Data Scraping is crucial to running a business and creating a successful marketing strategy. While it used to be that you had to do the groundwork yourself, nowadays, it’s possible to do it with a click of a button. If you want to scrape Amazon, simply use an Amazon scraper; it’s as easy as that. However, before you start web scraping, it’s better to understand what it is and what’s needed to scrape data successfully.
What is Web Scraping?
Web scraping, also known as web harvesting, refers to specific software gathering information from several online sources. Using advanced software and tools, you can choose a keyword and search for any related information on that keyword from websites. It’s also not limited to regular information on blog websites. You can use eCommerce APIs like an Amazon scraper to gather data from eCommerce sites.
After the data is scraped, the software converts it into easily readable formats. These formats allow you to see industry-related information at a glance. This software can be used to gather intel about your competitors and current offers in the market. It can also be used to see the industry pricing and consumer needs and wants. The latest trends or consumer feedback on your brand is also easy to find. All of this information makes it possible to create a successful marketing strategy.
What are Proxy Servers?
Proxy servers provide a similar service to a VPN, but instead of simply encrypting your IP address, it acts as a middleman server. When you use a proxy server, your IP address is never in contact with the websites you’re accessing; instead, the proxy server accesses the website on your behalf. A proxy has its own IP address, and you can choose whether it is random or set to a specific geolocation. It also means your IP address and local server is concealed and not vulnerable to internet dangers. While there are free proxy servers, these aren’t as secure, so using a premium one is always recommended.
Why is it Beneficial to Use with Web Scraping?
Proxy servers have many great benefits, and one is ensuring your data scraping is carried out securely and without problems. Often, websites will block suspicious IP addresses and activity on their sites. When web scraping, especially if you scrape various websites often, the websites might block the scraping software as a suspicious connection.
Proxy servers ensure that your scraping software isn’t blocked. It often completes the data harvesting faster and more smoothly than expected. Proxies will also ensure you can scrape data from websites that aren’t in your geolocation, which is excellent if you want to create offers for other markets or countries.
Types of Proxies
There are several types of proxies. They have specific purposes they’re more suited to handling. Below, we explore a few different proxy types and which is the best to use for what purpose.
DataCenter Proxy
Datacenter proxies use a data center of servers from which their IP addresses originate. As such, it’s great if you want anonymity, but online software can usually detect a data center proxy sooner than other types. While this proxy is excellent for browsing online anonymously and for day-to-day use, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it when web scraping.
Residential Proxy
Residential proxies refer to proxy servers connected to an actual residential device. As such, it’s one of the proxies that ensures you look like a normal person browsing. Often, these proxies are the most secure and least detectable, as they use IP addresses from real, physical devices. This makes them ideal to use for social media marketing and creating multiple social media accounts.
Rotating Proxy
A rotating proxy is often a good choice for data harvesting. This is because rotating proxies create a new server for every new connection, making it almost impossible to detect when web scraping. It also allows you to make thousands of connections at once, which is fantastic when scraping several sites for information.
Scraping Proxy
The best proxy to use when harvesting data is scraping proxies. Scraping proxies are specifically designed to scrape a specific site or platform. This means they’re the most secure option, and their advanced API will ensure you can choose a keyword and scrape a platform within minutes. These proxies also ensure you won’t encounter IP blocks or CAPTCHAs during the process, making the entire operation run more smoothly. Options like the No-Code Amazon scraper are also available, which means you can use it without being an internet or tech wizard.
Faster and Better Scraping
Web scraping is crucial for staying on top of the latest trends. It helps you gather consumer information, find current offers in the market, and even help identify a previously unfulfilled niche in the industry. However, web scraping software without a proxy server will often lead to blocked IPs and limited information. Using a scraping proxy like an Amazon scraper will let you complete the process faster and with fewer interruptions than when scraping websites without using one.
