Macro using outside applications (esp. search result using a web browser)

**kitpierce** · 03-05-2013, 05:08 PM

I have a list of businesses, and I want to add their website into my spreadsheet. Rather than searching for each one individually, I was hoping I could set up a macro to do it for me. So, my spreadsheet looks something like this:

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Business Name	City	State	Google this concatenated phrase	URL
2	ABC123 Helicopters	Los Angeles	California	ABC123 Helicopters in Los Angeles California
3	Lizzard Food Store	Chicago	Illinois	Lizzard Food Store in Chicago Illinois

I want to basically have a macro search online (via google or bing) for the phrase in the D column and return the first search result's URL in the E column. Any thoughts?

**JBeaucaire** · 03-05-2013, 05:11 PM

Doing that very thing would violate Google's Terms of Service. All searches must be manual.

**kitpierce** · 03-05-2013, 05:19 PM

What about another search engine (Bing, Duck Duck Go, Blekko etc)...?

**JBeaucaire** · 03-05-2013, 08:05 PM

Yes, what about them? If you read the Terms of Service for any of them, I imagine you will find they all prohibit you from using their site in a "automated" way. Took me 30 seconds (Search: Bing Terms of Service) to find this:

9. How You May Not Use the Program
You must not at any time use the Program to harm others, or the Program. For example, you may not: 
engage in, facilitate or further unlawful conduct;
use the Program in a way that harms us or our advertisers, affiliates, resellers, distributors and/or vendors, or any customer of ours or our advertisers, affiliates, resellers, distributors and/or vendors; 
use any automated process or service to access and/or use the Program (such as a BOT, a spider, periodic caching of information stored by Microsoft, or "meta-searching"); 
use any unauthorized means to modify or reroute, or attempt to modify or reroute, the Program;
damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Program (or the network(s) connected to the Program) or interfere with anyone's use and enjoyment of the Program; or
resell or redistribute the Program, or any part of the Program

**kitpierce** · 03-05-2013, 09:07 PM

Awww, nuts.

Well, theoretically, is it possible to do something like that using excel? Use another application/program within a macro?

**JBeaucaire** · 03-06-2013, 10:37 AM

Yes it is possible. You will need to learn, on your own, how to:

1) Learn how to use the WEB QUERY tools built into Excel
2) Determine if the resulting page has the URL you want in a spot you can find consistently on the web page
3) Create a looping macro that will take one string at a time from your column and put into a web query, then pull the URL you know how to find (step 2) back into your original sheet, then repeat with the next string.

I do not think the URLs will be found in an easy way on the resulting pages as search results seldom are that consistent.