Whether you want to build your own SEO tool, enrich your lead list or scale up your market research, no data source is more useful than Google and Bing search engine result data.
With a simple search query you can get access to the world’s biggest database in a fraction of a second.
However, for anyone familiar with web scraping you know that scraping Google SERP results at scale is notoriously difficult.
That is why in this guide, we’re going to break down the 7 best Google proxy, API and scraping tools that make getting the SERP data you need effortless.
1. ScraperAPI
First on our list is ScraperAPI as it gives the best functionality for the lowest cost versus everyone else on this list.
ScraperAPI is a tool designed for developers who want to scrape the web at scale without having to worry about getting blocked or banned. It handles proxies, user agents, CAPTCHAs and anti-bots so you don’t have to. Simply send a URL to their API endpoint or their proxy port and they take care of the rest. Making it a great option for businesses who want to affordably mine Google SERP results for SEO and market research insights.
With plans ranging from $49 for 100,000 API Credits, to Enterprise Plans for hundreds of millions of API Credits per month, ScraperAPI has an option for every budget size.
Better yet, if you add the flag “autoparse=true” to your API request, ScraperAPI will return all the data from the Google search result in JSON format. Removing the need for you to build and maintain your own scraper.
So no matter if you already have existing Google scrapers and just need reliable proxies, or if you want a high-quality Google Search Results API then ScraperAPI is a great option.
You can try out ScraperAPIs very generous free trial with 5,000 free requests here, and if you need to scrape more than 3,000,000 pages per month then contact our sales team.
Pros: By far the cheapest option on the list, with the best free plan of 1,000 requests per month and great for those users who need to affordably scrape Google search results at scale.
Cons: Doesn’t have the same level of built-in functionality as some of the other solutions on the list. But you can easily parse that data from an HTML response if you need it.
2. SERP API
SERP API is a perfect solution for those who want to extract search engine data and not have to worry about data quality and speed. By far the most fully-featured option on the list, the guys at SERP API have spent a huge amount of time building a search engine API that is able to reliably deliver millions of search results to you every month with virtually perfect data quality.
Boasting great documentation and more ready-made API solutions than many of the others on the list:
- Google Search API
- Google Maps API
- Google Jobs API
- Bing Search API
- YouTube API
- eBay API
- And more…
SERP API is a great option for those of you who want high-quality data fast.
However, with prices starting at $50 for 50,000 Google searches using SERP API as your primary source of SERP data can be costly if you need large volumes of data.
Pros: High-quality data and lots of APIs for different data needs.
Cons: It isn’t the cheapest, but you have to weigh the pros and cons of their ready-made solutions and data quality versus their price.
3. DataForSEO
Next on our list is DataForSEO, a search engine API that has been specifically designed for digital marketers who want to build their own in-house SEO capabilities instead of having to depend on tools like SEMRush, Ahrefs and MOZ for their SEO data.
DataForSEO has built a fully-featured search engine data solution that gives users the ability to get high-quality search engine data with a simple API call. They have even built custom APIs for different data problems a digital marketer might want to solve:
- Search Engine API
- Google Ads API
- Google Trends API
- Traffic Analytics API
- On-Page API
- Google Shopping API
With custom-built APIs for all aspects of digital marketing, you will definitely be able to get the data you need.
DataForSEO uses a Pay-As-You-Go payment system which is great for those who aren’t 100% sure how many API requests they need to make each month, however, at $750 for 1 million requests the costs can quickly rack up for those scraping at scale.
Pros: Great for digital marketers and SEO consultants.
Cons: Expensive if scraping at scale.
4. OxyLabs
Another web scraping proxy provider that has decided to offer a dedicated SERP scraping solution is OxyLabs. They have used their skills in web scraping to build a dedicated solution for SERP data.
Boasting a 100% success rate and an easy to use API, this solution is great for anyone who needs to be guaranteed fast high-quality search engine data.
The only drawback being the high costs. Starting at $149 for 10,000 requests it isn’t the cheapest option for anyone on a tight budget.
Pros: 100% success rate and scalable.
Cons: Doesn’t have the same level of functionality as other solutions and is very expensive.
5. Serpstack
Serpstack is another great search engine API option for those who just need the data. The team at SerpStack have built a fully-featured API that is able to extract:
- Google Search Results
- Google Images
- Google Videos
- Google News
- Google Shopping
And return the data to you in either JSON or CSV format. They have extensive documentation so it is very easy to use and integrate with your current data feeds.
The one downside is the cost. Like a number of the other API providers on this list, with plans ranging from $29.99 for 5,000 API calls to $199.99 for 50,000 API calls, SerpStack’s pricing model makes it unsuitable for those who need millions of search results per month.
Pros: Good functionality and great documentation.
Cons: Very expensive at scale.
6. Zenserp
Priding themselves on fast results, if you are looking for speed then Zenserp is a great option for you. They’ve gone to great lengths to make sure they return the data you need as quickly as possible without compromising on data quality.
Not only that but the API itself boasts a full range of features that allows you to scrape all types of SERP data, including organic, paid, answer box, featured snippet, top story, local maps, etc.
Their documentation is also very good, making it very easy to get up and running fast. The one downside to Zenserp, like so many others on this list is price. At $380 for 100,000 API calls this isn’t a solution for someone who needs to extract millions of search results per month.
Pros: Very fast API with a lot of functionality.
Cons: Price. It is very expensive at scale.
7. Apify
The final solution on our list is Apify, who provides a great Google Scraper Tool. With a small bit of configuration, you can scrape Google search results with ease.
A big plus for Apify is that not only do they have Google Scrapers on their store they have a whole range of pre-made scrapers that you can use straight out of the box. Including social media, AirBnB, etc.
Their pricing is a little more complex than the straight API options listed above as they price their services in terms of “Actors” and “requests” but in general they are good value for money compared to some of the other more expensive options.
Pros: Wide range of pre-built scrapers to suit lots of scraping needs.
Cons: Pricing is a bit more confusing, and their Search scraper doesn’t have the same level of functionality as some of the other options.
And that’s it folks. We’ve just talked through 7 of the top APIs and proxy solutions for Google search engine results. There are many more, but these seven are the best of the best and should be your first choice when looking for a solution to your SERP data needs. You might also be interested in the best Google image search APIs or how to scrape competitors’ Google Ads data.
Hopefully one of these top proxy providers is a fit for your web scraping needs, but if you still have questions and would like to discuss your particular use case with us, you can contact us. Happy scraping!
