Businesses rely on information to make important decisions. With the invention of the internet, it has become easier for businesses to access more information. However, the invention of automated web scraping has taken data collection and market research to new levels. But what is web scraping, and how can businesses benefit from these tools?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at data scraping and how it works. We’ll also take a look at how using these various scrapers, like a TikTok scraper from Smartproxy, can benefit your businesses’ marketing research efforts.
We’ll be covering the following topics related to scraping public data:
- What is web scraping?
- What role does data parsing play in web scraping?
- How does web scraping work?
- How can businesses benefit from web scraping?
What Is Web Scraping?
Web scraping, data scraping, or harvesting are all terms for the automated process of collecting vast amounts of public data from multiple websites. These tools collect the data and then compile it into a single format such as a spreadsheet, CSV, or JSON file. Once compiled, the user can then start to evaluate and analyze the information for insights
Web scraping can be used to collect any public data without fear of breaking any rules, as it’s considered legal to collect public data. However, users should be careful when collecting personal data and should never try to scrape private or sensitive data or anything protected behind login screens. The collected data should also be treated with respect, and when used as is, proper permissions should be requested, and attributions should be given to the original creator.
What Role Does Data Parsing Play In Web Scraping?
Data parsing is an essential process and plays a vital role in web scraping. A data parser is a program responsible for making the information understandable. When your scraper collects the data from websites, it’s in the HTML code required for machines to understand what to display. The parser is responsible for translating this code into human language. Without a parser, users could not read or understand the information they’ve collected through web scraping.
How Does Web Scraping Work?
Web scrapers work by collecting your requested information from the websites you specify. All you do is complete the required fields, i.e., what type of information should be collected. Then you input the websites from which the information should be collected, and the scraping tool does the rest.
Some general web scrapers can be used to collect information from websites. Then there are specialized scrapers that are used to collect data on other platforms. For example, a TikTok scraper can be used to access and collect information from Tiktok without getting banned. Just as a TikTok scraper can access this specific platform, others, like a Facebook scraper or SERP scraper, can be used on different platforms.
Users with programming knowledge can build their own web scrapers. There are also many open-source code available in different coding languages to make the process even easier. By building your web scraper, you can include all the features you want, as it’s much more flexible than pre-built options. It is also much more affordable, especially for businesses that have to collect a lot of information consistently. However, when you build your own scraper, you don’t have access to support, and any issues or bugs will have to be identified and resolved by you. The data parsing section will also have to be updated frequently to ensure your parser can continue translating the code.
If you don’t know how to program, there are many pre-built tools available that you can use, like Octoparse, ParseHub, or Smart Scraper. Some of them even include free versions that are great if you only need basic functions or to collect data once in a while. However, if your business requires a lot of data collected frequently, their paid plans will have to be considered. The paid plans often include more features and unlimited scraping.
How Can Businesses Benefit From Web Scraping?
There are many different ways that businesses can benefit from web scraping, especially when it comes to conducting market research. Simply put, any process that requires information to make a decision will benefit from data scraping as it automates the collection process.
For example, web scraping can be used to monitor your competitors and ensure you remain competitive. You can scrape their product prices to ensure that your own strategy is fair and competitive. You can collect their product listings to identify any gaps that you can capitalize on. You can also collect product descriptions to see how they market the items to their audience.
You can also use data scraping to keep an eye on the market and any trends that develop. By doing this, you’ll be able to prepare for these situations ahead of time. Scraping can also be used to identify potential investment opportunities that you may be interested in.
You can also use scraping to improve your SEO. By scraping search result rankings, you can see what content creators are performing better than you and what they’re doing that could cause this. Once you have this information, you can improve your own content in order to rank even better.
There are many other ways that businesses can benefit from data scraping, and you’re only limited by your own imagination.
Final Thoughts
Data scraping public data is a useful process for many businesses as it automates data collection. With more accurate data available, businesses can make better decisions, whether improving their prices, services, and offering or even identifying new opportunities.