DataForSEO Brain - Hot

Current operating context for the brain. Most recent at the top. Hub: Master Index.

Currently true (2026-07-08)

Backlinks API and LLM Mentions API are now 100% pay-as-you-go. On 2026-07-01 DataForSEO cancelled all remaining monthly commitments and dropped the $100/mo minimums on both modules; there is no subscription and no activation step. Re-verified live 2026-07-08: /v3/backlinks/summary/live, /v3/backlinks/bulk_ranks/live, and /v3/ai_optimization/llm_mentions/search/live all now return 20000 Ok with real data (previously 40204). New fixtures + probe log under .raw/sources/dataforseo-research/ (_cost-log-2026-07-08-reprobe.json). See cap-backlinks-api and cap-llm-mentions-visibility.
40204 (“subscription required”) is now effectively legacy for these two modules; a pay-as-you-go account no longer receives it for Backlinks or LLM Mentions.
The same 2026-07-01 update also adjusted rates across selected APIs (a broader repricing). Per-endpoint price figures in the brain are due a refresh and should not be treated as exact until re-audited.

As built and first verified (2026-06-26)

The brain was built and live-verified against the production API on 2026-06-26. A $5 - c a pp e d t es tp a sss p e n t * *$ 0.86** across 43 endpoints (incl. LLM Responses for ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini/Perplexity); the ledger is .raw/sources/dataforseo-research/_cost-log.json.
Account access at build time: pay-as-you-go credit active; Backlinks API and AI Optimization LLM Mentions returned 40204 (then still gated). That gate was removed 2026-07-01 (see the block above); both modules are now directly usable. LLM Responses (ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini/Perplexity) were already pay-as-you-go accessible. See cap-backlinks-api and cap-llm-mentions-visibility.
The cheapest data tier is DataForSEO Labs (~$0.01/call). The biggest avoidable cost is using Live when Standard would do; see dec-live-vs-standard-vs-priority and dec-cost-control-strategy.

Recent platform changes (2026)

Newest first. Dates are the official DataForSEO update publication dates (source: https://dataforseo.com/updates, retrieved 2026-06-26; 2026-07-01 entry retrieved 2026-07-08).

2026-07-01 - All APIs moved to 100% pay-as-you-go. The Backlinks + LLM Mentions $100/mo minimums were cancelled (existing subscriptions auto-cancelled, access retained), and rates were adjusted across selected APIs. See cap-backlinks-api and cap-llm-mentions-visibility. Source: https://dataforseo.com/update/pricing-update-in-dataforseo-apis
2026-06-10 - Amazon Merchant API gains real-time Live endpoints (previously task-based only); Live mode for ASIN/products/sellers. See cap-merchant-api.
2026-05-28 - LLM Scraper (ChatGPT) returns ad results, the sponsored placements shown inside ChatGPT responses. See cap-ai-optimization-api.
2026-05-05 - DataForSEO API v2 fully closed; no new v2 requests (task_get had a ~1-month grace window). v3 only.
2026-04-27 - OnPage Lighthouse API: seven new browser-simulation parameters for device/network/browser emulation. See cap-onpage-api.
2026-04-21 - OnPage uncrawlable-resources endpoint plus expanded summary data. See cap-onpage-api.

Update 2026-07-01: the Backlinks + LLM Mentions $100/mo minimums WERE removed (both moved to pay-as-you-go). This reverses the 2026-06-26 finding that they were “NOT removed / still 40204-gated”; that was correct on 2026-06-26 and became false on 2026-07-01. Re-verified live 2026-07-08. The old Make/n8n/Sheets connector waiver is now moot (no minimum left to waive). See cap-backlinks-api and cap-llm-mentions-visibility.

Start here

Command center: DataForSEO Brain Home (hub) and the DataForSEO Brain Map canvas (Obsidian vault)
Router: dec-which-api-for-which-job
Orientation: overview
Platform shape: cap-platform-architecture
Cost model: cap-queue-priority-cost-model and play-cost-optimized-pipeline
Operator status: dashboard

Quick links by job

Rank tracking: play-rank-tracking-pipeline using cap-serp-api
Keyword research: play-keyword-research-workflow using cap-labs-keyword-research + cap-keywords-data-api
Backlink audit: play-backlink-audit using cap-backlinks-api
Site audit: play-technical-site-audit using cap-onpage-api
Local SEO: play-local-seo-tracking using cap-business-data-api
AI visibility (GEO): play-ai-visibility-tracking using cap-ai-optimization-api + cap-geo-ai-search-optimization
E-commerce: play-ecommerce-product-research using cap-merchant-api

Open questions / watch list

AI Optimization (LLM Mentions) coverage is narrower than marketing implies and changes fast; re-verify monthly. See cap-ai-optimization-api.
Pricing and rate limits drift; the figures in cap-queue-priority-cost-model and the source-ledger refresh_due are set to 2026-07-26.
Backlinks + LLM Mentions now have authentic live fixtures (captured 2026-07-08 after the pay-as-you-go move); the earlier “documented shapes only” caveat no longer applies. Broader per-endpoint repricing from 2026-07-01 is not yet fully re-audited.

Recently added

SEOus dashboard coupling (2026-06-26): new hub DataForSEO Brain Home + fan-out DataForSEO Brain Map canvas (Obsidian vault) + the route contract references/dashboard-map.json, wiring this brain to the self-hosted SEOus dashboard (forked from seo-playground, at ~/Desktop/Seous).
68 content notes across concepts, platforms, entities, flows, and decisions.
Research pack with 104 dated citations: research-pack-2026-06-26.
42 authentic live response fixtures under .raw/sources/dataforseo-research/*/fixtures/ (adds Backlinks summary + bulk_ranks and LLM Mentions search, captured 2026-07-08).