Claude SEO Plugins: 6 Worth Installing, With Install Lines

Claude SEO plugins are the add-ons that give Claude real SEO tools: keyword and ranking data, a crawler, your Search Console, Google Trends, and audit workflows it can run on command. These are the six I keep installed, two of which my team built, each with the install line copied from its own README so it works the first time. Every one is open source and five of the six are free to run.

Here they are in the order I would install them for an SEO who has never wired Claude to anything, with the two data-heavy ones first because they change what every later prompt can see.

OpenSEO: The open-source alternative to a paid SEO suite, with an MCP server Claude Code can call.
Firecrawl MCP: Web scraping, search and crawling inside Claude.
MCP-GSC: Search Console inside Claude, built by an SEO for SEOs.
SEO by iannuttall: A local CLI and MCP server that audits your site on your own crawl, Search Console and analytics.
Hawk Academy SEO Skills: Eight SEO skills as one Claude Code plugin.
Google Trends MCP: Google Trends as four Claude tools.

Which Claude SEO plugins are worth installing?

Six Claude SEO plugins are worth installing: OpenSEO for keyword and competitor data, Firecrawl MCP for scraping and search, MCP-GSC for Search Console, SEO by iannuttall for local audits, Hawk Academy SEO Skills for the workflows, and Google Trends MCP for demand trajectory. Each card below is a one-page summary you can save; the install line is on the card and under it.

1. OpenSEO

The open-source alternative to a paid SEO suite, with an MCP server Claude Code can call.

OpenSEO: the paid-suite replacement with an MCP server.

Install: Hosted: openseo.so/docs/mcp · Self-host: github.com/every-app/open-seo

2. Firecrawl MCP

Web scraping, search and crawling inside Claude. The missing half of every SEO job: reading pages that are not yours.

Firecrawl MCP: read the pages you do not own.

Install: claude mcp add firecrawl -e FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=fc-KEY -- npx -y firecrawl-mcp

3. MCP-GSC

Search Console inside Claude, built by an SEO for SEOs. Ask your own property questions in plain English.

MCP-GSC: your Search Console data, conversationally.

Install: uvx mcp-search-console (set GSC_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRETS_FILE in the config)

4. SEO by iannuttall

A local CLI and MCP server that audits your site on your own crawl, Search Console and analytics.

SEO by iannuttall: the local audit engine.

Install: npm i -g seo · seo start · seo report · seo mcp install

5. Hawk Academy SEO Skills

Eight SEO skills as one Claude Code plugin. Ours, built at Hawk Academy and StudioHawk.

Hawk Academy SEO Skills: eight skills, one install, no keys.

Install: /plugin install hawk-seo-skills@lhitches

6. Google Trends MCP

Google Trends as four Claude tools. Also ours. No API key, because the Trends endpoints are public.

Google Trends MCP: demand trajectory without an API key.

Install: /plugin install google-trends-mcp@lhitches

What is the difference between a Claude plugin, an MCP server and a skill?

A plugin is the package, an MCP server is a tool connection, and a skill is a written workflow; a plugin can bundle either or both. Most confusion about Claude SEO plugins comes from the three words being used as if they were one thing. They are not, and knowing which you are installing tells you what it can and cannot do.

Layer	What it is	What it gives Claude	On this list
Plugin	A package installed with `/plugin install` from a marketplace	Commands, skills, MCP servers, or all three, in one install	Hawk Academy SEO Skills, Google Trends MCP
MCP server	A small program Claude calls for data or actions, added with `claude mcp add` or a config entry	Live data: rankings, crawls, Search Console, Trends	OpenSEO, Firecrawl, MCP-GSC, iannuttall/seo, Google Trends
Skill	A markdown workflow Claude follows when a task matches	Method and judgement, not data	Hawk Academy SEO Skills, OpenSEO agent skills

The practical rule: an MCP server without a skill gives Claude data and no method, and a skill without an MCP server gives it method and no data. The pairs that work are a data plugin plus a workflow plugin, which is why the list has both kinds and why the order below matters.

