Semrush + Google Sheets: traffic logs done for you

You run a competitor traffic check, paste a few numbers into a spreadsheet, then realize you forgot to log the date. Again. Next week you repeat it, and the sheet is a mix of half-updated rows, inconsistent naming, and “I’ll fix it later” notes.

This is what SEO leads end up babysitting, but marketing managers and agency owners feel it too. A solid Semrush Sheets automation fixes the logging problem at the source, so your reports stop depending on perfect human memory.

This workflow takes a submitted website URL, pulls traffic metrics from Semrush, cleans the data, and appends it into Google Sheets. You’ll see what it automates, what changes after you set it up, and where teams usually trip up.

How This Automation Works

See how this solves the problem:

n8n Workflow Template: Semrush + Google Sheets: traffic logs done for you

Click to explore

flowchart LR

    subgraph sg0["Form Submission Flow"]
        direction LR
        n0["<div style='background:#f5f5f5;padding:10px;border-radius:8px;display:inline-block;border:1px solid #e0e0e0'><img src='https://flowpast.com/wp-content/uploads/n8n-workflow-icons/form.svg' width='40' height='40' /></div><br/>Form Submission Trigger"]
        n1["<div style='background:#f5f5f5;padding:10px;border-radius:8px;display:inline-block;border:1px solid #e0e0e0'><img src='https://flowpast.com/wp-content/uploads/n8n-workflow-icons/httprequest.dark.svg' width='40' height='40' /></div><br/>Retrieve Traffic Metrics"]
        n2["<div style='background:#f5f5f5;padding:10px;border-radius:8px;display:inline-block;border:1px solid #e0e0e0'><img src='https://flowpast.com/wp-content/uploads/n8n-workflow-icons/code.svg' width='40' height='40' /></div><br/>Format Traffic Output"]
        n3@{ icon: "mdi:database", form: "rounded", label: "Update Google Spreadsheet", pos: "b", h: 48 }
        n1 --> n2
        n2 --> n3
        n0 --> n1
    end

    %% Styling
    classDef trigger fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
    classDef ai fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1976d2,stroke-width:2px
    classDef aiModel fill:#e8eaf6,stroke:#3f51b5,stroke-width:2px
    classDef decision fill:#fff8e1,stroke:#f9a825,stroke-width:2px
    classDef database fill:#fce4ec,stroke:#c2185b,stroke-width:2px
    classDef api fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#e65100,stroke-width:2px
    classDef code fill:#f3e5f5,stroke:#7b1fa2,stroke-width:2px
    classDef disabled stroke-dasharray: 5 5,opacity: 0.5
    class n0 trigger
    class n3 database
    class n1 api
    class n2 code
    classDef customIcon fill:none,stroke:none
    class n0,n1,n2 customIcon

The Challenge: Keeping Traffic Logs Accurate (Without Busywork)

Traffic logging sounds simple until you do it every week for a list of competitors, plus your own site, plus a few “watchlist” domains your team cares about. You jump between Semrush, a spreadsheet, and whatever notes you captured in Slack or email. Someone copies the wrong row. Someone forgets to switch the domain. And when it’s time to report, you spend more time validating the data than interpreting it. Honestly, that’s the worst part.

The friction compounds. The longer you wait to fix the process, the more the sheet turns into a “best guess” history instead of something you can trust.

Manual copy-paste creates tiny mistakes that quietly wreck trend charts.
Checks happen inconsistently because the task is boring and easy to postpone.
Different people format results differently, so your sheet becomes hard to filter and compare.
When leadership asks “what changed this month?”, you lose about an hour reconstructing what you meant to track.

The Fix: Log Semrush Traffic Metrics to Google Sheets Automatically

This n8n workflow turns your traffic check into a repeatable input-and-log process. It starts with a simple form submission where you enter a website URL (your site, a competitor, a prospect, anyone). n8n sends that URL to the Semrush Website Traffic Checker API using an HTTP request, then receives fresh traffic and engagement metrics back. Next, the workflow reformats the raw API response into a clean, spreadsheet-friendly structure (so columns stay consistent). Finally, it appends a new row into Google Sheets, building a timeline you can filter, chart, and report from without touching copy-paste.

