There are many things a company needs to keep in mind to ensure the business runs smoothly. One of these factors is staying relevant to their client base and the current market trends. Scraping websites is a way to ensure your business is always up to date with the latest information. However, to effectively use a web scraper, you need to use proxies. Proxies can be set to various locations, like using an India proxy. Proxy providers like Smartproxy ensure you can reach any market you want, which also helps you expand your client base. However, first, we’ll look at public data and why you want to scrape it.
What’s Public Data?
Public data, as the name suggests, is information that can be freely used and distributed, no matter the region or jurisdiction. It’s information that’s generally freely available on the internet and can be found with a simple search in your browser. This includes information on public forums, retail and eCommerce deals, offers, etc.
Can I Collect it?
Since public data is just that, public, there are no restrictions on collecting it. You might find that websites block suspicious IP addresses. Public data collected via web scraping ensures you know what your business needs to focus on and improve in your marketing strategy. You can create an effective marketing strategy, keep on top of your competitors’ offers and find out what consumers think about your brand. As such, not only can you collect public data no matter your jurisdiction, but it’s a legitimate way for your business to gather the information it needs to continue growing.
Web Scraping Definition
We’ve talked about web scraping briefly, but let’s dive into what it means. Web scraping, otherwise known as data harvesting, is a process completed by software that collects information from websites. This means it collects data after you choose a keyword that’s related to a certain topic. As technology improved, so did web scrapers.
You can now collect data from several websites within a few minutes. The data is collected in a raw HTML format and then converted to a readable format. With the built-in parser, you can choose whether to convert it to CSV or Excel format. However, websites can see data harvesting software as a suspicious connection. That’s why it’s often necessary to use proxies like an India proxy while web scraping.
The Use of Proxies
A proxy refers to an intermediary server that connects with a website on your behalf. Unlike a VPN that encrypts your IP address, a proxy ensures you never connect with the site yourself, hiding your IP address effectively. It can also provide a better connection, depending on the proxy provider you use. Another great benefit of proxies is that you can set the geolocation to be different from where you’re actually based.
For example, an India proxy is required if you want to access the market in India. This is advantageous, especially if you’re looking to expand into another market and want to complete some market research beforehand. It’s also a fantastic way to see what other regions offer and whether you can expand a similar offer in your own region. On the other hand, it also allows you to access only local offers, ensuring your data isn’t skewed by international deals or trends. However, not all proxies are equally suitable for data harvesting.
Which Proxies are Recommended for Data Scraping?
Residential proxies refer to proxy servers that use the IP address of an actual residential device. Unlike datacenter proxies that generate IP addresses from datacenter servers, residential proxies use actual IP addresses, making you look like a natural person accessing the site. This is a massive advantage, as your identity is anonymous, and you experience fewer blocks. Since the connection looks like an actual person, there’s a much lower chance of the IP address being flagged as suspicious and blocked. As such, you can easily access high-value public data in any market. Residential proxies are the recommended typ for web scraping activities.
Improve Your Business Strategy
Web scraping is vital for many different reasons. You can use it to understand the competition more, find unfulfilled market niches, and receive feedback on your brand image. You can also create a successful and efficient marketing strategy using the data obtained, like consumer needs and recent social media and advertising trends. However, proxies are crucial to using a web scraper, especially if you want to gather high-quality data and experience minimal blocks. It’s even helpful if you want to enter another market, like using an India proxy or want to gather local data. Try web scraping as a legitimate method of gathering crucial data that improves your overall business strategy.