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Track competitor SEO keywords with Decodo + GPT-4.1-mini + Google Sheets

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Track competitor SEO keywords with Decodo + GPT-4.1-mini + Google Sheets preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

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

1. Workflow Overview

This workflow automates competitor keyword research using OpenAI LLM and Decodo for intelligent web scraping. Who this is for SEO specialists, content strategists, and growth marketers who want to ...

Best for

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

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets, n8n-nodes-base.manualtrigger, @decodo/n8n-nodes-decodo.decodo, n8n-nodes-base.set, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.chainllm, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatopenai, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.code

Source and attribution

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

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Track competitor SEO keywords with Decodo + GPT-4.1-mini + Google Sheets
Workflow name
Track competitor SEO keywords with Decodo + GPT-4.1-mini + Google Sheets

This workflow automates competitor keyword research using OpenAI LLM and Decodo for intelligent web scraping.

Who this is for

  • SEO specialists, content strategists, and growth marketers who want to automate keyword research and competitive intelligence.

  • Marketing analysts managing multiple clients or websites who need consistent SEO tracking without manual data pulls.

  • Agencies or automation engineers using Google Sheets as an SEO data dashboard for keyword monitoring and reporting.

What problem this workflow solves

Tracking competitor keywords manually is slow and inconsistent.

Most SEO tools provide limited API access or lack contextual keyword analysis.

This workflow solves that by:

  • Automatically scraping any competitor’s webpage with Decodo.
  • Using OpenAI GPT-4.1-mini to interpret keyword intent, density, and semantic focus.
  • Storing structured keyword insights directly in Google Sheets for ongoing tracking and trend analysis.

What this workflow does

  1. Trigger — Manually start the workflow or schedule it to run periodically.

  2. Input Setup — Define the website URL and target country (e.g., https://dev.to, france).

  3. Data Scraping (Decodo) — Fetch competitor web content and metadata.

  4. Keyword Analysis (OpenAI GPT-4.1-mini)

    • Extract primary and secondary keywords.
    • Identify focus topics and semantic entities.
    • Generate a keyword density summary and SEO strength score.
    • Recommend optimization and internal linking opportunities.
  5. Data Structuring — Clean and convert GPT output into JSON format.

  6. Data Storage (Google Sheets) — Append structured keyword data to a Google Sheet for long-term tracking.

Setup

Prerequisites

If you are new to Decode, please signup on this link visit.decodo.com

  • n8n account with workflow editor access
  • Decodo API credentials
  • OpenAI API key
  • Google Sheets account connected via OAuth2

Make sure to install the Decodo Community node.

  1. Create a Google Sheet

    • Add columns for: primary_keywords, seo_strength_score, keyword_density_summary, etc.
    • Share with your n8n Google account.
  2. Connect Credentials

    • Add credentials for:

      • Decodo API credentials - You need to register, login and obtain the Basic Authentication Token via Decodo Dashboard
      • OpenAI API (for GPT-4o-mini)
      • Google Sheets OAuth2
  3. Configure Input Fields

    • Edit the “Set Input Fields” node to set your target site and region.
  4. Run the Workflow

    • Click Execute Workflow in n8n.
    • View structured results in your connected Google Sheet.

How to customize this workflow

  • Track Multiple Competitors → Use a Google Sheet or CSV list of URLs; loop through them using the Split In Batches node.

  • Add Language Detection → Add a Gemini or GPT node before keyword analysis to detect content language and adjust prompts.

  • Enhance the SEO Report → Expand the GPT prompt to include backlink insights, metadata optimization, or readability checks.

  • Integrate Visualization → Connect your Google Sheet to Looker Studio for SEO performance dashboards.

  • Schedule Auto-Runs → Use the Cron Node to run weekly or monthly for competitor keyword refreshes.

Summary

This workflow automates competitor keyword research using:

  • Decodo for intelligent web scraping
  • OpenAI GPT-4.1-mini for keyword and SEO analysis
  • Google Sheets for live tracking and reporting

It’s a complete AI-powered SEO intelligence pipeline ideal for teams that want actionable insights on keyword gaps, optimization opportunities, and content focus trends, without relying on expensive SEO SaaS tools.

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 - Google Sheets Append Row

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

Block 2 - When clicking ‘Execute workflow’

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

Block 3 - Decodo

Type / Role
@decodo/n8n-nodes-decodo.decodo - decodo
Config choices
Version 1

Block 4 - Set the Input Fields

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

Block 5 - Analyze Keywords

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.chainLlm - chainLlm
Config choices
Version 1.7

Block 6 - OpenAI Chat Model for Keyword Analysis

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatOpenAi - lmChatOpenAi
Config choices
Version 1.2

Block 7 - Sticky Note1

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

Block 8 - Extract Structured JSON

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

Block 9 - Sticky Note

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

Block 10 - Sticky Note2

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

Block 11 - Sticky Note3

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

3. Summary Table

Workflow Track competitor SEO keywords with Decodo + GPT-4.1-mini + Google Sheets
Complexity intermediate
Nodes 11
Categories Market Research, AI Summarization
Author Ranjan Dailata
Published 21 Oct 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/10002/10002.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 Track competitor SEO keywords with Decodo + GPT-4.1-mini + Google Sheets do?

This workflow automates competitor keyword research using OpenAI LLM and Decodo for intelligent web scraping. Who this is for SEO specialists, content strategists, and growth marketers who want to ...

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, AI Summarization use case.