The workflow begins when a URL is submitted. It then retrieves traffic metrics from Semrush, cleans the fields into a predictable format, and writes the output into Google Sheets as a new log entry. No exporting, no “did I already log this?” second-guessing.

What Changes: Before vs. After

What This Eliminates

Impact You’ll See

Copying metrics from Semrush and pasting them into the next empty row.
Reformatting messy API output or mismatched column names by hand.
Forgetting to log the check date, domain variant, or notes about why you checked it.
Re-checking the same domain because you can’t find the last entry quickly.

Most teams get about 2 hours back per week if they track 10+ domains.
Your sheet stays consistent, which makes charts and pivots actually work.
Weekly competitor checks become routine instead of “when we remember.”
Fewer data disputes in reporting meetings because the log is timestamped and uniform.
You can spot traffic shifts earlier, so you react faster (and with better context).

Real-World Impact

Say you track 12 domains every week: your site plus 11 competitors. Manually, you spend maybe 10 minutes per domain opening Semrush, grabbing the metrics, and pasting into Sheets, which is about 2 hours weekly (and that’s before fixing mistakes). With this workflow, you submit a URL through the form in under a minute, let the API call run, and the row lands in Google Sheets automatically. The work becomes “enter URLs,” not “maintain a spreadsheet.”

Requirements

n8n instance (try n8n Cloud free)
Self-hosting option if you prefer (Hostinger works well)
Semrush Website Traffic Checker API to fetch traffic metrics.
Google Sheets to store a long-term traffic log.
Semrush API key (get it from your Semrush API settings).

Skill level: Beginner. You’ll connect accounts, paste an API key, and choose a target spreadsheet.

Need help implementing this? Talk to an automation expert (free 15-minute consultation).

The Workflow Flow

Form submission starts everything. You (or a teammate) submits a website URL in a simple form, which keeps inputs consistent and reduces “wrong domain” errors.

Semrush metrics are pulled via HTTP request. n8n sends the URL to the Semrush Website Traffic Checker API and waits for the response with the traffic and engagement fields you care about.

The data is cleaned into spreadsheet-ready fields. The formatting step restructures the response so every run produces the same columns, even if the raw API output is noisy.

Google Sheets gets a new row automatically. The workflow appends the formatted results into your chosen sheet, building a dated log you can chart over time.

You can easily modify the input fields to include a “competitor group” or campaign name based on your needs. See the full implementation guide below for customization options.

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

Step 1: Configure the Form Trigger

Set up the form that will collect the website domain to check traffic for.

Add the Form Submission Trigger node to your canvas.
Set Form Title to website traffic checker.
Set Form Description to website traffic checker.
Under Form Fields, add a field with Field Label set to website and mark it as required.

Step 2: Connect Google Sheets

Prepare the destination spreadsheet where the traffic metrics will be appended.

Add the Update Google Spreadsheet node to your workflow.
Credential Required: Connect your googleApi credentials.
Set Authentication to serviceAccount.
Choose the target Document and set Sheet Name to the sheet with webtraffic (gid=0).
Ensure Operation is set to append so new rows are added.

Step 3: Set Up Traffic Retrieval and Processing

Fetch traffic data from the RapidAPI endpoint and format the response for storage.

Add the Retrieve Traffic Metrics node and connect it after Form Submission Trigger.
Set URL to https://website-traffic-checker-semrush.p.rapidapi.com/website-traffic.php and Method to POST.
Enable Send Body and set Content Type to multipart-form-data.
Under Body Parameters, add website with value {{ $json.website }}.
Enable Send Headers and add x-rapidapi-host with value website-traffic-checker-semrush.p.rapidapi.com.
Add x-rapidapi-key with value [CONFIGURE_YOUR_API_KEY].
Add the Format Traffic Output node after Retrieve Traffic Metrics and set JavaScript Code to return $input.first().json.data.semrushAPI.trafficSummary[0].

