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Google Sheets Web Scraping: The Ultimate Guide

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Google Sheets is an incredibly powerful and versatile tool that goes far beyond basic spreadsheet capabilities. One of its lesser-known but highly useful features is the ability to perform Google Sheets web scraping, a process that entails extracting data directly from websites and importing it into spreadsheets.

Web scraping with Google Sheets can be a game-changer for anyone who frequently needs to gather and analyze data from online sources. 

Whether you’re collecting product information, article details, or any other type of web data, Google Sheets web scraping allows you to automate the process and save countless hours of manual copy-pasting.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the built-in functions and formulas that make Google Sheets web scraping possible and provide step-by-step instructions and examples to help you get started, even if you’re an absolute beginner.

From basic techniques to more advanced methods, this guide will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to harness the full potential of Google Sheets web scraping. 

But before we delve deeper into today’s guide, let’s start with the basics.

Important Formulas for Google Sheets Web Scraping

Google Sheets provides several powerful formulas that enable web scraping capabilities. In this section, we’ll explore the key formulas you’ll need to master for effective Google Sheets web scraping.

IMPORTXML Formula

The IMPORTXML formula is a versatile tool that allows you to fetch data from various structured data types, including XML, HTML, CSV/TSV, and RSS/ATOM XML feeds. With this formula, you can extract specific elements or data points from web pages and import them directly into your Google Sheets.

The syntax for the IMPORTXML formula looks something like this:

=IMPORTXML(url, xpath_query)

Here,

  • url is the URL of the webpage from which you want to scrape data.
  • xpath_query is the identifier that specifies which part of the webpage’s code you want to extract. For example, if you want to scrape an article’s title, you would use an XPath query that targets the HTML element containing the title.

Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with XPath queries yet. We’ll provide examples and walk through the process of using IMPORTXML for scraping webpage titles, dates, author names, and other common data points.

IMPORTHTML Formula

The IMPORTHTML formula is a powerful tool for extracting tabular data or lists directly from web pages into your Google Sheets. This formula is particularly useful when you need to scrape data that is presented in a table or list format on a website.

This is what the syntax for the IMPORTHTML formula looks like:

=IMPORTHTML(url, query, index)

Here, 

  • url is the URL of the web page containing the data you want to scrape.
  • query specifies whether you want to import a “table” or a “list” from the webpage.
  • index is a number that tells Google Sheets which specific table or list to import if there are multiple instances on the page.

For example, if you want to scrape a product table from an e-commerce website, you would set the query parameter to “table”, and the index parameter to the number corresponding to the desired table (e.g., 1 for the first table on the page).

The IMPORTHTML formula is incredibly versatile and can save you a tremendous amount of time and effort compared to manually copying and pasting data from websites. 

IMPORTFEED Formula

While IMPORTXML and IMPORTHTML functions are ideal for extracting data from standard URLs, the IMPORTFEED function is specifically crafted for pulling information from RSS or Atom feeds. This feature is exceptionally handy for aggregating content from blogs, news sites, or any platforms that offer RSS feeds.

This is what the IMPORTFEED syntax looks like:

=IMPORTFEED(url, [query], [headers], [num_items])

Here,

  • url is the URL of the Atom or RSS feed you want to scrape. 
  • The [query] parameter, which is optional, lets you select specific data to extract, such as the post title or publication date. If you do not specify a query, the formula will retrieve all available data. 
  • The [headers] parameter, which is also optional, is a boolean value that indicates whether to include header rows in your imported data. 
  • The [num_items] parameter allows you to define the number of items, such as blog posts or news articles, that you wish to import from the feed.

For instance, to extract the titles of the five most recent posts from your favorite blog’s RSS feed, you could use the formula:

=IMPORTFEED(“https://blog.example.com/feed”, “title”, FALSE, 5)

This formula would import the titles of the five latest blog posts, without including header rows.

The IMPORTFEED formula is a powerful tool for staying up-to-date with the latest content from your favorite sources, all without leaving the convenience of your Google Sheets environment.

Now that we’ve covered the essential formulas for Google Sheets web scraping, let’s dive into some practical examples to solidify your understanding and unlock the full potential of this incredible feature.

Additional Data Import Options

Even though the IMPORTXML, IMPORTHTML, and IMPORTFEED formulas are powerful tools for scraping data from websites and RSS feeds, Google Sheets offers several other formulas that can complement your data import capabilities. These formulas allow you to import data from various sources, including other spreadsheets and JSON files.

