What Are Web Scraping Tools?
I’m sure you’ve heard of web scraping which helps business owners to grow businesses from the data available on the web. Web scraping tools collect data from targeted websites, business directories, and search engines without coding in various formats. This data is used in areas such as:
- Telemarketing
- SMS marketing
- Email Marketing
- Competition monitoring
- Better customer satisfaction
- Prices improve
- Keyword research
- Lead generation
But the data you collect, and as a result, the insights you gain depend on the effectiveness of the web scraping tool.
We’ll take a look at how these tools work, show you the types of scraping tools you’ll find in the market and help you learn how to make the best choices.
How Do Web Scraping Tools Work?
Web scraping involves extracting data from a specific website. So the scraper is given a URL or keyword to scrape. It loads the HTML code of these web pages or searches the data from the website according to your given keywords and extracts the required data, such as email, phone number, reviews, and much more.
The scraper then puts the data into a readable format. It saves data in a database or spreadsheet for further analysis.
Types of Web Scraping Tools
There are three common types of web scrapers..
1) Browser Extension
Browser extensions can be added to your browser. They are easy to operate and are best suited for running small scraping projects. This is because you can only spend one page at a time. You can’t add advanced features that need to be out of the browser.
2) Software (Desktop Application)
This is downloadable and installable software that you can use to extract data from the website. It has the potential to provide advanced features. You can scrap one or more pages at a time, making it suitable for small to medium-sized projects. You can find and scrape data from websites by keywords and URLs by using this software.
3) Self-Made
You can make your own website extractor, but it will require the latest programming knowledge. Unless you are a programming expert, self-made extractors will have limited functionality. They also need constant maintenance.
Choosing the right web data scraper for your project will depend on the nature of your project.
Read Also: Advanced Python Techniques for Data Analysis and Visualization
Features Of The Best Web Scraping Tools
There are a few things to consider when choosing a web scraper for your project.
1) Easy to use
Use a scraper that is easy to set up and use. Make sure it has a fully customized user interface. You should be able to use the features easily and get the most out of the tool, despite your limited technical knowledge.
2) Flexibility
Websites are created using different programming languages. Your data mining software should be able to extract data from any website. It should be able to work beyond basic HTML code such as CSS and JavaScript.
4) IP rotation
IP circulation using proxies makes it easy to scrape data from a website without blacklisting your IP. Each web application for IP circulating scrapers will have a different IP address. You can scrape multiple pages or websites at once without slowing down or distracting from the website security system.
5) Various output formats
Get a scraper that provides a variety of options for exporting the collected data. The most common formats are CSV, Text, or Excel files.
What Are The Examples Of Some of the Best Web Scraping Software (Desktop Applications)?
There are some powerful, trusted, and most-used web scrapers used by more than 1 million people.
1. Cute Web Phone Number Extractor ( Find & extract phone numbers from websites, search engines, and local files)
2. Cute Web Email Extractor (Find & extract emails from websites, search engines, and local files)
3. Top Lead Extractor ( Find and extract emails, phone numbers, and social media links from websites, search engines, and local files)
4. Google Maps Data Extractor ( find & scrape business data from google maps to excel)
5. United Lead Extractor ( It can scrape data from social media sites, business directories, and e-commerce sites)
6. LinkedIn Lead Extractor ( It can find and extract data from LinkedIn profiles to excel)
7. LinkedIn Recruiter Extractor ( It can find and scrape employees’ data from LinkedIn Recruiter profiles)
Wrap Up:
The quote “Information is power” also applies to the business world. The web is a great source of information that can be used to gain insight and dominate the business market. You can gain a deeper understanding of your customers, competitors, and market conditions. But you need the right web scraper software for that. Make sure the tool you use for your web scraping project is user-friendly. This should give you enough flexibility to change your needs.
