How to Use Google Sheets Contains: Practical Guide

1. Manual ways to use "contains" in Google Sheets

Before you scale, you need solid basics. Here are core manual techniques your team should know.

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1.1 IF + REGEXMATCH: the classic "IF CONTAINS"

This combo recreates a SQL-style IF CONTAINS.

Use case: Tag leads whose tech stack contains "G Suite".

Formula: =IF(REGEXMATCH(D2, "G Suite"), "Uses G Suite", "No")

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Steps:

1. In a new column (e.g., E2), paste the formula above.
2. Replace D2 with the cell that holds your text and "G Suite" with your keyword.
3. Drag the fill handle down the column to apply it to all rows.
4. Filter on the new column to see only rows that match.

Docs:

• IF: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3093364
• REGEXMATCH: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3098242

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1.2 REGEXMATCH alone for TRUE/FALSE flags

Sometimes you just need a boolean you can combine with other logic.

Formula: =REGEXMATCH(B2, "HubSpot")

Returns TRUE if B2 contains "HubSpot", FALSE otherwise. Great for building layered conditions like: =IF(AND(REGEXMATCH(B2, "HubSpot"), REGEXMATCH(C2, "G Suite")), "High-fit", "Other")

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1.3 SEARCH + ISNUMBER

Another way, closer to Excel’s style, is SEARCH wrapped in ISNUMBER.

Formula: =ISNUMBER(SEARCH("Tolkien", A2))

Steps:

1. SEARCH("Tolkien", A2) returns the character position of the match or an error.
2. ISNUMBER(...) converts that into TRUE/FALSE.

Docs:

• SEARCH: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3093378
• ISNUMBER: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3093321

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1.4 COUNTIF for "contains and count"

When you want to know how many cells contain a phrase:

Formula: =COUNTIF(D:D, "*G Suite*")

The asterisks are wildcards, meaning "anything before or after".

Docs:

• COUNTIF: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3093480

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1.5 Filter views with "Text contains"

For quick visual analysis:

1. Select your header row.
2. Go to Data → Create a filter.
3. Click the filter icon on a column.
4. Choose Filter by condition → Text contains and type your keyword.

This is ideal for fast, ad-hoc exploration by sales and marketing teams.

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2. No‑code automation: make "contains" run itself

Manual formulas are powerful, but they still rely on humans opening the sheet. Let’s move toward automation with low/no-code tools.

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2.1 On‑edit highlighting with conditional formatting

You can visually flag cells that contain certain text the moment someone types it.

1. Select the range (e.g., A2:A1000).
2. Go to Format → Conditional formatting.
3. Under Format cells if, choose Text contains.
4. Enter your keyword (e.g., "Hot lead").
5. Pick a bold fill color and click Done.

Now any time your team enters that phrase, the cell auto-highlights—no extra work.

Docs:

• Conditional formatting: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/78413

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2.2 Use IF + REGEXMATCH as a reusable "rule column"

Turn contains logic into a standard rule column everyone relies on.

1. Create a dedicated "Routing rule" or "Segment" column.
2. Insert a formula like: =IFS(    REGEXMATCH(B2, "demo"), "Demo requested",    REGEXMATCH(B2, "refund|cancel"), "Churn risk",    TRUE, "Other"  )
3. Drag down the column.
4. Train your team to filter, pivot, and report from this rule column only.

This keeps logic centralized and easy to adjust as messaging and campaigns evolve.

Docs:

• IFS: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/7014145

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2.3 Connect to workflow tools (Zapier/Make) without code

While not official Google tools, platforms like Zapier or Make let non-technical teams automate around Google Sheets.

Example: Alert sales when a row "contains" buying intent.

1. In Sheets, add a column with: =REGEXMATCH(C2, "book a call|demo").
2. In Zapier, set a trigger: "New or updated row in Google Sheets".
3. Add a filter step: proceed only if the column is TRUE.
4. Action: send a Slack message or email to the account owner with row details.

Now every time a prospect types buying language, your team hears about it instantly—no one needs to patrol the sheet.

Official Sheets API/automation overview:

• https://developers.google.com/sheets/api

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3. Scaling "contains" with AI computer agents

At some point, even no-code automations hit limits. You end up with dozens of sheets, edge cases, and tools that don’t talk cleanly. This is where a Simular AI agent becomes your tireless operations assistant.

Simular Pro (https://www.simular.ai/simular-pro) is a highly capable AI computer agent that can operate across your desktop, browser, and cloud apps just like a human—clicking, typing, filtering, copying, pasting—only 24/7 and without context fatigue.

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3.1 Agent-driven lead and account classification

Story: Imagine your agency pulls company lists from tools like Koala, LinkedIn, and exports from CRMs. You want to know which rows in Google Sheets contain certain tech stack keywords ("HubSpot", "G Suite", "Shopify") and route them to specialists.

How Simular handles it:

1. The agent opens your lead sheet in Google Sheets.
2. It inserts or updates formulas like =IF(REGEXMATCH(D2, "G Suite"), "G Suite", "-") across thousands of rows.
3. It applies filters and sorts to group targets by stack.
4. It copies high-fit accounts into a "Priority" sheet and logs summary stats in a recap tab.
5. Via webhook integration, it can notify Slack or update your CRM.

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Pros:

• Works across tools without brittle APIs.
• Fully transparent: every step is visible and editable.
• Handles huge, evolving sheets and complex rules.

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Cons:

• Best for recurring, structured workflows (not one-off tiny tasks).
• Requires a short upfront definition of the workflow.

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3.2 Continuous monitoring and reporting

Story: A growth lead wants a daily rollup: "How many rows contain ‘trial’, ‘cancel’, or ‘upgrade’ across multiple feedback and support sheets?"

With Simular:

1. On a schedule, the agent opens each relevant Google Sheet.
2. It uses a mix of COUNTIF and REGEXMATCH-based helper columns to compute daily counts.
3. It updates a master dashboard sheet and optionally transforms results into a Google Doc or email brief.

You’ve effectively turned vague text into quantified signals without a human ever touching the formulas.

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Pros:

• Handles multi-sheet, multi-source logic.
• Turns free-form text into consistent, daily metrics.

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Cons:

• Overkill if you only maintain one small sheet.

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3.3 Complex cross-app workflows

Because Simular can automate "nearly everything a human can do" on a computer, you can chain Google Sheets contains logic into full revenue workflows:

• Scan a sheet for rows where notes contain "ready to buy".
• Open your CRM in the browser.
• Update opportunity stages and owners.
• Draft personalized outreach based on context, ready for human review.

With production-grade reliability and transparent execution, you’re not trusting a black box—you’re giving a very fast, very precise assistant the keyboard and mouse while you focus on strategy.