Like DDoS attacks, aggressive screen scraping can create huge spikes in traffic, cause brownouts, and even take you down for extended periods of time. Web scraping doesn’t make the headlines and most people aren’t aware of the damage it can cause to your website’s success.
Thieves and unauthorized content aggregators use screen scraping bots and cheap labor to steal your content, repackage it for sale, or place it on unauthorized sites – all of which hurt your SEO, negatively impact your brand, and reduce your ability to monetize your intellectual property. Below I’ve outlined just a few of the many ways that screen scraping can impact a company and its website.