For instance, the IMPORTDATA function allows you to pull data from various sources, including external spreadsheets. 

Similarly, the IMPORTRANGE function is useful for transferring specific sections from another spreadsheet into your current one. Additionally, there are options for importing JSON files into Sheets.

Practical Examples: Scraping Data into Google Sheets

Now that we’ve explored the essential formulas for Google Sheets web scraping and complementary data import methods, it’s time to put this knowledge into practice. In this section, we’ll walk through practical examples that demonstrate how to effectively scrape data from websites and import it directly into your Google Sheets.

Whether you need to extract tabular data, article details, product information, or any other type of web content, these examples will provide you with step-by-step guidance and hands-on experience.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Copy the Sample Sheet

Before we dive into the practical examples, we recommend copying our sample sheet. This way, you can follow along seamlessly as we guide you through the step-by-step process of Google Sheets web scraping.

Copy Sheet

Extract Data From a Website to Google Sheets: List of Best-Selling Singles

Let’s say you want to scrape the list of best-selling singles from a website into Google Sheets. This is a perfect use case for the IMPORTHTML formula, which allows you to import tabular data or lists directly from web pages.

Here’s how you can accomplish this task:

Step 1: Launch Google Sheets or Open an Existing Spreadsheet

Start by launching the Google Sheets application or opening an existing spreadsheet where you want to import the data.

For this example, we already have a document we are working with.

Step 2: Find the URL of the Web Page Containing the Table

After launching the Google Sheets document you want to use for web scraping, the next thing you want to do is locate the website that has the list of best-selling singles you want to import and copy the URL from your browser’s address bar.

Here is the URL we are going to use for this example:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles

Step 3: Select a Blank Cell

With the webpage URL in hand, it’s time to choose where you want the scraped data to appear in your Google Sheet. 

For this example, we will choose cell A1 as our target cell. 

Step 4: Input the IMPORTHTML Formula

With cell A1 selected, it’s time to input the IMPORTHTML formula. This powerful function will instruct Google Sheets to fetch the desired data from the website and import it into your spreadsheet.

In cell A1, enter the following formula:

=IMPORTHTML(“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles”, “table”, 1)

Let’s break down the components of this formula:

  1. =IMPORTHTML( indicates that we are using the IMPORTHTML function to import data from a webpage.
  1. “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles” is the URL of the webpage we want to scrape data from. In this case, it’s the Wikipedia page listing the best-selling singles of all time.
  1. “table” specifies that we want to import a table from the webpage.
  1. 1 represents the index number of the table we want to import. Since we are interested in the first table on this page, we used 1.

Step 5: Hit Enter

Once you’ve typed in the formula correctly, press Enter on your keyboard. Google Sheets will fetch the data from the specified URL and import the table into your spreadsheet, starting from cell A1.

Here is what ours looks like:



With just a single formula, we’ve effortlessly imported the list of best-selling singles of all time into our Google Sheet. The IMPORTHTML function has done all the heavy lifting, fetching the data directly from the web and neatly organizing it within our spreadsheet.

This example showcases just a glimpse of the incredible potential Google Sheets offers for web scraping. 

Extracting Specific Data from the Imported Table

While importing the entire table is useful in many cases, there might be situations where you only need a specific column or set of data points from the scraped information. Fortunately, Google Sheets provides a way to achieve this using the INDEX function in combination with the IMPORTHTML formula.

Since the IMPORTHTML formula returns an array of values, you can treat it as an input for the INDEX function, allowing you to selectively fetch the desired column or row from the imported data.

Let’s say you only want to extract the names of the artists with the best-selling singles from the table you imported earlier. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Choose a Blank Cell

The first thing you want to do is choose a blank cell within your spreadsheet. This is where you want the scrapped result to be. For this particular example, we will go with cell A1. 

Step 2: Input Your Index and IMPORTHTML Formula

Having decided on an area in your spreadsheet where you want the specific scrapped result to be, head over to the formula bar and input the following formula:

=INDEX(IMPORTHTML(“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles”, “table”, 1), 0, 1)

Let’s break down the formula so you get a better picture of how it works:

  • IMPORTHTML(“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles”, “table”, 1) is the same formula you used earlier to import the entire table.
  • INDEX(…) is the INDEX function that allows you to extract specific data from the imported array.
  • 0 represents the row number. By setting it to 0, you’re telling Google Sheets to fetch the entire column.
  • 1 represents the column number. In this case, 1 corresponds to the first column in the table, which contains the names of the artists with the best-selling singles.

