ProxyCompass Review

The high-profile case of hiQ Labs Inc vs LinkedIn Corporation (that took place in the US) shed light on the much-discussed data scraping legal issues. We know you don’t want to get lost in legalese.  So, we have prepared an easy-to-read summary of the most important points of this decision. The court sided with the scraper and established that scraping public data is not a violation of the CFAA (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act). Let's look at the specifics of the case, and also the far-reaching consequences it left. Is Web Scraping Legal?  What did the web scraper say when asked about his legal strategy? "I plead the 404th." If you're new to scraping data, you're likely concerned about the legality of your actions. Good news is that you are not alone. Every scraper (I think?) has wondered the same.  Bad news is that the answer is not so simple. Like dating, it just refuses to be simple. Web scraping falls in a gray area and it can be an ambiguous practice. Of course...

Of course, everyone wants to dominate the SERPs. It's a no-brainer! Want to know one of my favorite ways to achieve better rankings? Yup, web scraping! Web scraping is particularly useful for SEO; not only is it very cheap, but it allows you to access hyper-specific data that sometimes is not even visible through SEMRush's or Ahrefs' databases. Keep in mind anyone can disallow these two bots (and any bot actually) via their robots.txt. So maybe you want to save a few bucks on those pricey subscriptions, but it could also be that you found a website trying to hide a few things… Most Common Web Scraping Use Cases for SEO You already know how important it is to keep up with the competitors, so let’s jump right in! When applied to SEO - something that not many people do - web scraping can give you the ability to identify the keywords that your competitors use and the content they produce. You could learn what your target audience is looking for, allowing you to create content t...

Web scraping is almost like a super-power, yet it has its own set of problems.  If there are challenges affecting your data extraction process… Well, you're not alone. I’ve been there, and I know you too. In this guide, we will explore the most frequent web scraping problems and how to solve them effectively. From HTML structure issues to anti-scraping measures, you will find out how to address these issues and improve your web scraping skills.  What about you? Have you faced some challenges that we will explore in this article? Feel free to share it in the comments! Solving Web Scraping Challenges: Yes, There's Hope, Boys. Web scraping is a process of extracting data from websites and it is a very useful technique (although you may already know this). However, it has several technical issues that may affect the quality of the data collected.  Just like a miner looking for gold, you need some strategies that enable you to find your treasure.  Continue reading to lear...

Confused and want to know what in the world web scraping is and how it works? Well you've come to the right place because we're about to lay down everything for you. Before we dive in, I can already tell you the short version: Web scraping is the process of extracting publicly available data from a website. Join us to learn more about the specifics, how it works, and popular libraries that exist. What is Web Scraping? Basically web scraping is a procedure that allows you to extract a large volume of data from a website. For this it is necessary to make use of a "web scraper" like ParseHub or if you know how to code, use one of the many open source libraries out there. After some time spent setting and tweaking it (stick to Python libraries or no-code tools if you're new here), your new toy will start exploring the website to locate the desired data and extract it. It will then be converted to a specific format like CSV, so you can then access, inspect and manage e...

In this post, we'll discuss the web scraping best practices, and since I believe many of you are thinking about it, I'll address the elephant in the room right away. Is it legal? Most likely yes. Scraping sites is generally legal, but within certain reasonable grounds (just keep reading). Also depends on your geographical location, and since I'm not a genie, I don't know where you're at, so I can't say for sure. Check your local laws, and don't come complaining if we give some "bad advice," haha.  Jokes apart, in most places it's okay; just don't be an a$$hole about it, and stay away from copyrighted material, personal data, and things behind a login screen. We recommend following these web scraping best practices:  1. Respect robots.txt Do you want to know the secret for scraping websites peacefully? Just respect the website's robots.txt file. This file, located at the root of a website, specifies which pages are allowed to be scraped ...

Are you struggling to match your competitors' prices in the ever-evolving environment you’re in? Competitor price tracking is essential to remain competitive, but it is a rather tedious process. Here, based on scientific research, you will find out how to monitor competitor’s prices like the pros do, and how to use this information to set the right pricing strategy at all times. We will discuss the findings of a highly cited 2017 research on competition-based dynamic pricing to help you increase your revenue without having to cut your profit margins. Read on to find out the tips that can help you get it right with competitor price monitoring. Why Competitor Price Tracking Should be Automated Online retail pricing transparency enables customers to easily compare prices.  This results in keen competition because the retailers are always seeking to outdo each other. It is a big mistake not to pay attention to the competitors, as one may end up out of business. The so-called "comp...

Do you like to always stay one step ahead of the competition? Using web scraping for market research can help you obtain information about the customers, competitors, and trends.  In this article, we will look at the top 10 advantages of web scraping for market research and how it can assist you in getting the right data at the right time and improve your product development and decision-making. Here’s Why Market Researchers Should Scrape Everything! Data obtained through web scraping is accurate, relevant, and timely for the company’s needs. They provide valuable insights, useful in decision-making and in the formulation of strategies.  Everything that you need is online nowadays, so you better use it to make smart, data-driven decisions based on recent trends, customer preferences, and so on.  The most valuable insights are those A) relevant to the company and B) recent. Benefit 1: Gain Insights into Customer Needs and Preferences Through web scraping, customer behavior...

Do you own a business and want to stand out among others? Perhaps web scraping is exactly what you need. In this detailed article, we will discuss the various ways companies can use web scraping to gather information and get a competitive advantage. I am also a business person, who has been scraping the web for several years, in one way or another, and as I came across an interesting paper titled “Applications of Web Scraping in Economics and Finance”, I felt like I should share my thoughts with you. Web scraping helps organizations extract data from websites, which can be useful for: - Creating business strategies - Lead generation - Market research - And much more! Keep on reading to learn why a business might use web scraping to collect data. You won't be disappointed. 9 Reasons Why Companies Scrape the Web for Data 1. Cost Savings Web scraping helps in obtaining large and valuable data in a much cheaper and faster way than if one had to do it manually. As the authors of “ Appli...