About xpathBuilder

XPathBuilder is built with the search engine optimization community in mind. Leveraging the power of Google Docs, XPathBuilder is intended to be a simple, useful tool to help SEOs carry out SERP tracking and analysis.

Google Docs and SEO

Originally known as Writely, Google Docs has evolved a great deal since its acquisition by Google, especially with the latest rendition of its spreadsheets. One of the functions available in Google Docs spreadsheets is the importXML function, which can be a highly useful tool for SEOs. Through importXML and XPath code, a Google spreadsheet can be used to scrape Google SERPs for URLs that appear for a given query.

How it Works

We've gone to some lengths to make XPathBuilder as intuitive as possible. It's fairly easy:

1. In the Search String field, enter the term or phrase exactly as you would enter it in Google. You can generate up to five importXML strings at once.

2. Click Submit. The importXML strings should immediately appear in the text fields underneath their respective search string fields.

3. Copy the importXML strings and paste them in a cell in your Google spreadsheet. Then wait for the magic to happen.

Look closely at the screenshot above. What is actually in the cell is the importXML function produced by XPathBuilder. The Google Doc automatically executes the function to pull in the top 30 results for the query "baseball cards" in Google.

(Don't have a Google account to create your spreadsheet? Go get one here.)

About Us

Ryan Boots has a range of background in online communications, with a focus on search engine optimization, digital content development and web marketing strategy. A 2004 summa cum laude graduate of Arizona State University with a B.A. in journalism and mass communications, he has worked with companies ranging from small- and medium-sized B2B industrial manufacturers to multinational corporations. He is available for consulting on a freelance basis. His personal site is at ryanboots.com.

Bruce Gemberling has years of experience in web development, information technology, and Internet affiliate marketing. He specializes in Magento ecommerce online shopping cart solutions, hybrid customized Wordpress site development, and other custom PHP and JavaScript creations such as this project. He is also available for contract web development. His site is located at http://ashpointlane.com.