10 Tips to Avoid Getting Blocked for Web Scraping (Usable by Novices and Enterprises alike)

In overseas market operations, data is often the key to success. Whether we are doing cross-border e-commerce, SEO or market research, we all need a lot of web page data. However, many friends will encounter a long-standing problem——Crawlers are often blocked by websites.

As a consultant who has been engaged in data collection and overseas business for a long time, my team and I have also gone through countless pitfalls. Today, I will share with you based on my own experience10 Best Practices to Avoid Blocked Web Scraping. These methods are not only suitable for beginners, but can also help you improve your success rate when facing complex websites.

If you don't want to configure the proxy and handle the verification code from scratch, you can also use something likelike.TGSuch a crawling solution. It can save you most of the trouble.

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How do websites detect and block crawlers?

Before getting into the specific techniques, we need to first figure out how the website recognizes that you are a "robot". Common detection methods include:

• IP address monitoring: Frequent access to the same IP will easily result in being blocked.
• HTTP request header inspection: A warning will be triggered when the request header of a normal browser is missing.
• Verification code (CAPTCHA): Verify that the visitor is a real person.
• JavaScript execution: Check whether the browser environment is complete.

By understanding these principles, you can better design avoidance solutions.

1. Use IP rotation

Most ban issues are due to IP being identified. For example, I once helped a client capture product prices on a retail website, but it was blocked within half an hour. Later we usedResidential Proxy + Dynamic IP Rotation, the success rate immediately increased to over 95%.

Operation suggestions:

• Use a proxy pool to avoid all requests coming from the same IP.
• For websites with stricter defenses, you can tryresidential agencyormobile agent.

In LIKE.TG's service, IP rotation is completed automatically, requiring almost no manual intervention.

Or recommend LIKE.TG cooperative suppliersCakeIPIt has tens of millions of pure residential proxy dynamic IPs and automatic rotation.

2. Set the real user agent (User-Agent)

Some friends used the default crawler library to request, but the result was quickly intercepted. The reason is simple——User-Agent is not like a real browser.

For example, I tested two scripts:

• Script A: If User-Agent is not set, the user will be blocked in 10 minutes.
• Script B: Simulates the latest User-Agent of the Chrome browser and runs continuously for 3 hours without blocking.

suggestion:

• Update User-Agent regularly and do not keep using an outdated version.
• Rotate UA across multiple major browsers, making it more natural.

3. Add complete request headers

Real browsers not only have User-Agent, but also bringAccept-Language,Refererand other request headers. Without this information, websites can easily identify abnormal traffic.

My approach is: first access with a browserHTTP bin.org/anything, copy the header of the normal request, and add it to the crawler. This way the simulation effect is closer to real users.

4. The request interval should be random

The most easily exposed thing about crawlers is——Access speed is too fast. Real users don’t refresh pages 24 hours a day.

When I was helping a cross-border e-commerce company monitor competitors, the initial script sent one request every second and was quickly banned. Later, we randomly waited between 2-10 seconds, the request speed was more like humans, and the success rate improved significantly.

In addition, you can also comply with the target website'srobots.txtinsidecrawl-delayrules, which is more polite and reduces the risk of being blocked.

5. Set Referer source

Many websites check the source of access. If the traffic is all "empty referer", it will look very suspicious.

You can set the Referer to Google search results, or to common sources of the target website. For example:

Referer: https://www.google.com/

This way, the request feels more natural.

6. Use a headless browser

Some websites are particularly strict in anti-crawling, for example, JavaScript must be executed to load content. In this case, a simple HTTP request is not enough.

Tools such asSelenium,PuppeteerCan simulate real browser operations. We once used Puppeteer to successfully collect 100,000 job data on a recruitment website that required clicking "Load More".

Be aware, however, that headless browsers are more expensive and slower and should only be used when absolutely necessary.

7. Beware of "Honeypot Traps"

Some sites deliberately place "invisible links" that only robots will click.

For example, an education website has arrangeddisplay:noneFake link, any crawler that clicks on it will be blocked immediately. I discovered this trap during the inspection and jumped over it in time to avoid losses.

Therefore, when the crawler parses the link, it must check the CSS style or color to ensure that it does not click on invisible elements.

8. Monitor website structure changes

Websites are not static. The structure of the homepage and detail pages of many e-commerce platforms will be updated every few months.

I have a script written by a customer before, but suddenly it could not crawl the price field. Finally, I found that the page DOM had changed. Later we addedUnit testingTo monitor structural changes, run several requests every day to check whether they are normal, so that problems can be discovered as soon as possible.

9. Handling CAPTCHA validation

Verification codes are a common interception method. you can:

• integrated imaging2Captcha,AntiCAPTCHASuch service.
• Or just use an integrated solution like LIKE.TG to automatically bypass the verification code.

We have tested that once verification codes are triggered frequently, ordinary crawlers can hardly continue to work. But after accessing the verification code service, the success rate rose to more than 90%.

10. Try Google Cache

If you just want to collect somenon real timeData, such as company introduction and product description, can be directly fetched from Google cache.

The method is simple:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:destination URL

Although the cache is not up to date, it can circumvent many blocks.

Real case sharing

1. Cross-border e-commerce price monitoring: Customers need to track the prices of multiple e-commerce platforms in Europe and the United States. We use IP rotation + request interval to increase the daily collection success rate from 60% to 98%.
2. Financial investment data collection:The financial investment platform needs to capture investment project information and financing dynamics in the market in batches. It uses Puppeteer to simulate user operations (such as turning pages, clicking "View Details", etc.) and successfully obtains more than 100,000 pieces of project data.
3. SEO content analysis: A media client was troubled by the verification code. After accessing LIKE.TG's service, he not only bypassed the verification code, but also saved 40% of the time cost.

Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

Q1: If I only collect on a small scale, do I still need an agent?

A: Even if it is a small scale, it is recommended to at least use a free proxy or limit the frequency of requests, otherwise it will be easily blocked.

Q2: Will the website revision cause script errors?

A: Yes. Therefore, a monitoring mechanism must be established to regularly check whether the fields can still be captured normally.

Q3: What should I do if the CAPTCHA keeps playing?

A: You can connect to the verification code identification service, or use an automatic solution like LIKE.TG.

Q4: Is it illegal to crawl Google cache?

A: The Google cache itself is public and generally does not involve risks, but attention should be paid to the compliant use of data.

Summarize

Web scraping is not an overnight success, it is more like a "cat and mouse" game. The website is upgrading its protection, and we must continue to optimize our strategies.

These 10 skills are based on the experience that my team and I have learned in actual combat. You can definitely start with simple IP rotation and request header configuration, and gradually upgrade to a headless browser and automatic verification code processing.

If you don't want to spend too much time on technical details, consider usinglike.TGOne-stop crawling solution provided. As an account manager, I can help you evaluate project needs and customize a suitable solution:

👉 Contact information: tg@LIKETGLi |Telegram Account Manager-Ali

Until next time, I wish you smooth scraping and a bumper data harvest!

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