SerpAPI — Image Search Setup

What SerpAPI Does

SerpAPI powers the image search step — the service searches Google Images for relevant photos for each article section.

Getting a SerpAPI Key

1. Go to serpapi.com
2. Create an account (free tier: 100 searches/month)
3. Copy your API Key from the dashboard

Adding the Key

SerpAPI is a site-level key — add it per site, not in your account settings:

1. Go to Sites → [Your site] → Settings → Additional APIs
2. Enter the key in the SerpAPI field and save

[SCREENSHOT: Site settings → Additional APIs section with the SerpAPI key field]

Limits

Free tier: 100 searches/month ≈ 20–30 articles (3–5 image searches per article). Paid plans from $50/month for 5,000 searches.

Without SerpAPI

If no key is set, the image search step is skipped — articles publish without inline images. The AI-generated cover image is unaffected.