How To Use Apify (“Just The Basics”)

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A cloud platform for web scraping, automation, and data extraction.
Allows users to scrape data from websites, run automations, and process large datasets efficiently.
Uses “actors” (pre-written scraping scripts) to perform tasks like scraping, data enrichment, or automating workflows.

Actors: Pre-built scraping scripts or automations that perform a specific task (e.g., scraping websites, enriching data).
Proxies: Helps to avoid getting blocked by rotating your IP address while scraping.
Compute Units: Apify’s way of measuring resource usage—each actor run consumes compute units, which contribute to the cost.

Choose an Actor: Pick a pre-built actor from the Apify Store based on the data you need or build your own if none are available.
Configure Input: Customize the actor’s input settings (e.g., URLs to scrape, filters, etc.).
Run the Actor: Start the actor manually or via an automation platform like Make.com, depending on your workflow.
Check Results: Once the actor completes, review the data in Apify’s interface, download the results, or export them directly into another platform (e.g., Google Sheets, CRM).
Monitor Costs: Track your usage and compute unit consumption to avoid running into high costs with larger tasks.

Explore Actor Profiles: Each actor has a store page with usage instructions, example inputs, and configurations. Check these to understand how to run them.
Test Before Scaling: Always test an actor with a small batch (e.g., 100 leads) to check for success, accuracy, and efficiency.
Automation Integration: Connect Apify with platforms like Make.com or Zapier to automate scraping and data processing workflows.
Optimize Costs: Test different actors to optimize for CPL and data quality, and monitor compute unit usage to keep costs manageable.

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