SERP Functions

Overview

SheetMagic provides search engine results page (SERP) scraping functions for SEO research, competitive analysis, and content discovery. Results are powered by DuckDuckGo for reliable, consistent data.

SERP

Search the web and get results in a structured table format.

Syntax

=SERP(searchQuery, [numResults], [region], [timeFilter])

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`searchQuery`	string	Yes	-	Search term or phrase
`numResults`	number	No	20	Number of results to return (max 20)
`region`	string	No	-	Search region code (e.g., "us-en", "fr-fr")
`timeFilter`	string	No	-	Time filter for results

Value	Description
`d`	Past day
`w`	Past week
`m`	Past month
`y`	Past year

Region Codes

Code	Region
`us-en`	United States (English)
`uk-en`	United Kingdom (English)
`ca-en`	Canada (English)
`au-en`	Australia (English)
`de-de`	Germany (German)
`fr-fr`	France (French)
`es-es`	Spain (Spanish)
`it-it`	Italy (Italian)
`jp-jp`	Japan (Japanese)
`br-pt`	Brazil (Portuguese)

Returns

A table with three columns:

Column	Description
Title	The page title
Snippet	Description/excerpt from the result
URL	The full URL of the result

Examples

Basic search:

=SERP("best coffee makers 2024")

With result limit:

=SERP("best coffee makers 2024", 10)

Regional search:

=SERP("best coffee makers", 20, "uk-en")

Recent results only:

=SERP("AI news", 20, "us-en", "w")

Dynamic search from cell:

=SERP(A1 & " reviews", 15, "us-en")

BULKSERP

Search the web and get results in a single horizontal row.

Syntax

=BULKSERP(searchQuery, [numResults], [region], [timeFilter])

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`searchQuery`	string	Yes	-	Search term or phrase
`numResults`	number	No	5	Number of results to return
`region`	string	No	-	Search region code
`timeFilter`	string	No	-	Time filter for results

Returns

A single row in the format:

[title1] [snippet1] [url1] [title2] [snippet2] [url2] ...

This format is useful for quick comparisons or when you want results in a compact horizontal layout.

Examples

Basic bulk search:

=BULKSERP("project management tools")

With limit:

=BULKSERP("CRM software", 3)

Regional bulk search:

=BULKSERP("marketing agencies", 5, "uk-en")

Use Cases

SEO Research

Keyword ranking analysis:

=SERP(A1, 20, "us-en")

Check where competitors rank for specific keywords.

Content gap analysis:

=SERP("how to " & A1, 10)

Find content opportunities based on search queries.

Competitive Analysis

Competitor monitoring:

=SERP(A1 & " site:" & B1, 10)

Search for specific content on competitor sites.

Market research:

=SERP("best " & A1 & " alternatives", 20)

Find competitors and alternatives in your market.

Content Discovery

Trending topics:

=SERP(A1 & " news", 10, "us-en", "d")

Find the latest news on specific topics.

Research sources:

=SERP(A1 & " research study", 15)

Find academic and research sources on topics.

Lead Generation

Find businesses:

=SERP(A1 & " companies " & B1, 20)

Find businesses in specific industries and locations.

Combining with Other Functions

With AI Analysis

=AITEXT("Analyze these search results and identify the top 3 trends: " & JOIN(", ", SERP(A1, 10)))

With Web Scraping

// Get top result URL
=INDEX(SERP(A1, 1), 1, 3)

// Then scrape that URL
=VISIT(INDEX(SERP(A1, 1), 1, 3))

Batch Processing

Create a column of keywords and use SERP with each:

=SERP(A1, 5)  // In B1
=SERP(A2, 5)  // In B2
=SERP(A3, 5)  // In B3

Best Practices

1. Use Specific Queries

// Less effective - too broad
=SERP("software")

// More effective - specific query
=SERP("project management software for small teams 2024")

2. Leverage Time Filters

For news and trending content:

=SERP(A1, 20, "us-en", "w")  // Past week

For evergreen research:

=SERP(A1, 20)  // No time filter

3. Use Regional Targeting

For local SEO research:

=SERP(A1 & " near me", 20, "us-en")

For international markets:

=SERP(A1, 20, "de-de")  // German market

4. Extract Specific Data

Get just the URLs:

=INDEX(SERP(A1, 10), 0, 3)  // All URLs from column 3

Get just the titles:

=INDEX(SERP(A1, 10), 0, 1)  // All titles from column 1

Error Handling

Common errors and solutions:

Error	Cause	Solution
`#ERROR!`	Search failed	Check query syntax and try again
`#EMPTY!`	No results found	Try broader search terms
`#TIMEOUT!`	Request timed out	Wait and retry
`#RATE_LIMIT!`	Too many requests	Space out your searches

Limitations

Maximum 20 results per query for SERP
Search engine limitations apply (DuckDuckGo policies)
Rate limiting may occur with excessive usage
Geographic accuracy depends on region code support

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