Google Compels Raven to Discard Its Scraped Data Feature
Google seems to be cracking the whip on companies that do not follow its rules on AdWords API by revoking API tokens. Raven is one such victim that will fold up its scraped data tool from January 2013. While companies like SEOmoz and Raven, among others, have been given access to AdWords API since several years, Google’s new anti-scraping rules have resulted in a warning to several companies including Raven in November 2012. Raven has been displaying rankings as well as keyword data with the help of scraped data collected from the result pages of search engines (SERPs) such as Google. Raven states that it had passed previous two audits conducted by Google in the past. But with Google cracking the whip, the company has no choice but to stop providing this feature to its clients.
Considering the new Google API rules, Raven has declared that it will no longer display scraped data, SERPs rankings, and keywords within its tools. This move will help the company to continue getting access to AdWords API. The company has stated that it will stop providing the API SERP tracker data from January 3, 2013. Their clients will have to export their data by January 2, 2013.
On the other hand, Google states that it is not cracking the whip, but merely enforcing its AdWords API access terms. However, this move has not gone down very well with users who found the scraped data feature a practical tool that provided data which was much more useful than the actual API data. Many users felt that they have lost a single solution that allowed them to view API data and scraped data together.
Google’s decision to stop AdWords API access to developers that additionally engage in scraping data seems to have evoked different reactions from the company’s fans. This decision will severely restrict the scope of services offered by data scraping companies such as Raven. It seems that the company’s clients will have to revert back to Excel spreadsheets to collect the data from January next year.
