Data Sourcing Evaluation Template
A systematic framework to evaluate APIs, databases, and data providers for your pSEO data needs.
Overview
The quality of your programmatic SEO project depends heavily on your data. This template helps you systematically evaluate potential data sources before committing to them.
Source Identification
Types of Data Sources
- Public APIs: Government data, open databases
- Commercial APIs: Paid data providers, SaaS platforms
- Web Scraping: Publicly available web data
- User-Generated: Reviews, submissions, community data
- Internal Data: Your own analytics, CRM, operations
Evaluation Criteria
| Criterion | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Completeness | 25% | Does it cover all entities you need? |
| Accuracy | 25% | How reliable and up-to-date is the data? |
| Cost | 20% | What's the total cost at scale? |
| Accessibility | 15% | How easy to integrate technically? |
| Legal/Terms | 15% | Can you legally use it this way? |
Cost Analysis Framework
Calculate total cost of ownership:
- Initial setup and integration costs
- Per-request or per-record pricing
- Monthly/annual subscription fees
- Data storage and processing costs
- Maintenance and update overhead
Risk Assessment
- Single Point of Failure: What if this source disappears?
- Rate Limits: Can you scale to your needs?
- Data Quality Degradation: How to monitor accuracy over time?
- Terms Changes: What if pricing or terms change?