How to Do Web Scraping: A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide

If you’ve ever spent a Monday morning copying prices from five competitor websites into a spreadsheet—coffee in one hand, existential dread in the other—you’re not alone. In today’s business world, data is the new oil, but getting it out of the ground (or, in this case, out of websites) can feel like digging with a teaspoon. The good news? Web scraping has gone from a developer’s secret weapon to a must-have skill for anyone who wants to make smarter, faster decisions—no computer science degree required.

I’ve seen firsthand how web scraping transforms the way sales, marketing, ecommerce, and real estate teams work. With the right tools, even non-technical folks can automate the grunt work, collect huge datasets in minutes, and turn the web into their own personal database. In this guide, I’ll break down what web scraping is, why it matters, and—most importantly—how you can start doing it today (with a little help from AI and ). Let’s dive in.

What Is Web Scraping? The Basics for Beginners

Let’s keep it simple: web scraping is the process of automatically extracting data from websites and turning it into structured, usable information—think spreadsheets, databases, or dashboards. Imagine sending a tireless digital assistant to browse hundreds of web pages, copy the info you care about, and organize it neatly for you. That’s web scraping in a nutshell.

Instead of clicking, copying, and pasting by hand (which, let’s be honest, is about as fun as watching paint dry), a web scraper does it for you—faster, more accurately, and at a scale that humans just can’t match. The scraper “reads” the website’s code, finds the patterns (like product names, prices, or emails), and delivers the data in a format you can actually use.

If you’ve ever copied a table from a website into Excel, you’ve done a (very manual) version of web scraping. The difference? Automation. With web scraping, you can collect thousands of data points in minutes, not days.

Why Web Scraping Matters for Modern Businesses

Data isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the backbone of smart business decisions. In 2024, the world generated around 149 zettabytesof data, and that number is only climbing. 90% of all data was created in just the past two years. Businesses that harness this flood of information are 3× more likely to improve decision-makingand far more likely to acquire and retain customers.

But here’s the catch: collecting all that data is a pain. Over 40% of workers spend at least a quarter of their week on repetitive tasks like data collection and entry. That’s time (and money) down the drain. Web scraping flips the script. Here’s why it’s a game-changer for business teams:

In short: web scraping turns the public web into actionable insights. Whether you’re filling your sales pipeline, monitoring competitors, or analyzing market trends, scraping gives you a data edge that manual methods just can’t match.

Manual Data Collection vs. Web Scraping: Which Is Better?

Let’s be real—manual data collection is the business equivalent of running a marathon in flip-flops. Sure, you’ll get there eventually, but you’ll be slow, tired, and probably make a few mistakes along the way.

Here’s how manual data collection stacks up against web scraping:

• Speed & Scale: Manual research is slow. A person might copy a few dozen records per hour. A web scraper can fetch thousands per minute.
• Accuracy: Humans get tired and make mistakes. The average manual data entry error rate is around 1%—that’s 10 mistakes in every 1,000 entries. Scrapers don’t get bored or distracted.
• Efficiency & Cost: Manual work is expensive. Employees lose 180 hours a year just updating reports with manually gathered data. Automation frees up your team for higher-value work.
• Consistency: Manual methods often result in spotty, inconsistent data. Scrapers enforce structure and formatting every time. Bottom line: web scraping is faster, more accurate, and scales effortlessly. Manual copy-paste might work for five entries, but for anything bigger, it’s time to bring in the robots.

Exploring Web Scraping Solutions: From Code to No-Code

So, how do you actually do web scraping? There’s a whole spectrum of solutions, from hardcore coding to easy point-and-click tools. Here’s a quick rundown:

For most business users, no-code tools and browser extensions are the sweet spot. They’re fast, user-friendly, and don’t require a computer science degree. And if you want the easiest on-ramp, AI-powered tools like make web scraping as simple as clicking a button.

