The internet is intricate and full of rich information that organizations can use to grow exponentially. But despite having this vast data at their disposal, do they know how to gather and use the correct info? The easiest method of gathering information from the internet is data scraping using automatic software such as web crawlers and bots.
Web scraping has become a norm for most businesses and has numerous merits, from competitor price analysis to monitoring conversations on different topics online. In this article, we look at why web scraping is useful and how you can use residential proxies to avoid getting blocked while gathering data. Read on to learn more.
When Is Web Scaping Useful?
Over the last few years, the number of companies using web scraping to improve their operations has increased. Primarily, web scraping is helpful in the following ways:
1. Ad Verification
Have you ever heard of ad fraud? According to Forrester, 69% of brands spending $1 million per month on advertising reported that at least 20% of the budget is lost through digital ad fraud. Therefore, as a business, you need to take precautionary measures not to spend money on fake traffic.
2. Sales Intelligence
If you’re running an online business, you can use web scraping to monitor your competitors’ information, such as products and reviews. Additionally, you can use it to gather data about your potential target audience through social listening. By creating personas that match their profiles, you can design better marketing campaigns.
3. Price Comparison
The business landscape is competitive, and if you’re in a price-driven niche, keeping track of your rivals’ prices is critical. This is where web scraping comes in since it allows you to gather your competitors’ pricing data. With this information, you’ll have a more effective pricing strategy.
4. SEO Tracking
Web scraping allows you to analyze the SERP to generate rich keywords that can increase your traffic. The higher you rank on search engines, the better it will be for your brand presence.
The Risk of Scraping Data
While data extraction is an endeavor that benefits businesses, it can lead to a potential financial loss if not done right. We all agree that the internet is a jungle and can be dangerous if one doesn’t tread carefully. Most websites have mechanisms to detect unusual activities like web scraping; if caught, they block your IP.
Worse, some target websites might not stop you but purposely provide you with falsified information. Thus, if you’re mining data and basing your decisions on the results you get from your search, you’re likely to make a poor decision with falsified data. Therefore, when mining your information, it’s always important to keep this in mind.
To avoid getting detected and blocked, you can use a rotating proxy server with a healthy pool of IPs. For example, to scrape Australian marketing data, you can get a residential proxy server at iproyal.com and use it for total anonymity.
Benefits of Using a Web Proxy
No matter the data mining software you’re using, web scraping offers entrepreneurs various benefits, including:
1. Security
Are you willing to put yourself in a risky situation while mining data? Using your computer to scrape the web will expose it to malicious entities; therefore, getting a proxy might be the best solution as it offers you more security from hackers and the like.
2. Stable Connection
Depending on your data scope, scraping can take a considerable amount of time. Imagine losing connection when you’re about to finish the process; you’re likely to lose the progress you’ve made, wasting precious time and effort. To avoid this, you can use a proxy server that guarantees a stable connection to the internet.
3. Hidden IP Address
If you send multiple requests to a target website without hiding your IP, you’re likely to get blocked. A proxy from a reputable vendor such as IPRoyal is a sure way to solve all these problems. This provider offers a large pool of rotating residential IPs, making you virtually invisible to the target site.
Conclusion
Web scraping is an invaluable process that can put you ahead of the game when done right. However, you must be aware of the pitfalls, like IP blocks and getting falsified information. The best bet is to use residential proxies to keep you invisible while harvesting data for intelligent decision-making.