Mansa API
How Be Alexander built the search and AI discovery strategy for Mansa API, a developer API for African bank codes, SWIFT codes, mobile networks, currencies, and public holidays.
Services: AI SEO (GEO), programmatic SEO, technical SEO, developer marketing, MCP and registry distribution
The Problem
Mansa API was close to invisible in search, with 49 clicks and 3,300 impressions over 90 days. Developers searching for African bank, payments, and identity data were landing on blogs and forums, many of them carrying inaccurate codes.
Developer tools are now discovered through AI coding assistants as often as through Google, so the API also needed to be something an AI agent could find and call directly.
What We Changed
We turned the API's verified datasets into a programmatic page system, expanding the site from 271 to 532 indexable pages. Every page is built on real data tables and FAQ schema rather than thin content.
We diagnosed a zero-click problem: meta descriptions were handing search engines the full answer, so results satisfied the query without a visit. We rewrote them to promise the data instead of printing it.
We split the strategy by search engine after finding that Google and Bing served different audiences. Phone-network prefixes drove 77% of Google impressions but under 1% on Bing, while NUBAN account checks drove 88% of Bing impressions.
We launched an MCP server on the brand domain, published it to the official MCP registry, and added llms.txt, so AI agents and coding assistants can discover and use the data directly.
We built developer-intent assets, including a NUBAN checker, a bank code finder, a Postman collection, and a mobile money API page.
The Result
Search impressions grew to more than 36,000 in 28 days, up from 3,300 across the previous 90 days. Weekly clicks grew from 13 to 60 within a month and average position improved from 12.3 to 9.8.
Mansa API is now discoverable through the channels developers increasingly use: AI assistants, MCP clients, and developer registries.
Key Numbers
3,300 impressions per quarter -> 36,400+ per 28 days
Weekly Google clicks: 13 -> 60 in four weeks
Average position: 12.3 -> 9.8
271 -> 532 indexable pages, all backed by real data
MCP server live and listed in the official MCP registry
Separate Google and Bing strategies built from engine-level data