What is web scraping & how would I use it?

By Rich Peterson

1 Min read

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If you’ve ever had the task of copying & pasting information from a website, you’ll appreciate the benefits of using a web scraper.

A web scraper is software that collects data from a website in a structured way.

I’ll use an example to explain:

You want to create a list of all the plumbers in your area so you visit a local directory website, search fro your area then copy the website URL into your web scraping tool. Within minutes, you’ll have an Excel table with the plumber name, address, phone number etc

Is this useful for my business?

Using a website scraping tool is useful for:

Collecting customer contact lists
Doing competitor research
Compiling reports from directory websites i.e. real estate, services etc
Downloading product information for use in research or on your own website

What tools should I use?

For a quick, single page website scrape, try https://magic.import.io
For the deluxe option where you schedule scraped information, try https://www.import.io/
For free options, check out https://www.parsehub.com/ or https://scrapinghub.com/scrapy-cloud
For more tools for scraping websites and social media sites, see this article.

Got questions? Let me know.

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About the author

Rich Peterson

I've spent the last 10 years planning, mapping & reimagining the processes of hundreds of SMBs. Whether the goal is more money, more time, more clarity or more customer smiles, my insightful process is worth every minute for my successful clients.
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Disclaimer: I use affiliate links on my website and only recommend what I use, have used or have vetted in the best interest of my readers. I may earn a commission if you click on an affiliate link, but it won’t cost you extra.

By Rich Peterson July 17, 2018

For the past 10 years, we’ve worked with hundreds of clients and tens of thousands of students to help them get a clear picture of how to systemise their business. We’re not fans of spam, cheap mass-marketing tactics or automating your business to within an inch of it’s life. We are fans of a customer experience where humans deal with humans, skills are appreciated, personality is maintained and where clients get more value than they expected. We’re also fans of automating any process that doesn’t deliver client-facing value in a simple, easy-to-maintain way.

In a nutshell, we provide advice, implementation support & training to small to medium, service-based businesses to help them deliver a better customer experience & a more automated workflow. Everyone on the same page, moving in the same direction with a clear picture of who does what.
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