IF: Google Sheets Formulas Explained

As a marketer, I spend most of my time working on spreadsheets to keep track of our campaigns and social media progress. But there's more to Google Sheets than just calculating numbers. The IF formula, for example, is a lifesaver when you're dealing with conditional statements.

What is the IF formula?

The IF formula is a logical function that allows you to set up rules for your data. It's like telling your spreadsheet, "if this condition is met, do this, otherwise do that." It saves you time and energy by automating repetitive tasks that would otherwise take hours to complete manually.

To use the IF formula, you need to provide three arguments:

• The condition you want to test
• The value to return if the condition is true
• The value to return if the condition is false

Let's say you have a spreadsheet with a list of customers and their age. You want to know which customers are over 30 and which ones are not. Here's how you can use the IF formula:

In this example, the condition is "B2>30" which means "if the value in cell B2 is greater than 30." If the condition is true, the formula returns "Over 30" and if it's false, it returns "Under 30."

Using IF with Other Formulas

The IF formula is also useful when you want to combine it with other functions to get more complex results. For example, let's say you have a spreadsheet with a list of products and their prices. You want to offer a 10% discount on all products that cost more than $50. Here's how you can use the IF formula with the SUM and PERCENTAGE formulas:

In this example, the condition is "B2>50" which means "if the value in cell B2 is greater than 50." If the condition is true, the formula multiplies the value in B2 by 0.9 (which is 90%) and adds it to the SUM of B2, otherwise it returns the value in B2 alone.

Nested IF Formulas

The IF formula is versatile enough to be nested inside other IF formulas to get more precise results. Let's say you have a spreadsheet with a list of customers, their age, and their gender. You want to know which customers are over 30 and which ones are not, but you also want to differentiate between male and female customers.

Here's how you can use nested IF formulas to get the desired results:

In this example, the nested IF formula checks the gender first. If the customer is male, it checks his age. If he's over 30, it returns "Male over 30" and if he's under 30, it returns "Male under 30." If he's female, it checks her age instead and returns the appropriate result.

Conclusion

The IF formula is a powerful tool that can save you time and energy when working on your spreadsheets. By setting up logical rules for your data, you can automate repetitive tasks and get more precise results. Whether you're dealing with basic or complex conditional statements, the IF formula is a must-know for any marketer who wants to level up their spreadsheet game.

So, fire up your Google Sheets and start experimenting with the IF formula. Who knows, you might just surprise yourself with what you can achieve.