How to Set Up and Use LocalSEOData with Claude

A new LocalSEOSkills user has installed the skills via Claude Code but hasn’t connected LocalSEOData yet. They need to get the data layer running before they can do any real local SEO work.

Getting Your API Key

LocalSEOData provides the data endpoints that power most LocalSEOSkills workflows.

To get started:

  1. Create an account at LocalSEOData
  2. Subscribe to a plan that fits your usage
  3. Generate an API key in your dashboard
  4. Copy the API key for configuration

Plan considerations:

  • Pay-per-use: Good for starting out, scales with usage
  • Monthly plans: Better rates for consistent usage
  • Consider your expected query volume across clients

Adding LocalSEOData to Claude Code

Configure the MCP connection in Claude Code settings.

In your Claude Code configuration: Add LocalSEOData as an MCP server with your API key. The exact configuration depends on your Claude Code setup, but the key elements are:

  • Server endpoint
  • API key authentication
  • Tool permissions

Once configured, the localseodata-tool becomes available in LocalSEOSkills.

Verifying the Connection

Test that everything works:

"Confirm LocalSEOData is connected and show me what endpoints are available."

Expected response:

LocalSEOData Connection: ✓ Connected
API Status: Active
Credit balance: [X] credits remaining

AVAILABLE ENDPOINTS (36 total)

GBP & Profile Data:
- business_profile: Full GBP profile details
- profile_health: Completeness scoring
- local_pack: Map pack rankings for keywords

Citations & NAP:
- citation_audit: Citation accuracy check
- business_listings: Directory presence

Reviews:
- google_reviews: Review data and sentiment
- review_velocity: Review acquisition trends
- multi_platform_reviews: Reviews across platforms

Rankings:
- geogrid_scan: Geographic ranking distribution
- local_finder: Local Finder rankings

AI Visibility:
- ai_visibility: AI platform presence scoring
- ai_llm_response: Test AI chatbot responses
- ai_overview: Google AI Overview appearances

Competitive:
- competitor_gap: Signal comparison vs competitors
- local_audit: Full competitive audit

Keywords:
- search_volume: Keyword search volume
- keyword_suggestions: Related keyword ideas

[+ additional endpoints...]

If you see this, the connection is working.

The Most Important Endpoints to Know

You don’t need to memorize 36 endpoints. These are the most commonly used:

local_pack: See who’s ranking in the map pack for any keyword

"Pull the local pack for 'plumber Phoenix' using LocalSEOData"

business_profile: Get full GBP profile details for any business

"Pull the business profile for [Business Name] at [Address]"

profile_health: Score a GBP profile’s completeness

"Check the profile health for [Business Name]"

citation_audit: Find citation inconsistencies

"Run a citation audit for [Business Name] at [Address]"

google_reviews: Pull review data

"Get Google reviews for [Business Name]"

geogrid_scan: See geographic ranking distribution

"Run a geogrid for 'dentist Denver' centered on [Address]"

ai_visibility: Check AI platform presence

"Check AI visibility for [Business Name]"

competitor_gap: Compare signals against competitors

"Run a competitor gap analysis for [Business Name] vs [Competitor]"

The dispatch skill handles routing — you often don’t need to specify endpoints directly. Just ask for what you want.

Your First Local SEO Query

Run a real query to confirm everything works:

"Using LocalSEOData, pull the current local pack for 'dentist near me'
in Austin TX and give me a quick profile snapshot of the top 3 businesses."

Expected output:

Local Pack: "dentist near me" — Austin TX

1. [Dentist Name A]
   Rating: 4.9★ (312 reviews)
   Completeness: 94%
   Categories: Dentist, Cosmetic Dentist, Pediatric Dentist
   Highlights: 67 photos, 98% response rate, all attributes claimed

2. [Dentist Name B]
   Rating: 4.7★ (189 reviews)
   Completeness: 81%
   Categories: Dentist, Dental Clinic
   Highlights: 23 photos, 76% response rate

3. [Dentist Name C]
   Rating: 4.6★ (94 reviews)
   Completeness: 73%
   Categories: Dentist
   Highlights: 12 photos, 45% response rate, missing attributes

If you get this kind of output, LocalSEOData is working correctly.

Managing Credits

LocalSEOData uses a credit system. Different endpoints cost different amounts.

To check balance:

"What's my LocalSEOData credit balance?"

Credit management tips:

  • Profile and pack queries are typically low cost
  • Full audits cost more (they pull multiple endpoints)
  • Geogrid scans can be credit-intensive
  • Monitor usage across clients

Budgeting for clients: If clients pay $500/month and LocalSEOData costs $0.50-2.00 per query, you have room for dozens of queries per client per month. Build data costs into your pricing.

When to Add Other Tools

LocalSEOData covers most local SEO data needs. You might add:

Local Falcon: For historical geogrid trends and GBP monitoring

  • LocalSEOData does one-time geogrids
  • Local Falcon adds recurring campaigns and trend tracking

Ahrefs or Semrush: For deep backlink and keyword data

  • LocalSEOData covers basics
  • These tools go deeper for competitive link analysis

LSA Spy: For Local Services Ads ranking data

  • Not covered by LocalSEOData
  • Specific to LSA campaigns

SerpAPI: For real-time SERP verification

  • Bing local pack data
  • Cross-engine comparison

Start with LocalSEOData. Add other tools as you need specific capabilities it doesn’t cover.

Common First-Day Queries

Once connected, try these to get familiar:

Audit a prospect:

"Run a quick local SEO audit for [Prospect Business] at [Address].
GBP profile health, citation status, review metrics."

Check competitive position:

"Who's ranking in the local pack for '[keyword]' in [city]?
How does [Client Business] compare to the top 3?"

Review analysis:

"Pull Google reviews for [Business Name].
What's the sentiment? Are there common complaints?"

AI visibility check:

"Check if [Business Name] appears in ChatGPT and AI Overview results
for '[service] in [city]'"

Troubleshooting

“LocalSEOData not connected” error:

  • Verify API key is correct
  • Check MCP configuration
  • Confirm subscription is active

“Insufficient credits” error:

  • Check credit balance
  • Add credits or upgrade plan
  • Consider which queries are essential

No results for a query:

  • Verify business name and address are correct
  • Try variations of the search
  • Some businesses may not have data in certain endpoints

The Complete Setup Workflow

  1. Create LocalSEOData account and subscribe
  2. Generate API key
  3. Configure MCP connection in Claude Code
  4. Verify connection with test query
  5. Run first real local SEO queries
  6. Monitor credit usage
  7. Add additional tools as needed

LocalSEOData is the foundation. Most LocalSEOSkills workflows depend on it. Getting this connection working unlocks the full capability of the skill system.