Which Claude SEO plugin should you install first?

Install MCP-GSC first if you own the site, Firecrawl MCP first if you audit sites you do not own, and Hawk Academy SEO Skills first if you want results in the next ten minutes without any API key. The right first plugin depends on what data you already have access to, not on which one is most popular.

In-house SEO or site owner: MCP-GSC, then Hawk Academy SEO Skills, then Google Trends MCP. Your own Search Console is the highest-signal data you will ever give Claude.
Agency or freelancer auditing client sites: Firecrawl MCP, then SEO by iannuttall, then OpenSEO once a client pays for keyword data.
No budget, no keys, ten minutes: Hawk Academy SEO Skills and Google Trends MCP. Both install with one line and neither asks for a credential.
Replacing a paid suite: OpenSEO with your own DataForSEO key. You pay per request instead of per seat.

What do Claude SEO plugins cost, and which need an API key?

Five of the six are free to install and run; OpenSEO is free to self-host but the data behind it is paid per request through DataForSEO. Three need no credential at all. The table is the current state of each README, and the licence column matters if you plan to ship any of this to clients.

Plugin	Cost	Needs a key?	Licence	Runs where
OpenSEO	Self-host free; hosted from $10 a month; DataForSEO usage paid per request	Yes, DataForSEO	Open source	Docker, Cloudflare, or hosted
Firecrawl MCP	Free keyless tier for scrape, search, parse; paid plans for crawl and agent	Optional	Open source	npx, local
MCP-GSC	Free	Google OAuth or service account	Open source	uvx, local
SEO by iannuttall	Free; optional paid providers	Google sign-in for Search Console; provider keys optional	Apache 2.0	Node 22+, local
Hawk Academy SEO Skills	Free	No	MIT	Claude Code plugin
Google Trends MCP	Free	No	MIT	Claude Code plugin, Python

Which other Claude SEO plugins are worth knowing?

Four more Claude SEO plugins are worth knowing: Claude SEO by AgriciDaniel, SearchFit SEO on the official Claude plugin marketplace, the DataForSEO MCP server, and the Ahrefs MCP. They are not in the six because the six is what I run day to day, not because these are weaker; Claude SEO in particular is the biggest dedicated open-source SEO plugin in the field.

Claude SEO (AgriciDaniel/claude-seo). 25 sub-skills and 18 specialist agents that run audits, schema, content and backlink checks in parallel. MIT licensed. Install with /plugin marketplace add AgriciDaniel/claude-seo, then /plugin install claude-seo@agricidaniel-claude-seo, then /seo setup. If you want one plugin that tries to be the whole toolkit, this is it.
SearchFit SEO. Listed on the official Claude plugin marketplace at claude.com/plugins: 11 auto-activating skills (audit, technical, on-page, internal linking, schema, briefs, keyword clustering, AI visibility tracking) plus three agents. The marketplace listing is the easiest install of anything on this page.
DataForSEO MCP server. The official server from DataForSEO. Same data OpenSEO is built on, without the interface. For people who want raw endpoints in Claude and already hold a key.
Ahrefs MCP. Ahrefs publishes its own MCP at ahrefs.com/mcp for subscribers. If your agency already pays for Ahrefs, this is the shortest route to backlink and keyword data inside Claude.

If your question is which MCP servers to run rather than which plugins, that is a different list: Claude MCP servers for SEO covers the server layer on its own.

Which Claude SEO plugins have we built ourselves?

Eight Claude SEO plugins on this page are ours: Hawk Academy SEO Skills, Google Trends MCP, and six released this week that repackage the SEO methods I run into one plugin per purpose. Every one is open source under MIT, installs through the same marketplace, and asks for no API key. Add the marketplace once, then install what you need:

