by : Priscilla Ng Digital Marketing, Website Design

Is Data Scraping and Data Crawling Illegal?

After the recent scandal of Facebook on data theft and manipulation and the initiation of GDPR law, you might start wondering whether the use of web crawling and data scraping is even legal or not? Maybe you are getting a customized system built from a software development company and want to get massive amounts of data from the internet to be added to your platform?

You might become hesitant in getting services from companies offering web scraping, and you are not alone in this. Many people are looking for information on the internet that can help them understand if it is legal to scrape data or not.

Well, the answer is not simple, which is why you need to read this guide until the end. We will go in great detail to explain what kind of data scraping is perfectly legal. So let’s gets started:

What is Data Scraping?

The act of downloading the data of a web page and getting specific pieces of information from it is basically data scraping. For instance, you may want to start your own website that streams movies. Now for that, you will have to get data for every movie like its stars, the reviews of people, the short description of the movie, and so on.

Now, if you are streaming hundreds of movies on the website and each movie has several stars, do you think you can gather that much data on your own? No, you will have to go through thousands of movie pages on IMDB and manually gather the data, which is impossible.

This is where the data scraping helps. You can just ask a company offering this service to gather all of this data for you, and they have their own tools and techniques to quickly get everything scraped and processed into usable data.

So is Data Scraping and Web Crawling Legal?

Well, it is legal, but there are some conditions associated with it. If the data is available to the public without any restrictions like special access or permission from the data owner, then it is legal to crawl through it and gather it. However, if the data is private and is specifically done to keep others from accessing it without permission, then obtaining it will be illegal.

Think of it like this; you get your own private WIFI connection that you have protected with a password. This clearly means you don’t want others to access it. However, if someone finds out its password in your personal diary and starts using the WIFI, would you be happy? I am guessing you would be furious because they didn’t take permission from you before using your WIFI.

The same is with the world of the internet. You can access public data and use it like the data on IMDB or the data publicly available on social media platforms like LinkedIn or the data in online directories like YellowPages and so on. Using this data is just like using public WIFI, it’s there for everyone to use.

So Which Kind of Data Scraping is Illegal?

If we take the same example of WIFI, then even though you can use the public WIFI, you are still not allowed to use it to hack someone’s website or do anything illegal. Well, the same is with publically available data. You can get it for your personal use that doesn’t do any damage to anyone. However, when you start using it to hurt someone, you will enter within the boundary of illegal activities.

Even getting the raw data with someone’s personal information like name or phone number and selling it to someone is also illegal because you don’t know how they use it. They might call them, pretend to be from their bank and ask them to share their personal information, which can result in financial loss.

Another example can be using a clone system to make a copy of a website. Now, if you clone a website and get all of its personal data like the content on the homepage, web page, and other areas and paste it on your website, then it will be illegal. This is because that data is not available for the public to use as they please, but to just get information from it.

Over to You:

So to sum things up, using data scraping or data crawling is not illegal on its own, but if you use it to invade someone’s privacy or do harm to others, then it will be illegal. Publically available data can be used as long as it is not harming or invading anyone’s privacy.

So if you need a massive amount of data scrapped, you can always get in touch with a company offering these services and safely have the data mined, processed, and presented to you.

by : Priscilla Ng Digital Marketing, Software, Software Customization, Website Design

How Do The Software Development Companies Charge? – Factors Affecting the Cost

If you will be working with a software development company in the near future and want to know what will be the determining factors behind the prices, then this guide is for you. If you don’t know how the cost is calculated, then instead of saving money, you might end up spending a lot more.

We will discuss the six main elements that decide the final cost of your software development project so you can have a pretty clear idea of what to expect. With that said, let’s dive right in:

6 Factors That Affect Software Development Costs:

6 Factors That Affect Software Development Costs:

Time Required For Project:

The software development timeline varies a lot, depending on the scope of the project. If you need a simple software with basic tasks, then it can be even developed in a few hours. However, for more complex projects, this timeline can stretch to even a couple of months.

Plus, it is normal for bigger projects to have some technical errors coming up during the development, which can take some time to fix. So the cost of software development can change depending on how long it will take for the company to develop it. Your development company can provide you with an estimated cost depending on the amount of time.

Based on Man-days:

Stemming from the last point, if the software is very complex and the development team doesn’t have a very good idea of how long it can take to develop it, then you might work on a man-day basis. This is where you will pay for the hours it takes for the software to develop.

Though there will be some fixed costs associated with the project like the purchase of any subscriptions for your project, the cost of working per hour will add up on that.

