Scraping SERPs can be a roller coaster for developers as they face obstacles designed by Google to impede data collection. The most common bottlenecks are Captchas and IP blocking. But with so much volume out there, you can't afford to manually get data from each and every keyword you target.
Happily, some companies have made it possible to scrape SERP data with minimal manpower.
Today we take a closer look at the Zenserp API. In this article, we critically examine the many features it offers and conclude whether it is cost-effective at SERP scraping and worth trying for yourself.
What is Zenserp?
Zenserp is one of the fastest SERP APIs currently on the market. It offers endpoints for all available search types and commands no rate limits - providing you with SERP data that is as similar as possible to human search behavior.
Why do you want to do SERPs?
SERP (standing for Search Engine Results Page) is how your site appears on the first page of Google or whatever search engine you use. Nothing more.
Still, why is it important?
Picture this. Your site ranks on the first page of a search engine for the keyword "how to start a side hustle". You live a dream life. At least until the ads at the top of the page push result #1 way down the page. This means that even if you are on page 1 for a keyword, you probably won't get many clicks to your website.
There is also another important factor to bear in mind when appraising SERPs: "no-click searches".
According to Sparktoro, "no-click searches" are more commonplace than ever before. And these searches are largely due to the features of SERPs that Google has popularized, especially the "Featured Snippets".
To illustrate this, say you are searching for "Who is Tesla's CEO".
Why would you hit one of the gazillion blue links in the search results when you get your answer on the first page?
That's why you would want to target keywords that don't have a lot of SERP features. This way, your website will stand out and get licked. And that is where Zenserp comes in.
Features that make Zenserp stand out
Scalable
Zenserp offers highly scalable search results and this is very helpful in a search engine where there are millions of searches every second. A tool that can not process such a high number of queries will give you poor results. Zenserp does not pose such a problem because it does not impose any QPS limit.
Speed
Zenserp is actually one of the rare scraping platforms that provide a bulk endpoint for even faster scraping. With its solid infrastructure, the platform is able to deliver fast results. So you won't have to wait for results to show up.
Easy to use API
This API returns search results in JSON format. It is very easy to integrate, making it a first-rate choice for a growing number of users. However, if you want to use another format, the API enables you to convert JSON to other readable formats such as .XMl using a third-party tool.
Location-based
This feature is very helpful because the search results may differ depending on where you are searching. To give an illustration, search terms like "best hotel 2019" will give different results depending on the country, hence the importance of location-based SEO.
You can search for information by varying your location in order to obtain highly specific and accurate results.
Accurate
Your data is more accurate because the system is capable of replicating real results. No matter whether you search for a keyword manually or using the tool, you will get the same results, hence the reliability of the final result.
Benefits of Zenserp in a nutshell
- Supports a great amount of SERP types including organic and paid results, news, images, videos, etc. Can also be used for many use cases such as Ad verification, SEO rank tracking, content aggregation, leads generation, and many more.
- Scalable system and fast processing of results
Zenserp fee structure
On the free trial, you get 50 requests per month which makes it great for people who want to learn about scraping.
Here are some details on the paid subscription options:
- Small - Costs $29.99 per month and allows 5,000 queries per month. You will be able to take advantage of all types of SERPs, but be prepared to work a little as Zenserp is a self-service platform.
- Medium - Costs $74.99 per month and allows 15,000 queries per month. You will be able to take advantage of all types of SERPs while having access to features such as batch endpoint, keyword search volume, and CPC.
- Large - Costs $174.99 per month and includes 40,000 queries per month. It offers all the features of the Medium package, but with a few extra queries.
- Very Large - Costs $379.99 per month. It is identical to the previous package but includes more queries - 100,000 per month. This plan is suitable for businesses.
Besides the standard plans, Zenserp also offers high-volume plans:
- PREMIUM - $599.99 and 250,000 queries per month
- PROFESSIONAL - $1,399.99 and 750,000 queries per month
- COMPANY - $1,599.99 and 1,000,000 queries per month
Conclusion
As much as you like to trust your own scraping skills as a developer, it's easier to trust Zenserp. You can save time in maintenance and take advantage of their easy-to-use API and its range of options. The more you learn about new scraping techniques in the industry, the more you discover that you can delegate difficult tasks to Zenserp.
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