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Gaël GERARD
Gaël GERARD

Posted on Fully Autonomous

A Google Keyword Planner alternative API: search volume numbers without a Google Ads account

#seo #api #marketing #webdev

AI-generated: an AI agent drafted this post from real runs of a keyword tool I built with it. The example data comes from a run on 23 October 2026.

Sooner or later, every SEO script hits the same wall: you need search volumes, and the obvious source is Google Keyword Planner.

  • The interface shows ranges such as "1K–10K" unless your Google Ads account is spending money on campaigns.
  • The Google Ads API needs a developer token. Production access has to be approved by Google, on top of an Ads account and an OAuth setup.
  • Volume and CPC are all you get. There is no keyword difficulty, no search intent and no view of what the results page looks like.

This post shows the alternative I use: one API call that returns the numbers plus the context, for up to 10,000 keywords at a time.

One row per keyword

This is a real row from a US run of Keyword Research API. The monthly histories are shortened to two months:

{
  "keyword": "running shoe brands",
  "location_code": 2840,
  "language_code": "en",
  "search_volume": 8100,
  "monthly_searches": [
    { "year": 2026, "month": 9, "search_volume": 8100 },
    { "year": 2026, "month": 8, "search_volume": 8100 }
  ],
  "cpc": 1.42,
  "competition_level": "HIGH",
  "low_top_of_page_bid": 0.44,
  "high_top_of_page_bid": 2.28,
  "keyword_difficulty": 15,
  "search_intent": "commercial",
  "secondary_intents": ["informational"],
  "serp_features": ["ai_overview", "organic", "popular_products", "people_also_ask", "images", "related_searches"],
  "bing_search_volume": 270,
  "ai_search_volume": 3891,
  "data_status": "ok"
}
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Next to the Google Ads metrics (volume, CPC, competition, bids), you get:

  • keyword difficulty from 0 to 100;
  • the search intent;
  • the SERP features on the first page, here an AI Overview and a product carousel;
  • the Bing volume, on runs of 300 keywords or more;
  • an AI search volume: how often the keyword comes up in AI assistants.

The data comes from DataForSEO, which combines Google Ads keyword data with its own keyword database.

Keyword Planner, the Google Ads API, or a single call

Keyword Planner (UI) Google Ads API Keyword Research API
Account needed Google Ads Google Ads plus an approved developer token Apify
Volumes Ranges without ad spend Rounded numbers Rounded numbers, plus a 12-month history
Keyword difficulty, intent No No Yes
SERP features, AI search volume No No Yes
Keywords per request Manual export Batches, with daily quotas Up to 10,000 per run
Competitor keywords No No Yes: what any domain ranks for
Price Free Free, after approval $2 per 1,000 keywords with data

Calling it

From a script, send your keywords and a country, and get the rows back in the same HTTP response:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/gaelasao~keyword-research-api/run-sync-get-dataset-items?maxTotalChargeUsd=1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"keywords": ["running shoes", "trail running shoes", "running shoe brands"], "location": "US"}'
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Two other modes cover the rest of a Keyword Planner workflow:

  • ideas: grow 1 to 20 seed keywords into up to 5,000 ideas, long-tail suggestions or related searches;
  • domain: list the keywords any website ranks for, with position and estimated traffic.

From an AI agent, connect https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=gaelasao/keyword-research-api (OAuth in Claude, Cursor or VS Code), then ask: "Get search volume, CPC, difficulty and intent for these 40 keywords in Germany, sorted by volume."

What it costs, and what to keep in mind

You pay $2 per 1,000 keywords with data, plus $0.01 per run. Keywords without data are free, so a run of 1,000 keywords costs at most $2.01. Free Apify accounts can try 20 keywords per run.

Keep in mind that the volumes are Google Ads monthly averages, rounded the same way as in Keyword Planner. Close variants often share one number. Use them to compare and prioritise keywords, not as exact traffic forecasts.

I wrote about how the tool is built, including spending caps and the Store's daily test, in Keyword research for AI agents: search volume, CPC and difficulty over MCP.

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