/plugin marketplace add lhitches/claude-seo-plugins

Plugin	What it does	Install
seo-page-design	Design and gate a page before it ships: `/page-design` nine-layer spec, `/line-edit` and `/copy-audit` flag tables that never rewrite your draft. This page was designed and audited with it.	`/plugin install seo-page-design@lhitches`
internal-linking	`/internal-links` plans or audits the links for a page or cluster: anchor variety from the 23-million-link study, authority flow to core pages, which source page to link from, the body-link ceiling, a pass or warn or fail audit.	`/plugin install internal-linking@lhitches`
query-templates	`/query-templates` runs the second axis of topical authority from your Search Console export: the query patterns you already rank for, page or heading per variation, the answer template, a paced build. Six stages, a gate after each.	`/plugin install query-templates@lhitches`
schema-specialist	`/schema` writes, audits or sweeps JSON-LD: one canonical entity per person or organisation by @id, the type atlas, cross-domain sameAs, starters, both validators.	`/plugin install schema-specialist@lhitches`
seo-boardroom	`/seo-boardroom` puts one decision in front of five adversarial advisors and a Chair. Every flag cites a source; the verdict is SHIP, FIX FIRST or KILL with one next step.	`/plugin install seo-boardroom@lhitches`
reddit-extract	`/reddit-extract` pulls buyer voice from Reddit threads with the .json mechanic: questions, objections, comparisons, frustrations, phrasings, angles. No key, ten-thread cap, loud-minority caveat built in.	`/plugin install reddit-extract@lhitches`

How they were built. Each one is a method I already run, de-personalised so it carries no site names, tool accounts or private paths, shipped with a slash command, a skill, a README and a worked example, and validated and installed through the public marketplace before it was listed here. The marketplace index is the canonical list; this page tracks it.

How do you install a Claude Code plugin?

Install a Claude Code plugin with two commands inside Claude Code: /plugin marketplace add owner/repo once, then /plugin install name@marketplace; MCP servers are added with claude mcp add instead. The lines on the cards above are the exact ones from each project's README as of September 2026.

Open Claude Code in a terminal and type /plugin to confirm the plugin system is available (Claude Code 1.0.33 or newer).
For the plugins on this page that end in @lhitches, add the marketplace once: /plugin marketplace add lhitches/claude-seo-plugins. It lists every plugin I publish, so one add covers all of them.
For a plugin: add its marketplace once, then install it. If the install line on a card already names the marketplace after the @, and Claude Code says the marketplace is unknown, add the repo with /plugin marketplace add first.
For an MCP server: run the claude mcp add line, or paste the JSON block from the README into your MCP config. Restart the session so the tools register.
Type a task that needs the tool ("pull my top 50 queries for the last 28 days") and check the tool call appears. If nothing fires, the server is installed but not registered.
Pair a data plugin with a workflow plugin. Data without method produces a dump; method without data produces a guess.

Once the plugins are in, the next question is what to run them on. The Claude SEO skills system is the workflow layer these tools feed, and Claude skills for SEO workflows shows how to chain them.

Frequently asked questions

Are Claude SEO plugins free?

Five of the six here are free to install and run. OpenSEO is free software but the keyword data behind it is bought per request from DataForSEO, either through your own key or through OpenSEO's hosted plan from $10 a month. Firecrawl has a keyless free tier for scraping and search.

Do Claude SEO plugins work in Claude Desktop and Claude.ai, or only Claude Code?

The MCP servers on this list work in any client that supports MCP, including Claude Desktop, with a config entry instead of a command. The two plugins installed with /plugin install are Claude Code packages. Check each README for the client you use.

Which Claude SEO plugin is best for keyword research?

OpenSEO, because it sits on DataForSEO volume and difficulty data, with Google Trends MCP alongside it for trajectory. Neither replaces judgement about which of the phrasings a page should target; they replace the export step.

Can I use these plugins on client sites?

Yes, with two checks: the licence (MIT and Apache 2.0 permit commercial use; read OpenSEO's terms for the hosted plan) and the credentials. MCP-GSC and SEO by iannuttall need access to the client's Search Console, which means the client grants it, not you.

Are Claude SEO plugins the same as Claude SEO skills?

No. Skills are written workflows; plugins are the packages that deliver skills, MCP servers, or both. Hawk Academy SEO Skills is a plugin whose contents are skills, which is where the two words meet.