⚠️ Common Pitfall: The Retrieve Traffic Metrics node will fail unless you replace [CONFIGURE_YOUR_API_KEY] with a valid RapidAPI key.

Step 4: Configure Output to Google Sheets

Map the formatted traffic fields into your spreadsheet columns.

Connect Format Traffic Output to Update Google Spreadsheet.
Verify the column schema includes searchOrganic, pagesPerVisit, target, visits, users, timeOnSite, bounceRate, and displayDate.
Keep Mapping Mode set to autoMapInputData to map the formatted JSON keys into matching columns.

Step 5: Test and Activate Your Workflow

Validate the full execution flow from form submission to spreadsheet update.

Click Test Workflow and open the form generated by Form Submission Trigger.
Submit a sample website domain and confirm Retrieve Traffic Metrics returns data.
Check that Format Traffic Output produces a single traffic summary object.
Verify a new row is appended in the target sheet by Update Google Spreadsheet.
Once successful, switch the workflow to Active for production use.

🔒

Unlock Full Step-by-Step Guide

Get the complete implementation guide + downloadable template

Watch Out For

Semrush API credentials can expire or need specific permissions. If things break, check your Semrush API settings and key status first.
If you’re using Wait nodes or external rendering, processing times vary. Bump up the wait duration if downstream nodes fail on empty responses.
Google Sheets access is usually the culprit when rows don’t append. Verify the connected Google account, the spreadsheet ID, and that the target sheet tab name matches exactly.

Common Questions

How quickly can I implement this Semrush Sheets automation automation?

About 30 minutes if your Semrush key and Google Sheet are ready.

Can non-technical teams implement this traffic logging?

Yes. No code is required, but someone needs to connect Google Sheets and paste the Semrush API key in the right place.

Is n8n free to use for this Semrush Sheets automation workflow?

Yes. n8n has a free self-hosted option and a free trial on n8n Cloud. Cloud plans start at $20/month for higher volume. You’ll also need to factor in Semrush API costs based on your plan and usage.

Where can I host n8n to run this automation?

Two options: n8n Cloud (managed, easiest setup) or self-hosting on a VPS. For self-hosting, Hostinger VPS is affordable and handles n8n well. Self-hosting gives you unlimited executions but requires basic server management.

How do I adapt this Semrush Sheets automation solution to my specific challenges?

Start by changing what the form collects, because that controls what gets logged. Many teams add fields like “client name,” “competitor set,” or “campaign” and pass them through the Format Traffic Output step so they land as extra columns in Google Sheets. If you want to store the same log in Excel too, you can add a Microsoft Excel 365 write step after the Sheets update. You can also swap the Semrush request to hit a different endpoint if you prefer keyword or backlink data instead of traffic.

Why is my Google Sheets connection failing in this workflow?

Usually it’s a permission issue on the spreadsheet or a changed sheet tab name. Reconnect the Google account in n8n, confirm the spreadsheet is shared with that account, and double-check the target worksheet name matches what the node expects.

What’s the capacity of this Semrush Sheets automation solution?

On n8n Cloud’s Starter plan you can run thousands of executions per month, and self-hosting removes that ceiling (your server becomes the limit). In practice, each URL submission is one execution, so 20 checks a day is easy. The Semrush API plan and rate limits matter more than n8n here.

Is this Semrush Sheets automation automation better than using Zapier or Make?

Often, yes, especially if you want to control formatting before writing to Sheets and avoid paying more as volume grows. n8n makes it easier to reshape API responses and keep your columns stable, which is the whole point of a logging workflow. Zapier and Make are fine for quick two-step zaps, but API responses can get awkward fast when you need cleanup. If your reporting process is client-facing, that cleanup is non-negotiable. Talk to an automation expert if you want a quick recommendation based on how many domains you track.

Once this is running, your traffic log becomes a system instead of a chore. The workflow handles the repetitive tracking, so you can focus on what the numbers mean.

Semrush + Google Sheets: traffic logs done for you

How This Automation Works

n8n Workflow Template: Semrush + Google Sheets: traffic logs done for you

The Challenge: Keeping Traffic Logs Accurate (Without Busywork)