In today’s digital landscape, data is everything. Businesses, researchers, marketers, and even casual users rely on structured information to make decisions, gain insights, and automate workflows. However, most of the data you need isn’t conveniently packaged in a downloadable spreadsheet — it lives on websites in tables, lists, and dynamic elements.
Whether it's tracking competitors' prices, collecting customer reviews, monitoring real estate listings, or conducting academic research, automating the extraction of web data into Excel can save you countless hours and significantly reduce manual errors. Instead of copying and pasting or paying for third-party data, you can build your own real-time data pipelines — tailored exactly to your needs.
In this article, you will learn:
Why automating web data collection is important
Which tools are best suited for different skill levels
How to extract data into Excel without coding or using advanced code
Best practices and legal aspects of web scraping
Excel remains one of the most powerful tools for organizing, filtering, and analyzing data. Exporting web data into Excel allows users to:
Analyze trends over time
Compare competitors' offerings
Build real-time dashboards
Track prices, reviews, or other metrics
But doing this manually is time-consuming. That’s where automation comes in.
One of the easiest ways to extract data from websites is by using Chrome extensions such as:
Steps:
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Go to the website containing the data.
Use the extension to select elements (e.g., tables, lists).
Export the collected data in CSV or XLSX format.
Pros:
Ease of use
No programming required
Works with structured data (e.g., tables)
Cons:
Limited customization options
Performs poorly on websites heavily using JavaScript
Tools like Browse.ai or Import.io offer cloud-based solutions for extracting website data into spreadsheets.
Example: Browse.ai:
Steps:
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Go to the website containing the data.
Use the extension to select elements (e.g., tables, lists).
Export the collected data in CSV or XLSX format.
Pros:
Ease of use
No programming required
Works with structured data (e.g., tables)
Cons:
Limited customization options
Performs poorly on websites heavily using JavaScript
Tools like Browse.ai or Import.io offer cloud-based solutions for extracting website data into spreadsheets.
Example: Browse.ai:
Sign up and log in to the system.
Create a "robot" by recording your actions on a web page.
Define what data you want (for example, product names and prices).
Schedule the robot to run periodically.
Export the results to Google Sheets or Excel.
Pros:
Powerful automation features
Scheduled data collection
Handles dynamic content
Cons:
Paid plans for advanced features
Initial setup may take time
Power Query is a built-in Excel feature that allows you to connect to websites and load data.
Steps:
Open Excel > Data tab > Get Data > From Web
Enter the website URL.
Allow Excel to load and process the data.
Use filters to refine what you need.
Load it into your worksheet.
Pros:
Integrated directly into Excel
Can refresh data
Works well for public static pages
Cons:
Handles poorly websites that require login or heavily rely on JavaScript
For maximum flexibility, use Python and libraries such as BeautifulSoup, Pandas, or Selenium.
# import library for HTTP requests
import requests
# import HTML parser
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
# library for working with tables and saving to Excel
import pandas as pd
# URL of the page with products
url = 'https://example.com/products'
# send GET request to the website
response = requests.get(url)
# create a BeautifulSoup object to parse HTML
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, 'html.parser')
# find all product blocks
# assuming each product is in <div class="product">
items = soup.find_all('div', class_='product')
# create an empty list to store data
data = []
# iterate over each found product
for item in items:
# extract product name from <h2> tag
name = item.find('h2').text
# extract price from <span class="price">
price = item.find('span', class_='price').text
# add data to the list as a dictionary
data.append({
'Name': name,
'Price': price
})
# create pandas DataFrame from list of dictionaries
df = pd.DataFrame(data)
# save the table to Excel file products.xlsx
# index=False removes the extra index column
df.to_excel('products.xlsx', index=False)Pros:
Fully customizable
Can handle complex websites
Scales well for large tasks
Cons:
Requires programming knowledge
Requires handling cookies, headers, or captchas
When collecting data from websites, especially those with login forms or bot protection, you may encounter captchas. They can block automation tools and disrupt your workflows. This is where CapMonster Cloud comes in.
CapMonster Cloud is an advanced captcha-solving service designed for automation and web scraping use cases. It can automatically bypass various captchas, including reCAPTCHA v2/v3, image-based captchas, and other captcha types.
Why use CapMonster Cloud:
Works seamlessly with headless browsers and tools such as Selenium or Puppeteer
Supports API integration for programmatic solving
Fast and cost-effective for high-volume tasks
Ensures uninterrupted data collection from protected websites
Using a captcha-solving tool such as CapMonster Cloud significantly improves the reliability of automated data collection and ensures that your workflow is not interrupted by bot detection systems.
Example of solving reCAPTCHA v3 using CapMonster Cloud:
Task creation:
POST
https://api.capmonster.cloud/createTaskRequest:
{
"clientKey": "API_KEY",
"task": {
"type": "RecaptchaV3TaskProxyless",
"websiteURL": "https://lessons.zennolab.com/captchas/recaptcha/v3.php?level=beta",
"websiteKey": "6Le0xVgUAAAAAIt20XEB4rVhYOODgTl00d8juDob",
"isEnterprise": false,
"minScore": 0.7,
"pageAction": "myverify"
}
}Response:
{
"errorId":0,
"taskId":407533072
}Get result:
POST
https://api.capmonster.cloud/getTaskResultRequest:
{
"clientKey":"API_KEY",
"taskId": 407533072
}Response:
{
"errorId":0,
"status":"ready",
"solution": {
"gRecaptchaResponse":"3AHJ_VuvYIBNBW5yyv0zRYJ75VkOKvhKj9_xGBJKnQimF72rfoq3Iy-DyGHMwLAo6a3"
}
}Check legal conditions: Always verify whether the website allows data collection (check robots.txt and Terms of Service).
Respect rate limits: Do not overload websites with frequent requests.
Use proxies and user agents: To avoid IP blocks during regular scraping.
Automate responsibly: Schedule tasks during off-peak hours and avoid collecting sensitive or personal data.
E-commerce monitoring: Tracking competitor prices, product availability, and reviews
Real estate research: Collecting property listings from websites
SEO and content: Monitoring competitor blogs and keywords
Academic and market research: Extracting datasets for analysis
Automatically extracting data from websites into Excel is not only for tech-savvy users. With the right tools—from browser extensions to cloud platforms and built-in Excel features—anyone can turn the web into a rich data source.
Choose the method that matches your technical skill level and data needs. Start small, automate responsibly, and always verify the accuracy of the extracted data.
NB: Please note that the product is intended for automating testing of your own websites and resources to which you have legal access rights only.
Explore our in-depth 2025 review of BrowserScan — a powerful tool for browser fingerprint analysis. Learn how it helps detect tracking, enhance anonymity, and test anti-detection setups.