Step 3: Press Enter

After inputting the formula like we showed you in step 2, go ahead and hit the Enter button on your keyboard, you should see the result generated in the selected section of your sheet. 

Here is what ours looks like:



Note: The INDEX formula we used in the previous step fetches the first column from the imported table, which conveniently contains the names of the artists with the best-selling singles. This approach allows you to selectively extract the data you need without having to import the entire table.

However, what if the information you need is presented as a list on the webpage instead of a table? No problem. The IMPORTHTML formula can handle lists as well. Simply change the second argument from “table” to “list,” and Google Sheets will import the data accordingly.

Keeping Your Data Up-to-Date

One of the powerful aspects of using formulas like IMPORTHTML is that the data in your spreadsheet will automatically update whenever the source webpage changes. This means that if the list of best-selling singles is updated on Wikipedia, your Google Sheet will reflect those changes the next time you open it, ensuring you always have the latest information at your fingertips.

However, if you prefer to work with a static version of the data or want to prevent automatic updates, you can copy the imported data and paste it as values in your spreadsheet. This will create a permanent copy of the data, allowing you to work with it without worrying about any changes on the source website.

How to Import Data From Website to Google Sheets: Extracting Article Titles

Building on the previous example where we learned how to import tabular data and lists from websites, let’s explore another powerful use case for Google Sheets web scraping: extracting specific elements or data points from web pages.

Imagine you’re a content curator or a researcher, and you need to gather the titles of articles from various online publications. Instead of manually copying and pasting each title, you can leverage the IMPORTXML formula in Google Sheets to automate this process.

Let’s consider a random article from Software Accountant as an example:

To import the article title into your Google Sheet, follow these steps:

Step 1: Inspect the Article Title Element

To begin the process of extracting the article title using the IMPORTXML formula, you’ll need to inspect the HTML element that contains the title. Here’s how you can do it:

Open the webpage containing the article you want to scrape in your web browser and wait for the page to fully load.

Once the page loads, position your cursor over the article title on the webpage. Right-click on the article title and a context menu will appear.

From the context menu, select the “Inspect” option.

This action reveals the browser’s developer tools, typically displayed as a separate pane or window. Within the developer tools, you’ll notice that the HTML element containing the article title has been highlighted, making it visually distinct from the rest of the code.

Here is what it looks like:



Step 2: Identify the Element’s Unique Attribute

With the article title element highlighted in the developer tools, you’ll notice a set of attributes that uniquely identify and style this element within the webpage’s HTML structure. 

One of these attributes is likely the class attribute, which assigns a specific CSS class to the element.

In our example, the class attribute for the article title element appears to be:

class=”entry-title article-heading”

Note: We are going to input this element into our IMPORTXML formula and we will show you how to go about that in the next couple of steps. 

Step 3: Choose an Empty Cell 

Having identified the article’s title unique element, head over to your spreadsheet and choose the cell where you want the article title imported to. 

For this example, we will go with cell B2: 

Step 4: Input the IMPORTXML Formula

With an empty cell selected in your Google Sheet, it’s time to enter the IMPORTXML formula that will fetch the article title from the webpage. This formula will leverage the unique class attribute you identified in the previous step to target the specific HTML element containing the title.

Here is how to go about it: 

Navigate to the formula bar, which is typically located at the top of the Google Sheets interface. In the formula bar, type the following:

=IMPORTXML(A2, “//*[@class=’entry-title article-heading’]”)

Let’s break down the components of this formula:

  • =IMPORTXML( initiates the IMPORTXML function, which allows us to import data from a webpage using an XPath query.
  • A2 represents the cell reference that contains the URL of the webpage we want to scrape. Replace A2 with the appropriate cell reference if your URL is located in a different cell.
  • “//*[@class=’entry-title article-heading’]” is the XPath query that targets the HTML element with the specified class attribute. This query tells Google Sheets to look for any element (*) with the class “entry-title article-heading” and retrieve its content.

Step 5: Press Enter

After entering the formula, press Enter on your keyboard. Google Sheets will fetch the webpage using the URL in cell A2, locate the HTML element within the specified class attribute, and import its content (the article title) into the cell where we entered the formula.

