What gives your company an advantage over competitors? The answer is relatively simple – the right data. However, to gather relevant data from websites, such as stats, prices, or product details, you don’t need to copy everything manually. Instead, get familiar with web scraping.
Web scraping is the process of data extraction from the website and then exporting into a more user-friendly format, such as an Excel spreadsheet. So if you’re serious about web scraping, there’s one thing you shouldn’t forget – proxy servers.
What are proxies, and why do companies need one for web scraping? Find out in this guide.
Web Proxies and Their Functions
You could have heard the term proxy before, but what does it entail? Moreover, what is its function?
Generally speaking, when people search for a website, they gather data straight from that website. There’s no server between them and the internet. A proxy or proxy servers are, in a way, a middle-man between a website and an end-user.
When you want to access a website via the proxy, it’ll retrieve valuable data from the website. This internet traffic will then flow through the proxy before it reaches you.
Why Companies Use Proxies
The benefits a company can see from using a proxy service are numerous, but one of the main reasons the proxy is valuable for every company is for web scraping and market research.
Moreover, the common reasons companies use proxies are improved security of the IP address and other sensitive data, increased anonymity, better user experience, and faster data retrieval. We’ll explore this in-depth in the next section.
For web scraping
One of the major reasons companies can benefit from using a proxy is because it can help them with web scraping. With a proxy’s IP address, it’s possible to bypass an IP ban on some web pages. For instance, without proxy, you wouldn’t be able to access particular web pages in other countries. However, because you don’t use your computer’s IP address to search for data, these restrictions don’t exist.
Most web pages can detect if requests come from the same IP address over a period, which is often the case with web scraping. Because of it, you might be blocked from visiting the page in the future. However, a proxy enables you to get past the rate limit on a website.
The site in question won’t see multiple requests from the IP address, but only a couple of them, which will prevent you from getting above the rate limit.
For better security
Cybercrime is a serious threat to a company. If hackers access your IP address, they can take advantage of sensitive data. To have peace of mind, you must improve the security, and a simple way to do it is to use a proxy service.
When companies use a proxy, there’s less chance of hackers getting valuable data and even locating your geographical area. That’s because they first need to get through the additional level of security that proxy provides.
Keep in mind that a proxy won’t be an indestructible shield, but it will make you less vulnerable to the cyber-attack.
For better internet performance
Proxies store the website data in the cloud database. Therefore, the next time you want to visit the same page, you’ll be able to retrieve data much faster as a proxy only needs to gather it from its database.
Furthermore, a proxy helps improve bandwidth, thus enabling employees to browse faster and more efficiently.
For doing anonymous tasks
Companies use a proxy to hide their IP address and instead, use the proxy’s address for web browsing. Proxy servers protect valuable data, geographical location, and companies’ contacts, thus making them a valuable asset of every company.
For market research
If your company needs to access a geo-restricted website for market research, use proxies. There’s also less risk of other websites banning your IP address, which is why you can continue gathering data.
Best Proxies for Web scraping
Now that you know why companies benefit from proxies, read the next section to find out about the best proxies for web scraping.
Datacenter proxies
The most common type of proxies are datacenter proxies. They hide your computer’s IP address but don’t interfere with your internet service provider. In general, they are cheaper and more available. Furthermore, their speed is fantastic, and datacenter proxies allow you to access geo-restricted content.
Residential proxies
Residential proxies are more expensive and less available. However, since their IPs belong to private residences, there’s little chance of the website banning them. Most companies that want to grow their business with web scraping prefer to use residential proxies.
Conclusion
Web scraping is a great way to grow your business and gain an advantage over competitors. Proxy servers are useful solutions that provide anonymity while gathering data, secure sensitive information, and provide your employees with a better user-experience.
When in doubt about the right proxy type for web scraping, refer to this guide. Make sure to read carefully what each proxy type offers to determine which one suits your needs.