Scope of the Project:

The complexity of the project puts a very big impact on the final cost of software development. To know how much you might have to pay depending on the complexity, you will have to define the development team the things you would like to see in the final outcome.

  • Will there be a charge for hosting?
  • Do you require a database?
  • Do you want any APIs?
  • What about compatibility with mobile devices?
  • Would you like this software to link with your employees’ phones?

These are a few things that decide the complexity and nature of the work. You need to be as specific as you can about what you are looking for. The team will provide you with a custom quote based on your needs.

Manpower Dictates Cost:

The more developers you have working on your software, the higher costs it will have. Maybe your project requires multiple people to work on different verticals, or maybe it needs some advanced features and functions that require individuals with special skill sets.

These are the things you will have to check as the number of software programmers will affect the cost. A team of three people will cost less than a team of 5 people.

Location of the Company:

This is another very important factor that contributes to the overall cost of software development. If you are outsourcing to companies in well-developed countries like the U.S or U.K, then the cost of doing business there will be higher. This will directly impact on your budget.

If you find talent in developing countries like Malaysia, Pakistan, India, or Bangladesh, then you can expect a significant decrease in the cost because of lower currency rates compared to dollars or pounds. One of the top software maintenance and development companies, Operion, which is located in Malaysia, will be the best choice if you need a combination of high quality and affordability. 

Maintenance Costs:

The software that you are getting developed will obviously need maintenance to perform well and without any glitches or bugs. Software maintenance is a must, especially if your day-to-day operations will be relying on its full efficiency. So when you are signing the contract with a software development company, you will be asked if you need maintenance for the first few months or on a regular basis.

Depending on your specific needs and the nature of your software, you will have to select the maintenance timeline, and that will dictate the cost of your software’s development as well.

Over to You:

Working with a software development company definitely comes with tons of advantages. However, if you do not understand the different costs associated with it and how they can change based on your specific needs, then you might get surprised after seeing the final invoice.

We suggest that you work with a company that is very transparent with the prices and will help you not only understand the cost but also suggests how you can bring it under your budget.

by : Priscilla Ng Digital Marketing, Ecommerce Tips, Software Customization, Website Design

Benefits of Having Own eCommerce Website Instead of selling on Lazada and Shopee

Thousands of businesses are still selling on their own eCommerce websites instead of online marketplaces like Lazada and Shopee, ever wondered why? This is because there are plenty of benefits of having your own store instead of depending on eCommerce platforms. So before you get a development company’s eCommerce website package in Malaysia, you should know why you even need to have one in the first place. That being said, let’s start:

5 Benefits of Your Own eCommerce Store Instead of Selling on Marketplaces:

Build Your Brand

If you abandon online marketplaces and have your own eCommerce store designed with the help of a company offering eCommerce website package in Malaysia, you will have freedom of branding yourself. Your brand will no longer be overshadowed by the stamp of the marketplaces like Shopee or Lazada.

Your customers will know that they are directly buying from you which gives you opportunities to increase brand loyalty and own the customer. You can do many things to position your brand in your customers’ minds without any restrictions.

Such as adding your social media handles at the store’s pages, branding the boxes your products arrive in, and even asking for customer’s personal emails to create an email marketing system. These things will help you solidify your brand’s name, increase customer loyalty, and establish personal contact with them.

No Risks

One of the most painful and discouraging parts of selling on platforms like Shopee, Lazada, or Amazon is that you are totally reliant on them to keep your store running. They can shut it down whenever they want, and that will result in you losing your bread and butter. These platforms don’t allow sellers to have customers’ personal data, so you won’t have any customer-base to market your new store to.

On the contrary, if you get some professional web design services in Malaysia and have your own store built, you will be the boss! You won’t have to worry about getting banned, plus, you can divert your customers to your social media and have a separate fan base in case anything happens to your eCommerce store.

Increased Opportunities for Marketing

One of the best parts of having your own eCommerce website is that you can cross-promote. If your store is getting traffic, you can contact brands selling products related to your niche and ask them to promote your store, and you will give their customers a % discount on every purchase.

For instance, if there is a brand selling coffee machines and you sell coffee filters, you can ask them to send their customers your way, and you will give everyone a 20% discount. This is an awesome marketing strategy that boosts both revenue and customer loyalty.

However, you cannot engage in cross-promotions on online marketplaces like Lazada or Shopee because they have their own set of terms and regulations you need to follow to avoid getting banned.

No More Heavy Commissions No More Heavy Commissions:

Selling on marketplaces like Lazada or Shopee means you will not just have to abide by their rules, but you will have to pay a fixed commission on every sale. Plus, there’s also a fee for keeping your stock in their warehouses. These expenses can eat up a big chunk of your profits. However, this is not going to be a problem with your own store.

