How can I scrape content that loads after page scroll or user interaction?

To scrape content that loads after scrolling or user interaction, use headless browsers or web scraping APIs that can perform actions like scrolling, clicking buttons, and waiting for content to load. APIs like Firecrawl provide built-in action controls that let you scroll pages, click “Load More” buttons, fill forms, and wait for dynamic content—all before extracting data in a single API call.

Scrape content that loads after scroll or interaction by using tools that can automate user actions before extraction. Many websites use lazy loading, infinite scroll, or hide content behind buttons and tabs to improve performance. Traditional scrapers only capture the initial page state and miss this dynamically loaded content. The solution is using headless browsers or scraping APIs that can scroll pages, click elements, input text, and wait for new content to appear before extracting data.

Websites use several patterns to load content on demand. Infinite scroll loads new items as users scroll down, common on social media feeds and search results. “Load More” or “Show More” buttons require clicking to reveal additional content. Tabbed interfaces and accordions hide content until users click specific sections. Form submissions and search boxes require input before displaying results.

Each pattern requires specific actions: scrolling to trigger lazy loading, clicking buttons to expand content, filling form fields to submit queries, or navigating through tabs to access different sections. Effective scraping requires identifying which patterns a site uses and executing the appropriate interactions.

Firecrawl’s actions feature handles these interaction patterns programmatically. You can define a sequence of actions in your scrape request: scroll to the bottom of the page, click a “Load More” button, wait for new content to render, then extract all data. The wait action is crucial—it gives the page time to fetch and render new content after each interaction.

For example, to scrape infinite scroll content, you might scroll down multiple times with waits in between, allowing each batch of content to load. For button-based loading, you’d click the button, wait for the AJAX request to complete, then extract. This eliminates the need to write custom Puppeteer or Selenium scripts.

Proper timing is critical when scraping interactive content. You need to wait long enough for content to load but not waste time with excessive delays. After scrolling or clicking, pages typically make network requests, process responses, and update the DOM—this takes anywhere from milliseconds to several seconds.

Firecrawl handles timing automatically for standard scenarios, monitoring network activity and DOM changes to determine when pages are ready. For custom interactions using actions, explicit wait commands give you control over timing between steps. This ensures you capture fully loaded content rather than incomplete data from pages still loading.

Pagination and infinite scroll serve similar purposes but require different scraping approaches. Pagination uses discrete page numbers or “Next” buttons to load new content sets. Infinite scroll continuously loads content as you reach the bottom. Some sites combine both—initial infinite scroll followed by a “Load More” button.

For pagination, you can crawl multiple URLs (page 1, page 2, etc.) or use actions to click “Next” buttons repeatedly. For infinite scroll, you need to scroll down multiple times, waiting between each scroll for content to load. Firecrawl’s crawl feature can handle paginated content automatically by discovering and following pagination links.

Content often appears in modal dialogs, pop-ups, or overlay menus that require interaction to access. These elements might not exist in the DOM until triggered, making them invisible to scrapers that only load the initial page. Scraping this content requires clicking the trigger element, waiting for the modal to appear, extracting its content, and potentially closing it before continuing.

Actions make this straightforward: click the button that opens the modal, wait for it to render, then extract. This works for product detail overlays, image galleries, video players, and any other content hidden behind interactive elements.

Search results, filtered listings, and dynamically generated reports often require form submissions. You need to input search terms, select filters, submit the form, and wait for results before scraping. This is common on e-commerce sites with search and filter features, real estate listings with property searches, and job boards with search criteria.

Firecrawl’s actions support form interactions: input text into search fields, select dropdown options, click submit buttons, and wait for results to load. This enables scraping search results, filtered views, or any content that requires form submission—all through API calls without manual browser automation.

Scrape content that loads after scroll or interaction by using headless browsers or web scraping APIs with action capabilities. Common patterns include infinite scroll, “Load More” buttons, tabbed interfaces, modal dialogs, and form submissions—each requiring specific interaction sequences. Firecrawl provides built-in actions for scrolling, clicking, inputting text, and waiting, making it simple to trigger dynamic content loading before extraction. Proper timing and wait strategies ensure content fully loads between interactions. This approach works for any site that hides or lazy-loads content, eliminating the need for custom browser automation scripts while reliably capturing all dynamically loaded data.