🔍 Yelp Business Finder: Scraping Local Businesses by Keyword, Category & Location Using Bright Data and Google Sheets

Description: Automate local business data collection from Yelp using AI-powered input validation, Bright Data scraping, and automatic Google Sheets integration. Perfect for market research, lead generation, and competitive analysis.

🛠️ How It Works

1. Form Submission: Users submit a simple form with country, location, and business category parameters.

2. AI Validation: Google Gemini AI validates and cleans input data, ensuring proper formatting and Yelp category alignment.

3. Data Scraping: Bright Data's Yelp dataset API scrapes business information based on the cleaned parameters.

4. Status Monitoring: The workflow monitors scraping progress and waits for data completion.

5. Data Export: Final business data is automatically appended to your Google Sheets for easy analysis.

📋 Setup Steps

⏱️ Estimated Setup Time: 10-15 minutes

Prerequisites

✅ Active n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted)
✅ Google account with Sheets access
✅ Bright Data account with Yelp scraping dataset
✅ Google Gemini API access

Configuration Steps

1. Import Workflow:

   • Copy the provided JSON workflow
   • In n8n: Go to Workflows → + Add workflow → Import from JSON
   • Paste the JSON and click Import

2. Configure Google Sheets:

   • Create a new Google Sheet or use an existing one
   • Set up OAuth2 credentials in n8n
   • Update the Google Sheets node with your document ID
   • Configure column mappings for business data

3. Setup Bright Data:

   • Add your Bright Data API credentials to n8n
   • Replace BRIGHT_DATA_API_KEY with your actual API key
   • Verify your Yelp dataset ID in the HTTP request nodes
   • Test the connection

4. Configure Google Gemini:

   • Add your Google Gemini API credentials
   • Test the AI Agent connection
   • Verify the model configuration

5. Test & Activate:

   • Activate the workflow using the toggle switch
   • Test with sample data: country="US", location="New York", category="restaurants"
   • Verify data appears correctly in your Google Sheet

📊 Data Output

📍 Business Name
Official business name from Yelp

⭐ Overall Rating
Average customer rating (1-5 stars)

📝 Reviews Count
Total number of customer reviews

🏷️ Categories
Business categories and tags

🌐 Website URL
Official business website

📞 Phone Number
Contact phone number

📍 Address
Full business address

🔗 Yelp URL
Direct link to Yelp listing

🎯 Use Cases

🔍 Market Research
Analyze local business landscapes and competition

📈 Lead Generation
Build prospect lists for B2B outreach

🏪 Location Analysis
Research business density by area and category

📊 Competitive Intelligence
Monitor competitor ratings and customer feedback

⚠️ Important Notes:

• Ensure you comply with Yelp's terms of service and rate limits
• Bright Data usage may incur costs based on your plan
• AI validation helps improve data quality and reduce errors
• Monitor your Google Sheets for data accuracy

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

• API Rate Limits: Implement delays between requests if needed
• Invalid Categories: AI agent helps standardize category names
• Empty Results: Verify location spelling and category alignment
• Authentication Errors: Check all API credentials and permissions

🚀 Ready to start scraping Yelp business data efficiently!