You won’t have to pay any commissions, which will leave a good amount of money for you or for your marketing/expansion purposes.

Control of Traffic

When you are selling on a platform like Lazada or Shopee, you cannot really rank your listing in Google. This means you will have to create a landing page that redirects people to your listing and then rank that page on Google. But if you are doing that amount of work and spending heavily on ranking a landing page, then why not rank your own separate store?

You will have extra profits from the money you don’t pay in marketplace commission to support the SEO of your store and get massive amounts of traffic to your store. Since 93% of the web traffic is originated from search engines (SearchEnginePeople), you can expect a good amount of people coming in organically.

Parting Words:

There’s no doubt about the benefits of using big marketplaces like Lazada and Shopee, but the advantages of having your own eCommerce store outweigh them. Simple things like having your own email or WhatsApp marketing system based on your customers are not permitted by these platforms, which leaves you with nothing in case they ban your store.

So it is better to get a professional development company’s eCommerce website package in Malaysia and have your own store up and running in days. You will have more profit and scaling opportunities this way.

by : Priscilla Ng Digital Marketing, Software, Software Customization

Social Media Marketing Strategy for App Promotion

Are you wondering how to give wings to your app downloads and see the numbers fly high via social media marketing? Well, then the good thing is that you have discovered this page.

Once you have found the company offering top mobile app development in Penang, and have created a perfect application, your next step is marketing.

We will tell you some of the best and most practical tips for getting your app noticed by your audience and increase your revenue. So with that said, let’s move to the real-deal below:

Effective Social Media Marketing for Your App – 5 Practical Tips

1. Identify The Platform For Your App:

Yes, you can promote it on all platforms, but if you are on a limited budget, you should start marketing with the platform where a majority of your audience hangs out. If your app resonates with youth, Snapchat, and Instagram are your go-to platforms.

Similarly, if the app is for the general age group, Facebook is best, and if it is for professionals, LinkedIn and Twitter will be more suited.

By starting with the platforms where the majority of your audience is present, you will be able to reach more people in less budget.

2. Leverage the Power of Paid Ads:

According to the Think with Google; 49% downloads for mobile apps come through social media ads, astonished? Well, that is true and works for most companies as long as they have a well-designed app by a top software company in Penang.

You can make an attractive video ad showing the use of your app for solving a particular problem. And if you target the right audience, they will definitely be interested in at least trying the app out and see if it really helps them.

Just keep in mind that you need to have solid app design and a precisely targeted campaign to be able to get people to install and love your app.

3. Influencer Marketing Works Wonders:

Collaborating with influencers allows you to present your software or app to their audiences and get it positioned in their minds. According to Twitter, 40% of users purchase things directly recommended by an influencer they follow.

However, we suggest that you select and vet the influencers carefully because some can have artificially inflated followers and you might not get the level of engagement you were hoping for. Secondly, the influencers should resonate with your app; for instance, a fitness app should only be promoted by fitness influencer, not by a chef.

Ask the influence regarding the proof of engagement, and once you are satisfied, then ask them to endorse your app via videos based on its real-life uses. Just make sure that your app really does what it claims, and a good company offering mobile app development in Penang should help with that.

4. Promote User-Generated Content:

Now that we are done with the advertisement part, you should start seeing an increase in your app users, and people will start following your social media profiles. This is the time to leverage UGC (user generated content), and you can do that by encouraging people to send you photos and videos of them using your app.

You can run a campaign where the most liked UGC will receive a gift and that will motivate them to make content. As per the report by a marketing firm, Neilsen; a whopping 90% of the customers listen to recommendations made by peers making UGC one of the best ways to get more downloads.

The main goal of the user generated content is to show how your app has improved people’s lives or solved a problem they were facing.

5. Get More Reviews and Ratings:

According to Think with Google; 60% of people believe ratings and reviews are very important when deciding on downloading an app. So we suggest that your app should be designed by a top company offering software development in Penang.

This way, there will be no bugs in the app, and its interface will be very user-friendly. These things will compel your users to leave positive reviews on your Google/Apple store pages as well as social media profiles.

And the higher number of positive reviews and ratings you have, the more credible you will appear, leading to more sales.

5. Get More Reviews and Ratings:

We not only offer the top services for web system development in Penang. Our spectrum for services includes lots of valuable offerings. Here at Maple Creation, we also offer superior class service for mobile app development in Penang.

