competitor-profiling · tool-reference

MCP Tool Reference for Competitor Profiling

Quick reference for the Firecrawl and DataForSEO MCP tools used in competitor profiling.

Firecrawl Tools (site scraping)
DataForSEO Tools (SEO & market data)
Recommended Execution Order
Error Handling

Firecrawl Tools

firecrawl_map

Purpose: Discover all URLs on a competitor's site to identify key pages.
When to use: First step for every competitor — before scraping individual pages.
Key output: List of URLs with their page types/paths.
Tip: Look for paths containing /pricing, /features, /about, /customers, /integrations, /blog, /changelog.

firecrawl_scrape

Purpose: Extract content from a single page as clean markdown.
When to use: After mapping, scrape each key page individually.
Key output: Page content in markdown format — headlines, body text, structured data.
Tip: Scrape homepage first — it reveals positioning, audience, and social proof in one shot.

firecrawl_search

Purpose: Search the web for specific content about a competitor.
When to use: Finding review pages, press coverage, or competitor mentions not on their own site.
Example queries:

"[Competitor Name]" site:g2.com
"[Competitor Name]" review
"[Competitor Name]" funding OR raised

firecrawl_crawl

Purpose: Crawl multiple pages from a site in one operation.
When to use: Deep profiles where you want to analyze many pages (e.g., all feature pages, all blog posts). More expensive — use selectively.
Tip: Set page limits to avoid crawling entire sites. Target specific URL patterns.

firecrawl_extract

Purpose: Extract structured data from a page using a schema.
When to use: When you need specific data points in a consistent format (e.g., pricing tier details, feature lists).
Tip: Define a clear schema for what you want extracted — more reliable than parsing raw markdown.

DataForSEO MCP Tools

Domain-Level Intelligence

backlinks_summary

Purpose: Get domain authority, total backlinks, referring domains, spam score.
Input: Target domain (e.g., competitor.com)
Key metrics: domain_rank, total_backlinks, referring_domains, backlinks_spam_score

backlinks_referring_domains

Purpose: List top referring domains — shows where their link equity comes from.
Input: Target domain + limit
Key metrics: Per-domain: rank, backlinks, domain name

dataforseo_labs_google_domain_rank_overview

Purpose: Organic search overview — traffic, keywords, traffic value.
Input: Target domain
Key metrics: organic_count (keywords), organic_traffic (estimated monthly), organic_cost (traffic value in $)

dataforseo_labs_google_ranked_keywords

Purpose: What keywords a domain ranks for, with positions.
Input: Target domain
Key metrics: Per-keyword: keyword, position, search_volume, url (ranking page)
Tip: Sort by traffic to find their highest-value keywords.

dataforseo_labs_google_keywords_for_site

Purpose: Keywords relevant to a domain — broader than ranked keywords, includes opportunities.
Input: Target domain
Key metrics: keyword, search_volume, competition, cpc

Competitive Analysis

dataforseo_labs_google_competitors_domain

Purpose: Find a domain's closest organic competitors by keyword overlap.
Input: Target domain
Key metrics: domain, avg_position, intersections (shared keywords), full_domain_rank
Tip: May reveal competitors the user hasn't considered.

dataforseo_labs_google_domain_intersection

Purpose: Find keywords where two domains both rank — shows direct competition.
Input: Two target domains
Key metrics: keyword, position for each domain, search_volume
Tip: Use this to compare the user's domain vs. each competitor.

dataforseo_labs_google_relevant_pages

Purpose: Find a domain's most important pages by organic traffic.
Input: Target domain
Key metrics: page, metrics (traffic, keywords per page)
Tip: Reveals their content strategy — which pages drive the most value.

Technology Detection

domain_analytics_technologies_domain_technologies

Purpose: Detect the technology stack a domain uses.
Input: Target domain
Key metrics: Technologies grouped by category (CMS, analytics, marketing, payments, etc.)

Backlink Deep Dive

backlinks_backlinks

Purpose: List individual backlinks to a domain.
Input: Target domain + limit
Key metrics: url_from, url_to, anchor, domain_from_rank, is_new

backlinks_bulk_ranks

Purpose: Compare domain ranks across multiple domains at once.
Input: Array of target domains
Key metrics: domain_rank per domain
Tip: Use this for the summary comparison table.

Recommended Execution Order

Quick Scan (per competitor)

1. firecrawl_map → get site URLs
2. In parallel:
   a. firecrawl_scrape → homepage
   b. firecrawl_scrape → pricing page
   c. dataforseo_labs_google_domain_rank_overview → organic metrics
   d. backlinks_summary → domain authority
3. Synthesize into abbreviated profile

Deep Profile (per competitor)

1. firecrawl_map → get site URLs
2. In parallel (batch 1 — scraping):
   a. firecrawl_scrape → homepage
   b. firecrawl_scrape → pricing page
   c. firecrawl_scrape → features page(s)
   d. firecrawl_scrape → about page
   e. firecrawl_scrape → customers/case studies page
   f. firecrawl_scrape → integrations page
3. In parallel (batch 2 — SEO data):
   a. dataforseo_labs_google_domain_rank_overview
   b. dataforseo_labs_google_ranked_keywords
   c. backlinks_summary
   d. backlinks_referring_domains
   e. dataforseo_labs_google_relevant_pages
   f. dataforseo_labs_google_competitors_domain
4. In parallel (batch 3 — optional extras):
   a. domain_analytics_technologies_domain_technologies
   b. firecrawl_search → G2/Capterra reviews
   c. dataforseo_labs_google_domain_intersection (vs. user's domain)
5. Synthesize into full profile

Multi-Competitor (3+ competitors)

1. Map all competitor sites in parallel
2. Scrape all homepages in parallel, then pricing pages in parallel
3. Pull domain_rank_overview for all in parallel
4. Pull backlinks_bulk_ranks for all at once
5. Build profiles in sequence (synthesis requires focus)
6. Build summary comparison last

Error Handling

Issue	Action
Firecrawl scrape returns empty/blocked	Try with `firecrawl_browser_create` for JS-heavy sites
Pricing page not found in map	Search for `/pricing`, `/plans`, `/packages` — some sites use different paths
DataForSEO returns no data for domain	Domain may be too new or too small — note "insufficient data" in profile
Rate limits hit	Space out requests; prioritize highest-value data first
Review page scraping blocked	Use `firecrawl_search` to find cached or alternative review sources