Here is what ours looks like:

From the screenshot above, you can see that using the IMPORTXML formula and a carefully constructed XPath query, we have been able to successfully import the article title directly from the webpage into our Google Sheet. 

This powerful combination allows us to precisely target and extract the desired information, without the need for manual copying and pasting.

Scrape the Recent Articles from a Feed

In addition to scraping data from individual web pages, Google Sheets also provides the ability to extract information from RSS or Atom feeds. This functionality can be particularly useful when you need to stay up-to-date with the latest articles or posts from your favourite websites or blogs.

In this section, we will explore how to scrape recent articles from a feed using the example of the Billboard website’s feed:

https://www.billboard.com/feed

Here is how to go about it: 

Step 1: Choose an Empty Cell

To begin the process of scraping recent articles from a feed using the IMPORTFEED formula, you’ll need to select an empty cell in your Google Sheet. This cell will serve as the starting point for importing the feed data.

For this particular example, we will go with cell A1:



Step 2: Enter the IMPORTFEED Formula

With an empty cell selected as the starting point for your imported data, it’s time to enter the IMPORTFEED formula that will fetch the recent articles from the feed.

To do that, head over to the formula bar, typically located at the top of the Google Sheets interface and type in the following formula:

=IMPORTFEED(“https://www.billboard.com/feed/“)

Step 3: Hit Enter

After entering the IMPORTFEED formula in the formula bar, it’s time to execute it and initiate the data import process. To do this, simply press the Enter button on your keyboard.

When you hit Enter, Google Sheets will process the IMPORTFEED formula and fetch the data from the specified feed URL. This process may take a few seconds, depending on the size of the feed and the number of articles it contains.

Once the data import is complete, you’ll see the recent articles from the feed populate your spreadsheet, starting from the cell where you initially entered the formula.

Here is what ours looks like:



From the image above, you can see that we have successfully used the IMPORTFEED formula to seamlessly scrape the latest articles directly from Billboard.com. 

If you need to collect articles from a website, using the IMPORTFEED formula and following the steps we’ve outlined above will definitely make your job easier. 

Step 4: Importing Specific Data Points

While the default behavior of the IMPORTFEED formula is to import all available data from the specified feed, you may find yourself in situations where you only need specific data points, such as the article titles. Fortunately, Google Sheets provides an easy way to customize the formula and retrieve the desired information.

To import only the titles of the recent articles from the feed, you can modify the IMPORTFEED formula by adding an additional parameter:

Simply head over to the formula bar and type in the following formula:

=IMPORTFEED(“https://www.billboard.com/feed/”,”items title”,TRUE)

With the modified formula entered correctly in the cell, go ahead and tap the Enter button on your keyboard. That’s all it takes. You should instantly see a neat column populated with the list of article titles recently published on the selected website.

Take a look at the screenshot below to see what this looks like in action:

Final Thoughts

Google Sheets web scraping is a game-changing feature that empowers users to effortlessly collect and analyze data from various online sources. Throughout this comprehensive guide, we’ve explored the essential formulas – IMPORTXML, IMPORTHTML, and IMPORTFEED – that form the backbone of this powerful feature.

By mastering these formulas and the accompanying techniques, you’ve unlocked the ability to automate data extraction from web pages, import tabular data and lists, and even scrape the latest articles from RSS or Atom feeds. Whether you’re a researcher, content curator, data analyst, or anyone who relies on up-to-date online information, Google Sheets web scraping can revolutionize your workflows.

One of the standout features of Google Sheets web scraping is its efficiency. Instead of spending countless hours manually copying and pasting data from websites, you can now leverage formulas like IMPORTHTML to import entire tables or lists with just a single line of code. Moreover, the IMPORTXML formula allows you to target specific data points, such as article titles or product names, with precision, streamlining your data collection processes.

Furthermore, the IMPORTFEED function ensures that you never miss the latest content from your favorite sources, automatically importing recent articles from RSS feeds directly into your Google Sheets environment. This level of automation and convenience not only saves time but also enhances your ability to stay informed and make data-driven decisions.

However, while Google Sheets web scraping offers immense potential, it’s crucial to remain mindful of website terms and conditions, as well as legal and ethical considerations when scraping data from external sources. Respect intellectual property rights and always strive to use these powerful tools responsibly.

As you continue to explore Google Sheets web scraping, you’ll undoubtedly uncover new techniques, best practices, and advanced applications tailored to your specific needs.