Research Tools MCP
All-in-one MCP server for SEO research: keywords, SERP, trends, social listening, ad intelligence & LLM visibility. 37 tools.
Research Tools MCP
37 SEO & Marketing Research Tools in One MCP - LLM Visibility, Social Listening, Ad Intelligence.
Track your brand visibility in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini & Perplexity. Plus keyword research, SERP analysis, trends, and competitive intelligence.
Table of Contents
- Why Research Tools MCP?
- Use Cases
- Compatibility
- LLM Visibility & AI Tracking
- Complete Research Toolkit
- Pricing
- All Tools Reference
- FAQ
- Support
💡 Why Research Tools MCP?
The only MCP server for SEO that combines traditional research with AI visibility tracking:
- LLM Visibility - Track citations in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity (no other tool does this)
- Social Listening - Reddit, Hacker News, YouTube, Dev.to monitoring in one place
- Ad Intelligence - Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit ad libraries
- Affordable Plans - From $0/mo (Free) to $29/mo (Pro) - 10x cheaper than Semrush
- Token-optimized - Compact mode saves 50-80% tokens per response
🏆 Why Not Semrush or Ahrefs?
| Feature | Semrush/Ahrefs | Research Tools MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword Research | ✅ | ✅ Autocomplete, PAA, Related, Trends |
| SERP Analysis | ✅ | ✅ Google SERP, Rank, AI Mode |
| LLM Visibility | ❌ | ✅ ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini |
| Social Listening | ❌ | ✅ Reddit, HN, YouTube, Dev.to |
| Ad Intelligence | ❌ | ✅ Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit |
| Trend Monitoring | Limited | ✅ Interest, Topics, Geo, News |
| Pricing | $99-449/mo | Free tier + $9-29/mo plans |
| MCP Integration | ❌ | ✅ Native MCP Server |
📋 Use Cases
🎯 Brand Visibility Check
You're launching a SaaS product. Before spending $10k on ads, find out if AI assistants even mention you when users ask for recommendations.
rt_llm_brand domain="yourproduct.com" keywords="crm software,sales automation"
rt_llm_audit domain="yourproduct.com"
→ Discover your visibility score across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity
🔍 Competitive Intelligence
Your competitor just raised $50M. Time to understand their positioning—what Reddit says about them, how LLMs compare you, and what ads they're running.
rt_social_reddit subreddits="saas,startups" sort="top"
rt_llm_compare domain="yourproduct.com" competitor="competitor.com" keywords="crm software"
rt_ads_meta query="crm software" country="us"
→ Full competitive picture: community sentiment, AI perception, ad messaging
📈 Content Strategy
Planning next quarter's content. Find trending topics in your space, discover what questions people actually ask, and see what sources LLMs cite.
rt_trends_interest query="ai automation"
rt_keywords_paa query="sales automation software"
rt_llm_track query="best sales automation tools"
→ Data-driven content ideas based on real search behavior and AI citations
🔗 Compatibility
| Client | Status |
|---|---|
| Claude Desktop | ✅ Full support |
| Claude Code | ✅ Full support |
| VS Code (Copilot) | ✅ Full support |
| Cursor | ✅ Full support |
| Any MCP client | ✅ Works |
🔍 LLM Visibility & AI Tracking
LLM Visibility MCP | GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) | AEO | AI SEO | LLMO
When users ask ChatGPT "what's the best [your category]?", do you appear? Traditional SEO tools can't answer this.
Supported AI Engines
| Engine | Description |
|---|---|
| Perplexity | Citation-heavy, web-connected answers |
| ChatGPT (GPT-4o) | 100M+ weekly active users |
| Google Gemini | Integrated with Google Search |
| Claude | Popular with developers and enterprises |
| Google AI Mode | AI-powered search results in Google |
LLM Tools
| Tool | What it does | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| rt_llm_track | See which sources LLMs cite for any query | Pro+ |
| rt_llm_brand | Monitor your brand visibility across keywords | Pro+ |
| rt_llm_compare | Head-to-head comparison vs competitor | Pro+ |
| rt_llm_competitors | Discover alternatives LLMs mention alongside you | Pro+ |
| rt_llm_benchmark | Compare how different LLM models rank products | Pro+ |
| rt_llm_audit | 7-question brand knowledge assessment | Pro+ |
🛠️ Complete Research Toolkit
🔑 Keyword Research (4 tools)
MCP keyword research tools - discover queries that matter for SEO and AI visibility.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| rt_keywords_autocomplete | Google autocomplete suggestions |
| rt_keywords_paa | "People Also Ask" questions |
| rt_keywords_related | Related search queries |
| rt_keywords_trends_related | Trending related queries |
📊 SERP Analysis (4 tools)
Compare LLM citations against actual search rankings.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| rt_serp_google | Full SERP results (positions, titles, domains) |
| rt_serp_rank | Track keyword rankings (up to 100 results) |
| rt_serp_ai_mode | Google AI Overview extraction |
| rt_serp_competitor | SERP + competitor ads + AI overview |
📈 Trend Monitoring (4 tools)
Find emerging topics before competitors.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| rt_trends_interest | Topic popularity over time (up to 5 queries) |
| rt_trends_topics | Related/rising topics |
| rt_trends_geo | Geographic distribution |
| rt_trends_news | Google News search |
💬 Social Listening (12 tools)
Social listening MCP tools - monitor Reddit, Hacker News, YouTube, and Dev.to. These are the sources LLMs reference and learn from.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| rt_social_reddit | Subreddit posts (hot/new/rising/top) |
| rt_social_youtube_search | YouTube video search |
| rt_social_youtube_channel | Channel video monitoring |
| rt_social_hn_top | Hacker News top stories |
| rt_social_hn_new | Hacker News newest |
| rt_social_hn_best | Hacker News all-time best |
| rt_social_hn_ask | Ask HN posts |
| rt_social_hn_show | Show HN posts |
| rt_social_hn_search | Hacker News search |
| rt_social_devto_trending | Dev.to trending posts |
| rt_social_devto_tags | Dev.to tag analysis |
| rt_social_devto_authors | Dev.to top authors |
📺 Ad Intelligence (6 tools)
See how competitors describe themselves in ads.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| rt_ads_transparency | All ads a domain runs on Google/YouTube |
| rt_ads_meta | Meta Ad Library (Facebook/Instagram) |
| rt_ads_tiktok | TikTok Ads Library |
| rt_ads_linkedin | LinkedIn Ad Library |
| rt_ads_reddit | Reddit Ads |
| rt_ads_competitor | Competitors advertising for a query |
💰 Pricing
Simple subscription plans. All API costs included.
