Data Enrichment in Google Sheets: Complete Guide 2026

You have a list of prospects in Google Sheets, but you’re missing emails, phone numbers, or company details. You spend hours hunting for this data manually — and most of the time it’s already outdated before you’re done.

This is a universal problem in B2B prospecting. B2B databases degrade at roughly 30% per year due to job changes, company restructurings, and contact updates. According to data published by several sales intelligence platforms, 32% of sales reps’ time is wasted contacting the wrong people because of inaccurate or incomplete data.

The good news: Google Sheets offers several ways to automate data enrichment directly in your spreadsheets — no CSV exports, no tool juggling. In this guide, you’ll discover every available approach, from native formulas to specialized add-ons, with concrete steps for each method.

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Why enrich your B2B data in Google Sheets?

Before diving into the methods, let’s understand why Google Sheets has become a go-to tool for B2B data enrichment.

For Mike, an SDR at a B2B SaaS startup, the logic is simple: his team already manages prospect lists in Google Sheets. Migrating to an expensive CRM just to access automated enrichment is hard to justify. What Mike wants is to enrich data where it already lives, without disrupting his workflow.

That’s exactly the use case this guide covers. Google Sheets has three major advantages for B2B data enrichment:

• Centralization: All your data lives in one file, accessible by the whole team with no complex sync
• Flexibility: You control your column structure, filtering criteria, and exports
• Compatibility: Google Sheets integrates natively with Zapier, Make, HubSpot, Salesforce, and thousands more tools

Now that you know the why, let’s walk through every available method to enrich your data directly in Google Sheets.

Method 1: Native Google Sheets formulas (free, but limited)

Google Sheets includes several formulas that pull data from the web. These are the first options to consider if you’re new to data enrichment — no additional tools required.

How to use IMPORTXML to scrape public data

The IMPORTXML formula extracts structured content from any publicly accessible webpage.

Syntax:

=IMPORTXML(URL, xpath_query)

Example — Retrieve the title of a company page (URL in cell A2):

=IMPORTXML(A2, "//title")

Expected result: The cell displays the HTML title tag of the page — usually the company name and a short description.

Important limitation: IMPORTXML only works on pages accessible without authentication. LinkedIn, Salesforce, or any tool behind a login wall is off-limits with this formula.

How to use IMPORTDATA to import public CSV files

The IMPORTDATA formula directly imports a CSV or TSV file available online.

=IMPORTDATA("https://example.com/company-list.csv")

B2B use case: If a public source provides company lists in CSV format (official directories, open data), you can pull them straight into your sheet.

The limits of native formulas for B2B data enrichment

These formulas are a good starting point, but they hit a wall fast in a professional prospecting context:

For Sarah, a Growth Marketer who needs to enrich 500 leads per week, native formulas simply aren’t viable. That’s where the next methods come in.

Method 2: Google Apps Script (powerful, but technical)

Google Apps Script is a JavaScript-based language that integrates natively with Google Sheets. It lets you build custom functions that call third-party APIs to enrich your data automatically.

How to create an enrichment function with Apps Script

In Google Sheets, go to Extensions → Apps Script, then paste this code to create a custom function:

// Custom function: find a professional email via an enrichment API
function enrichEmail(firstName, lastName, domain) {

  // Build the request URL
  var url = "https://api.your-tool.com/find-email"
    + "?first=" + firstName
    + "&last=" + lastName
    + "&domain=" + domain;

  // Call the API (replace with your actual endpoint and key)
  var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, {
    headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
  });
  var data = JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
  return data.email || "Not found";
}

Use it directly in your sheet:

=enrichEmail(B2, C2, D2)

Expected result: The cell displays the professional email matching the first name (column B), last name (column C), and company domain (column D).

💡 No-code alternative: If you’re not comfortable with JavaScript, an add-on like Derrick does exactly the same thing in a few clicks — no script required.

Apps Script offers maximum flexibility, but it requires JavaScript knowledge, manual management of API keys and quotas, and ongoing maintenance. For commercial teams without a dedicated developer, the time cost is usually too high. That’s why the next method is the most widely used among B2B sales teams.

Method 3: Specialized Google Sheets add-ons (recommended)

Google Sheets add-ons install directly from the Google Workspace Marketplace and add data enrichment capabilities to your spreadsheet without any technical skills. This is the recommended method for the vast majority of B2B teams: SDRs, recruiters, growth marketers, and Sales Ops.

How to install and use Derrick for data enrichment

Derrick is a Google Sheets add-on that turns your spreadsheet into a full B2B prospecting engine. It enriches your leads with 50+ attributes: verified professional emails, phone numbers, company data, LinkedIn information, and more.

