Automations

How Does the Automations Tool Work?

SEO Utils allows you to automate actions when rank tracking completes. When an Organic Rank Tracker or Google Business Rank Tracker snapshot finishes, you can automatically export PDFs, send emails to clients, or trigger webhook URLs.

The automation system processes actions sequentially. If one action fails, subsequent actions that don't depend on its output will still run. Only actions requiring output from failed actions will be skipped.

How to Create an Automation

To get started, head to Automations in the left sidebar. Then, click the Add Automation button.

Access the Automations tool in the left sidebar

The automation form has three steps:

Step 1: Basic Information

  • Name: Give your automation a descriptive name like "Send GMB Report to Client"

  • Description: Optional notes about what this automation does

  • Active Status: Toggle whether the automation should run

Step 2: Configure Trigger

Select when the automation should run:

  • Trigger Type: Choose between Organic Rank Tracker or GMB Rank Tracker completion

  • Run On: Select "All Reports" or choose specific reports

  • Run Once: Enable this to run the automation only once per report, preventing duplicate actions like sending multiple emails when re-running the tracker

Configure the trigger

Step 3: Define Actions

Add one or more actions that execute in sequence. Each action type has specific configuration options.

Using Variables in Actions

Variables allow you to use dynamic data from your rank tracking reports. Variables are wrapped in double curly braces {{variable_name}}.

Click the Variables button in any text field to search and insert variables quickly. You can search by typing keywords like "action 1" or "email" to find relevant variables.

Use Varaibles Selector button to quickly find and insert variables

GMB Rank Tracker Trigger Variables:

  • {{trigger.reportID}} - ID of the GMB rank tracker report

  • {{trigger.reportType}} - Type of report (google-business-rank-tracker)

  • {{trigger.fromDate}} - Date of the comparison snapshot (based on automation's comparison days setting)

  • {{trigger.toDate}} - Date of the current snapshot that triggered this automation

  • {{trigger.ranOn}} - Date when the snapshot was created

  • {{trigger.snapshotID}} - ID of the current snapshot

  • {{trigger.businessName}} - Business name being tracked

  • {{trigger.address}} - Business address

  • {{trigger.comparisonDays}} - Number of days between snapshots

Example: GMB Report Email Automation

Here's a practical template for automatically sending GMB ranking reports to clients:

Action 1: Export PDF

  • Action Type: Export PDF

  • Export Folder: /Users/yourname/Downloads (or your preferred folder)

Output Variables (automatically available for next actions):

  • exportDate - Date when the file was exported

  • exportTime - Full timestamp of export

  • fileName - Name of the PDF file

  • filePath - Full path to the exported PDF file

  • fileSize - Size of the file in bytes

Action 2: Send Email

  • Action Type: Send Email

  • SMTP Credential: Select your configured credential or leave empty for default

  • Recipients: [email protected]

  • CC Recipients: (optional)

  • Email Subject: GMB Rankings Report - {{trigger.businessName}} - {{trigger.ranOn}}

  • Email Body:

Hi,

Your Google Business ranking report for {{trigger.businessName}} is ready.

Comparison Period: {{trigger.fromDate}} to {{trigger.toDate}}
Location: {{trigger.address}}

The detailed report is attached to this email.

Best regards,
Your SEO Team

  • Attachments: Use the Variables button to insert the file path from Action 1. It will look like: {{action.act_[actionId].filePath}}

Tip: The action ID (like act_1757983518769_inus10vs5) is automatically generated when you create the action. Use the Variables button to easily insert the correct reference without typing it manually.

Configure multiple actions to run in sequence

Important: To send emails, you must first configure SMTP credentials. See SMTP Credentials Setup for instructions.

Monitoring Automation History

The Automation detail page shows comprehensive execution history:

Execution Statistics

  • Total Runs: How many times the automation has triggered

  • Successful/Failed/Partial: Breakdown of execution results

Execution History Tab

View each automation run with:

  • Status: Completed, Failed, or Partial (some actions failed)

  • Duration: How long the automation took

  • Actions: Number of actions executed

  • Trigger Data: The snapshot or report that triggered it

Monitor automation execution history and retry failed actions

Retrying Failed Automations

When an automation fails or partially completes, you have two retry options:

  1. Click the vertical three dots next to the execution

  2. Choose your retry method:

    • Retry All Actions: Runs the entire automation from the beginning

    • Retry Failed & Cancelled Actions: Only retries actions that failed or were cancelled

  3. The system will:

    • For "Retry All": Execute all actions from the start

    • For "Retry Failed & Cancelled": Skip completed actions and only retry failed/cancelled ones

    • Use the original trigger data (not current automation settings)

Execution & Action Status Types

Automation Execution Status

  • Running: Automation is currently executing

  • Success: All actions completed successfully

  • Failed: All actions failed

  • Partial: Some actions succeeded, others failed or cancelled

Individual Action Status

  • Running: Action is currently executing

  • Completed: Action executed successfully

  • Failed: Action encountered an error

  • Cancelled: Action was stopped before completion

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