{"id":5412,"date":"2023-04-06T07:16:46","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T12:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/?post_type=blog&p=5412"},"modified":"2025-09-15T03:25:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T08:25:33","slug":"use-google-sheets-seo","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/blog\/use-google-sheets-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways to Use Google Sheets for SEO [Easy Guide]"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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As the world increasingly digitizes, businesses constantly seek ways to improve their online presence. A crucial strategy to achieve this purpose is via search engine optimization (SEO).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

However, SEO can be complex and time-consuming, requiring much data to track keyword rankings<\/a>, analyze competitors<\/a>, and more. That’s where Google Sheets comes in!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This versatile spreadsheet tool helps you manipulate data using different built-in functions, add-ons, or templates. While it isn’t primarily designed for SEO, it can take off the burden of spending hours importing, integrating, splitting, merging, analyzing, or deleting data.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Most importantly, it helps streamline and automate many aspects of SEO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

So, get your notepad out as we explore how to use Google Sheets for SEO, from basic features to more advanced techniques.<\/span><\/p>

Basic Google Sheets Features for SEO<\/h2>

Before we delve into the specifics of using Google Sheets for SEO, let’s first review some of the basic features that will be useful. If you’re new to Google Sheets, it’s crucial to understand how to import data, sort and filter data, create charts and graphs, and more.<\/span><\/p>

1. Creating a Spreadsheet<\/h3>

To create a new spreadsheet, log into your Google account and proceed to the Sheets homepage. You can create a new blank spreadsheet or choose from various templates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When creating a new spreadsheet, it’s essential to consider what data you want to track and how you want to organize it.<\/span><\/p>

2. Importing Data<\/h3>

Importing data into Google Sheets is simple – copying and pasting data directly from a website or uploading a file. Once you have your data in the spreadsheet, you can manipulate it using the tools provided.<\/span><\/p>

In addition, you can use the IMPORTRANGE function to import data from another spreadsheet to the initial sheet (in the latter part of this article, we will highlight some Google Sheet formulas that will increase your effectiveness with this tool).<\/span><\/p>

The IMPORTRANGE formula <\/span>=IMPORTRANGE(\u201cspreedsheet_url\u201d, \u201crange_string\u201d)<\/b><\/p>

NB: The <\/span>spreedsheet_url <\/b>is the spreadsheet URL you want to get data from. The <\/span>range_string<\/b> is the range of the cells containing the data you want to import.<\/span><\/p>

Here is an example of an IMPORTRANGE function – <\/span>=IMPORTRANGE(“https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1Cybp8N_rxCLddcI_HOcUgxDefxV3TEOO8VGxHAa0Vfo\/edit#gid=0”, “Data! B2:C22”)<\/b><\/p>

The last step is to proceed to the target sheet and click <\/span>Enter <\/b>on your keyboard. A Reference error immediately appears as proof that the target sheet cannot accept data from the source sheet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Move your cursor over the <\/span>REF!<\/b> notification and click <\/span>Allow access<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

\"Description<\/p>

3. Sorting and Filtering Data<\/h3>

You’ll likely want to sort and filter your data based on different criteria to make sense of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

In Google Sheets:<\/span><\/p>

# Select the cells you want to filter<\/span><\/p>

# Click<\/span> data <\/b>at the top of the sheet<\/span>.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

# Click <\/span>create a filter<\/b>. You will see an icon at the header of the selected cells. After clicking on the icon, you will have options on how to filter your data – “Sort A-Z,” “Sort Z-A,” “filter by condition,” “filter by values,” and more.<\/span><\/p>

\"Google<\/p>

You can also use the “Filter” tool to hide rows that don’t meet specific criteria.<\/span><\/p>

4. Creating Charts and Graphs<\/h3>

Charts and graphs are a practical way to visualize your data and make it easier to understand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

You can create a chart in Google Sheets by highlighting the data you want to include and clicking the “Insert Chart” button.<\/span><\/p>

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You can choose from various chart types, such as bar charts, line charts, or pie charts.<\/span><\/p>

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5. Google Sheets Keyboard Shortcuts<\/h3>

Keyboard shortcuts are easy ways to bypass a lot of processes. These shortcuts help users use Google Sheet formulas better and navigate their sheets in a twinkle of an eye.<\/span><\/p>

Check out the standard Google Sheets<\/span> keyboard shortcuts<\/span><\/a> to better navigate, format, and use your data.<\/span><\/p>

Advanced Google Sheets Features for SEO<\/h2>

Google Sheets is a powerful tool for various purposes, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tasks. Users can leverage several advanced features to maximize the potential of Google Sheets for SEO. Here are some of them:<\/span><\/p>

