In this article, we’ll be looking at web scraping and the important role thatresidential proxies play in the process. We’ll also cover some of the benefits of using web scraping and a residential proxy. You can find more on these proxies here.
We’ll be covering the following topics on web scraping with proxies in the article:
- What is web scraping?
- Why should a residential proxy be used with a web scraper?
What Is Web Scraping?
Web scraping is the automated process of collecting large amounts of data from multiple web pages. This data is compiled in a single format, such as a spreadsheet, where it can be analyzed further. Do you remember the days when you had to physically browse the web pages of your competitors to see what products they had or what their prices were? This took a lot of time, and sometimes the data was lacking, incomplete, or just not enough to draw any conclusions from. Web scraping automates this entire process and many other data collecting processes to provide you with all the information you need to make better business decisions.
More businesses are starting to use web scraping to help direct business efforts. Many businesses have noted that profits from web scraping operations increase by 300% due to higher quality data and faster data acquisition.*
To start web scraping, you’ll first need a web scraper tool. If you have some experience with coding, you can build your own. Alternatively, many web scrapers are available that don’t require any coding skills or knowledge. A few popular web scrapers that you can consider are ZenRows, Smart Scraper, ParseHub and Octoparse.
Benefits Of Web Scraping
Web scrapers can collect all of the information you need from public websites. From competitors’ products and prices to market trends, consumer sentiment, monitoring brand awareness and much more. Here are some of the benefits of using web scraping tools:
- Web scrapers work fast
- Data can be collected at a scale
- Web scraping is a cost-effective way to collect data
- Most scrapers are flexible
- Web scraping requires very low maintenance costs
- Web scraping automatically delivers the collected data in a single format
Why Should A Residential Proxy Be Used With A Web Scraper?
Residential proxies are important tools to use alongside your web scraper. Proxies act as the middleman between the user and the internet, protecting the user’s location and IP address. The proxy doesn’t show the users’ IP address to the internet but rather one from their pool of available IPs. This creates a much safer and anonymous way to browse the internet without being tracked or banned.
We recommend a residential proxy as opposed to VPN and datacenter proxies because these are linked to the IP addresses of real devices. This makes it look like a real person is accessing the website, which means they won’t be banned. Many websites will ban data center IP addresses as they suspect them of being bots. Another reason is that residential proxy networks are at least 2,000% larger than datacenter proxy networks, making them have a bigger reach for penetrating the truly global data market valued upwards of $36 billion.*
There are many articles listing the best residential proxies, and we advise that you look at a few different ones before making a final decision. It’s important to do adequate research to end up with a reliable proxy provider.
Benefits Of Residential Proxies
Residential proxies are great tools to protect your online anonymity and, when paired with a web scraper, will allow the scraper to collect data from multiple websites without receiving an IP ban as they look like real users because of the existing IP address. Here are some other benefits of residential proxies:
- Allow you to be anonymous online
- You’re less likely to get blocked
- Improve your online security
- Faster web browsing
- Access geo-restricted content
- It can be used to create and manage multiple social media accounts
- Can access geo-targeted deals and pricing
- It can be used to verify local ad campaigns
Final Thoughts
Web scraping can be a very valuable tool for many businesses to use. However, if you plan to start using a web scraper, ensure that you pair it with a reliable residential proxy to avoid any bans that could lead to incomplete or low-quality data.
