How to Scrape Data with a Simple and Easy-to-Use Scraper

Web Scraping can be incredibly powerful.

I mean, what’s better than being able to turn any website in a dataset?

However, many people think that with such power also comes great complexity.

But the truth is that web scrapers can be incredibly easy to use. There’s no need to feel intimidated by them.

Today we will go over how to use a simple and easy-to-use scraper to scrape data from any website.

What is Web Scraping?

First, a quick review of the basics.

Web scraping refers to the process of extracting data from a website on to a different format. Generally, this process is done via software tools even though it can also be done manually.

Also, in most cases, the data is then formatted into Excel, CSV or JSON formats for further analysis and processing.

Web Scraping is incredibly common and can be used to create APIs out of almost any website.

Want to learn more? Read our guide on Web Scraping and what it’s used for.

A Simple and FREE Web Scraper

At this point you might be wondering what’s the easiest web scraper to use?

The truth is that it depends.

After all, what might be easiest for you, might not be so simple for someone else.

However, people generally find web scrapers with point-and-click interfaces easier to use. These interfaces render the webpage the user wants to scrape and lets them click on the specific data they want to extract.

When it comes to a point-and-click web scraper that is also powerful and versatile, we recommend ParseHub, a free web scraper that is incredibly easy to use.

Furthermore, it comes jam-packed with additional features that can be incredibly helpful such as cloud-based scraping, advanced data functions, Excel exports and much more.

How to Scrape Data from Any Website

You now might be wondering just how to use ParseHub to scrape data from a website.

Luckily, we’ve written many different guides on how to quickly get started with ParseHub.

First, you can check out our Basic Web Scraping Tutorial with ParseHub. This guide will teach you all the basics of ParseHub and get you started on your first project.

You can also check this same guide in video format right here:

However, we know that most people are interested in extracting data from a specific websites. As a result, we’ve put together detailed guides on some of the most popular websites that ParseHub users scrape data from.

Better yet, many of these guides also have video guides embedded in the articles.

Aside from a specific website, you might also be wondering how to use a web scraper for a specific purpose, such as scraping email addresses. These guides should be helpful:

Closing Thoughts

Web scraping is way easier than you’d think. Specially when you’re using the right tools.

But if you run into any issues while setting up your web scraping project, reach out to us via the live chat on our website and we will be happy to assist you.

Happy Scraping!