Step 1 — Install Derrick from the Google Workspace Marketplace

Go to Extensions → Add-ons → Get add-ons. Search for “Derrick” and click Install. Setup takes under a minute with zero configuration required.

Expected result: The Derrick menu appears in your Extensions toolbar.

Step 2 — Prepare your prospect list

Derrick works on an “I have → I want” logic: you provide an input, it returns the missing data.

Expected result: Your sheet is structured with input data in dedicated columns.

Step 3 — Run the enrichment

Select the rows to enrich, open the Derrick panel via Extensions → Derrick, choose your enrichment type (e.g., “Lead Email Finder”), and click “Enrich.” Derrick processes your data in real time and fills in the corresponding columns automatically.

Expected result: Within a few minutes, your 100 (or 1,000) rows are enriched. Every email found is verified in real time to reduce your bounce rate.

Step 4 — Review enrichment quality

Derrick adds a status for each enrichment: email valid, invalid, or not found. Filter on this status to identify contacts that need follow-up.

Expected result: A clean list with only active, verified emails ready for your outreach campaigns.

Method 4: Enrich from LinkedIn and Sales Navigator

For teams actively prospecting on LinkedIn, enriching data directly from LinkedIn profiles is a particularly powerful workflow. Here’s how to make the most of it in Google Sheets.

How to import and enrich from Sales Navigator

If you use LinkedIn Sales Navigator, copy your search URL and use Derrick’s “Import List of LinkedIn Profiles” feature — no manual CSV export needed. Your prospects appear in your sheet within seconds, complete with their LinkedIn URLs. You can then enrich these profiles with 50+ attributes via the LinkedIn Profile Scraper: email, phone, job title, bio, company info, and more.

Worth noting: Derrick also works without Sales Navigator — saving you around $1,200/year. You can enrich LinkedIn profiles directly from public profile URLs with no premium subscription needed.

How to enrich company data from LinkedIn

For account-based workflows where you enrich companies rather than individuals, Derrick’s company enrichment from LinkedIn Company URLs gets you: description, headcount, industry, follower count, technologies used on the site, and other firmographic data.

Method 5: Automate enrichment with Zapier, Make, or n8n

For teams who want to go further, data enrichment can be fully automated. Derrick integrates with Zapier, Make, and n8n to create workflows that enrich your leads automatically — no manual action required.

An example automated workflow

Here’s a concrete scenario: every time a new lead submits a form on your site, they’re automatically added to Google Sheets and enriched in real time.

1. Trigger: New form submission on your website (HubSpot, Typeform, etc.)
2. Action 1: Lead added to Google Sheets via Zapier
3. Action 2: Derrick automatically enriches the data (verified email, company info, LinkedIn)
4. Action 3: Enriched lead synced to your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive)

This kind of workflow saves several hours of manual work every week for a team of 3–5 people.

What types of data can you enrich in Google Sheets?

B2B data enrichment goes far beyond finding emails. Here’s an overview of the data enrichable in Google Sheets depending on your use case.

Contact-level data

• Verified professional email: Via Derrick’s Lead Email Finder, or the Email Verifier to validate existing emails
• Phone number: Pulled from LinkedIn via the Phone Finder
• Job title and role: Exact title, department, seniority level
• Professional summary: LinkedIn bio, key skills
• Gender: Useful for personalizing outreach (“Hi Sarah” vs. “Hi Mike”)

Firmographic data (company level)

• Company size: Exact headcount or range
• Industry: Sector, domain, sub-sector
• Tech stack: Technologies used on the site via Website Tech Lookup — ideal for targeting by CRM, CMS, or analytics tool
• Web traffic: Monthly visitor volume via SimilarWeb Insights
• G2 reviews: Info on the tools actively used by the target company

Qualification and scoring data

Once your data is enriched, Derrick’s built-in AI lets you:

• Automatically score leads against custom criteria (AI Lead Scoring)
• Segment your list by ICP profile (AI Segmentation)
• Summarize long profiles into actionable insights (AI Profile Summarization)

These features let you prioritize your hottest prospects without reading through every profile manually.

Best practices for efficient data enrichment

1. Clean your input data before enriching

Enrichment quality depends directly on input quality. Before running a bulk enrichment, normalize your input columns: correctly spelled names, domains without “www.”, complete LinkedIn URLs. Use Derrick’s Data Normalization feature to clean data before enrichment: split full names into first/last, fix inconsistencies, standardize formats.

2. Remove duplicates before enriching

Enriching duplicates wastes credits. Use Derrick’s Remove Duplicates feature — or Google Sheets’ native UNIQUE() function — to deduplicate your list before running enrichment.