How Thunderbit Makes Web Scraping Simple for Everyone

Here’s where I get excited—because I’ve seen how changes the game for non-technical users. Thunderbit is an AI-powered Chrome extension that turns web scraping into a two-click affair:

• AI “Suggest Fields”: Thunderbit’s AI scans the page and automatically suggests which data fields to extract (like “Product Name,” “Price,” “Email,” etc.). No more guessing or fiddling with code.
• 2-Click Scraping: Open the site, click “AI Suggest Fields,” review the suggested columns, then click “Scrape.” That’s it.
• Subpage Scraping: Need more details? Thunderbit can visit each subpage (like individual product or profile pages) and enrich your table automatically.
• Instant Templates: For popular sites like Amazon, Zillow, or Shopify, Thunderbit offers one-click templates—no setup required.
• Export Anywhere: Download your data to Excel, Google Sheets, Airtable, or Notion for free.

Thunderbit is built for business users—sales pros, marketers, ecommerce teams, realtors—who want results, not headaches. And with a free tier (scrape up to 6 pages, or 10 with a trial), you can try it risk-free.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Do Web Scraping with Thunderbit

Ready to see web scraping in action? Here’s how to get started with Thunderbit, step by step:

1. Install Thunderbit

• Go to the and click “Add to Chrome.”
• Sign up or log in (the free tier is enough to get started).

2. Open Your Target Website

• Navigate to the site you want to scrape (e.g., Zillow, LinkedIn, Amazon, or any business directory).

3. Launch Thunderbit and Use AI “Suggest Fields”

• Click the Thunderbit icon in your Chrome toolbar.
• Hit “AI Suggest Fields.” Thunderbit’s AI will scan the page and suggest the most relevant columns (like “Address,” “Price,” “Beds,” etc.).

4. Review and Adjust Fields

• Review the suggested columns. Add, remove, or rename fields as needed.
• For advanced needs, you can add custom AI prompts to transform or categorize data on the fly.

5. Click “Scrape” and Watch the Data Roll In

• Thunderbit will extract the data for all items on the page and display it in a table.
• For multi-page results, use the pagination feature to scrape additional pages.
• For more details, use “Scrape Subpages” to visit and extract info from each linked page.

6. Export Your Data

• Export to Excel, Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion, or download as CSV/JSON.
• For images, Thunderbit can even upload them directly to Notion or Airtable.

7. (Optional) Schedule or Repeat

• Need fresh data regularly? Use Thunderbit’s scheduling feature to automate scraping at set intervals (daily, weekly, etc.).

That’s it—no code, no templates, no headaches. You can go from zero to a fully populated spreadsheet in minutes.

Staying Legal: Web Scraping Compliance and Best Practices

Web scraping is powerful, but with great power comes great responsibility (and, yes, a few legal considerations). Here’s how to stay on the right side of the law and good web etiquette:

• Scrape Public Data Only: Stick to information that’s publicly available—don’t try to access data behind logins or paywalls unless it’s your own account.
• Respect Terms of Service: Check the website’s terms and conditions. If a site explicitly forbids scraping, think twice or reach out for permission.
• Follow robots.txt: Many sites have a robots.txt file that tells bots which pages are off-limits. It’s not a law, but it’s good manners (and can help you avoid trouble).
• Be Gentle: Don’t overload servers. Use reasonable scraping speeds and avoid sending too many requests at once.
• Comply with Privacy Laws: If you’re collecting personal data (like emails or phone numbers), be mindful of GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations. Only collect what you need, and store it securely.
• Don’t Republish Copyrighted Content: Facts and data are usually fair game, but copying and redistributing full articles or images can get you in hot water.

For more on compliance, check out .

Real-World Web Scraping Examples for Sales, Marketing, and Real Estate

Let’s make this concrete. Here are a few ways real teams use Thunderbit to supercharge their workflows:

Sales: Extracting Leads from LinkedIn

• Scenario: A B2B sales team wants a list of marketing managers in New York.
• How: Search LinkedIn, open Thunderbit, use AI to suggest fields (Name, Title, Company, Profile URL), and scrape the results.
• Bonus: Use Subpage Scraping to visit each profile and pull additional info (like email, experience, or education).
• Result: A spreadsheet of 100+ targeted leads, ready for outreach—done in minutes, not days.

