How to Automatically Add Gravity Forms Entries to Google Sheets
Collecting information through online forms is vital for many businesses and teams. The Gravity Forms WordPress plugin makes it easy to create versatile forms for capturing leads, taking orders, managing surveys, and more.
But once you‘ve started gathering those submissions, you need an efficient system for managing the data. By automatically adding Gravity Forms entries to Google Sheets, you can:
- Back up form data outside your website
- Give teammates access to analyze and act on submissions
- Connect your form data to other helpful apps
In this step-by-step guide, you‘ll learn two methods for automatically sending Gravity Forms responses to Google Sheets as new rows:
- Use a pre-built Zapier template for quick setup
- Build your own custom Zap to precisely match your workflow
Option 1: Get Started Fast with a Zapier Template
Zapier is a automation tool that connects your web apps and services together with Triggers and Actions. For example, new Gravity Forms entries can Trigger adding rows in Google Sheets.
The fastest way to integrate Gravity Forms and Google Sheets is by using a Zapier Template. These are pre-built workflows you can install with just a few clicks.
Let‘s setup the "Create rows in Google Sheets for new Gravity Forms submissions" template:
Step 1) Create a Free Zapier Account
Sign up for a free Zapier account here if you don‘t already have one.
Step 2) Install the Gravity Forms + Google Sheets Template
Click here to open the template and press the "Use Template" button.
Step 3) Connect Accounts and Test
The template will guide you through connecting your Gravity Forms and Google Sheets accounts. Choose which form you want to track and set your sheet columns.
Once connected press "Test this Zap" to validate it‘s working. Name your Zap and flip the toggle to turn it on.
And that‘s it! Now anytime you get a new form submission it will automatically create a new row in Google Sheets.
Option 2: Build a Custom Gravity Forms + Google Sheets Zap
While templates provide quick setup, you may want more customization for your specific needs. Building your own Zap provides additional flexibility over triggers, filters, data formatting, and more.
Let‘s go through the steps to create a custom integration:
Step 1) Add Gravity Forms as a Trigger App
Open Zapier and click "+ Create Zap" to start a new workflow.
Search for "Gravity Forms" and select it as your Trigger App.
Step 2) Configure the Form Submission Trigger
Choose the "New Form Submission" trigger event from the list.
Select which specific Gravity Form you want to connect. For example, you may have separate forms for leads, orders, applications etc. that go to different spreadsheets.
Step 3) Add Google Sheets as the Action App
Search for "Google Sheets" and add it as a connected Action App account.
For the Action, choose "Create Spreadsheet Row"
Then select the specific spreadsheet you want new rows to be added to. Consider making a dedicated sheet just for form submissions.
Step 4) Map Gravity Form Fields to Sheet Columns
Map your Gravity Form fields to corresponding columns in Google Sheets using the dropdown menus.
For example, map "Name" form field to the "Name" column. Repeat this for other fields like email, phone, etc.
You can additionally set the row ID to a unique field like the submission date to prevent duplicate entries.
Step 5) Customize as Needed and Turn On
Expand the additional options for filters, delays, formatting and more. Once configured press "Continue" then "Test this Zap".
Name your Zap, toggle it on, and you‘ll now have automated adding Gravity Forms responses to Google Sheets!
You can create additional Zaps to integrate other apps as well for managing workflows, notifications, analysis and more.
Tips and Best Practices
Now that you’re automatically adding form entries into Google Sheets, here are some key tips for managing your data:
Use Formatting to Organize Data
Leverage Google Sheets formatting options like colors, fonts, conditional highlighting etc. to visualize your data.
For example, highlight lead quality as hot/warm/cold based on key fields. Or use coloring to track order statuses.
Formatting makes your exported form data easier to analyze.
Create Separate Submission Tabs by Form Type
Rather than one giant spreadsheet, consider creating separate tabs for different form types and purposes.
For example, have one tab connect to your contact form, another for complex order forms, a third for event registrations etc.
Use Zapier‘s filters if you only want to selectively export form data to certain sheets.
Share Access So Your Team Can Leverage the Data
A key benefit of exporting submissions to Google Sheets is it allows you to share and manage data collaboratively.
Grant edit access to sales reps so they can reach out to new leads. Or allow service agents to view orders and update status.
Access controls and edit history help your team coordinate workflows from form data.
Avoid Duplicate Entries with an Identifier Field
To prevent adding multiple rows for the same form submission, map a unique identifier field.
The "Entry ID" or "Date Created" fields in Gravity Forms are good options Zapier can check before adding rows.
Alternatively you can use Zapier‘s de-duplicate tool to filter our duplicate submissions even without a specific field.
What Next?
Automatically exporting Gravity Forms submissions into Google Sheets is just the beginning. Here are some additional ways to extend your form workflows:
- Send notifications or assign tasks in project management apps when new submissions come in.
- Embed visual graphs and charts from connected business intelligence tools to track form analytics.
- Integrate a CRM like Salesforce to automatically create contacts, leads, accounts etc from certain forms.
- Build approval chains and conditional routing to segment submissions to the right teams.
- And much more! Check out 200+ Gravity Forms app integrations.
We covered the two primary methods for connecting Gravity Forms and Google Sheets above. The pre-built Zapier template provides the fastest setup, while a custom built Zap allows for more precise configuration options.
Hope this guide helped explain the integration process! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions.
