In today’s business landscape, a simple way to stay ahead of the curve is to own more data than your competitors. Data allows you to make big decisions without being afraid of risk. Data analysis reveals the hidden patterns of market fluctuations, customer behavior, and more.
The only way to collect quality data in real-time is by scraping the internet.
Every forward-thinking business, everywhere from marketing to finance, is developing tools to crawl, extract, and organize vast datasets. The practice of web scraping is unstoppably changing the game across sectors and industries; it may be your last moment to apply the new rules.
Here are a few basics to get you started.
What is Web Scraping?
Web scraping allows you to locate vast amounts of publicly available data and pull it from the web for further use. This is a fully automated process executed by an algorithm, so we can say bots perform web scraping. The practice is also called data extraction and data scraping.
Being not only fully automated but also systematic, web scraping helps read hundreds, millions, even billions of web pages for requested keywords or phrases. Even more than that, it stores extracted data in a convenient format so that other tools can use it in different applications.
So, it’s not only the quantity of data that makes web scraping so powerful.
It’s also the quality of data and systematic organization that make it readable and useful.
How it works
When scraping the internet for valuable data, a bot follows a pathway similar to the one we use when researching an open source for needed information. It locates the page, reads through it, and extracts data by executing a simple copy/paste command. However, a bot does that very fast.
Finally, it translates data into a familiar format and stores it on your device.
That could be anything from phone numbers of potential employees, competitors’ product descriptions with prices, or real estate listings. Using a web scraping tool, you can extract (almost) any information you need in bulk and save it as a spreadsheet or any other convenient form.
Which tools are used?
There are many different web scraping tools. Businesses choose one bot over the other depending on various factors, too. The design and functionality of these tools are affected by project scope, budget, and technical knowledge, to name just a few. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
Some businesses decide to code their bots to get the most out of customization. That is not an option for everyone, so many companies outsource web scraping altogether. An in-between option is an existing tool that you can repurpose for specific data extraction tasks, but more on that later.
Using proxies for scraping
Intelligent businesses use proxies to avoid the common pitfalls of web scraping.
A proxy server hides your IP address by rerouting your internet traffic through a third-party server. Why do you need that for web scraping? Because many websites use anti-bot technology to protect their data. As soon as they detect a web scraping tool, they block your IP.
Does that mean that web scraping tools extract data even when forbidden?
Yes and no. Some websites disallow web scraping because they don’t want their competitors snooping around. Most of the time, websites forbid data extraction because it can be too aggressive. The more data you pull from a website, the more likely it is for the website to crash.
Choosing the right proxy
There are two main types of proxies for web scraping to choose from:
- Datacenter proxies;
- Residential proxies.
For rerouting your internet traffic, a datacenter proxy will choose an IP address of a random server that is hosted in a data center. A residential proxy server will give you an IP of a random person’s residential device. As you can imagine, residential proxies are not as affordable and easy to get.
Proxies can also be public, shared, or dedicated.
Most businesses use dedicated proxies, and for a good reason.
Unlike public and shared solutions, dedicated datacenter proxies ensure a reliable workaround for data extraction. Public proxy servers are too dangerous, with online criminals lurking at every corner. Shared proxy servers offer a budget-friendly alternative to dedicated IPs but a less trusty one.
APIs or building your own scraping tools?
Speaking of alternatives, APIs allow you to extract data from an open source without a web scraping tool. Though practical, this solution has a couple of shortages. It usually locks you to a single website, where specific data may be off-limits. Also, most APIs are expensive.
Aren’t they still more convenient than building your own scraping tool?
With APIs, you can’t count on customization to keep up with your growing data extraction needs. There is no anonymity or real-time updates, and some APIs are chaotic and poorly structured. All things considered, a web scraping tool and proxy make a better combination.
Best scraping practices
The most effective and efficient solution for extracting structured data for businesses big and small is a customizable web scraping tool with dedicated datacenter proxies. You can customize this type of bot for various use cases, scales, and budgets and reuse it in any way you need.
One last piece of advice – if a website specifically disallows scraping, be sure to respect that.
Extracting copyrighted data is both unethical and illegal.
Conclusion
At first glance, web scraping seems like a practical way to save time and money on research, but it’s transformative upon second consideration. By a long shot, data is the most valuable and powerful asset to possess, which puts web scraping in a particular perspective.
If data is an advantage, and it is, then web scraping is the way to achieve it.
