Serp tracking - legal?
-
Isn't this scraping Google results on a massive scale? Is this legal at all?
-
Well Google collects our data, why should you not collect theirs.
Put a button on your web site but dont make it easy to find, add some small print including your terms of use, and a disclamer that if search engines dont want their data scapped they can opt out by pressing the button, make them fill out a few forms, verify themsefls, make them wait 4 weeks then send them a no-reply email that does not address their concerns properly, so they have to go thought it all again.
-
You can get permission from Google, in which case it would not be illegal. ...But they don't just give permission away freely.
-
It's against the Google TOS. Source
That being said, there are many offenders. I'm not sure if Google lets any of the big marketing companies do it, or even give them API access in some shape or form, but I know for the smaller guys that it's frowned upon.
To my knowledge there has not been a case of Google pursuing action against someone who has scraped search results.
Scraping Google requires a proxy network because they do indeed block requests that appear like scraping bots. There are temporary bans and captcha tests put in place, but switching out an IP address works just fine until the test no longer appears.
When it comes down to it: no, not legal, but you also probably won't get in trouble for it.
(Would love to hear from official SEOmoz staff on this one...)
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Is there still any value in tracking keyword rankings for desktop?
Seeing as everything is graduating towards mobile first, is there any value in tracking desktop and smartphone keywords separately?
Keyword Research | | uniquedigital1 -
Very different SERP Results
Hi there, I am having some big issues when it comes to getting accurate SERP results for a client http://www.airandice.com.au/ The keyword in question is "air conditioning installation" Moz is giving me a result of 47 Incognito chrome is giving me anywhere between 8-12. Same when I changed it to Australia search as well. Firefox is giving me 8. Incognito is >100 Now my workmate who is next to me, same network and setup and he is seeing Incognito Chrome - 54 Firefox Incognito - 8 And a third computer in the office on a different network is throwing out different results again. This is real confusing as I can't get a clear idea of where this keyword is situated. Results are varying from 8 - >100 Has anyone else seen or had this problem? It is a 1st for me. I know that keywords fluctuate each time they are searched but this is a huge fluctuation.
Keyword Research | | JoelMolloy0 -
Site not visible on SERP
Hi all, I helped a client on launching his website for a new startup : www.blubridge.com. The site is not visible at all on Google, even on the startup name. I wonder why is that... There was a mistake while building the site, they used a dev site www2.blubridge.com which was indexed by Google. The 301 redirected has been done, however, there is still pages indexed by Google for the www2, and the www is still invisible on SERP... Does someone know how to solve that ?
Keyword Research | | 2MSens
Thanks ! 🙂 Best, Benoit0 -
Difference in Serp updates
I've notice that the Serp for some keywords are updated more frequently then others (or am I mistaken?) Do any of you have any data that might support that theory? what seems to be the longest periode it takes for a SERP to update for a certain keyword? Is there any rules of thumps on this matter?
Keyword Research | | Justian0 -
Why do small changes in keyword phrasing have such big SERP impacts?
I am trying to better understand why some of my pages rank well and some don't rank at all. I've discovered that slight changes to how the key phrase is typed into Google can have dramatic effects on the results. Why is this? And how should I interpret it or use it? I understand that some phrases will be more competitive than others, but that doesn't seem to explain the variances entirely. For example, http://traveltipsthailand.com/phuket/best-bachelor-hotels-in-phuket/ (which is SEO optimised for the long-tail phrase "bachelor hotels in Phuket" and "girl-friendly bachelor hotels in Phuket") ranks #1 or #2 for the key phrase "bachelor hotels phuket", but if I modify the phrase slightly to "bachelor hotels IN phuket" it drops to #12 (page 2) with less relevant competitors (like "Bachelor hotels in Chiang Mai") getting in ahead of it. Likewise, if I search on "best bachelor hotels phuket" (the URL phrase of the page) it is #1 or #2 again, but if I modify the search phrase to "best bachelor hotels IN phuket", my SERP drops to #13. If I use the longer-tail key phrase "girl-friendly bachelor hotels in phuket" the results are even more dramatic. I rank #5 for that phrase in the SERPs with or without "IN" in the search phrase. But if I remove "bachelor" from the key phrase and just search on "girl-friendly hotels in phuket" my page drops right off the SERP radar. Somewhere above #200 I think. Would love to get a better understanding of what influences these changes if anyone really knows. Is it just Goovoodoogle or is there a logical explanation? 51c0d097f1c8d9-81984651 51c0d11688af68-43859477
Keyword Research | | Gavin.Atkinson0 -
Should my Google rank be different to actual SERP results?
In my reports this week I was delighted to see "emergency power" at #8 for http://apexgenerators.co.uk/emergency-power/ but then today seems to have jumped to page 4 in SERPS? Can anyone offer any advice? Thanks, Laura
Keyword Research | | lauratagdigital0 -
How can i track keywords history
i need to keep a record for all keywords history , is there any way that we can track keywords history so we can compare each week with the previous weeks ?
Keyword Research | | omarfk0 -
Google SERPS for similar Keywords?
I have website which is being listed for a keyword which is not in the site. It seems that google is using a Thesaurus to find words with similar meaning. Is this right? How could this be used for SEO purposes?
Keyword Research | | Tinderbox0