Search the internet from within a cell

[GB613]

In column A, I've got a list of companies (non-public so no stock ticker symbols) and what I'd like to do is create a formula that launches a google/bing search that puts the name of the CEO in Column B.

A B
Acme =FormulaX? (A: search "CEO of" A)

 

[Dan_W]

You could do this with VBA - but this is webscraping, and besides it being against their Terms of Service (which is totally the pot calling the kettle black in the case of Google, which is the webscrapers of all webscrapers) it is increasingly difficult to do. What would be easier, and in line with everyone's Terms of Service, is if you were to find an API service from which you could source the information.

Depending on the jurisdiction/industry, that information may already be freely available. In the UK, for example, Companies House provides an API with access to all manner of filed documentation, corporate registry data. In the US, the SEC provides a similar service (EDGAR - SEC.gov | EDGAR Application Programming Interfaces).

There are hundreds of APIs that fulfill this kind of function, and some of them even have free tiers. For example, one option might be to use ClearBit (Company Name to Domain API) - it's API returns the domain name of any listed company. Once you have that information, it's probably better off webscraping the company's site for the CEO information that it is running your luck with Google/Bing. That said, they both offer search API services, but the functionality available for each varies.

Hope that helps.

 

[GB613]

You could do this with VBA - but this is webscraping, and besides it being against their Terms of Service (which is totally the pot calling the kettle black in the case of Google, which is the webscrapers of all webscrapers) it is increasingly difficult to do. What would be easier, and in line with everyone's Terms of Service, is if you were to find an API service from which you could source the information.

Depending on the jurisdiction/industry, that information may already be freely available. In the UK, for example, Companies House provides an API with access to all manner of filed documentation, corporate registry data. In the US, the SEC provides a similar service (EDGAR - SEC.gov | EDGAR Application Programming Interfaces).

There are hundreds of APIs that fulfill this kind of function, and some of them even have free tiers. For example, one option might be to use ClearBit (Company Name to Domain API) - it's API returns the domain name of any listed company. Once you have that information, it's probably better off webscraping the company's site for the CEO information that it is running your luck with Google/Bing. That said, they both offer search API services, but the functionality available for each varies.

Hope that helps.

Dan, you nailed this answer. I can't thank you enough. Truly appreciate your having taken the time to educate me.