Automatic Semrush Backlink Data Export to Google Sheets via RapidAPI - n8n Workflow

• SEO specialists and digital marketers who need automated backlink audit reports.


• Teams using n8n to streamline data extraction from specialized third-party APIs.


• Users looking for a ready-made n8n template for data ingestion and reporting.

Manually retrieving and formatting large volumes of backlink data from SEO tools like Semrush can be time-consuming. This specialized n8n workflow eliminates that manual overhead. By leveraging a simple form input, this automation uses the n8n trigger to initiate a request to the Semrush Backlink Checker API (via RapidAPI). The resulting JSON data is intelligently processed and split into two separate data streams—the overall backlink summary and detailed records—ensuring clean, categorized export. This robust n8n node structure guarantees that your Google Sheets reports are updated instantly and accurately, making this n8n template an invaluable asset for recurring SEO reporting tasks.

This powerful n8n workflow starts with the 'On form submission' n8n trigger, which collects a target website URL from the user. Once triggered, the n8n node labeled 'HTTP Request' takes this URL and sends a POST request to the Semrush Backlink Checker RapidAPI endpoint, authenticating using required API keys supplied in the headers. The returned JSON data is then channeled into two distinct paths to separate the aggregated overview metrics from the detailed backlink listings. The first path, using the 'Reformat 1' n8n node, extracts the backlink overview metrics. Simultaneously, the second path, utilizing the 'Reformat 2' n8n node, extracts the detailed list of individual backlinks. Finally, two separate Google Sheets n8n nodes ('Backlink overview' and 'Backlinks') append the respective formatted data streams to two different sheets within a single specified Google Sheets document, completing the automated SEO data pipeline established by this n8n workflow.

1. Import the n8n template: Copy the provided JSON and import it directly into your n8n instance.


2. Set up Credentials:

1. Activate the n8n trigger: Ensure the 'On form submission' n8n trigger node is active and use the generated public URL to test the flow by submitting a website URL.

On form submission (n8n trigger): The starting point of the n8n workflow. It acts as a webhook n8n trigger, capturing a single required input field: website.
HTTP Request (n8n node): Sends the submitted website URL to the semrush-backlink-checker.p.rapidapi.com/backlink.php API endpoint using a POST method. Key configuration includes using multipart-form-data and supplying the x-rapidapi-key header.
Reformat 1 (Code n8n node): Essential for data cleaning. This custom n8n node extracts the specific backlinksOverview object from the large API response JSON, preparing it for the summary spreadsheet.
Reformat 2 (Code n8n node): Extracts the detailed list of backlinks from the API response JSON, preparing the item array for the detailed backlink spreadsheet.
Backlink overview (Google Sheets n8n node): Appends the overview data extracted by 'Reformat 1' to the sheet named 'backlink overflow'. It uses service account authentication.
Backlinks (Google Sheets n8n node): Appends the detailed backlink array extracted by 'Reformat 2' to the sheet named 'backlinks'. This final n8n node completes the data export operation.