Guide to Residential Proxies for SEOs

All proxy servers perform the same function, which is to allow a user to surf the web anonymously. Residential proxies are one of them.

However, they don’t necessarily go about it the same way. For instance, proxies can receive and send requests using different network protocols.

A typical example is the HTTP proxy which only works with the HTTP protocol.

Again, proxies might differ in how they originated. In this regard, we have two types of proxies: data center proxies and residential proxies.

Residential proxy servers are more secure and reliable, and as such, are extensively used by businesses for their daily operations and developers for web scraping.

Despite their widespread use, not many know much about this technology.

This article will provide you with all the information you need to know on residential proxies.

A residential IP address is associated with a physical device such as a mobile phone or desktop computer and is registered under an internet service provider.

You can verify its authenticity by visiting any IP lookup website and checking the information shown beneath the “ISP” parameter.

Under this, you should see the provider’s name that owns the said IP address.

A residential proxy acts as an intermediary between an end-user and the internet using an IP address assigned to a specific physical location.

In other words, they are issued by internet service providers as opposed to data center proxies, which are generated by servers controlled by web hosting companies.

This implies that residential proxies are originally linked to real devices such as laptops and desktops.

You can get a residential IP address from various proxy providers. While most offer a long list of IP addresses, some prefer to offer only endpoints instead.

This is a much better choice for a user as it saves you the stress of having to import proxy lists. Also, there’s a lower chance of getting a proxy that doesn’t work.

Ideally, these addresses belong to individuals who don’t mind having their IP addresses used as a proxy.

Unfortunately, not all organizations obtain the addresses they sell legitimately, and working with such platforms can endanger your brand’s reputation.

Hence, it’s always best to run a background check on any provider you’re dealing with.

You can start by checking out customer reviews before proceeding to visit their website.

Here are a few reasons why residential proxies are so popular among enterprise and private users:

Better Security

Data center proxies are often shared between multiple clients, with each one using the same IP address to access the internet.

This can pose a problem for certain tasks such as web scraping. Shared proxy networks are also known to be more prone to attacks from hackers.

In essence, although data center proxies are much more affordable, they lack the versatility and privacy of residential proxies.

Utilizing a residential proxy server ensures complete protection and privacy for all your internet activities.

Improved Performance

All proxy servers speed up a network by compressing files, caching web pages, and blocking ads from showing on websites.

However, with residential proxies, you experience lesser delay and traffic overload when compared to data center proxies which cater to the needs of numerous users.

Less Prone to IP Blocks

Residential proxies display real geographical data since they have the IP addresses of devices in that region.

This makes you indistinguishable from other users genuinely browsing in that location.

Additionally, most websites trust residential IP addresses and do not thoroughly scrutinize them like other sorts of IPs.

As a result, you can easily access restricted content and evade anti-scraping robots.

There are a host of things you can do with a residential proxy.

Businesses all over the world use them to improve their operations and make informed decisions. Here are the most common usage scenarios:

Market Research

Residential proxies offer you a wide range of tools you can leverage to increase your business’ revenue.

For starters, you can covertly conduct research on a competitor to identify tactics you can appropriate.

Again, you can ensure your ads appear properly and reach the target audience using IP addresses in that region.

Your company’s ranking on Google is another important metric, and curating good content is the best measure to take.

You can utilize proxies to check how well your business ranks in specific locations and, more importantly, what type of content leading competitors use target audiences.

Web Scraping

Every business requires a good amount of information to make the best decisions.

Fortunately, with web scraping, you can learn tested and proven strategies from industry leaders.

Of course, this doesn’t come easy as anyone would covet and safeguard such information.

These companies employ a plethora of methods to avert any attempt by web crawlers to steal information. The CAPTCHA test, although extremely common, is just one of many measures.

Moreover, you face the risk of having your connection blocked or your personal information being revealed.

Maintaining anonymity is therefore essential for effective online scraping.

By routing your request through a home-based IP address, residential proxies let you easily execute all of your web scraping strategies and capture web data while preserving your online privacy.

Social Media Management

Social media is one of many technologies that have gradually become part of our daily lives.

Hence, it goes without saying that every business should possess a well-thought-out plan for its online presence.

The most basic use of social media is to help a business interact with its customer base.

Without having multiple social bookmarking profiles, it would be difficult to keep up with the diverse preferences of the various demographics.

Using residential proxies is the ideal way to create and manage several social media accounts.

Without them, websites can easily detect unusual behavior and may prohibit or designate your accounts as spam as a result.

Residential proxies might be a little pricey, but considering their safety and reliability, they’re definitely worth it.

However, that doesn’t necessitate you to rule out data center proxies.

After all, they do provide decent speeds and remain an inexpensive solution. In the end, it all comes down to what exactly your needs are.