1. Using formulas to automate data entry and calculations<\/h3>

One of the most valuable features of Google Sheets is the ability to use formulas to automate data entry and perform calculations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This practice can save time and effort, especially when dealing with large data. For example, you can use formulas to automatically pull data from other sheets or even perform complex SEO analysis.<\/span><\/p>

Let’s examine a few Google Sheet formulas every SEO expert should know:<\/span><\/p>

# VLOOKUP<\/h4>

This formula, which stands for Vertical LOOKUP, is used for importing data from one spreadsheet into another spreadsheet as long as they share common values.<\/span><\/p>

For example, if we have two spreadsheets containing the same list of keywords. However, one includes the SEO difficulties of the keywords, while the other contains the search volumes of the keywords.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\"A<\/p>

\"A<\/p>

Note:<\/b> Both spreadsheets contain the same list of keywords in the same column.<\/span><\/p>

If we want to import the SEO volumes of the keywords in the second spreadsheet into the first spreadsheet using the VLOOOK formula, we will use the formula – <\/span>VLOOKUP(search_key,range,index,is_sorted)<\/b><\/p>

Search_key <\/b>is the value both spreadsheets have in common. We will start with the spreadsheet’s first keyword, A2.<\/span><\/p>

Range <\/b>is the field where you enter the name of the tab from which you obtain the data and the range of columns your formula should read. Columns A (Keyword) and B should be (search volume).<\/span><\/p>

Index <\/b>is the column number of the data you want to import. A=1, B=2<\/span><\/p>

Is_sorted<\/b> is set as zero or false to import the exact match. TRUE means not an exact match, while FALSE means exact matches only.<\/span><\/p>

To enter the formula, we will click the C2 of the first spreadsheet and enter the formula <\/span>=VLOOKUP(A2,SearchVolume!A:B,2,0)<\/b> and press <\/span>Enter<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

\"How<\/p>

You can drag from the first cell (C2) down the column, and the answers will automatically fill in after you enter the formula for the first keyword and press Enter.<\/span><\/p>

# The IF Formula<\/h4>

The IF formula allows you to vet whether a condition is true or false for your spreadsheet’s data list.<\/span><\/p>

The formula is <\/span>=IF(condition,value_if_true, value_if_false)<\/b><\/p>

Condition <\/b>is what we are testing to be true or false.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

If the condition is true for a specific data, <\/span>value_if_true <\/b>will be displayed and vice versa.<\/span><\/p>

For example, to check if the search volumes of our keywords are greater than 1000, we input the formula:<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0=IF(B2>1000,\u201dYes\u201d,\u201dNo\u201d) <\/b>in the C2 cell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Once you enter the formula, you can drag from the first cell C2 down the column and the answers autofill.<\/span><\/p>

\"How<\/p>

All the keywords with search volumes over 1,000 per month show up as “YES,” and those with traffic under 1,000 show up as “NO.”<\/span><\/p>

You can also use other signs alongside the formula, such as Equal to (=), Not equal (<>), Greater than (>), Less than (<), Greater than or equal to (>=), or Less than or equal to (<=).<\/span><\/p>

Bonus<\/b><\/p>

You can use the ARRAYFORMULA to auto-populate answers for an entire row or column. All you need to do is include the first and last cells in the formula.<\/span><\/p>

For example, we want to perform an IF function to get keywords with search volumes greater than 1000.<\/span><\/p>

We input the formula <\/span>=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(B2:B7>1000,” Yes”,” No”)) <\/b>in the C2 cell.<\/span><\/p>

\"How<\/p>

We click <\/span>Enter,<\/b> and we have the answers in the column automatically.<\/span><\/p>

# The SEARCH Formula<\/h4>

The formula helps you check a list of data for a specific value.<\/span><\/p>

For example, if you copy the list of your pages indexed on Google into a spreadsheet and want to identify blog articles.<\/span><\/p>

Instead of manually searching for your blog articles’ URLs, you can use the formula <\/span>=SEARCH(search_query, text_to_search)<\/b><\/p>

You will need to combine this formula with the IF formula. So you have <\/span>=IF(SEARCH(“\/blog\/”,A2),”Blog”,””)<\/b><\/p>

This formula will pull out URLs featuring \/blog\/ starting from cell A2 and flag others as <\/span>ERROR<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

We’ve got a lot more to cover in this article. Click the video below to learn other relevant Google Sheet formulas to improve your SEO game.<\/span><\/p>