12 Things You Probably Don’t

Know About Google Spreadsheets

JR Oakes

I personally think that every SEO should know how to code.

The internet is built in different dialects of code and it puts you at

a severe disadvantage not to know the languages at some level.

Google Apps is backed with javascript (which is quickly

becoming a stronger server-side and client-side language). If

you are going to learn something that is the place to start.

http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Good-Parts-Douglas-Crockford/dp/0596517742

Disclaimer

About Me

● I am the Director of Search Marketing

at Consultwebs

● I GET to work with some really smart

people.

● I was an Architectural Glass Designer

for 10 Years

● I ushered in the WordPress

conversion at Consultwebs (ie. I know

a lot about WordPress)

● I am a father, a christian, and a die-

hard NC State fan.

Let’s Get Started

#1 Script EditorExample 1

#1 Script Editor

You don’t have to be a developer to click this

button.

#1 Script Editor

The Script Editor is

just a big container for

javascript functions

that are made

available to your

spreadsheet.(This is oversimplified, but is a useful

start for those not familiar.)

#1 Script Editor

You can find a

function for almost

ANYTHING already

coded in javascript

somewhere on the

internet.

#1 Script Editor

Look Familiar?

#1 Script Editor

I did have to

code this part,

but in many

cases, you can

find a complete

function or

library.

#1 Script Editor

In the example from

stackoverflow.com,

the poster was kind

enough to give usage

tips. This means,

that as long as I know

the basics of a

javascript function,

the heavy lifting has

already been done.

#1 Script Editor

It Works

#2 UNIQUEExample 1

#2 UNIQUE

I want to find all the unique domains pointing to

my site from a list of URLs

PS: Excel doesn’t have a unique function.

#2 UNIQUE

From the previous

example, I am

using the

getDomain()

function to turn a

column of urls into

a column of

domains.

#2 UNIQUE

From there, I just

use the built-in

UNIQUE(range)

function to get all

the unique

domains.

#2 UNIQUE

Which can prove to

be useful for

certain SEO

functions.

#3 Scrape Similarhttp://bit.ly/scrape-similar

Lets say you want to

get the emails of

writers that have

written on a particular

subject in the last

month.

#3 Scrape Similar

There is a wonderful add-on

for Google Chrome called

Scraper (I will always know

it as Scrape Similar)

http://bit.ly/scrape-similar

#3 Scrape Similar

Scrape Similar will

copy the XPATH

selector of what you

right-clicked on, and

will pull all the

matching elements

from the page. In this

case, Google result

urls. Notice the

Export to Google

Docs button in the

bottom corner.

#3 Scrape Similar

In a few clicks, you

have a nice neat list

of URLs to start

working on in Google

Sheets.

#3 Scrape Similar

#4 OnEdit FunctionsExample 2

OnEdit functions are really

cool, because it allows for:

● time stamps

● verifying input

● alerting (email when a

sheet is changed)

● etc...

#4 OnEdit Functions

There is a scratchpad on the

example spreadsheet where you

can play around with how this

works.

The two things done when a cell is

edited are:

● The cell is appended with a

User and Timestamp

comment.

● The cell will turn red if over

70 characters.

#4 OnEdit Functions

#5 UrlFetchApp.fetchExample 3

#5 UrlFetchApp.fetch

When you build a new site, you have to ensure consistency with navigation.

#5 UrlFetchApp.fetch

The Old URLs

#5 UrlFetchApp.fetch

The new page paths

#5 UrlFetchApp.fetch

All of your new urls on the development site. How do you make sure what you

planned and what is there are the same?

A script can use the URL

Fetch service to issue HTTP

and HTTPS requests and

receive responses.

These few lines of javascript

will allow you to check the

status of any page passed to

it. (404, 200, 301, etc)

#5 UrlFetchApp.fetch

#5 UrlFetchApp.fetch

This simple script makes sure that all of your development site URLs are

PERFECT.

#5 UrlFetchApp.fetch

Once they are perfect. You can easily create a cell calculation that spits out

your 301 redirects.

#6 ImportXMLOn Page Checker (XPath Examples)

#6 ImportXML

Import XML allows you to get pretty much any content from a web page based

on an XPath selector

Most of the data

here is pulled from

the entered URL via

ImportXML.

The XPath

examples are in the

column on the right.

On Page Checker (XPath

Examples)

#6 ImportXML

There are three main ways to get the XPath:

1. This is a really good guide:

https://www.distilled.net/blog/distilled/guide-to-

google-docs-importxml/

2. There is a really good list on Here in the On Page

Checker tool.

3. You can copy XPath right from the Inspect Element

tool in Google Chrome.

#6 ImportXML

#7 ImportXML: Google Lifted the 50

call limit in the new Google SheetsTool - Cache Check(Intl)

This drives me

crazy!

#7 ImportXML: No More Limit

#7 ImportXML: No More Limit

#7 ImportXML: No More Limit

It took me a couple hours but I cobbled together this monster.

#7 ImportXML: No More Limit

And slapped it in here

Sitemap URLs

#7 ImportXML: No More Limit

I assume that Google will get mad at you if you consistently run this on 1,000

URL sitemaps, but I have successfully used it on 250 page portions of xml

sitemaps to identify indexation and caching issues

Tool - Cache Check(Intl)

#8, #9 , and #10 Prebuilt Tools

Site Structure Creator

Metric Check Tool

Content Audit Tool

#8 Prebuilt Tools: Site Structure Creator

Allows you to upload an html export from Screaming Frog and it organizes the

pages into a nice hierarchy. See the Read Me sheet.

#9 Prebuilt Tools: Metric Check Tool

Allows you to grab some quick metrics on a set of domains. Enter your semrush api key

at the top, add in some domains, and copy down the example functions.

#10 Prebuilt Tools: Content Audit Tool

Allows you to upload a Screaming Frog crawl along with Google Analytics and Ranking

data to give you a great picture of how your site is performing. See the README sheet.

#11 Brainstorming

I got the idea from this article

http://www.movoto.com/blog/movoto-com/buzzfeed-for-real-estate/

For team

members that live

in different

geographic areas,

Google Sheets

allows you to kill

the Scribe from

brainstorming

sessions and lets

everyone throw

down an idea

when it comes.

#11 Brainstorming

Example 4

#12 Everything Else that is inherent

in cloud-shared spreadsheets.

#12 Cloud Shared Spreadsheets

● Revision History

● Removing access from a contractor that is on meth.

● Collaboration

● Add-on apps

o Supermetrics

o Google Analytics

o Mail Merge

● Forms to Spreadsheet

● Availability from any device or computer.

● etc etc

A Few Things I Don’t Like

A Few Things I Don’t Like

● Google LOVES to kill functionality that you really liked. Meaning, that if

you spend hours coding something, there is a good chance that Google

will deprecate some function that your program is dependent on.

● Excel is still better for large files (but Google is getting better).

● You have to be really careful with who you have documents shared with.

It is really easy to forget to remove access from someone. Luckily, if you

use the paid version of Google Apps for Your Domain, you can restrict

sharing outside of your domain.

● It seems like the UI is constantly changing.

● Not sure I would keep all of my Black Hat procedures in my Google Drive

:-)

Bonus Tip

IFTTT: Google Drive Integration

https://ifttt.com/recipes/popular?channel=google_drive

Questions?

JR Oakes

@jroakes