Modern businesses have a lot to contend with in their pursuit of success. In this age of e-commerce, social media, and streamlined payment systems, markets in all sectors are more fiercely competitive than ever before, and every advantage, however slight, can make a difference. As such, it makes sense that as a business owner, you should seek to leverage data wherever possible to elevate your enterprise above the competition.
At the same time, the business world’s growing reliance on data has given rise to new challenges. Cybercrime is becoming more prevalent online, for instance, heightening the need for businesses to insulate themselves against the risk of a breach. Simultaneously, effective data collection is becoming increasingly difficult, as more and more companies are putting anti-scraping measures in place to prevent competitors from using their sites’ data to gain a competitive edge. Were that not enough, geo-blocking continues to segment the digital space, making it tough for brands to gain traction with key markets overseas.
In the face of such obstacles, it can seem nigh-on impossible to succeed, but residential proxies can open up a path to success. In this article, we’ll discuss what residential proxies are all about and how using one can benefit your business.
What are residential proxies?
Residential proxies are IP addresses utilized by proxy servers. As proxies typically do, they function as intermediaries that enable users to reroute their traffic and access websites indirectly to avoid exposing their devices’ IPs.
A residential proxy enables you to hide your identity from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and websites. This means that when you utilize a residential proxy, it becomes impossible to determine your location or apply restrictions to your online activities.
Residential proxies get their name from the fact that they use residential IP addresses which have been designated for private use by ISPs. Unlike other types of proxies, such as datacenter proxies, residential proxies are tied to actual physical devices. Consequently, they are more authentic than the alternative and are less likely to arouse suspicion or get blocked.
How can a residential proxy benefit your business?
Your business can benefit from a residential proxy in a variety of significant ways, chiefly the following:
1. Effective ad verification
As a stakeholder of a modern business, there’s a high likelihood that you will opt to leverage digital advertising as a means of building brand awareness. While this certainly can be beneficial, it also comes with some risks, predominantly that of ad fraud, which is becoming increasingly common.
Those who commit ad fraud often do so by displaying ads improperly, conning brands into paying for impressions or clicks that they never actually receive. To prevent this, businesses need to verify that their digital ads are being presented as they should, but this can be difficult since sites often appear differently in different regions. Residential proxies can help with this.
By using a residential proxy, you can change your location to browse to that of your target region and browse as a typical user there would. This enables you to verify your ads effectively to ensure that you are getting value for money with your outreach.
2. Empowered market research
To establish your business as a market leader, you must be able to accurately assess what rival companies are doing. This means conducting web scraping, whereby you collect large quantities of publicly available data from competing sites to learn about new products, pricing trends, and more.
Unfortunately, web scraping is not always easy. Many sites have anti-scraping technology in place which blocks IP addresses that send too many data requests within a short period. Once again, residential proxies provide a solution.
By utilizing a resident proxy service with rotating IP functionality, you can change IPs to avoid blocks and perform effective data collection. As such, you can gain deeper insights into the state of your market and devise more comprehensive and effective marketing strategies going forward.
3. Increased privacy and security
When you operate a business in the digital space, cybersecurity is a major concern, however, residential proxies can help to protect your company.
In many cases, the first step in plotting a cyber attack is to track a user’s IP address. However, as we’ve mentioned, a residential proxy enables you to go online using an assumed IP, rather than that of a company device.
This means that a residential proxy can provide you with added protection against data breaches and preserve the longevity of your business.
Concluding
For modern businesses, the digital space provides an enormous wealth of possibilities, but it also comes with unique challenges. However, residential proxies exist to enable users to overcome these challenges.
By utilizing a residential proxy service, you can ensure maximal value from online ads, devise more resonant marketing strategies, and insulate yourself against cybersecurity risks to take your digital business to the next level.
