Step by Step Guide to Scraping Company Contact Information with Scrapestorm

So you want to get a list of company contact details—emails, phone numbers, addresses—without spending your life copy-pasting from a thousand web pages. Maybe you need leads, maybe you’re just tired of manual data entry. Either way, scraping can save you hours, but only if you do it right.

This guide is for folks who are ready to get their hands a little dirty, but don’t want to waste time with unreliable tools, legal headaches, or scripts that break every other week. I’ll walk you through scraping company contact info with Scrapestorm, a visual scraping tool that’s actually usable by non-coders, but still powerful enough for serious work.

Let’s get moving.

Step 1: Decide If Scrapestorm Is Right for You

Before you download anything, ask yourself:

  • Do you need to scrape lots of pages with a similar layout? Scrapestorm shines here.
  • Are you after data from complex, heavily-protected sites? Scrapestorm can struggle with aggressive anti-bot measures.
  • Do you want a “click and go” experience? Scrapestorm is mostly point-and-click, but expect to tinker with settings for best results.
  • Are you okay with a desktop app? There’s no cloud version. You need Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Pro tip: If you just need a few contacts, Google Sheets and copy-paste are faster. Scrapestorm is for when you need hundreds or thousands.

Step 2: Install Scrapestorm

  1. Go to the Scrapestorm download page and grab the installer for your OS.
  2. Install it like any other app. No weird dependencies or command line nonsense.
  3. Launch Scrapestorm.

Heads up: The free version has limits. If you need to scrape big lists, you’ll hit a paywall. Don’t plan your whole workflow around the free tier.

Step 3: Find the Right Web Page(s) to Scrape

This is the step most guides gloss over, but it’s critical:

  • Target pages that actually list company contact info. Think directories (like Yellow Pages), company listing sites, or company “Contact Us” pages.
  • Avoid sites with aggressive CAPTCHAs or logins. Scrapestorm can’t break through every wall.
  • Look for lists, tables, or grids. Pages that repeat the same structure are ideal.

Honest take: If the info you want is behind a login, or scattered across dozens of different layouts, it’s going to be a slog. Scrapestorm isn’t magic.

Step 4: Create a New Scraping Task

Here’s where you set up the actual extraction:

  1. In Scrapestorm, hit Create Task.
  2. Paste in the URL of a page that lists company contact info.
  3. Choose Smart Mode if the site is straightforward. (That’s Scrapestorm’s “let us try to auto-detect everything” feature.)
  4. Or, use Manual Mode if you want to pick exactly what to grab.

Manual Mode Tips: - Click on the first company name, then the second. Scrapestorm tries to find the pattern. - Now click on the email, phone, or address. Again, click the second example to help it “learn.” - You’ll see fields appear at the bottom—rename them to “Company Name,” “Email,” etc.

Don’t overthink it: If Scrapestorm isn’t auto-detecting the pattern, just keep clicking a couple more examples. If it still can’t figure it out, the site’s too messy or too dynamic for this tool.

Step 5: Handle Pagination (Multiple Pages)

Most useful directories have way more than one page. Here’s what to do:

  1. In your current task, look for pagination controls—“Next,” “2,” “3,” etc.
  2. In Scrapestorm, click the pagination button or link. Then click the next page’s version.
  3. Scrapestorm should recognize the pattern and auto-paginate.
  4. Preview the data. Make sure it’s actually pulling from more than just the first page.

Watch out: Some sites load more results with infinite scroll. Scrapestorm supports this, but it’s hit-or-miss. Sometimes you need to use the “Scroll” action or set a delay.

Step 6: Test and Preview Your Extraction

Don’t run a 10,000-page job without checking your work:

  • Hit the Preview button.
  • Check if emails, phones, and addresses are landing in the right columns.
  • Flip through a few entries. Are there missing fields? Is it grabbing the wrong text?

If it looks wrong: - Go back and re-select elements. - Sometimes you’ll need to use the XPath selector (under Advanced). If that sounds intimidating, it is—Scrapestorm is supposed to be visual, but sometimes it falls short here.

Step 7: Start the Scrape (and Don’t Walk Away Yet)

Ready? Hit Run.

  • Scrapestorm will work its way through the list.
  • You’ll see live updates—watch for errors or weird results.
  • Sites sometimes block you mid-way. If you see a ton of “failed” rows, the site may be throttling or blocking you.

Pro tip: Don’t try to scrape thousands of records in one go right away. Start with 2-3 pages. If it works, scale up.

Step 8: Export Your Data

Once the scrape is done:

  • Click Export.
  • Pick your preferred format: CSV, Excel, or JSON.
  • Open the file and spot-check: are emails in the right column? Any weird gibberish?

Clean up: Expect messy data. Some emails may be missing, phone numbers might be in odd formats, and addresses could be incomplete. Don’t trust the exported file blindly.

Step 9: Stay on the Right Side of the Law and Ethics

Let’s be real—just because you can scrape data doesn’t mean you should.

  • Check the site’s terms of service. Some ban scraping outright.
  • Avoid scraping personal info, especially if you’re in the EU or California (think GDPR, CCPA).
  • Don’t hammer sites with rapid-fire scraping. Go slow, act like a human, and you’re less likely to get blocked—or be a jerk.

Bottom line: Use scraped data responsibly. Don’t spam people, don’t resell lists without permission, and don’t get yourself (or your company) sued.

What Works Well—and What to Ignore

What Scrapestorm does well: - Handles simple, repetitive listings with minimal setup. - Visual interface is better than most “no-code” scrapers. - Pagination is usually painless.

Where it struggles: - Dynamic sites with content loaded by JavaScript. - Pages with anti-bot protections (lots of CAPTCHAs, logins, or hidden fields). - Messy, inconsistent layouts—no tool is magic here.

Don’t bother: - Trying to scrape sites that require constant logins or have hard anti-scraping barriers. - Expecting perfectly clean data—some manual cleanup is always needed.

Keep It Simple—Iterate, Don’t Overcomplicate

Here’s the real trick: start small. Scrapestorm is powerful, but not foolproof. Get a few successful scrapes under your belt, check your data, and only then ramp up.

When in doubt, simplify your targets or try a different site. Don’t spend hours fighting a losing battle—scraping is about working smarter, not harder.

Good luck—and remember, the best scraper is the one that actually gets you the data you need, without wasting your week.