This article provides a complete, practical walkthrough of the Wait Code Monitor Webhook n8n agent. It connects HTTP Request, Webhook across approximately 1 node(s). Expect a Intermediate setup in 15-45 minutes. One‑time purchase: €29.

What This Agent Does

This agent orchestrates a reliable automation between HTTP Request, Webhook, handling triggers, data enrichment, and delivery with guardrails for errors and rate limits.

It streamlines multi‑step processes that would otherwise require manual exports, spreadsheet cleanup, and repeated API requests. By centralizing logic in n8n, it reduces context switching, lowers error rates, and ensures consistent results across teams.

Typical outcomes include faster lead handoffs, automated notifications, accurate data synchronization, and better visibility via execution logs and optional Slack/Email alerts.

How It Works

The workflow uses standard n8n building blocks like Webhook or Schedule triggers, HTTP Request for API calls, and control nodes (IF, Merge, Set) to validate inputs, branch on conditions, and format outputs. Retries and timeouts improve resilience, while credentials keep secrets safe.

Third‑Party Integrations

• HTTP Request
• Webhook

Import and Use in n8n

1. Open n8n and create a new workflow or collection.
2. Choose Import from File or Paste JSON.
3. Paste the JSON below, then click Import.
4. Show n8n JSON

   Title:
   Automated Backlink Monitoring with n8n and DataForSEO: A Step-by-Step Workflow
   
   Meta Description:
   Discover how to automate backlink status checks using n8n, Google Sheets, and the DataForSEO API. Learn how this powerful workflow identifies live, lost, or nofollow links and logs status updates directly to Google Sheets.
   
   Keywords:
   backlink checker workflow, DataForSEO API, n8n automation, backlink status checker, SEO link analysis, automate SEO monitoring, Google Sheets automation, on-page SEO tools, backlink validation, lost link detection, dofollow link checker
   
   Third-Party APIs Used:
   
   1. Google Sheets API
   2. DataForSEO On-Page API
   
   Article:
   
   Automated Backlink Monitoring with n8n and DataForSEO: A Complete Workflow Breakdown
   
   Monitoring backlinks is crucial for maintaining a robust SEO strategy. Backlinks signal trust and authority, but they can be removed, degraded to “nofollow,” or switched out without notice—leading to drops in organic performance. Manually checking backlinks is tedious and inefficient. Fortunately, n8n—an open-source workflow automation tool—can streamline this process. By integrating Google Sheets and the DataForSEO API, you can automatically check whether your backlinks are still live, and if they’re dofollow or not.
   
   In this article, we walk you through a pre-configured n8n workflow that automates backlink verification and updates a Google Sheet with the link's status. Whether you're managing hundreds or thousands of backlinks, this no-code automation can save you time and improve your SEO effectiveness.
   
   Overview: What Does the Workflow Do?
   
   The “Live Link Checker” workflow performs the following steps:
   
   1. Manually triggers the workflow execution.
   2. Reads backlink data (URLs and target landing pages) from a Google Sheet.
   3. Extracts domains from the provided backlink URLs.
   4. Sends each domain + URL pair to the DataForSEO On-Page API to initiate a crawl.
   5. Waits 20 seconds for the crawl to complete.
   6. Retrieves link data from the crawl using the task ID.
   7. Checks if the specified backlink still appears on the crawled page.
   8. Determines the status: Live (dofollow), Lost (not found), or Lost (Nofollow).
   9. Updates the original Google Sheet with the current backlink status.
   
   Let’s break this down in more detail.
   
   Step 1: Trigger and Input Data from Google Sheets
   
   The workflow starts manually with the “Manual Trigger” node. After activation, it connects to Google Sheets using an OAuth2 credential. Our Sheet must contain two essential columns:
   
   - “Backlink URL” — the page where the link was placed.
   - “Landing page” — your own site’s specific page being linked to.
   
   By defining a data range (e.g., D1:E), the workflow ensures it captures precisely the data needed.
   
   Step 2: Clean and Format the URLs
   
   Before making API requests, the workflow uses a JavaScript code node to extract clean domain names from the “Backlink URL” field. This ensures compatibility with DataForSEO’s input format, which requires domain and start URL fields.
   
   Step 3: Send URLs to DataForSEO for Crawling
   
   The cleaned URL data is forwarded using a simple loop batch operation. Each unique backlink/domain combination is sent via a POST request to DataForSEO’s /on_page/task_post endpoint. Each task instructs DataForSEO to analyze the link and crawl just one page for performance efficiency.
   
