How to Run SEO Audits Inside Cursor Using MCP

Introduction

For software engineers and indie hackers building web apps, SEO has always been a painful context switch. You build an application in your IDE, open a browser, log in to expensive tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, export CSVs, review missing tags, and manually copy those findings back into your code editor.

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) fundamentally changes this reality. Instead of treating SEO as an external post-deployment chore, RankForge bridges full-scale SEO intelligence directly into your AI coding assistant. In this tutorial, you will learn how to connect RankForge MCP server to Cursor in under 60 seconds and run deep 100-point audits without ever leaving your editor.

What You Need

Before beginning, ensure you have the following prerequisites ready:

• Cursor IDE: Latest version installed (free or Pro).
• RankForge Account: Free tier includes 10 full audits/month.
• Apify Account: Free tier gives you $5 monthly credit (no credit card needed).
• Time required: Approximately 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 1: Create Your RankForge Account

Navigate to rankforgeapp.pages.dev/login.html and click "Start Free". You can authenticate seamlessly using Google or GitHub OAuth.

Unlike traditional platforms that demand credit card details upfront, RankForge's Free tier is permanently free with 10 deep audits per month. Once authenticated, you will immediately land in your developer dashboard.

Step 2: Add Your Apify Key

RankForge operates on a Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) architecture. We charge $0 markup on crawling compute, SERP extractions, or proxy runs. All actor consumption runs with complete transparency on your personal Apify account.

Head to apify.com, create a free account, and copy your API token from Settings → Integrations → API Tokens.

Your Apify token typically resembles: apify_api_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. In your RankForge Dashboard under the "API Keys" tab, paste this token and click Save. The status badge will immediately illuminate as "✓ Connected". Your key is stored with AES-256 encryption on Cloudflare Workers and never exposed in client contexts.

Step 3: Configure Cursor MCP

Cursor supports native MCP servers through its configuration file. In Cursor, open your settings (or create/edit .cursor/mcp.json in your project root or global Cursor config directory).

Paste the following configuration into your .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rankforge": {
      "url": "https://rankforge-mcp.workers.dev/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_RANKFORGE_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_RANKFORGE_TOKEN with the personal bearer token displayed on your RankForge dashboard. Once saved, restart Cursor or click Refresh MCP Servers in Cursor's settings.

Step 4: Your First SEO Audit

Open a new Composer chat or Agent panel in Cursor (Cmd + L or Cmd + I). Simply prompt your assistant in plain English:

audit the SEO of https://rankforge.app

Cursor automatically identifies the rankforge.seo_audit tool, executes the 100-point algorithm on Cloudflare Workers Edge, and renders a structured breakdown:

● RANKFORGE AUDIT REPORT: rankforge.app
OVERALL HEALTH SCORE: 94/100 (Grade: A+)

• Core Web Vitals: LCP 0.8s, CLS 0.01, INP 42ms (PASSED)
• On-Page Semantics: Single H1 validated, Meta Description present (148 chars)
• Answer Engine (AEO): 89/100 (High Citation Probability for Perplexity & ChatGPT)
• Keyword Opportunity: "mcp seo server" (Vol: 1,800/mo, Diff: 24)

Prioritized Action Items:
1. [Must Fix Now] Deploy LocalBusiness JSON-LD on city landing routes.
2. [High Impact] Add 50-word direct answer blocks under feature H2 headers.

Because Cursor has access to your workspace code, you can simply reply: "Apply fix #1 and add this JSON-LD schema to index.html" — and your agent writes the code instantly!

Step 5: Advanced Commands

RankForge provides 8 structured tools. Here are 6 high-leverage prompts you can run directly from Cursor:

• Competitor Gaps: "Find keyword and content gaps between my domain and competitor.com"
• Local SEO Pack: "Run a local SEO audit for 'Apex Dental in Austin TX'"
• Executive Client Reports: "Generate an executive markdown SEO report for my client"
• AEO / AI Citation Check: "Check if my documentation is structured for ChatGPT search citations"
• Technical Deep-Dive: "Audit canonical tags and Core Web Vitals for my landing page"
• Backlink Quality: "Analyze my inbound backlink profile for toxic anchors"

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during setup, check these 3 common solutions:

• "Authentication required" (Error -32001): Your RankForge token may be incomplete. Return to your dashboard and re-copy your personal token.
• "Apify key not configured": You haven't added an Apify key in the dashboard yet. RankForge will fall back to its native edge crawler, but adding your Apify key unlocks live Google SERP and Maps scrapers.
• MCP Server not appearing in Cursor: Ensure valid JSON syntax in .cursor/mcp.json and completely restart Cursor to reload background daemons.

Next Steps

Now that RankForge is wired into Cursor, explore the official documentation for detailed parameters on each tool. If you manage client sites or enterprise projects, check out our Pro and Agency plans for higher audit volumes and white-label reporting.