Web scraping is a method to obtain an organized set of data from various websites, which can be done manually or via computers.

You visit a website and browse through the HTML code to obtain the data you are looking for. This unstructured data is then organized into files or databases or as a spreadsheet for various applications.

Why do you need web scraping? Well, it has multiple applications: price monitoring of products or the most popular topic on a forum for a survey. Here we talk about all the aspects of web scraping to design a better version of your site.

Web Scraping: Costs and Legal Issues

Although most web scraping tools are free, there are paid options with more features. Nonetheless, they get the job done.

The aspect that you need to be wary of is whether you are breaking any violations. You can scrape public data without significant consequences; however, data meant to be confidential and private can land you in legal trouble. This is why it is essential to be familiar with the site’s terms of service to ensure that you aren’t violating them.

How Does Web Scraping Work?

Web scraper works by targeting specific data. You must enter the URL to generate the HTML codes for most web scrapers, including Java and CSS elements. The obtained data is then converted into the format of your choice, such as JSON file, CSV file, or Excel spreadsheet.

The process is segmented into two parts: the crawler and the scraper. The former is an artificial intelligence algorithm that essentially ‘crawls’ through the web for the desired data by following links. This is followed by the latter part, a specialized tool for extracting the data from the website.

Web scraping can be done in many ways, such as through online services like scrapingant.com, especially if you are searching for data in website giants like Google and Facebook.

For best results, specify which data you want to extract. For example, you may wish to have a list of washing machines on Samsung’s website that scrapes data only about the models, not the customer review.

Why Do You Need Web Scraping?

One of the most apparent benefits of web scraping is saving time. It will take forever if you just copy and paste data from websites, whereas web scraping allows all this information to be organized in minutes.

Furthermore, web scraping will enable you to obtain data you won’t get by any other means. For instance, you can use web scraping to obtain a list of all the companies in a market of interest.

Here is a glimpse of the possible uses for web scraping.

1. Lead Generation

You can find many new leads through web scraping. This is better explained by an example. You can find all the companies of your industry of interest in a city by scraping the directory of businesses.

2. Competitor Analysis

It is essential for all companies to be well-versed in market leaders. You can use web scraping to get a grasp of their market strategies, pricing, and products.

3. Price Monitoring

As mentioned already, scraping can be done to analyze product prices for a company and competing products. It also allows for the development pricing strategies so that a company can settle on the optimum price to get the maximum returns.

4. Market Research

Web scraping is an essential market research tool. When the process is done well, the resulting data can be used to understand consumer trends and guide future company decisions.

5. News Monitoring

This is crucial for companies to be up-to-date with news that can directly affect their company. Companies that are regularly on the news or depend on daily news reports, web scraping can give them detailed reports about the current news.

6. Sentiment Analysis

As the name suggests, sentiment analysis allows companies to glean their customer sentiment towards their products. Web scraping of data from social media like Facebook and Instagram allows the company to estimate consumer perception regarding the product. The company can then utilise this feedback to improve the product and stand against their competitors.

7. Email Marketing

Email marketing is another opportunity for companies to use web scraping. Promotional and marketing emails can be sent to IDs collected from various websites by web scraping.

Different Types of Web Scrapers

There are many web scrapers depending on various criteria. For instance, you can have your own self-built web scrapers with advanced programming knowledgeas per your liking. However, for the less tech-savvy, there are many pre-built web scraper with features that can be customized as required.

Another type is the browser extensions web scraper which are easier to navigate given they are part of the browser. However, this limits the use of any advanced features outside the scope of your browser. On the contrary, software web scrapers are more complex and makes up for the drawbacks of the former type of web scraper. This can be downloaded and installed in your computer.

Finally, the cloud web scrapers which are provided by the off-site server and runs on cloud. As a result, the computer resources are free to be used for other purposes. Local web scrapers make the other end of the spectrum and slows down the computer as they make use of CPU and RAM.

What Are Some Web Scraping Best Practices?

Now that you are familiar with the basics of web scraping, here are the ideal practices to follow.

1. Check the Terms of Service

An important aspect that needs to be reiterated is to assess the terms of services so that you don’t violate any of them and land in trouble- legal or otherwise. Furthermore, it is best to get the website owner’s permission before attempting web scraping.

2. Don’t Overload Servers

This can lead your IP to be banned from the site. Hence, space out your requests and avoid making multiple requests at once.

3. Handle Errors Gracefully

Handling large amounts of data will inevitably result in numerous errors. Issues like servers being down or data not being in the desired format. However, what matters is how you deal with the errors in the long term. Patience and grace are key. You should prioritize quality over quantity to avoid breaking anything.

4. Review Your Data Regularly

Extending on the previous point, regularly reviewing your data will help reduce errors in the end product.

5. Scrape Responsibly

Good scraping means avoiding two major “S”s that are surplus and sensitive. Responsible scraping entails scraping little data and avoiding scraping sensitive information. Finally, ensure that the scraper is updated to avoid breaking any websites.

6. Know When To Stop

Not all web scraping sessions will be successful. However, it is essential to stop and move to other websites that will likely have the data you need.

3 Of The Best Web Scraping Tools

It is only fitting to have the final section deal with the best web scraping tool to help you get started. Once you get the hang of how to use these tools, you can customize features or upgrade to better tools in the future.

1. ParseHub

The most popular tool is ParseHub given the lack of need for coding. It is simple to operate and user-friendly for people who are not well-versed in data collection. Another advantage is that it is free and open, although three-tiered paid plan options are available with more features.

However, it isn’t suitable for large projects and may not give the desired output in all cases.

2. Python,

An obvious choice for a web scraping tool is Python, given its large library and modules, which can be used for extraction. Furthermore,it is also easy to learn and use. Not only can it be used for web scraping, but it can also be for other tasks.

The only drawback for Python is that it can be time-consuming when large volumes of data are involved and access to some websites may be blocked. Nevertheless, it remains a popular choice for beginners to web scraping.

3. Mozenda

Another tool that doesn’t require coding. With features like web page rendering, web page crawling, and extraction. As opposed to ParseHub, Mozenda is fast and efficient and can quickly sift through large volumes of data.

These advantages also give this web scraping tool a hefty price tag which is why it isn’t the best tool if you plan to use it for personal reasons.

Conclusion

Web scraping allows for fast and efficient data collection and is a valuable skill in any company’s arsenal. However, before getting started, be sure you are within law and not violating any regulations.

Once you are familiar with different types of web scrapers, you will understand which of the tools is best suited for your purposes. Data collection for large projects can be challenging and arduous, but web scraping can significantly relieve this burden.