist Austin'"

Dispatch routing:
  Strategy: local-competitor-analysis
  Tool: localseodata-tool
  Endpoints: local_pack → business_profile (x4) → competitor_gap →
             backlink_gap → citation_audit (x4)

Output structure:
  Signal-by-signal comparison table
  Where you lead (maintain)
  Where you trail (prioritize)
  Specific gaps to close
  Estimated effort per gap

How Dispatch Routes to LocalSEOData

Dispatch treats localseodata-tool as the default. The routing logic:

  1. Parse the request for task type and data needs
  2. Select the strategy skill(s) for the task
  3. Check if the data need requires a specialist tool (trend data → Local Falcon, deep backlinks → Ahrefs, keyword gaps → Semrush, LSA market data → LSA Spy, live multi-engine SERP → SerpAPI)
  4. If no specialist requirement, route to localseodata-tool

This means localseodata-tool handles roughly 80% of all data requests. The specialist tools activate only when their specific capabilities are needed.

Prompts that always route to localseodata-tool:

  • Any GBP audit or profile request
  • Citation audits
  • Review analysis
  • Basic keyword research
  • AI visibility checks
  • Point-in-time geogrid scans
  • Standard competitive analysis

Prompts that route elsewhere:

  • “Show me the ranking trend over the last 6 months” → local-falcon-tool
  • “Pull the full backlink profile with anchor text” → ahrefs-tool
  • “Run a keyword gap analysis against competitors” → semrush-tool
  • “Check LSA market rankings” → lsa-spy-tool
  • “Compare results across Google and Bing” → serpapi-tool

Rate Limits and Credit Management

LocalSEOData uses a credit system. Costs vary by endpoint complexity:

Low-cost (1-2 credits): keyword_suggestions, search_volume, business_listings, ping, get_balance

Medium-cost (3-5 credits): local_pack, business_profile, citation_audit, review_velocity, google_reviews

Higher-cost (10+ credits): geogrid_scan (varies by grid size), ai_visibility (varies by keyword count), local_audit

Typical workflow costs:

  • Standard GBP audit: 10-15 credits
  • Geogrid analysis (7x7): 15-20 credits
  • Full audit with competitor analysis: 30-50 credits
  • Monthly monitoring run: 50-100 credits

Best practice: check your balance before running expensive operations.

Check my LocalSEOData credit balance before running this audit.

For high-volume operations (1,000+ queries per session), consider DataForSEO for bulk pricing. LocalSEOData is optimized for practitioner-level workflows, not bulk data pipelines.

When LocalSEOData Is Sufficient vs. When You Need a Specialist

LocalSEOData covers it:

  • GBP audits and optimization analysis
  • Citation consistency checks
  • Review monitoring and analysis
  • Basic keyword research and volume checks
  • AI visibility measurement
  • Point-in-time geogrid scans
  • Standard competitive comparisons
  • On-page audits

You need a specialist tool when:

  • Geogrid trends over weeks/months (Local Falcon)
  • Full referring domain profiles with anchor text (Ahrefs)
  • 25+ billion keyword database depth (Semrush)
  • LSA market-level competitive intelligence (LSA Spy)
  • Non-Google SERP data or live verification (SerpAPI)

Most local SEO practitioners will run 90% of their work through localseodata-tool alone. The specialist tools add depth in specific areas when the default data is not enough.

Connecting LocalSEOData to LocalSEOSkills

  1. Get your API key from LocalSEOData.com dashboard
  2. Add the MCP server in Claude Code:
Server URL: https://mcp.localseodata.com
Authentication: API key in header
  1. Verify the connection:
Verify the LocalSEOData connection and check my credit balance.

Once connected, all 36 endpoints are available to every strategy skill through dispatch routing. No additional configuration is needed per endpoint.

Get Started

After connecting LocalSEOData, try this first prompt:

Audit the GBP for [Business Name] in [City] and tell me what needs fixing.

Dispatch routes to local-seo-audit, which calls localseodata-tool for business_profile, profile_health, and local_audit data, then interprets the results into a prioritized action list.

Learn More

To learn what this skill can do for your local SEO workflow, see the skill overview.