n8n Workflow for Automated SEO Rank Monitoring with Alerts

This n8n workflow automates scheduled checks for your target keywords’ positions in Google’s organic search results using SerpAPI. It logs new positions in Google Sheets, compares them to previous rankings, and sends notifications via WhatsApp and/or email based on the movement.

Table of Contents

• Problem Statement & Target Audience
• Pre-conditions & API Requirements
• Step-by-Step Workflow Explanation
• Customization Guide
• How to Set Up This Workflow

Problem Statement & Target Audience

Who is this for?

This workflow is ideal for:

• SEO specialists monitoring keyword rankings.
• Website owners tracking performance.
• Agencies managing multiple client campaigns.

It helps reduce manual effort by automatically checking rankings on a schedule and sending notifications only when there’s movement in position.

Pre-conditions & API Requirements

APIs & Services Used

1. SerpAPI – Fetch Google search results
   • Get API Key: https://serpapi.com/manage-api-key
   • Docs for usage: SerpAPI Search API
   • Note: Use Generic credential type in n8n for this to work with the preset configuration.
2. Google Sheets API – To store and update keyword data
3. Email API – To notify users of position changes
4. WhatsApp API (e.g., Twilio, Ultramsg) – To send notifications

> Setup help for Google Sheets, Email, and WhatsApp is available via the Docs tab in each respective node in n8n.

Step-by-Step Workflow Explanation

🗓 1. Scheduled Trigger (Support Workflow)

• Marks all rows in the sheet as "notchecked" in the checkstatus column.
• This is the user-defined frequency trigger (e.g. weekly, daily).
• Triggers the main workflow.

🚀 2. Main Workflow Trigger

• Starts when a row with checkstatus = notchecked is found.

🔍 3. HTTP Node (SerpAPI Call)

• Sends a request to SerpAPI for each keyword.
• Fetches the current Google SERP for that keyword.

🧠 4. JavaScript Node (Parse Position)

• Loops through the SERP results and finds the position of the target URL.
• Extracts and returns the current rank.

✍️ 5. Google Sheets Node (Update Data)

• Writes the new ranking into the spreadsheet.
• Updates the currentposition and sets checkstatus to "checked".

🔀 6. Switch Node (Compare Rankings)

• Compares previousposition with currentposition:
  • If rank has improved → send positive alert.
  • If rank has dropped → send negative alert.
  • If unchanged → no alert.

📩 7. Notification Nodes (WhatsApp / Email)

• Sends a message to chosen channels when a change is detected.

Customization Guide

⏱️ Change Frequency

• Adjust the supporting schedule workflow to change how often the tracker runs.

✉️ Edit Notification Content

• Customize the WhatsApp and Email message content in their respective nodes.

🔗 Track Multiple URLs per Keyword (Advanced)

• Extend the JavaScript logic if you need to monitor several pages for the same keyword.

🌐 Expand Search Engine Targets

• SerpAPI also supports other search engines like Bing and Yahoo. Modify the request params to switch.

How to Set Up This Workflow

✅ Step 1: Use This Google Sheets Template

To get started quickly, make a copy of the template below:

👉 Google Sheets Template

This template includes the required structure:

• keyword
• Website_url
• position
• timestamp
• checkstatus

> ⚠️ Be sure to make your own copy to edit and connect via the Google Sheets node.

🔐 Step 2: Configure Your APIs

• SerpAPI: Get API key from serpapi.com/manage-api-key
  • Set credential type to Generic in n8n for compatibility.
• Google Sheets, Email & WhatsApp: Use the instructions found in each node’s Docs tab to connect your accounts.

📦 Step 3: Import the Workflow

• Both the main keyword tracking workflow and the supporting scheduler workflow are in one file

▶️ Step 4: The workflow will start

• Since the check status columns will be ‘notChecked’ schedule workflow.
• The update sheets node will update each processed row’s checkstatus to ‘checked’ and the workflow will process the next row
• the schedule trigger workflow will update checkstatus = notchecked and triggers the keyword tracking automatically.