| Plan | Price | Requests | Tools | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 50/month | HN, Dev.to (9 tools) | Evaluation |
| Starter | $9/mo | 500/month | All except LLM (31 tools) | Indie makers |
| Pro ⭐ | $29/mo | 2,000/month | All 37 tools incl. LLM | Teams & agencies |
| Enterprise | $99/mo | 10,000/month | All tools + priority | High volume |
Yearly plans save 17% (2 months free).
What's Included
| Plan | Keywords | SERP | Trends | Social | Ads | LLM Visibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | HN, Dev.to | ❌ | ❌ |
| Starter | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ All | ✅ | ❌ |
| Pro | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ All | ✅ | ✅ |
| Enterprise | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ All | ✅ | ✅ |
Example Usage
| Task | Calls | Plan Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly keyword research | ~20/week | Starter |
| Daily competitor monitoring | ~30/day | Pro |
| Full LLM brand audit | ~10 calls | Pro |
| Agency multi-client work | 200+/day | Enterprise |
📚 All Tools Reference
LLM Visibility (6 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| rt_llm_track | Track LLM citations for a query |
| rt_llm_brand | Monitor brand visibility across keywords |
| rt_llm_compare | Compare domain vs competitor |
| rt_llm_competitors | Discover alternatives mentioned by LLMs |
| rt_llm_benchmark | Multi-model comparison |
| rt_llm_audit | Brand knowledge assessment (7 questions) |
Keyword Research (4 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| rt_keywords_autocomplete | Google autocomplete suggestions |
| rt_keywords_paa | People Also Ask questions |
| rt_keywords_related | Related search queries |
| rt_keywords_trends_related | Trending related queries |
SERP Analysis (4 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| rt_serp_google | Full SERP results |
| rt_serp_rank | Track keyword rankings |
| rt_serp_ai_mode | AI Overview extraction |
| rt_serp_competitor | Competitor SERP analysis |
Trend Monitoring (4 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| rt_trends_interest | Interest over time |
| rt_trends_topics | Related topics |
| rt_trends_geo | Geographic distribution |
| rt_trends_news | News article search |
Social Listening (12 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| rt_social_reddit | Reddit subreddit monitoring |
| rt_social_youtube_search | YouTube video search |
| rt_social_youtube_channel | Channel video analysis |
| rt_social_hn_top | Hacker News top stories |
| rt_social_hn_new | Hacker News new stories |
| rt_social_hn_best | Hacker News best stories |
| rt_social_hn_ask | Ask HN posts |
| rt_social_hn_show | Show HN posts |
| rt_social_hn_search | Hacker News search |
| rt_social_devto_trending | Dev.to trending posts |
| rt_social_devto_tags | Dev.to tag analysis |
| rt_social_devto_authors | Dev.to top authors |
Ad Intelligence (6 tools)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| rt_ads_transparency | Google Ads Transparency Center |
| rt_ads_meta | Meta Ad Library |
| rt_ads_tiktok | TikTok Ad Library |
| rt_ads_linkedin | LinkedIn Ad Library |
| rt_ads_reddit | Reddit Ads |
| rt_ads_competitor | Competitor ad analysis |
Feedback (1 tool)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| rt_feedback_submit | Send feedback to developers |
❓ FAQ
Do I need API keys? No. All API costs are included in your subscription plan.
What data sources do you use? Google data via SearchAPI.io, social platforms via public APIs, and LLM tracking via Perplexity, OpenAI, Google Gemini, and Anthropic Claude.
How accurate is LLM visibility tracking? Results reflect real-time LLM responses. Each engine is queried independently with your exact query.
How is this different from Semrush or Ahrefs? 10x cheaper ($29/mo vs $99-449/mo), LLM visibility tracking they don't offer, social listening across Reddit/HN/YouTube/Dev.to, ad intelligence for 5 platforms, plus native MCP integration for AI agents.
Can I try before subscribing? Yes! The Free plan includes 50 requests/month with Hacker News and Dev.to tools - no credit card required.
What happens if I exceed my quota? Soft limit with small overage fee. You won't be cut off mid-task.
🤝 Support
- Feedback tool: rt_feedback_submit type="suggestion" message="Your idea here"
- Issues: GitHub Issues
Token-Efficient Output: All responses use compact mode by default (filters verbose fields). Use full=true for complete data.