Google Sheets Add-on
Generate AI-powered text, images, and videos at scale directly in Google Sheets. Use the INSTARANK formula for instant results, or use the sidebar to generate full programmatic SEO datasets with hundreds of pages in one click.
The INSTARANK Formula
Generate text, stock images, or AI-generated images and videos in any cell — just like a spreadsheet formula:
=INSTARANK("Write a meta description for " & A1)=INSTARANK("Hero photo of a dentist in " & B1, "image")=INSTARANK("Modern clinic in " & B1, "ai-image")Installation
Install from Google Workspace Marketplace
Search for "InstaRank" in the Google Workspace Marketplace or install directly from the add-on menu in Google Sheets.
Grant Permissions
Allow the add-on to access your spreadsheets and connect to external services (AI providers).
Connect Your InstaRank Account
Sign in with your InstaRank account. Zero-click Google SSO authenticates you automatically — no extra signup needed.
Tip: Your API keys sync automatically from your InstaRank dashboard, or you can configure them locally in the add-on settings.
Configure AI Provider API Keys
Add your API keys for the AI providers you want to use (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Groq, DeepSeek, and video providers) in the Settings tab of the sidebar. Bring your own keys — no per-query charges from InstaRank.
INSTARANK Formula
=INSTARANK(prompt, type_or_provider, model, projectId)
Formula Types
The second parameter controls what the formula returns. Pass a type keyword for images, or a provider name for text with a specific AI.
| 2nd Parameter | Output | Source |
|---|---|---|
omitted or "text" | AI-generated text | Your default provider |
"image" or "stock-image" | Stock photo URL | Pexels / Pixabay |
"ai-image" or "dalle" | AI-generated image URL | DALL-E 3 ($0.04–$0.08) |
"openai" / "claude" / "gemini" / "groq" / "deepseek" | Text from that provider | Specified AI provider |
Videos are generated automatically by the dataset engine when a column header matches a video pattern (e.g. ai_video, kling_video).
Examples
=INSTARANK("Write a meta description for " & A1)Uses your default AI provider. Cell references auto-increment when filled down.
=INSTARANK("Professional dentist in " & B1, "image")Returns a stock photo URL from Pexels or Pixabay. Requires Pexels/Pixabay API key.
=INSTARANK("Modern dental clinic in " & B1, "ai-image")Generates a unique image with DALL-E 3. Standard: $0.04/image, HD: $0.08/image.
=INSTARANK("Write an H1 for " & A1, "openai", "gpt-4o")Target a specific provider and model for quality/cost control.
=INSTARANK("Write a service description for " & A1, "claude", "claude-opus-4-5", "project-id")Injects your InstaRank project's brand context into every generation.
=INSTARANK("Translate to Spanish: " & C2, "openai", "gpt-4o")Translate content into any language in-formula.
=INSTARANK("Summarize in 2 sentences: " & A2, "claude", "claude-opus-4-5")Summarize long content for meta descriptions or snippets.
Batch Processing
Select a range of cells containing INSTARANK formulas and use the menu to process them all at once, respecting API rate limits automatically.
Backward compatible with legacy =IR() and =AI() syntax.
Supported AI Providers
Text Generation
OpenAI
- • GPT-5, GPT-5.1
- • GPT-4.1, GPT-4o (recommended)
- • GPT-4o-mini, GPT-4 Turbo
- • o3, o4-mini (reasoning)
Anthropic Claude
- • Claude Opus 4.5
- • Claude Sonnet 4.5 (1M context)
- • Claude Haiku 4.5 (fast & cheap)
Google Gemini
- • Gemini 3 Pro
- • Gemini 2.5 Pro, 2.5 Flash
- • Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite, 2.0 Flash
Groq (Ultra-fast)
- • Llama 3.3 70B
- • DeepSeek R1 Distill
- • Gemma 2 9B
DeepSeek (Low-cost)
- • DeepSeek Reasoner V3.2
- • DeepSeek Chat V3.2
- • DeepSeek Coder V2.5 (128K)
Provider Fallback
Configure an automatic fallback provider. If your primary provider fails or hits rate limits, the add-on seamlessly switches to your backup — no interruption, no lost data.
