How it works?

how it works

How it works? Probably the most asked question in our inbox. We understand that a review aggregator tool such as JLA requires additional explanation, so we've decided to provide a couple of examples.

It's as simple as this:

  • Sending API requests
    • Your application sends an API request from your software, containing the URL of the page containing the data you would like to scrape. This API request can be directed towards one of the following endpoints
      • /get - captures customer reviews displayed on specified URL
      • /verify - captures business profile data displayed on specified URL
      • /recommendations - used only on Facebook, an extended variation of /get endpoint
      • (more endpoints to be introduced soon)
    • JustLikeAPi performs this request on your behalf - by opening the specified URL - taking care of proxies, bot detection mechanisms, etc
    • JustLikeAPi processes the data shown on the page and prepares the response in JSON format
    • Your application receives the JSON response, processes it, and saves it to your database.
  • Getting raw data from JustLikeAPI
    • In this scenario, there is no need for you to interact with API, you just need to let us know which URLs you would like scraped, and how often
    • JustLikeAPi will perform the requests on your behalf, collect the data, and output it to (S)FTP server of your choice
swagger-logo-A49F73BAF4-seeklogo.com

How it works: Pulling Customer Reviews

Let's explain how it works on a couple of use case examples.

Use case 1 - Returns all reviews in the user's profile (no matter if they are shown on the first page or not)
- The results of this method are Review Objects, which depend on the platform used, but typically contains:

  • Review author username
  • Body of the review
  • Review date
  • Replies on the review
  • Review images (image URLs)

Request

{
"propertyUrl":"https://www.yelp.com/biz/iku-sushi-san-francisco",
"datefrom":"2018-05-13" 
}

Response

{
    "propertyName": "iKU Sushi",
    "location": "120 Montgomery St San Francisco, CA 94104",
    "value": "4",
    "ratingCount": "99",
    "reviews": [
        {
            "reviewId": "yZM8bO0dbhffVp6RCTFN5w",
            "customer": {
                "username": "Adam B.",
                "location": "",
                "level": ""
            },
            "title": null,
            "rating": "3",
            "text": "Thought this would be a quick-and-go sushi joint, but the
 only thing you can grab is a soda. Had to order the sushi and wait a few minutes. 
On one hand it's fresher. But on the other hand, it's not high end sushi anyway so 
there's not much marginal benefit to waiting for it to be freshly made (versus
 grabbing it quickly to go). Chicken Karaage: This was the free side that came with 
a sushi set. Was lukewarm, bordering on cold. And the batter wasn't crispy. Mega
 Set: The raw tuna and avocado roll with a creamy sauce was tasty and the main 
highlight. The tuna nigiri was a mixed experience with one piece being tender while 
the other piece felt overly firm. The salmon nigiri was just ok... and the color seemed a
 little off. The California roll was kinda bland.",
            "reviewedOn": "2021-11-18",
            "photos": [],
            "repliedTo": false,
            "externalSource": null,
            "replies": [],
            "followUpReviews": null,
            "comments": null,
            "selfReview": null,
            "commentsCount": null,
            "reviewerPhoto": {
                "photoUrl": null
            }
        }
    ]
}

Use case 2 - Return all reviews posted after Date X (effectively returning only new reviews)

Request

{
"propertyUrl":"https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/the-wedding-traveler-boca-raton/92ade1421458d31f.html",
"datefrom":"2018-03-10" *
}

Response

{
    "propertyName": "The Wedding Traveler",
    "location": "Boca Raton, FL",
    "ratingValue": "5.0",
    "ratingCount": "55",
    "reviews": [
        {
            "reviewId": "430615meredith452",
            "customer": {
                "username": "Meredith",
                "location": null,
                "level": null
            },
            "title": "Accommodating and beautiful experience",
            "rating": "5.0",
            "text": "Dani and Eugenio were great to work with for our wedding! 
They were incredibly (...)",
            "reviewedOn": "2020-03-09",
            "photos": null,
            "repliedTo": false,
            "externalSource": null,
            "replies": null,
            "followUpReviews": null,
            "comments": null,
            "selfReview": null,
            "commentsCount": null,
            "reviewerPhoto": null
        }
    ]
}

Capturing profile data

Use case 6 - Validation of user's profile (checks if user's profile exists on specific platform, and returns profile details). Depending on platform it may or may not require username / password for the profile.

Request

{
"propertyUrl":"https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g499668-d23551439-Reviews-Longreach_Powerhouse_Historical_Museum-Longreach_Queensland.html",
"datefrom":"2018-03-10" 
}

Response

{
    "valid": true,
    "title": "Longreach Powerhouse & Historical Museum",
    "address": "12 Swan Street, Longreach, Queensland 4730 Australia",
    "phoneNumber": "",
    "websiteURL": "",
    "categories": "",
    "description": null,
    "reviewCount": 40,
    "rating": 4.5,
    "openingHours": null,
    "specialities": null
}

We gave our best to explain to you how it works. But, in case you need any further clarifications, please don't hesitate to reach out by system@justlikeapi.io

Also, make sure to check out all the platforms that JLA is currently working with.