Web scraping is also commonly referred to by various other nomenclatures such as screen scraping, web harvesting, data extraction and similar more. Web scraping is nothing but a process which lets a user extract vast data sets from the world wide web. This data is then stored into the user’s computer in a consumable and accessible format.
Now, you may wonder that if the source of this data set is the world wide web, then anybody with an internet connection can anyways access this data over the internet. However, try thinking a step ahead and try to figure how would a user store and access this data on his local file? He/she would most probably have to start a manual data entry process or else they would have to copy-paste the entire data, which again is not very convenient to do. Enduring such a process is not only tedious but also very laborious and time-consuming. Instead, why not have a software fetch all this data and do all the heavy lifting for you while you focus on more important tasks and decisions. The biggest drawback with a manual system is that the cost of fetching the data outweighs the benefit of same.
A web scraping software is the solution to all your data scraping and extracting woes.
The web scraping software or also known as a rest API lets you access data at the click of a button. The button here precisely triggers an algorithm which instructs the software to crawl all over the relevant web pages and perform a scavenger hunt for the fields you require. Once this is done, the software also lets you save the data in the most comfortable software of your choice.
Web scraping and data extraction are continuous and periodic exercises needed by almost all users. Just imagine how easy would decision making processes be if fetching data was as simple as clicking a few buttons on your screen just like ordering food through an online website.
Now, the next level of sophistication comes in when a web scraping software or service is capable enough of digging to the farthest depths of the internet to find reliable data efficiently. Efficiency here is a culmination of various factors such as reliability of source, timeliness of data as well as accuracy of data that has been extracted.
Ever found yourself in a spot where you wish that had you known your competitors were working on or rolling out a particular strategy you could save your revenues by adapting just in the nick of the time? Have you ever wished that you had a wider perspective and a larger span of information before you take a decision? Web scraping services are a solution to your strategic concerns and worries. The entire job of a web scraping service is to ensure that you get the right data at the right time to take the right decisions. Again, things are not always as simple as they sound.
Now, setting up a web scraping software comes along with its own set of challenges. First, you never know what is the quality of data that the software is extracting. Next, many run-of-the-mill software are bulk produced and offered at steep prices. These product costs are like quicksand, once you step in, there’s no stepping out. Third, the reliability of these software is quite a point to ponder over. This is exactly where BotScraper enters as your reliable data-partner.
With BotScraper you can skip the queue and can start off without signing up for the rigorous learning curve that most other web scraping software expect you to do.