Image Generation
Stock Images
Free stock photos via Pexels and Pixabay. No image costs required.
- • Pexels (200 req/hr free)
- • Pixabay
- • Use
"image"or"stock-image"param
AI Image Generation
Context-aware unique images with DALL-E 3.
- • Standard: $0.04/image
- • HD: $0.08/image
- • Styles: Natural, Vivid
- • Sizes: 1024², 1792×1024, 1024×1792
- • Use
"ai-image"or"dalle"param
Video Generation
Videos are generated automatically when a dataset column header matches a video pattern (e.g. ai_video, kling_video, promo_video). Add your API key for any provider in Settings.
Timeout handling: Video generation can take 1–5 minutes per clip. If a job exceeds the 5-minute window, the cell saves a PENDING: sentinel and you can resolve timed-out jobs later using Extensions → InstaRank → Resolve Pending Videos.
Dataset Generation Approaches
Pillar-Based Approach
Two-phase generation that separates your data structure from your SEO content for cleaner, more scalable datasets.
Phase 1: Pillar Data
Generate or import your core dimensions — cities, products, services — that form the structural foundation. Example: service_name + city.
Phase 2: SEO Content
AI generates targeted columns (titles, descriptions, H1s, body content) using the pillar values as context — ensuring every page is unique and relevant.
Classic Approach
Generate column headers and AI prompts in a single pass without a separate pillar structure. Simpler to start with but less contextual than the pillar-based approach.
Variable Generation
The sidebar's dataset generator automatically creates semantic column structures — no manual setup required.
Describe your page type
Tell InstaRank what kind of pages you're building (e.g. "local dentist city pages"). The AI generates semantic column names tailored to that use case — things like page_title, meta_description, h1_heading, service_intro, feature_benefits.
Control your field counts
Set exactly how many of each content type you want per page:
Preview, approve, then fill
The add-on generates sample rows (5–10 rows) for your review before committing. Once approved, =INSTARANK() formulas are inserted into sample rows and filled down to all data rows automatically.
Body-only content
The variable system focuses on page body content only — it automatically excludes headers, footers, navigation, and site-wide elements. Every column maps to something that belongs inside a unique programmatic page.
Built-in Templates
Start from a pre-built pillar structure. Each template defines the dimension columns (pillar data) that drive your page variations.
🏢 Local Business
🛍️ E-commerce
📝 Content
💼 B2B / SaaS
Full Page Generation
For each template, the AI generates a complete set of SEO columns covering every part of the page body. Examples of what gets generated per page type:
- page_title
- meta_description
- h1_heading
- hero_subheading
- feature_1, feature_2, feature_3
- cta_text
- faq_1, faq_2, faq_3
- product_title
- meta_description
- short_description
- long_description
- benefits
- specifications
- cta_button
- title
- meta_description
- intro_paragraph
- section_1, section_2, section_3
- conclusion
- internal_link_anchor
Advanced Features
Multi-Language (28 Languages)
Auto-detects language column patterns (Title_EN, Title_ES, Title_FR) and generates content for each language in a single pass. WordPress WPML/Polylang ready.
English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, Hungarian, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Arabic, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Russian, Ukrainian + more.
Drip Publishing
Schedule content publication over days, weeks, or months to avoid SEO penalties from bulk publishing.
- • Intervals: hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, custom
- • Configure batch size (e.g. 5 pages/day)
- • Skip weekends option
- • Visual schedule preview before committing
- • Smart recommendations based on page count
- • Completion date estimation
AI Image & Video Generation
Generate custom images with DALL-E 3 (HD quality, multiple styles) and AI videos from 10 providers — Kling AI, Runway, Google Veo, OpenAI Sora, Pika, Adobe Firefly, Hailuo, Luma, Vidu, and Seedance. Video columns are auto-detected by header name (e.g. ai_video, kling_video). Inline cost estimates shown before generation.