From easy to use UI to a satisfactory UX, we can handle everything so your app can crush it in the marketing phase. Get in touch with us today to get started on crafting your masterpiece.

by : Priscilla Ng Digital Marketing, Software, Software Customization, Website Design

9 Easy Ways to Help Small Businesses Through Social Distancing

Amongst these wild and dire times of COVID-19, from every corporate individual to high-end businesses, life has seemed to become a cascade of complication. However, the ones hit most due to the pandemic are small businesses that seemed to strive already. Arriving in on the scene as a guardian angel, Maple Software Creation, which is a web customization service, and a software development company based in Malaysia, accommodates struggling businesses that have just started out, in a way that makes everything easier.

This article concentrates on how Maple Software Creation from Malaysia is helping small-scale businesses during these tough times through their broad, and flexible techniques of effective software development, and web operation modification, and all while maintaining social distance.

Website Design

The first and foremost that Maple Software Creation could do for small businesses is to help them go online, and create a website dedicated to their store only. This attributes to zero physical contact, and closely follows the safety code of conduct.

With their alluring templates, prompt and engaging design, the website is sure to attract customers like no other.

This is exactly how a small business can boost sales and generate a decent revenue with the help of Maple Software Creation.

Website Maintenance

A website is needy of the latest information, and regular updates. It’s nothing but an essential part of making a business grow.

Maintenance involves a wide variety of things to look out for. This includes keeping the website free of malware, and sustaining a thorough security check. Moreover, maintaining a website is all about its system customization. With a modified visual experience that’s engineered from the ground up to boost traffic, website maintenance is a true aspect to consider when a business needs a growth spurt.

Software Development

Maple Software Creation is a team of highly-skilled professionals whose expertise lies in the field of software development.

The brilliancy from Malaysia delivers a tailored service that focuses delivery according to the business needs of one specific client.

Why it’s an absolute necessity is because of the competitive age that we live in. A customized software is a must-have for entities to stand out in the marketplace, and provide something none could compare to.

Web App Development

For small businesses to establish themselves on a new level, a website application is inevitable to have.

Unlike a proper website, web applications offer a different user-interface experience. These are highly attractive, very gripping applications whose primary focus revolves around the focus of the audience.

These are as important as the business itself when it comes to the publicity and marketing part. Additionally, a web app comprises a competitive edge as it makes it easier for the business to reach its targets, and goals.

Mobile App Development

Everyone in today’s world owns a smartphone that they need for their everyday convenience. Using this fact as an advantage, Maple Software Creation proposes a terrific service of mobile application development.

Featuring both platforms- iOS and Android, the service develops applications for mobiles that amount to a great marketing strategy.

Anything that flows on a phone is considered more accessible, more driven, and more up to speed.

An app uses the smartphone’s own features to gain a convenience boost. With prompt push notifications, and a design that’s optimized for the device itself, the engagement increases by leaps and bounds which are certain to attract potential long-term customers.

Moreover, people sometimes refrain from availing something due to the difficulty involved. A mobile app holds the power to display all the services of a business in a matter of few taps here and there.

MLM System

Multilevel Marketing System abbreviated as MLM, is a combination of extensive plans of advanced marketing.

This includes Unilever Plan, Binary Plan, Matrix Plan, Board Plan, Stair Step Plan, and Generation Plan for a business.

Each plan is determined to form an organized system of distributors for the business to attract customers and gain income.

These are beginner-friendly, easy to use, and manageable plans that not only benefit the whole business, but the hired team members as well.

CRM Solution

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a software made typically just for the customers’ accommodation.

Maple Software Creation, being a software development masterclass, believes that a stronger collaboration with clients means a more successful business. That’s why storing the customer’s information, making appointments, analysing their behaviour, and easy contact techniques form a terrific business base.

Marketplace API Integration

API Integration is one of the most important yet basic tools that small businesses can quickly take advantage of to gain an upper hand.

With a product inventory all ready to go, E-Commerce API Integration enables the same products to be listed on other marketplaces as well such as WooCommerce Integration. This goes a long way in increasing overall reach, and yet again, generating a lot of leads using this method.

Web Scraping

Web scraping, also known as data scraping, is a trick applied online to impart useful data and information from other websites onto spreadsheets such as the ones featured in Microsoft Excel.

Maple Software Creation is diligent in this regard to provide well-detailed research for content, finding potential leads, and examining the competition.

All in all, this Malaysian software development company that also happens to branch out web system optimization, is the jack of all trades when it comes to reinvigorating small businesses while social distancing.

This concludes the article, “9 Easy Ways to Help Small Businesses Through Social Distancing.”