Skip to main content

Backlink monitoring automation with Google Sheets + DataForSEO

Workflow preview

Workflow preview
100%
Backlink monitoring automation with Google Sheets + DataForSEO preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

This workflow is provided as-is. Please review and test before using in production.

1. Workflow Overview

What This Workflow Does This n8n workflow reads backlinks from a Google Sheet, sends each one to the DataForSEO On Page API, and checks: Whether the backlink is still live on the target page Whethe...

Best for

  • Market Research automation workflows
  • intermediate n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.splitinbatches, n8n-nodes-base.manualtrigger, n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets, n8n-nodes-base.code, n8n-nodes-base.httprequest, n8n-nodes-base.wait, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote

Source and attribution

This workflow is cataloged by N8N Workflows and links back to its original n8n.io source page by Mykolas Bartkus.

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Backlink monitoring automation with Google Sheets + DataForSEO
Workflow name
Backlink monitoring automation with Google Sheets + DataForSEO

What This Workflow Does

This n8n workflow reads backlinks from a Google Sheet, sends each one to the DataForSEO On-Page API, and checks:

  • Whether the backlink is still live on the target page
  • Whether it's dofollow or nofollow
  • Whether it's missing (i.e., lost)

The result is then written back to the same Google Sheet under a Status column.

Your result will look like this:

Step-by-Step Setup Instructions

  1. Add your DataForSEO and Google Sheets credentials in n8n
  2. Make sure your Google Sheet has these columns: Backlink URL, Landing page, and Status
  3. Click the Test Workflow button to check a batch of backlinks

Workflow Breakdown

  1. Trigger: Manual test start
  2. Read Data: Pulls backlink URLs and target pages from Google Sheets
  3. Format URLs: Extracts domain from URL
  4. Send POST Request to DataForSEO: Triggers a crawl on the backlink URL
  5. Wait 20 seconds: Allows crawl to finish
  6. Fetch Link Results: Retrieves backlink data from DataForSEO
  7. Validate Backlink: Checks if the backlink is live, and whether it’s dofollow
  8. Update Google Sheets: Logs the status as Live, Lost, or Lost (Nofollow)

1.2 Logical Blocks

This catalog entry is organized from the workflow JSON. The node-level section below shows the executable blocks available for review before importing the template.

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - Loop Over Items

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.splitInBatches - splitInBatches
Config choices
Version 3

Block 2 - When clicking ‘Test workflow’

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger - manualTrigger
Config choices
Version 1

Block 3 - Reads Google Sheets

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.5

Block 4 - Cleans backlink url

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.code - code
Config choices
Version 2

Block 5 - Sends HTTP POST Request to DataForSEO

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices
Version 4.2

Block 6 - Waits 20 seconds

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.wait - wait
Config choices
Version 1.1

Block 7 - Sends HTTP links request to DataforSeo

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices
Version 4.2

Block 8 - Checks which backlinks exists on the landing page

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.code - code
Config choices
Version 2

Block 9 - Sends data to Google sheets

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.5

Block 10 - Sticky Note

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 11 - Sticky Note1

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 12 - Sticky Note2

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 13 - Sticky Note3

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

3. Summary Table

Workflow Backlink monitoring automation with Google Sheets + DataForSEO
Complexity intermediate
Nodes 13
Categories Market Research
Author Mykolas Bartkus
Published 24 Apr 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/3685/3685.json as the source template for this automation.

  2. 2. Import the template into n8n

    Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.

  3. 3. Configure credentials and variables

    Replace placeholder credentials, API keys, webhook URLs, account IDs, and environment-specific values with your own settings.

  4. 4. Test with sample data

    Run the workflow manually or in a staging workspace, inspect node output, and confirm downstream systems receive the expected data.

  5. 5. Activate and monitor

    Enable the workflow only after testing, then monitor executions, errors, and rate limits during the first production runs.

5. General Notes & Resources

Review imported nodes carefully before activation. This catalog entry is intended to help you inspect the workflow structure, understand required services, and find related templates faster.

Node names, credentials, schedules, webhook paths, and external service limits may need adjustment for your workspace.

Frequently asked questions

What does Backlink monitoring automation with Google Sheets + DataForSEO do?

What This Workflow Does This n8n workflow reads backlinks from a Google Sheet, sends each one to the DataForSEO On Page API, and checks: Whether the backlink is still live on the target page Whethe...

What do I need before importing this workflow?

Review the workflow JSON, configure any required credentials in n8n, and test the automation in a safe workspace before using it in production.

Can I customize this workflow?

Yes. Use the block-by-block analysis and the downloadable JSON to inspect each node, then adjust credentials, prompts, schedules, filters, or destinations for your Market Research use case.