3. Prioritize by ICP fit, not volume

If you have 2,000 leads, don’t enrich them all at once. Start with leads that best match your Ideal Customer Profile. This optimizes your credit budget and lets you act quickly on your best prospects.

4. Re-verify data regularly

B2B data has a short shelf life. An email valid today can generate bounces in 6 months if the contact changed jobs. Schedule quarterly re-verification cycles for your contact base.

5. Respect GDPR in your enrichment workflow

B2B data enrichment is legal under GDPR, provided enrichment relies on a clearly defined legitimate interest, data is used for the stated purpose, and contacts can exercise their rights. Derrick is 100% GDPR compliant and stores no personal data.

Common data enrichment mistakes (and how to fix them)

Mistake 1: Too many IMPORTXML formulas slow down the sheet

Impact: Your Google Sheets becomes nearly unusable, with loading times of several minutes.

Solution: Replace IMPORTXML formulas with static values once data is retrieved (Copy → Paste Special → Values only). Avoid running IMPORTXML on more than 50 rows at the same time.

Mistake 2: Enriched emails generate too many bounces

Impact: Your sender reputation degrades and cold email campaigns land in spam.

Solution: Never send unverified emails. Use an Email Verifier (available in Derrick) that tests each address via SMTP before use. Aim for a bounce rate below 5% to maintain good deliverability.

Mistake 3: Enriched data doesn’t match the right contact

Impact: You reach out to the wrong person, or someone who already left the role.

Solution: Always cross-check enriched data with validation criteria — current job title, seniority, confirmed LinkedIn URL. Derrick retrieves the exact job title so you can verify contact relevance.

Mistake 4: The sheet becomes unmanageable with 50+ columns

Impact: The team wastes time finding the right columns; copy-paste errors multiply.

Solution: Structure your sheet with dedicated tabs: Raw Data, Enriched Data, CRM Export. Use color coding by data type and add a README tab documenting the structure.

Mistake 5: Enrichment runs on contacts already in the CRM

Impact: Credit waste on contacts that are already fully qualified.

Solution: Before any enrichment, export existing contacts from your CRM and deduplicate your Google Sheets list. Derrick’s Remove Duplicates can cross-check email, LinkedIn URL, and name + company.

Key takeaways

• Data enrichment in Google Sheets works via three methods: native formulas (free but limited), Apps Script (powerful but technical), and specialized add-ons (recommended for business teams)
• IMPORTXML and IMPORTDATA retrieve public data but can’t access LinkedIn or any login-gated page
• Add-ons like Derrick enrich directly inside Google Sheets: verified emails, phones, LinkedIn and firmographic data — no CSV export needed
• Enrichment quality depends on input quality: normalize and deduplicate before enriching
• GDPR allows B2B enrichment under legitimate interest — provided you respect data subjects’ rights
• Automate your workflow with Zapier, Make, or n8n to enrich leads the moment they enter your Google Sheets

Conclusion: Where to start with data enrichment

Data enrichment in Google Sheets is no longer just for technical teams. With today’s tools, any SDR, recruiter, or growth marketer can automate this process in a few clicks.

If you’re just getting started, try native formulas on a small batch to understand the logic. For more serious needs — over 100 leads to enrich per week — a specialized add-on like Derrick will save you several hours every week on your B2B data enrichment workflow.

To go deeper, check out our complete guide on database enrichment, which covers strategies beyond Google Sheets.

Turn your Google Sheets into a B2B prospecting engine

Enrich emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn data, and company information directly in Google Sheets. 200 free credits, no credit card required.

Try for free →

FAQ

Can I enrich data for free in Google Sheets? Yes — using native formulas like IMPORTXML and IMPORTDATA for publicly accessible data. For structured B2B data (emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn profiles), tools like Derrick offer a free plan with 200 monthly credits, no credit card required.

What’s the difference between data enrichment and data cleansing? Data enrichment adds missing information to your existing contacts (email, phone, job title). Data cleansing corrects errors already in your data: duplicates, inconsistent formats, blank fields. Both are complementary for maintaining a healthy database.

Is data enrichment in Google Sheets GDPR compliant? Yes, provided you follow GDPR rules: demonstrated legitimate interest, usage limited to the stated purpose, and the ability for contacts to exercise their rights. B2B prospecting is generally considered legitimate interest, unlike consumer outreach.

How long does it take to enrich 1,000 leads in Google Sheets? With an add-on like Derrick, enriching 1,000 leads (email + LinkedIn info) takes 15 to 30 minutes automatically. The same task done manually would take several days of full-time work.

Can I enrich LinkedIn data without Sales Navigator? Yes. Derrick can enrich LinkedIn profiles directly from public profile URLs — no Sales Navigator subscription needed (which costs around $100/month). This is one of the key advantages for teams with a tight budget.