What This Workflow Does
This n8n workflow automates the entire process of SEO competitor analysis, eliminating manual research and data entry. It connects directly to the Semrush API to pull comprehensive SEO data for any domain you specify, then automatically structures and logs that information into Google Sheets for easy analysis and reporting.
The workflow captures four key types of SEO intelligence: domain overview metrics (organic keywords and traffic estimates), organic competitors (identifying who you're actually competing against), top-performing organic pages, and detailed keyword data including search volume, cost-per-click, and difficulty scores. This creates a centralized, always-updated competitor intelligence system that would otherwise require hours of manual work each week.
By automating this process, marketing teams, SEO agencies, and business owners can maintain constant visibility into their competitive landscape without the time drain of manual research. The data flows directly into Google Sheets where it can be visualized, shared with stakeholders, or connected to other reporting tools.
How It Works
The workflow follows a logical sequence to gather, process, and store competitor SEO data efficiently.
1. Trigger & Domain Input
The workflow begins with a manual trigger where you input the competitor domain you want to analyze. This could be configured to run on a schedule (weekly, monthly) or triggered by other events in your marketing stack.
2. Semrush API Data Collection
The core of the workflow makes authenticated requests to the Semrush API, specifically the Competitor Analysis endpoint. It pulls multiple data points including domain authority metrics, traffic estimates, and competitive positioning data.
3. Data Processing & Transformation
n8n's data transformation nodes clean and structure the raw API responses. This includes extracting specific metrics, formatting dates, calculating percentages, and preparing the data for spreadsheet insertion.
4. Google Sheets Integration
The processed data is automatically appended to designated Google Sheets tabs. The workflow creates organized sections for domain overview, competitor lists, page performance, and keyword details—maintaining a clean, historical record of competitive movements.
5. Error Handling & Notifications
Built-in error handling ensures the workflow continues running smoothly even if one data point is missing. Optional notification nodes can alert your team via Slack or email when significant competitive changes are detected.
Who This Is For
This automation is particularly valuable for SEO specialists, digital marketing agencies, content teams, and business owners who need to track competitive positioning without manual effort. It's ideal for agencies managing multiple client accounts, in-house marketing teams monitoring industry competitors, or startups benchmarking against established players.
If you're currently spending hours each month copying data from Semrush into spreadsheets, or if your competitive intelligence is inconsistent because manual updates get deprioritized, this workflow will transform your SEO monitoring process. It's also perfect for businesses that need to provide regular SEO reports to clients or stakeholders with minimal manual intervention.
What You'll Need
- n8n instance – either self-hosted or n8n.cloud account
- Semrush API access – requires a Semrush subscription with API credits
- Google Sheets – a Google account with Sheets access
- Google Service Account – for automated Sheets integration (setup instructions included)
- Basic understanding of SEO metrics – to interpret the collected data effectively
Pro tip: Start with just 2-3 key competitors to validate the workflow before scaling to monitor dozens of domains. This helps you refine what metrics matter most to your business before automating at scale.
Quick Setup Guide
Getting this workflow running takes about 15-20 minutes if you have your API credentials ready.
- Download the template using the button above and import it into your n8n instance
- Configure Semrush credentials in the HTTP Request node with your API key from RapidAPI
- Set up Google Sheets connection using a service account (detailed instructions in the workflow notes)
- Test with a single domain to ensure data flows correctly from Semrush to your Sheets
- Schedule the workflow to run weekly or monthly for ongoing competitive tracking
- Customize the Sheets output to match your preferred reporting format and add any additional calculations
Key Benefits
Save 5-10 hours monthly on manual competitor research. What used to be a tedious, error-prone process becomes fully automated with consistent results.
Maintain always-current competitive intelligence. With scheduled runs, you'll never miss a competitor's strategic shift or content opportunity.
Standardize reporting across your team or clients. Everyone works from the same data structure, making comparisons and trend analysis straightforward.
Identify content gaps and keyword opportunities faster. Automated analysis surfaces insights that might take weeks to notice manually.
Scale competitor monitoring effortlessly. Add new domains to track without increasing your workload proportionally.