As the world moves to the place where the only way to grow a business and make a continuous profit is to back every decision on relevant and accurate data, businesses are now required to learn how to extract data from a website that has the necessary data.
But learning how to do this also entails using and manipulating the different web scraping tools to your advantage.
Web scraping tools come in different forms and types, but their general application is to extract data from multiple sources simultaneously and seamlessly.
This is important because it eliminates the stress and inefficiency of manual data extraction that doesn’t require tools.
Today, we will look at what web scraping is and the different tools that can be used for it, and their most important benefits.
Web Scraping With Its Features
Web scraping can be defined as gathering an enormous amount of user data from different websites and platforms. These could include e-Commerce websites or search engines, and social media platforms.
Regardless of where the data is coming from, the process involves using automated tools to send out scraping requests and quickly collect data from those sources before parsing it and storing it in the available storage unit.
Two very common tools used here include proxies and web scrapers. There are different proxies in the market, including Datacenter and Residential proxies.
There are also different scrapers that companies can choose from for their web scraping project. Some are built and managed within the company, while others are supplied and managed by third-party companies.
Fusing the right proxies and web scrapers help to clear obstacles and restrictions, making web scraping easier and faster.
Types of Web Scraping Tools Used in Scraping Data
There are two main types of web scraping tools, and a brand may either choose to have their in-house scraping tool or use a ready-made tool.
In-House Solution
This type of web scraping solution is often commonly used by larger corporations and companies that have the resources to build and the manpower to manage and run their scraper tool.
Using this method requires having a dedicated web scraping script, a suitable proxy, a headless browser, a storage unit, and some form of monitoring to keep track of the whole process.
Before you can commence using this approach, you must first decide what type of data you want and where you intend to get it.
Next, you would have to write and develop a solid scraping script for a bot that can automatically interact with your intended source without breaking.
After that, you will need to make provisions for a proxy service. You can build your proxy tool or use one supplied by a proxy service provider.
Then, you will need to have a headless browser that can send out your scraping requests and extract and render data.
Next, you will need to set rules for your scraping bot and design a schedule to maximize the exercise. Scraping can often cause problems for the data source, and scraping too infrequently can leave you with less than quality data.
Once you have decided on that, you can make a database or storage unit to store the data upon extraction.
Web Scraper API
When looking for how to extract data from a website, the smartest thing to do is go for the easier and less complex alternative.
Having an in-house scraper may work well for a giant enterprise that has all it takes to manage, run, and maintain the process, but a smaller brand would soon find that option to be quite overbearing and less profitable.
A web scraper API is a sound alternative for an in-house tool and a solid solution for brands looking to extract data from different websites.
This tool can help you extract data from target destinations that would prove quite challenging.
For instance, if you want to extract a large amount of data from Bloomberg, the best approach would be to use a scraper API to interact with their server and extract their content.
Not only would this provide you with a specific dataset, but it can also eliminate several challenges such as IP blocking, CAPTCHA tests, and geo-restrictions.
Benefits of Using Web Scraping Tools
The benefits of web scraping tools can be felt across every industry and field as it helps to make necessary data available at all times.
For instance, in Real Estate, brands and buyers can use web scraping tools to understand the market and make buying decisions. It becomes much easier to identify trends and forecast the market’s future once sufficient data.
We also see a similar trait in the automotive industry, where web scraping tools build better products that directly solve consumers’ problems.
By using these tools to harvest reviews and discussions across different platforms, manufacturers can hear what buyers are saying and tailor production to meet those needs.
Any company can see how they fare against their competition by gathering specific data such as product prices and how consumers are responding to it.
In cases like the one above, it is often more profitable for those companies to use a scraper API to collect such specific data types.
Conclusion
Web scraping tools are the foundation of every data extraction process. They make it possible to reach data, extract it, parse it, and store it for immediate or future use.
But choosing which tools to use often depends on the type of data your company needs and the resources at your disposal. Read this comprehensive article for more information on data extraction.