Generation History
Every generation is saved to the cloud automatically. Full restore lets you rebuild any past dataset in your current sheet with formatting. View headers, prompts, and sample data from any past generation. Never lose work — even if the original sheet is deleted.
Preview Mode
Sample 5–10 rows before a full generation run. See actual costs, token usage, and estimated generation time before committing to hundreds of rows. Selection methods: first rows, random sample, or stratified.
Real-Time Progress
Live progress bar updates every 500ms with the current phase and percentage: Generating → Writing Headers → Writing Prompts → Formatting. See which column is being generated and time remaining.
Location Generator
Generate location-based pillar data for 10+ countries including all US states. Location types: cities, towns, villages, suburbs, neighborhoods. Radius options from 10–500 km. AI-enhanced location enrichment included.
Spintax Engine
Parse and process spintax-formatted content ({option1|option2|option3}). Generate spintax-formatted variations with AI to maximize content uniqueness across large datasets.
Knowledge Base Integration
Link your sheet to an InstaRank project with a Knowledge Base configured. The AI automatically injects your brand context, tone of voice, and guidelines into every generation — ensuring all content stays aligned with your brand. Works with both formula-based and dataset generation modes. Context is pre-cached for fast formula execution.
Free access and usage limits
The add-on is free. Every account can generate up to 10,000 pages per calendar month and 150 columns per generation. There is no paid project limit or subscription upgrade.
Your AI provider may charge separately for requests made with your API key. Provider rate limits and safety limits still apply. If you reach a usage limit, generation pauses without an automatic InstaRank charge.
Optimize Your Generated Pages
FreeAfter generating content with Google Sheets, audit and optimize your pages with InstaRank SEO Platform. 50+ automated checks to maximize rankings.
- 50+ SEO checks
- AI-powered fixes
- Site-wide crawling
FAQ
What are the formula types?
The second parameter of =INSTARANK() controls the output type. Omit it (or pass "text") for AI-generated text. Pass "image" for a free stock photo URL, "ai-image" for a DALL-E 3 generated image, or a provider name like "openai" / "claude" / "gemini" for text from that specific provider. Videos are generated automatically by the dataset engine based on column header names.
How does variable generation work?
Open the InstaRank sidebar, describe your page type, and set how many text fields, image columns, and video columns you want. The AI generates semantic column headers specific to your use case, shows you a sample preview of 5–10 rows, and once approved, inserts =INSTARANK() formulas that are automatically filled down to all your data rows.
Do I need my own API keys?
Yes, you bring API keys from the AI providers you want to use (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, video providers, etc.). This gives you direct control over costs and usage — InstaRank does not charge per query or mark up API calls.
Can I use multiple AI providers?
Yes. Configure multiple providers and specify which one to use in each INSTARANK formula, or set up automatic fallback so the add-on switches providers seamlessly if one fails or hits rate limits.
What happens if a formula fails?
The cell shows an error message. You can retry individual formulas or use batch processing to retry all failed cells at once. For video generation, timed-out jobs store a PENDING: value that can be resolved later via the menu.
Can I export my datasets?
Yes. Export to CSV for use with other tools, or sync directly to your WordPress site via the InstaRank platform. All past datasets are saved to the cloud and can be fully restored at any time.
Start Generating Datasets
Install the add-on and create your first AI-powered dataset in minutes.
Continue your spreadsheet workflow
Use your dataset to build a small, reviewed set of pages.
Google Sheets to website
Prepare spreadsheet data for a repeatable publishing workflow.
CSV to landing pages
Map spreadsheet columns to titles, descriptions and page content.
Free programmatic SEO generator
Load a CSV, preview your pages and export content without signing up.