Facing difficulties accessing essential websites for your business or personal use? Web scraping is the solution. Read this article to know more.
Web scraping can be a godsend if you know the correct methods of implementation. Proper web scraping will help you retrieve information that you need, as well as analyze and dissect the data; without blocking the path that you took for access.
The importance of accurate and logical data is paramount. No one likes being prevented from entering a website; that too by annoying counters like captchas and rendering difficulties within their browsers.
There is a lot to consider when it comes to web scraping. It is not an easy task that almost anyone can initiate and be successful at. Individuals need particular sets of expertise, as well as the right tools for execution. There are many dos and don’ts that you need to be aware of.
This is one of the primary reasons for going with experts in such matters, instead of attempting on your own. Of course, solo web scraping is not impossible. We encourage it.
However, for immediate results and ruthless efficiency, taking the help of professionals like ScrapingAnt is the wiser alternative. Let us take a comprehensive look into what web scraping truly is and the top tips and tricks for taking your web scraping skills to the next level.
What Is Web Scraping?
Web scraping, also known as data scraping or web data extraction, is the method of accumulating structured data from the web – automatically. There are various usage scenarios for web scraping, with the most common instances including price intelligence, price monitoring, lead generation, news monitoring, corresponding market research and analysis, and many more.
In simpler terms, by using web scraping methodologies, you will be able to access the websites that you previously could not due to a multitude of unrelated reasons.
The extraction of data from the web is part and parcel of our daily lives these days. Be it a college student looking for assignment solutions or a businessman searching for supply pricing – web scraping may be essential in all.
The internet is packed with information – with more and more being added every single day. Being able to access all of it is not over-the-top anymore; it is needed.
Imagine copying and pasting specific paragraphs from a web page. Know that this is exactly what a web scraper does, but on a significantly larger scale. In fact, these days, web scraping techniques have evolved more than anyone had ever anticipated. Modern tools adopt the use of artificial intelligence to scheme through endless data points on the worldwide web.
How Does ScrapingAnt Help?
Organizations like ScrapingAnt specialize in aiding their customers with their web scraping needs by developing web scraping APIs, pre-processing outputs, creating custom cookies, rendering Chrome pages, avoiding captchas, executing Javascript, and a lot more. You can think of them as a one-stop solution for all your web scraping needs.
On top of that, they also specialize in making elaborate plans for their customers and taking their web browsing experience to a whole new level. Any individual new to this aspect of web browsing can get a comprehensive idea of this and start with the help of ScrapingAnt’s services with relative ease.
Furthermore, web scraping goes hand in hand with search engine optimization. It is one of the fundamental aims of using web scrapers in the first place. Take Google as an example. It is undeniably the best search engine globally and for one apparent reason (among many): it can crawl, or scrape, through way more websites than its contemporary rivals.
This also provides an answer to some of the critics who think web scraping is unethical. Google itself is using web scraping techniques to carry out its tasks. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Taking the services of web scraping professionals like ScrapingAnt is incredibly beneficial as their customers do not usually need to worry about any of the difficulties above.
Web Scraping Tips and Tricks
By now, you should be fully aware of all the intricacies of web scraping. Now, let us take a look at some of the tips and tricks that you should be mindful of before opting to scrape the web on your own.
Keep Changing the Proxies
Using a proxy is, arguably, the most common web scraping method and is being implemented globally. It is generally used to avoid the blocking of real IP or while trying to access region-restricted content. However, these are not the only things that can be done with proxy scraping.
For web scraping purposes, a dedicated server is used for interchanging the collection of proxies. The collective nature of this system ensures that the user’s IP can be assigned to a random IP existing in the pool.
Every time the user tries to access a particular data point, a new IP “seems” to make the connection – keeping your identity “real” at the access point of the website. Following this method allows the user to browse through any website; for any duration of time – all the while representing a different person belonging to another place.
Additionally, using multiple proxies or residential proxies ensure that you always gain access, even if one or more of the previously used proxies get blocked or banned. If you use a tool like Web Scraping API, the system will change proxies for you.
Try a Headless Browser
Headless browsers are precisely similar to regular web browsers, with the only exception being, they do not have any particular user interface. You would need to implement the command-line to work on a headless browser.
A browser environment is essential for modern websites to load. Web developers tend to use Javascript in most web-based applications these days, making it crucial for the users to have the means to read and execute them.
A website built with Javascript will have all of its HTML hidden within the lines of Javascript code. Unless a web browser is used, none of the HTML can be read, which essentially means, the website can not be loaded. Regular web scrapers can not go to such depths.
Users can build their browser-mimicking web scrapers from scratch, with Puppeteer being an ideal recommendation from our end. Of course, you can always seek help from experts in the field and act based on that.
Avoid Acting Like a Robot
Web scraping, if done right, is an extremely rapid process. However, at times this can be a bit of a problem. The extreme pace of processing mimics the actions of a robot. Human beings can not parse through hundreds of pages of information within the blink of an eye, but software can.
Websites determine the nature of their visitors by checking a host of parameters, including the speed of browsing. If your site scraper goes through the web pages at an inhuman speed, the IP being used can be blocked under the suspicion of being a robot. Thus, we suggest users introduce random pauses while scraping. This will show the website that the scraping is being done by a human being; rather than some pre-set bot.
Plan Your Actions
Internet browsing has come a long way ever since its induction back in the day. These days, various aspects of internet usage – as a whole – have improved significantly. Search results are not just faster but are way more elaborate and beneficial for the user. Web scraping jobs have also become more efficient over the years.
However, make no mistake: your web scraper might not come of any use unless you have a proper plan of action. Decide why you need the data you are looking for. Make a list of sources that you believe have your desired information. You need to be aware of your scraping tool’s capabilities, as it might not be able to access anything and everything you throw at it. You are manually examining the sources, and deciding what to scrape can save precious time while you are at it.
To Sum Up
Finally, you need to know the format of data that you are searching for. If it is textual, you can copy it. If a photo or a video, there are media downloading tools that you can implement. Just make sure you are aware of what you are getting into. Once you access the site, you would already have done the site scraping, probably using a valuable alternative IP. Failing to extract any use out of the visit only makes the process inefficient. Thus, intensive planning is critical.
Final Thoughts
Web scraping services are more significant than you might have imagined till now. Their benefits are truly remarkable and are already being appreciated by companies all around the world. Soon, the day will come; when web scraping becomes a staple for web browsing – if it isn’t already!