It’s frustrating to have your IP address blocked from a website during a market research project. Although you can use a different IP to access the blocked website, it will have interrupted your project. Rotating proxies may be the best solution to avoid having the web administrator detect your web scraper.
An IP block keeps you from getting the numerous benefits that web scraping can have for your business, such as:
- Developing better business strategies
- Setting competitive prices
- Monitoring competitors
- Researching the most competitive keywords
- Quality lead generation
- Keeping track of changes in consumers’ tastes and preferences
- Improving customer satisfaction by finding out and resolving their pain points.
Let’s get a deeper understanding of web scraping.
What is Web Scraping?
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It is the automated technique of collecting data from targeted websites. It uses software known as a web scraper.
The scraper extracts data from websites, parses it, and transforms it into a readable format. It then stores it in a spreadsheet or database. This data is analyzed further to develop insights into the market.
Why are Business Owners Keen on Blocking Scrapers?
A scraper extracts data from websites fast by making numerous requests at a go. It can slow down the site, compromising the browsing experience of other users on the site. It could cause the website to lose its high ranking on SERPs, and discourage visitors from revisiting it.
Scrapers visit websites like real users. They give the impression of organic traffic, which can lead to misleading web analytics.
Business owners scrape data from competitors’ websites, intending to gain a competitive edge. For instance, the goal of price scraping is to set prices that are lower than that of the competitors. It interferes with the effectiveness of their pricing strategy.
Understanding Proxies
A proxy is a server that stands between a device making a web request and the web server receiving the request, preventing direct communication. The proxy makes the request on behalf of the device and receives the response as well. It comes with an IP address attached to a different location, which enables anonymous browsing.
There are two main types of proxies
1) Residential Proxies
Residential proxies are issued by internet service providers to homeowners. They are legitimate and the least detectable. It makes them reliable for web-related projects that require high levels of anonymity.
2) Data center Proxies
Data center proxies are issued by cloud server providers. They do not rely on an internet service provider or internet connection. Although they are easy to detect, data center proxies are fast. It makes them suitable for large scale projects.
Residential and data center proxies can fall under private or shared proxies. In private proxies, one user gets exclusive control over the proxy server. In contrast, with shared proxies, several users share the proxies and their corresponding costs.
The IP address can be rotating or static. With a static IP, you get to use one IP address for as long as you need it. With rotating IP addresses, the IP changes often. You get a pool of IP addresses, which allows you to get a new IP address when the need arises.
How Rotating IP addresses Can Help in Avoiding Blocks
Here are five ways rotating IP addresses will keep you from getting blocked on websites.
1) Human-like Browsing
Web owners can differentiate a regular user from a scraper based on the number of web requests made at a go. Rotating IP addresses make it possible to make each web request from a different IP address. It gives the impression of regular traffic and keeps you from getting blocked.
2) Accessing Geo-blocked Websites
Geoblocking is a situation where website owners block users of a specific geographic location from accessing content. For instance, some e-commerce sites block customers based in other states from accessing products and services on the site. And this means you cannot scrape data from the website either. Using rotating IP addresses that are attached to the favored location makes it possible to access these sites.
3) Bypassing Website Limits
Some websites have daily limits put in place that restrict how much content you can access in a day. This could limit the amount of data you can extract in a day, slowing down your market research project. By using a new IP address with each request, you refresh your chances without getting blocked.
Winding Up
Web scraping is essential for any business that seeks to capture a sizable market share and stay relevant in the market. But website owners often block scrapers from their site, interfering with the project.
By using rotating proxies, you can bypass this hurdle. Besides providing anonymity, it enables you to make each request with a different IP address to avoid detection, access geo-blocked websites, and bypass daily limits on websites.
