As a business person, you understand how important data is. How then can you collect data safely and successfully? Why would you want to extract data from a website? Before collecting data, you need to understand the kind of data that you need as a company and why it will be essential to collect such data.
An individual can be able to gather as much information as possible from the internet – manually and free of charge! However, as a company, you require lots of data to launch a successful campaign and compete effectively. The e-commerce market is flooded and highly competitive. You must, therefore, have the right strategy if you are to stay at the top of your game.
Through data collection, you can be able to minimize your expenses and efforts while maximizing productivity. Data collection must be done quickly and effectively. If you are to collect data using the traditional (manual) methods of data collection, the process will take years to complete. Useful data collection can only be done using a data extraction tool in conjunction with the right proxies. For example, oxylabs have all the necessary information to start out with business level web scraping, check it out.
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But do you know what proxies are?
Extract Data from A Website: What Is a Proxy?
A proxy server is a gateway that exists between the internet and your device. The server will act as the intermediary separating you (end-user) and the site you are accessing. Every time you are accessing the internet, traffic flows from your computer, through the proxy server on its way to the intended page.
The same way, the request will come back through the same server before reaching you. The process takes place in such a way that your original IP address is not exposed. That way, you can remain anonymous and protected every time you access the internet.
Any device browsing the internet requires and Internet Protocol (IP) address. Your device requires this address to communicate with other online resources. A proxy server also has its IP address. When you send out a request, the request will pass through the proxy server, which will, in turn, change your IP address before sending out the request on your behalf. The server will also collect the response from the target page before forwarding it to your computer.
By so doing, the proxy server will mask your real online identity (IP) and consequently your online activity and actual location. What type of proxies do we have around?
Proxy Types
There are different types of proxies. Let’s discuss two of these proxies.
Data Center Proxies
These are the most common ones. If you are using a proxy, most probably it’s a data center proxy. These proxies aren’t associated with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and your internet connection – they are independent! Every time you connect using data center proxies, you will acquire a new IP address and appear as if you are in a different location.
Residential Proxies
Residential proxies come from residential IPs. If you have an internet connection at your place, then you have a residential IP address. This is the address that your ISP assigns to you when you acquire an internet connection set up.
Residential proxies’ providers acquire residential IP addresses and sell them. When you use a residential proxy, your connection will mimic organic behavior and will appear to be coming from a real IP and location.
Extract Data from A Website: Product Page Intelligence
As mentioned earlier, the online market has become very competitive, and you must stay ahead of your competitors to have a share of the cake. One of the ways of gaining a competitive edge is through product page intelligence. To be able to do this, you need the right scraper and proxy server.
How then can you use a proxy for your product page intelligence?
Proxies for Pricing Intelligence
E-commerce is all about competition and rivalry. You must stay on the lookout; otherwise, you will be forced to pack and leave! The industry is price sensitive and dynamic – this is usually the case because buyers are generally spoiled with choice. Successful businesses need to continually check the prices of their competitors and adjust according to realize huge sales volumes.
How then can you obtain the data? Price changes take place now and then. With the right data extraction tool and proxy, your prices can be automatically adjusted depending on the prices of your competitors. A proxy will ensure that your scraper is not blocked – many companies have secured their sites from crawlers coming from corporates and competitors.
Proxies for SEO Monitoring
SEO will determine whether a potential customer will ever see your page. With the right bot and proxy, you will be able to collect data about customer queries, the best-ranking set of keywords, and competition analysis to rank even higher.
Brand Protection Proxies
You can use proxies to tackle copyright infringements and counterfeiting by crawling auction sites, e-commerce sites, and your market place in general. You will be able to detect and even prosecute all those involved. Proxies will help you protect your brand by monitoring fraudsters and retail.
One of the ways to extract data from a website is by using a proxy in line with the right scraper. Without proxies, product data intelligence would almost be impossible. Acquire the right proxies from a trusted provider and get the job done!
