DataForSEO API alternative: one SEO API for keywords and links
By the AxioAPI team · Published
DataForSEO, Semrush and Ahrefs are powerful, but a small tool, an agency script or a side project often needs only a few numbers: keyword volume, backlinks and a domain overview. The SEO API covers those jobs with seven REST endpoints and pay-per-request billing.
What the SEO API covers
- Keyword metrics: monthly search volume, CPC and competition for up to 10 keywords per request.
- Keyword suggestions and long-tail ideas from a seed keyword.
- Domain overview, up to 36 months of domain history and a backlink summary.
- On-page audit of a public URL: title, meta description, headings, canonical, robots and structured data.
Try it with one call
Send up to 10 keywords and a country code to get volume, CPC and competition in one billed request.
curl -s -X POST "https://axioapi.com/api/v1/seo/keywords/metrics" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $AXIOAPI_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"keywords": ["api gateway", "proxy scraper"], "country": "us"}'How it differs
- One key and one wallet also cover social, SMS, email and proxy APIs, so you do not integrate a separate vendor for each.
- Domain responses list the data sources that answered and any that did not, so partial data is visible instead of hidden.
- You can pay per request with credits instead of a fixed monthly plan. Competing tools list starting prices around $129 a month on their public pages, which may change, so check them yourself.
What it does not do
- It has no live SERP, rank tracking or local pack endpoints. If you need those, a SERP-focused provider such as DataForSEO is the better choice.
- Numbers are estimates from third-party sources and can differ between sources.
- It is not a dashboard. It returns JSON for your own code.
When it is a good fit
Choose it when you want keyword and backlink data inside your own product, a scheduled domain report or a quick competitor check without a monthly commitment. See the guides on the keyword data API and on building a domain ranking report for working code.