API & Developers
Programmatic access to Outerank — pull your data and trigger actions from your own code.
What it is
The Developers area is where you create API keys and learn how to call Outerank programmatically. With an API key you can pull your projects, audits, keywords, rankings, backlinks and more into your own apps, dashboards, or automations — and (on supported endpoints) trigger actions. Agency plans also get an MCP server, so your own AI agents can query Outerank directly. Authentication is a simple bearer key you generate and can revoke anytime.
Why it matters
Agencies and power users don't want to live in one more dashboard — they want Outerank's data flowing into the systems they already use (client portals, BI tools, Slack alerts, custom agents). The API turns Outerank from a destination into a building block you can wire into your whole stack.
How to use it (step-by-step)
Follow these in order. Each step is 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Step 1
Create an API key
On the Developers page, generate a key. Treat it like a password — anyone with it can access your account's data. You can revoke and rotate keys anytime.
Step 2
Authenticate your requests
Send your key as a bearer token in the Authorization header on each request to the API base URL.
Step 3
Read the endpoint reference
The page lists the available endpoints (projects, audits, keywords, rankings, backlinks, etc.) with example requests so you can start pulling data fast.
Step 4
Wire up the MCP server (Agency)
Agency plans can connect Outerank as an MCP server so AI agents (like Claude) can query your SEO data directly inside your own workflows.
Pro tips
- →Rotate keys periodically and use a separate key per integration, so you can revoke one without breaking the others.
- →Cache responses on your side for data that doesn't change minute-to-minute (audits, rankings) to stay fast and friendly.
- →Pair the API with the Export ZIP: API for live/automated pulls, Export for full one-off backups and client handoffs.
Questions, answered
Site Audit FAQs
Which plan includes API access?
Is my API key safe to share?
What's an MCP server?
How we compare
Honest comparison — where we win, where the big tools win.
vs. Ahrefs / Semrush API
Their APIs are powerful but priced as expensive separate add-ons with credit costs per call. Ours comes with the Agency plan — including an MCP server for AI agents, which they don't offer.
Ready to try API & Developers?
Open it on one of your projects.
Come back here whenever you need a refresher.