Still having problems with the frustrating Amazon 503 error caused by frequent requests that result in your host’s IP address being blocked by Amazon? If so, the new setting option in CyberSEO Pro might be just what you need.
Let’s take a closer look at how the Amazon product parser works in the CyberSEO Pro plugin. Notably, CyberSEO Pro does not use the Amazon API for product import due to two significant limitations:
- Limited access to Amazon API: The Amazon API is only available to affiliates who have already generated sales. This creates a Catch-22 situation: How do you start selling Amazon products without access to the Amazon API?
- Limited product information from the Amazon API: While the API provides basic product details such as name, SKU, image files, and price, it falls short in providing comprehensive product descriptions.
Therefore, the viable alternative for importing Amazon products is web scraping. This method gets around both limitations of the Amazon API. All you need is your Amazon Associate tag, bypassing the need for a functional API key, which is typically only available after product sales have been completed. In addition, this approach unlocks the potential to access original product descriptions and technical specifications. These can be ingeniously used by the CyberSEO Pro plugin to create unique product descriptions and AI-generated promotional content, enhancing the overall value and appeal of your listings.
The primary limitation of web scraping is the restriction on the number of requests that can be sent to Amazon in a given time frame. Interestingly, this limitation is also present when using the Amazon API. This limitation is due to the fact that each search request on Amazon involves searching the entire database for the desired product category, resulting in a comprehensive report in the form of web pages with navigation. This process is very resource-intensive, forcing Amazon to limit the frequency of requests from hosts. Such limits are essential to prevent server overloads that can occur in scenarios similar to DDoS attacks.
Since we do not want to negatively affect Amazon’s server operations, it is crucial to reduce the load on their servers. To solve this problem, a new option “Amazon search depth” has been introduced on the Accounts page of the CyberSEO Pro plugin. This feature allows users to set the maximum depth of Amazon product search results pages they want to scrape. A typical Amazon search within a specific category can generate dozens of pages filled with product links. By default, the CyberSEO Pro plugin would process these pages sequentially. If the products from the first page have already been imported to your site and no new products have been added to Amazon since, the plugin would normally proceed to request the second page and so on until all are checked.
However, this process may trigger Amazon’s protection measures, resulting in your host’s IP being temporarily blocked. To avoid this, it’s recommended to set the “Amazon search depth” to 1. This way, the plugin will focus on importing only the most recent Amazon products without navigating through each page of search results. This approach not only helps to avoid IP blocks, but also ensures a more efficient and targeted product import process. It follows best practices for web scraping, maintaining a balance between data collection and respecting the operational limitations of the source site.
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