Are you looking for an efficient way to scrape website data at regular intervals and log it into Google Sheets automatically? Whether you’re tracking product prices, monitoring web updates, or collecting data for research, timed interval scraping can save you hours of manual effort.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to scrape websites every hour (or any interval you prefer) and save the results to a Google Sheet—complete with timestamps for each scrape.

All you need is SheetMagic, the powerful Google Sheets add-on that makes web scraping easy and efficient.

Why Automate Web Scraping?

Manually copying and pasting data from websites is not only time-consuming but also error-prone. Automating web scraping has multiple benefits:

1. Save Time: Collect data without constant manual intervention.
2. Increase Accuracy: Reduce human error by automating the process.
3. Track Changes: Monitor updates to web content over time.
4. Streamline Workflows: Integrate web data directly into Google Sheets for analysis or reporting.

What You’ll Need

To follow along with this tutorial, you’ll need:

• A SheetMagic license (get a lifetime deal here).
• A Google account with access to Google Sheets.
• The URL of the website you want to scrape.

Step-by-Step Guide: Automate Hourly Web Scraping to Google Sheets

Step 1: Install and Set Up SheetMagic

1. Open your Google Sheet and install the SheetMagic add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace.
2. Once installed, open SheetMagic by clicking on Extensions > SheetMagic > Start.

Step 2: Configure Your Web Scraping Target

1. Identify the website element you want to scrape.
   • For example, if you’re tracking a product price, use your browser’s Inspect Tool (right-click > Inspect) to find the HTML selector for the price element.
2. In SheetMagic, input the URL of the page and the corresponding selector.

Step 3: Set the Scraping Interval

1. Choose your preferred interval for scraping (e.g., hourly, daily, weekly).
2. Configure the settings in SheetMagic to run the scraping task automatically at the specified interval.

Step 4: Save Data to a New Row with Timestamps

1. Enable the option to save data to a new row each time the scraper runs.
2. SheetMagic will automatically append a timestamp to the scraped data, making it easy to track when each scrape occurred.

Use Cases for Hourly Web Scraping

• Price Tracking: Monitor changes in product prices on e-commerce websites.
• News Aggregation: Collect headlines or articles from news websites.
• SEO Research: Track keyword rankings or competitor website updates.
• Market Monitoring: Gather stock prices or financial data in real time.
• Data Analysis: Automate the collection of data for trends or research.

Why Choose SheetMagic?

SheetMagic simplifies web scraping by integrating directly with Google Sheets, making it accessible even for users without technical expertise. Key features include:

• User-Friendly Interface: No coding required—just point, click, and scrape.
• Flexible Scheduling: Set scraping intervals that fit your needs.
• Seamless Integration: Data flows directly into Google Sheets for easy analysis.

Start Automating Today

Ready to take the hassle out of data collection? With SheetMagic, you can automate web scraping in minutes and focus on making smarter decisions with the data you collect.

Get started now with a lifetime deal!