Ecommerce: Monitoring Competitor Prices on Amazon

• Scenario: An ecommerce manager wants to track competitor prices for a specific product.
• How: Use Thunderbit’s Amazon template to scrape prices, reviews, and availability.
• Bonus: Schedule the scraper to run daily and update a Google Sheet automatically.
• Result: Real-time price intelligence, enabling quick reactions to competitor moves.

Real Estate: Collecting Property Listings from Zillow

• Scenario: A real estate agent wants to analyze home prices in a neighborhood.
• How: Use Thunderbit’s Zillow template to scrape addresses, prices, square footage, and more.
• Bonus: Use Subpage Scraping to pull extra details (like year built or property tax) from each listing.
• Result: A comprehensive dataset for market analysis, pricing comps, or investment research.

These aren’t just hypotheticals—teams everywhere are using web scraping to work smarter, not harder.

Troubleshooting and Tips for Successful Web Scraping

Even with great tools, web scraping can hit a few bumps. Here are some common issues (and how to fix them):

• Blocked Pages or CAPTCHAs: If a site blocks your scraper, slow down your requests or try scraping at off-peak hours. For login-protected sites, use Thunderbit’s Browser Mode while logged in.
• Missing Data: If some fields are blank, check if the data loads dynamically (after the page loads). Try scrolling or clicking “Load More” before scraping.
• Layout Changes: If a site updates its design, re-run Thunderbit’s AI “Suggest Fields” to adapt.
• Too Much Data: Don’t scrape everything—focus on the fields you actually need. Quality beats quantity.
• Duplicates: Always include a unique identifier (like a URL) to help deduplicate your data later.

Pro tip: Start small. Scrape a few pages, check the results, and scale up once you’re confident everything works.

For more troubleshooting advice, Thunderbit’s and are packed with tips.

Key Takeaways: Getting Started with Web Scraping Today

• Web scraping automates data collection, turning hours of manual work into minutes of AI-powered magic.
• Businesses in every industry—from sales to real estate—use web scraping to gain a data edge, make smarter decisions, and save serious time.
• You don’t need to code. Tools like make web scraping accessible to everyone, with AI-driven field suggestions and two-click workflows.
• Stay compliant and ethical. Scrape public data, respect website rules, and handle personal info with care.
• Getting started is easy. Install Thunderbit, pick a website, let AI suggest fields, and hit “Scrape.” Export your data and put it to work.

Ready to try it yourself? , pick a site you care about, and see how much time you can save. If you’re hungry for more, check out the for tutorials, tips, and deep dives into all things web scraping.

Happy scraping—and may your spreadsheets always be full, accurate, and never again the result of a copy-paste marathon.

FAQs

1. Is web scraping legal?
Web scraping is legal when you collect publicly available data and respect website terms of service, privacy laws, and ethical guidelines. Avoid scraping private or login-protected content, and always comply with regulations like GDPR and CCPA.

2. Do I need to know how to code to do web scraping?
No! With modern no-code tools and AI-powered extensions like , anyone can scrape data from websites without writing a single line of code.

3. What kinds of data can I scrape with Thunderbit?
Thunderbit can extract text, numbers, dates, emails, phone numbers, images, and more. It supports scraping from lists, tables, subpages, and even handles pagination and infinite scroll.

4. How do I avoid getting blocked when scraping websites?
Scrape at a reasonable pace, respect robots.txt, and avoid sending too many requests at once. For login-required sites, use Thunderbit’s Browser Mode while logged in. If you hit a CAPTCHA, slow down or try at a different time.

5. What are the best first steps to start web scraping?
Install a beginner-friendly tool like , pick a website you want data from, use AI to suggest fields, and try scraping a small dataset. Export your results and see how much time you save!

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