Convert Addresses to Lat/Long using Google Sheets and Google Maps API

This n8n workflow provides a simple way to convert a list of addresses stored in a Google Sheet into their corresponding latitude and longitude coordinates using the Google Maps Geocoding API. The results are then outputted, ready to be written back to a spreadsheet or used in subsequent steps.

What it does

1. Triggers Manually: The workflow starts when manually executed within n8n.
2. Reads Google Sheet: It connects to a specified Google Sheet and reads all data from it. This is typically where your addresses would be listed.
3. Geocodes Addresses: For each row (address) read from the Google Sheet, it makes an HTTP request to the Google Maps Geocoding API to convert the address into latitude and longitude coordinates.
4. Outputs Lat/Long: The workflow outputs the original data combined with the newly fetched latitude and longitude for each address.

Prerequisites/Requirements

• n8n Instance: A running instance of n8n.
• Google Sheets Account: An active Google Sheets account with a spreadsheet containing the addresses you wish to geocode.
• Google Cloud Project & API Key:
  • A Google Cloud Project.
  • An enabled Geocoding API.
  • An API key with access to the Geocoding API.
  • Important: Ensure your API key is restricted to prevent unauthorized use.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow:
   • Download the provided JSON file for this workflow.
   • In your n8n instance, click on "Workflows" in the left sidebar.
   • Click "New" -> "Import from JSON" and paste the workflow JSON or upload the file.
2. Configure Google Sheets Node (Node ID: 18):
   • Click on the "Google Sheets" node.
   • Under "Credentials", select or create a new "Google Sheets API" credential. You will need to authenticate with your Google account and grant n8n access to your spreadsheets.
   • Specify the "Spreadsheet ID" of your Google Sheet.
   • Specify the "Sheet Name" where your addresses are located.
   • Ensure the "Operation" is set to "Get All".
3. Configure HTTP Request Node (Node ID: 19):
   • Click on the "HTTP Request" node.
   • Set the "Method" to GET.
   • Set the "URL" to the Google Maps Geocoding API endpoint. You will need to dynamically construct this URL to include the address from the incoming data and your API key. An example structure:

     https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json?address={{ encodeURIComponent($json.address_column_name) }}&key=YOUR_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY
     

     • Replace address_column_name with the actual name of the column in your Google Sheet that contains the addresses.
     • Replace YOUR_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY with your actual Google Maps API key.
   • You might need to adjust the "Response Format" based on the API's output (usually JSON).
4. Test the Workflow:
   • Save the workflow.
   • Click "Execute Workflow" to run a test.
   • Review the output of the "HTTP Request" node to ensure it's correctly fetching the latitude and longitude.
5. Further Steps (Optional):
   • You can add another "Google Sheets" node after the "HTTP Request" node to write the geocoded data (latitude and longitude) back to your spreadsheet, perhaps in new columns.
   • Use a "Set" node to transform the data into a more usable format before writing it back.
   • Integrate with other services that require location data.