Compare a competitor's estimated keyword footprint with the client's tracked terms.
Obtain explicit paid-research approval before get_domain_overview, get_ranked_keywords or get_backlinks_overview. Every call requires confirmMetered: true, including these legacy tools.
Domain figures are DataForSEO Labs or Backlinks estimates, not measured client traffic or a live rank check. Domain research can make multiple vendor requests; the single-page two-cent estimate does not apply.
Call list_sites and list_tracked_queries for the client's site. A competitor term absent from the tracked set is a research candidate, not proof the client cannot rank for it.
Use backlinks research only for a link question. Propose a shortlist before add_rank_tracking_keywords. Provider unavailability is an explicit gap, not a reason to fabricate metrics.
Tool call examples
These are the params for a JSON-RPC tools/call request. Replace the example site and snapshot IDs with IDs returned by this workspace, and replace example URLs and names with authorized pages and verified facts. Obtain approval before sending confirmMetered: true.