   Here’s what the request payload looks like:
   
   [
     {
       "target": "example.com",
       "start_url": "https://example.com/some-page",
       "max_crawl_pages": 1
     }
   ]
   
   Step 4: Wait for Crawl Completion
   
   A 20-second delay is triggered using the “Wait” node. This allows time for DataForSEO to run the crawl and collect link information.
   
   Step 5: Retrieve Link Details
   
   After the wait cycle, the workflow makes a second POST request—this time to the DataForSEO /on_page/links endpoint—passing in the task ID returned by the previous step. This API call fetches the crawl results, specifically the list of outbound links found on the crawled page.
   
   Step 6: Analyze Link Status
   
   Using another JavaScript code node, the workflow checks if the expected backlink—provided in the “Landing page” column—is included in the crawled list of links.
   
   - If the link is found and marked dofollow, the status is set to “Live.”
   - If the link is found but marked nofollow, the status is set to “Lost (Nofollow).”
   - If the link is not found at all, the status is “Lost.”
   
   Step 7: Write Results Back to Google Sheets
   
   Finally, using the “Append or Update” operation, the workflow writes the updated status back into the original Google Sheet. It uses the “Backlink URL” column as a matching key to update the correct row. This ensures your sheet remains accurate and up-to-date—even after multiple runs.
   
   Customization Notes:
   
   - The Google Sheet integration requires clearly labeled columns (Backlink URL and Landing page).
   - Your DataForSEO credentials must be set up for HTTP Basic Auth in n8n's credential manager.
   - You can adjust the wait time between the task creation and link data retrieval if you deal with higher-latency crawls.
   - Optional: Add email or Slack notifications when a link is lost.
   
   Benefits of This Workflow:
   
   - Saves countless hours of manual backlink checking.
   - Ensures that your SEO team always has visibility into which links are still boosting your rankings.
   - Makes it easy to spot lost or nofollowed links, enabling fast outreach or content updates.
   - Works continuously with batch processing.
   
   Final Thoughts
   
   This n8n workflow is a powerful tool for digital marketers, SEO specialists, and content teams looking to automate backlink validation. By combining DataForSEO’s crawl capabilities with n8n’s visual automation and Google Sheets’ accessibility, this system scales and simplifies an otherwise time-consuming task.
   
   Whether you’re tracking 50 or 5,000 backlinks, setting up this workflow could be a game-changer in how you maintain your site's authority and performance. Give it a try and let automation do the heavy lifting for your SEO strategies.
   
   — END —

5. Set credentials for each API node (keys, OAuth) in Credentials.
6. Run a test via Execute Workflow. Inspect Run Data, then adjust parameters.
7. Enable the workflow to run on schedule, webhook, or triggers as configured.

Tips: keep secrets in credentials, add retries and timeouts on HTTP nodes, implement error notifications, and paginate large API fetches.

Validation: use IF/Code nodes to sanitize inputs and guard against empty payloads.

Why Automate This with AI Agents

AI‑assisted automations offload repetitive, error‑prone tasks to a predictable workflow. Instead of manual copy‑paste and ad‑hoc scripts, your team gets a governed pipeline with versioned state, auditability, and observable runs.

n8n’s node graph makes data flow transparent while AI‑powered enrichment (classification, extraction, summarization) boosts throughput and consistency. Teams reclaim time, reduce operational costs, and standardize best practices without sacrificing flexibility.

Compared to one‑off integrations, an AI agent is easier to extend: swap APIs, add filters, or bolt on notifications without rewriting everything. You get reliability, control, and a faster path from idea to production.

Best Practices

• Credentials: restrict scopes and rotate tokens regularly.
• Resilience: configure retries, timeouts, and backoff for API nodes.
• Data Quality: validate inputs; normalize fields early to reduce downstream branching.
• Performance: batch records and paginate for large datasets.
• Observability: add failure alerts (Email/Slack) and persistent logs for auditing.
• Security: avoid sensitive data in logs; use environment variables and n8n credentials.

FAQs

Can I swap integrations later? Yes. Replace or add nodes and re‑map fields without rebuilding the whole flow.

How do I monitor failures? Use Execution logs and add notifications on the Error Trigger path.

Does it scale? Use queues, batching, and sub‑workflows to split responsibilities and control load.

Is my data safe? Keep secrets in Credentials, restrict token scopes, and review access logs.