Scraping tools come in their numbers, however, it will not give you the results you want on their own as they only work with proxy to scrape data successfully. To get more in-depth insights on data collection, tools read this blogpost from Oxylabs – the leading proxy service and data gathering tools provider.

So what is a proxy?

A proxy is an intermediary that goes between you and the internet. It protects your data from the outside world, masking your IP as all requests go through it before connecting to the website.

There are different types of proxies. But we will concentrate on datacenter and residential proxies to give you the best insight into the best web scraping tools.

What are Datacenter Proxies?

Datacenter proxies do not emanate from Internet Service Providers (ISPs). They are provided via the secondary corporation, and they are highly regarded because of unmatched speed and stability offerings.

What are Residential Proxies?

Residential proxies are IP addresses that come from ISPs to homeowners. They’re real IP addresses and are attached to a physical location.

Let’s give a more unobstructed view of web scraping tools and their capabilities.

Web scraping Tools

Web scraping tools are products designed for the extraction of data from various websites. It may also be called web harvesting or web data extraction tools. If you’re trying to collect useful data from the internet, then these are what you need.

Data extraction goes behind scraping valuable data for business purposes. It is beneficial for your business as it could reduce the time you spend on tasks, for example, manual data entry. Instead, this process can be made in a set-it-and-forget-it manner.

What Is Data Extraction?

Data extraction is the process of using tools to gather data from online resources. You can retrieve relevant external data and also seek for patterns to input into your workflow.

You may be confused about which web scraping tool to go with and which is best for your organization, owing to the number of products in the marketplace.

Depending on the tools you use, your data will be organized into useful resources, helping you improve on your business operations — from market research to your company’s productivity.

Ways Businesses Leverage Web Data Extraction

Web data extraction is essential for any business and has a lot to do with large volumes of data stored in a complicated way. Data plays a crucial role in helping organizations make the right decisions and at an appropriate time.

The following sums it up on its benefits for business.

Industry Research

One of the most important reasons businesses scrapes data is for market research. You can gain access to the type of digital content that can’t be copied or downloaded even if you have an account.

Moreover, data extraction allows companies to carry out extensive research on financial and technological aspects, industry trends, threats, and opportunities, etc. This way, you can stay at the forefront of your industry.

Competitor Analysis

A business will be one step ahead when they learn about their competitors, their products or services — or even a new player in the market. Data extraction will avail you of frequent analysis of your competitor’s digital activities.

Target Audience Study

When conducting targeted advertising, analyzing your target audience is essential. By using data extraction, you can discover new content, product performance, target audience, consumers’ touchpoints, profiling, etc.

With a sneak peek into what consumers are discussing in the online space, businesses leverage new opportunities and confront problems before it gets out of hand.

Aside from target audience analysis, companies may also study their leads or even existing customers, so they have a pleasant experience throughout the entire buying process or for upselling purposes.

Pricing Strategy Analysis

Pricing strategy is of critical importance, and particularly beneficial for e-commerce companies. These businesses must not lack the right information as regards products, services, features, and rates that their competitors are offering.

When you have timely insights about pricing strategies and changes happening in the industry, you can stay ahead of the game.

New Market Study

It is also essential to carry out a critical analysis of new markets before planning to expand. Data extraction helps in the sense that it gives detailed insights regarding trends in the industry, new markets, government regulations, competitors, etc.

Here is a list of web scraping tools that may be beneficial to your business:

Real-Time Crawler

Oxylabs’ Real-Time Crawler is the best and is designed for search engines and e-commerce sites. It is also known as web scraping solution. It is particularly suited for heavy-duty data retrieval operation.

Import.io

Import.io is a free web-based platform that enables extracting data from the internet easily without the need for code writing.

Octoparse

Octoparse is a web data extraction software (but the visual web type). It suffices for both experienced and inexperienced users for bulk data extraction.

Conclusion

As data is the new oil, it can take your business to new heights, enabling you to surpass your competitors. But without the right tools, it is a given that the company won’t go far. Change your mindset to be data-driven and unlock your true business potential.