Hannah Rampton: Getting started with Query in Google Sheets

HanR www.hannahrampton.co.uk 59of
QUERYGetting started in Google Sheets
1

HanR www.hannahrampton.co.uk 59of2
ABOUT ME
Technical SEO Consultant with over 10 years
experience, having worked for agencies such as
StrategiQ and SEOgadget (now Builtvisible).
Awarded the Digital Marketing Award in 2018 at
the DevelopHER awards for my innovations and in-
house tools and the Inspiration Award in 2019.
HAN
Freelance Consultant

WITH A SIMPLE QUERY
UNLOCK GREAT POWER

SEARCH CONSOLE QUICK INSIGHTS
This tool works entirely on Query
functions and is effectively
advanced search features to help
you explore your data.
This tool uses relatively simple
queries unlike the Cannibalisation
Explore.
DETAILS
DOWNLOAD
bit.ly/GSCsheet

CANNIBALISATION EXPLORER
Using Google Data Studio, this
tool helps you discover potential
cannibalisation.
This uses blended GSC data via
the API to count landing pages
per query and compare metrics.
DETAILS
DOWNLOAD
bit.ly/KW-C

CANNIBALISATION EXPLORER
This sheet compliments the
Data Studio report and uses
the exported data.
It returns the keyword with
the count of URLs, the top 10
URLs transposed with
impression distribution shown.
DETAILS
DOWNLOAD
bit.ly/KW-C

GETTING STARTED
WITH THE QUERY FUNCTION

INTRODUCING QUERY
The query function runs a Google Visualization API Query
Language query across data.

BEN COLLINS
It allows you to use powerful database code (a pseudo-
SQL, Structured Query Language, the code used to
communicate with databases) to manipulate your data in
Google Sheets and it’s SUPER powerful.
https://www.benlcollins.com/

BEN COLLINS
It allows you to use powerful database code (a pseudo-
SQL, Structured Query Language, the code used to
communicate with databases) to manipulate your data in
Google Sheets and it’s SUPER powerful.
It’s arguably the most powerful function in Google Sheets.
https://www.benlcollins.com/

INTRODUCING QUERY
It combines filtering with arithmetic functions and
aggregation such as AVG, SUM, MAX, COUNT, allowing
you to both cleanse and calculate in a single query.

SYNTAX
=QUERY(table1,“pseudo-SQL here“,[optional headers])

SYNTAX
=QUERY(table1,“pseudo-SQL here“,[optional headers])
Data - Table or
Range
Optional
headers
(# of header rows)
Query

EXAMPLE
STATEMENTS
SELECT * WHERE A CONTAINS ‘SALE’
SELECT A,B,C WHERE B > 10
SELECT A,B,C,D WHERE A MATCHES
‘motorcycle|motorbike'

SYNTAX
=QUERY(table1,“SELECT * WHERE A CONTAINS ‘SALE’”,1)

CLAUSES
SELECT
WHERE
GROUP BY
PIVOT
ORDER BY
LIMIT
OFFSET
LABEL
FORMAT
OPTIONS

CLAUSES
SELECT
WHERE
GROUP BY
PIVOT
ORDER BY
LIMIT
OFFSET
LABEL
FORMAT
OPTIONS
=QUERY(table1,“SELECT * WHERE
A CONTAINS ‘SALE’”)

CLAUSES
SELECT
WHERE
GROUP BY
PIVOT
ORDER BY
LIMIT
OFFSET
LABEL
FORMAT
OPTIONS
NOT A CONTAINS ‘SALE’”)

CLAUSES
SELECT
WHERE
GROUP BY
PIVOT
ORDER BY
LIMIT
OFFSET
LABEL
FORMAT
OPTIONS
A CONTAINS ‘SALE’ ORDER BY C
desc LIMIT 100”)

CLAUSES
SELECT
WHERE
GROUP BY
PIVOT
ORDER BY
LIMIT
OFFSET
LABEL
FORMAT
OPTIONS
A CONTAINS ‘SALE’ ORDER BY C
desc LIMIT 100 LABEL C ‘Top
100 Clicks Desc’”)

