Browser Automation: What It Is and How to Use It
What Is Browser Automation?
As with headless browsers, browser automation aims to optimize manual tasks performed in the browser. The main goals of this approach are:
- Reducing human error
- Using a machine that can easily repeat monotonous/repetitive tasks
- Scaling capabilities to handle an infinite number of concurrent requests
- Increasing the speed of performing operational tasks in a web browser.
Browser automation—from assisting with website processes or code checks to dynamic testing—is also widely used for quality assurance (QA) and data collection. It allows companies to improve time and labor efficiency, as well as optimize the allocation of hardware and software resources.
Popular Use Cases for Browser Automation
Here are the main ways companies use browser automation in their daily operations:
#1: Performance/Automated/Parallel Testing
Many companies use browser automation for stress testing, i.e., simulating a large volume of web traffic on a specific domain and observing how that domain handles the load. This often involves using data center proxy centers, as well as other proxy networks, to generate traffic that servers perceive as 'real,' especially from a geolocation perspective.
The same task is addressed in:
- Load testing – i.e., ensuring load times meet standards in an attempt to reduce failure rates.
- Regression testing – performing functional and non-functional tests to verify software functionality, especially after an update (if a bug is found, it is called a "regression").
- Parallel/cross-browser testing – i.e., comparing and cross-testing across all possible browsers and operating systems to verify your program's functionality in those environments. Automation is very useful here because there are many possible combinations. Selenium is a very popular tool in this context.
#2: Link Testing/Checking
Links are very often the most important part of an ad, blog post, video, or any other type of digital content. Call-to-action (CTA) buttons are useless if the link is broken, incorrect, or missing the necessary UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters for your company's multi-touch attribution model.
For companies with a large number of digital assets and affiliates, especially those with dynamically generated links, manual checking can be tedious and, in many cases, impossible. In this context, browser automation can be an effective tool for link testing/checking.
#3: Web Data Collection
And finally, one of the main use cases for browser automation is web data collection. Every day, a huge amount of content, consumer interactions, and business activity takes place on the internet. This leaves digital traces in the form of:
- Keyword search trends in systems like Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
- Social sentiment and engagement data in the form of likes, shares, and posts on networks.
- Digital commerce activity, such as competitor pricing/ad campaigns, product inventory/dynamic pricing strategies, and user product reviews on sites like eBay, Amazon, and Wish.
Browser automation allows companies to open target websites, extract data points of interest, and then pass that information to algorithms and teams for further analysis.
Browser Automation Tools
Selenium is a popular tool for technically savvy people. However, professionals who need to perform browser tasks in the context of daily work may prefer a fully automated solution.
Web Scraper IDE is a tool that allows companies to perform browser automation tasks, including link checking, website performance testing, and data collection. The only difference is that there is no need to use scripting languages (such as Selenium). It is a zero-code alternative that parses, cleans, and structures target data, then delivers it to clients in their chosen format (JSON, CSV, HTML, or Microsoft Excel).
Performance testing and link checking are carried out using an international network of best-in-class proxy networks for data center, residential, and mobile connections. They consist of real localized user devices, meaning an ad campaign running, for example, in Tokyo that includes a CTA link will be verified using a local user's device.
Conclusion
Browser automation is a tool that enables companies to obtain critical data about competitors and target audiences. It is the driving force behind link checking and performance testing. Companies have two main options for using browser automation: a resource-intensive, code-based language like Selenium, or a fully automated tool like Web Scraper IDE. The choice depends solely on what the company considers the best allocation of its resources and labor.