Keyword Research API — search volume, keyword difficulty & AI Overviews in bulk (Python, Node.js, cURL)

Get Google search volume, keyword difficulty, search intent, CPC and SERP features, including whether Google shows an AI Overview, for thousands of keywords at once. Generate related keyword ideas from any seed. You pay per keyword, with no $129+/month Ahrefs or Semrush subscription.

It uses the Keyword Research Tool on Apify. Search volume, CPC and the 12-month trend come from Google Ads data; difficulty, intent and SERP features come from a commercial SEO data provider that tracks Google results. Keywords without data are not charged.

📖 Tutorial: Keyword research in Python: search volume, difficulty and AI Overviews in bulk

Quick start (Python)

pip install "apify-client>=3"
export APIFY_TOKEN=your_token   # free account at https://console.apify.com

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("jesting_grass/keyword-research-tool").call(run_input={
    "keywords": ["protein powder", "cold brew coffee", "keyword research tool", "standing desk", "how to make cold brew"],
    "country": "us",
})
for row in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(row["keyword"], row["searchVolume"], row["keywordDifficulty"], row["hasAiOverview"])

Real output (US, September 2026):

keyword	searchVolume	keywordDifficulty	AI Overview
protein powder	368,000	32	✅
standing desk	135,000	38	—
cold brew coffee	40,500	23	✅
how to make cold brew	12,100	4	✅
keyword research tool	4,400	81	✅

Find easy-win keywords from one seed

easy_win_keywords.py pulls 100 ideas for "cold brew coffee", keeps those with volume ≥ 500 and difficulty ≤ 40, and keeps one keyword per group of close variants. Real output:

Easy wins (volume >= 500, KD <= 40):
  cold brew coffee maker                   vol  49,500  KD 1
  coffee for cold brew                     vol  40,500  KD 23
  stok cold brew coffee                    vol  40,500  KD 2
  cold brew coffee from starbucks          vol  33,100  KD 13
  how make cold brew coffee                vol  27,100  KD 11
  how to brew cold coffee                  vol  27,100  KD 23
  nitro cold brew coffee starbucks         vol  27,100  KD 20
  ...

33 of 100 ideas trigger a Google AI Overview

Google Ads reports close variants ("cold brew coffee maker", "coffee cold brew maker") with the same volume, so treat each group as one keyword and write one page for it.

Examples

File	What it does
bulk_volume_to_csv.py	Volume, difficulty, intent and AI Overview flag for a keyword list → keywords.csv
easy_win_keywords.py	Keyword ideas from a seed → easy wins and AI Overview keywords
node.js	Same in Node.js
curl.sh	One HTTP call, JSON back

Output fields

Field	Meaning
searchVolume, volumeSource	Monthly Google searches (12-month average); google_ads, or estimate when Google withholds the number
keywordDifficulty	0–100, how hard it is to rank in the top 10
intents	informational / commercial / transactional / navigational
serpFeatures, hasAiOverview, hasFeaturedSnippet, hasPeopleAlsoAsk, hasLocalPack	What Google shows on the results page
cpc, cpcLow, cpcHigh, adsCompetition, adsCompetitionIndex	Google Ads cost per click and competition
monthlySearches	Volume for each of the last 12 months
source, seedKeyword	keyword for your own keywords, idea for generated ideas (with their seed)

Countries: US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Brazil, Mexico, India.

Ahrefs vs Semrush vs Keyword Planner vs this

	Ahrefs	Semrush	Google Keyword Planner	This
Price	Lite from $129/month	SEO plan from $139/month	free with a Google Ads account	pay per keyword, no subscription
Exact search volume	yes	yes	ranges unless you run active ads	yes (Google Ads data)
Keyword difficulty	yes	yes	no	yes
AI Overview flag	yes	yes	no	yes
Bulk via API / n8n / AI agents	API on higher plans	API on higher plans	Google Ads API	yes, plus Apify MCP server

Prices as listed on the vendors' pricing pages in September 2026 (monthly billing).

FAQ

Why do numbers differ from Ahrefs or Semrush? Each tool estimates volume and difficulty in its own way. Volumes here come from Google Ads data; compare keywords within one tool.

What does the AI Overview flag mean? Google shows an AI-generated answer above the results for that keyword. Such keywords often send fewer clicks, and they are the targets for AEO (getting cited in AI answers).

More SEO tools from the same developer

• Backlink Checker API: every backlink, referring domains and competitor link gap
• Bulk Domain Authority Checker API: domain rank, referring domains and backlinks for 1,000s of domains
• Google Trends API: interest over time, rising queries and regions
• BuiltWith & Wappalyzer alternative: tech stack of any website in bulk

Not affiliated with Ahrefs, Semrush or Google; names are used for comparison only. Examples are MIT licensed.