WHERE DO WE START?
EXACTLY WHERE I DID

MY FIRST QUERY

LET’S FLY THROUGH
WITH THESE IN ACTION

SELECT
ALL
Select *

ONLY
MOBILE
Select * where
B contains
‘mobile’

CLICKS
> 10
Select * where
C > 10

SUM AND
GROUP
Select A, B
Sum C, D
Group by A, B
Label A, B, C, D

PIVOT AND
GROUP
Easy way to
remember
Group = Rows
Pivot = Columns

LOGICAL
OPERATORS
AND
OR
NOT
A CONTAINS ‘SALE’ AND B <
100”)
https://developers.google.com/chart/interactive/docs/querylanguage#where

LOGICAL
OPERATORS
AND
OR
NOT
A CONTAINS ‘SALE’ OR B <
100”)

STRING
COMPARISON
Contains
Starts with
Ends with
Matches
Like
A CONTAINS ‘SALE’”)

STRING
COMPARISON
Contains
Starts with
Ends with
Matches
Like
A MATCHES
‘motorcycle|motorbike'”)

STRING
COMPARISON
Contains
Starts with
Ends with
Matches
Like
A MATCHES
'.*b("&$B$4&")b.*'”)

COMPARISON
OPERATORS
>
<
=
<=
>=
!= or <> (Not equal to)
=QUERY(table1,“SELECT *
WHERE B < 100”)

COMPARISON
OPERATORS
WHERE B >= 100”)
>
<
=
<=
>=
!= or <> (Not equal to)

COMPARISON
OPERATORS
WHERE B IS NOT NULL”)
Is Null
Is Not Null

ARITHMETIC
+
-
*
/
https://developers.google.com/chart/interactive/docs/querylanguage#arithmetic-operators
=QUERY(table1,“SELECT
A,B,(C/D),E-D,F+G”)

AGGREGATION
avg()
min()
max()
sum()
count()
https://developers.google.com/chart/interactive/docs/querylanguage#aggregation-functions
=QUERY(table1,"SELECT SUM(B),
SUM(D), AVG(H) LABEL SUM(B) 'All
Clicks’, SUM(D) 'All Impressions’,
AVG(H) 'Avg Position'")

SCALAR
lower()
upper()
dateDiff()
toDate()
now()
https://developers.google.com/chart/interactive/docs/querylanguage#scalar-functions
=QUERY(table1,“SELECT A,B
WHERE lower(A) contains
‘sale’”)

OTHER SHEET
FUNCTIONS
unique
iferror
if
vlookup
transpose
Etc…
=iferror(QUERY(table1,“SELECT
A,B WHERE lower(A) contains
‘sale’”),”error”)

WITH THE BASICS COVERED
LET’S GO BACK TO THE TOOLS

Search Console
Quick Insights
Select where
lower(A)
is not null
AND
lower(A)
matches B4
Order by
vlookup value

Cannibalisation
Explorer
Query selecting
all, with some
exclusions set via
settings
(not A contains)
Wrapped in an IF
and IFERROR

Cannibalisation
Explorer
A progress bar
guides the user
through the
information we
need.
This is output to the
settings page and
used by the query.

Cannibalisation
Explorer
B >= Settings!A:B
Not A contains
Settings!D1:D5, F1
AND A contains
Settings!L1
Order by B desc
Limit by Settings!J:K

Select A where A =
Select A where A contains '"&A17&“’

Select A where A =
Select A where A contains '"&A17&“’
=if(isblank(A20),"(None matching)",concatenate("(found "&counta(A19:A)+1)&")")

DOWNLOAD
bit.ly/QuerySheets

Thanks for your time!
@hannahrampton
contact@hannahrampton.co.uk
www.hannahrampton.co.uk
58
AVAILABLE FOR FREELANCE SUPPORT

RESOURCES
1. https://developers.google.com/chart/interactive/docs/querylanguage
2. https://www.benlcollins.com/spreadsheets/google-sheets-query-sql/
3. https://infoinspired.com/google-docs/spreadsheet/learn-query-
function-with-examples-in-google-sheets/
4. https://www.seerinteractive.com/blog/how-to-query-data-in-google-
sheets/

Hannah Rampton: Getting started with Query in Google Sheets

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