Understanding Mobile Proxies and Web Scraping

More and more companies now rely on web scraping to obtain valuable data to gain market insights. However, many websites containing data don’t allow scraping and so have taken strict measures like IP blocks and geo-restrictions to curb this practice. Keeping the prevalence and usefulness of proxy servers into consideration, enterprises opt for proxies, especially mobile proxies, to scrape data from reliable websites without getting blocked.

In this post, we’ll cover the basic introduction of mobile proxies, along with discussing their uses and challenges when used in web scraping.

Understanding Mobile Proxies and Web Scraping

Mobile Proxies and Web Scraping

A mobile proxy is a type of proxy server that connects users with the requested website by relaying incoming and outgoing requests via a network of mobile devices connected to different cellular networks. It makes it look like the user is connected to the web through a mobile network, concealing their real address.

When it comes to scraping lots of data from websites, mobile proxies act as a savior. A proxy employs different IP addresses by mobile network operators for each connection getting established. These operators rotate the IP addresses among multiple devices instead of issuing a static IP address. So, this saves users from getting blocked by the target website from which they scrape data.

Furthermore, these proxies help companies bypass the limits set by the target websites. Mobile proxies use a set of IP addresses associated with mobile devices, thus enabling many connections from various regions in a short period. This enables users to access geo-restricted content to scrape that would otherwise be unavailable due to certain restrictions.

Use Cases of Web Scraping with Mobile Proxies

Web scraping with mobile proxy servers is doable. Most of the time, it is faster and scores lower block-rate on sites that have advanced security. Below are mentioned some of the top use cases of web scraping with mobile proxies:

See also  Problem with wireless adapter or access point

Market Research

Proxy servers help businesses collect updated market insights and analyze competitors, which is useful in developing strategies and expanding into new markets. Companies use mobile proxies to access the internet from multiple locations and scrape data on market trends, consumer behavior, and competitor activities.

Price Intelligence

A recent study shows that 94% of people compare prices online before they make a purchasing decision. Businesses need to regularly analyze changes in market trends, as well as monitor the latest price variations among competitors, partners, or supply channels. This data help companies adjust their pricing strategies and demand planning in an effective manner.

Mobile proxies are useful in getting real-time pricing data and tracking competitors. These proxies utilize a vast IP pool for better scalability and solve data inaccuracies while appearing as normal site visitors. Proxies also offer a reliable connection, which provides accurate information with high availability.

Lead Generation

All businesses start with lead generation. Basically, leads are individuals interested in a business’s products or services. Latest studies have revealed that 91% of marketers admit that lead generation is their ultimate objective.

To help with lead generation, companies choose web scraping with mobile proxies. These proxy servers collect information about current or potential customers. This type of information is highly useful for decision-makers, buyers, and prospective clients.

Ad Verification

Ad verification is crucial for businesses to understand their digital ads are getting displayed in the desired location and reaching the target audience. But monitoring every single ad is not feasible, especially for large enterprises, since they usually run many campaigns at one and the same time.

For this, companies can integrate mobile proxies into their web scraping bots. This enables them to crawl websites at different points in time without getting blacklisted.

Social Media Management

Many social media platforms consider logging into multiple accounts from the same IP address suspicious. Mobile proxies enable users to log in several times without getting blocked. They can manage multiple social media accounts simultaneously. With these proxy servers, users can perform different activities on different social media platforms.

See also  Mobile network state disconnected: AT&T | Sprint | T Mobile | Straight talk

Challenges of Web Scraping with Mobile Proxies

While scraping data from websites with a mobile proxy is advantageous in so many ways, this combination can prove to be challenging, also. At times, big businesses need to collect huge amounts of data to improve their processes and boost sales. Using mobile proxies for this purpose can cost them a lot.

In addition, these proxies cannot be used as-is for scraping web data, as mobile proxies must be integrated with a scraping bot. Though this procedure is quite simple and quick, setting up these proxy servers manually may require professional assistance.

Bottom Line

Data scraping has become a major part of most businesses operating in all categories, and the collection can be turbocharged with the strategic use of proxy servers. Changing proxies on a regular basis is important in avoiding IP blocking. Consider choosing one, like a mobile proxy, that optimizes scraping requirements. A proxy server can be your best bet for quick and efficient data gathering. With only a setup, you can automate the procedure and take your business to the next level.