Digital communication will be at an all-time high in 2024. As human interactions continue to move into cyberspace, the average internet user must learn to understand the primary laws, rules, and differences between the two interconnected but vastly different environments.
First, let’s start with the digital passport – your IP address. Even the entity for identification is very different. In the physical world, we have documents that begin to interconnect with elements of digital identity. On the internet, we have private IPs that identify a device within the network and a public address issued by the internet service provider (ISP).
IP addresses can be confusing, as connecting via public Wi-Fi versus using mobile data will give you two different IPs. Still, while it seems like a simple sequence of numbers cannot be traced back to a real identity, the web is full of trackers and tools that do just that – associate used IP addresses with online accounts and traces of digital identity.
What worsens matters is how well these third-party tools do their job. Even if we swap some aspects of the browsing session, trackers constantly connect the dots to latch onto the created profile that understands your identity and feeds personalized content.
While tech companies do an excellent job at concealing tracking from average internet users, the greed for private data and online surveillance makes them sloppy. Things get really creepy when what feels like a private internet connection starts offering you very personal products and content.
Source: forbes.com
Nobody likes the feeling of being watched, but modern software has too much influence over the lives of average internet users. It’s too late to fight for a more private internet because it no longer exists. Instead, we must utilize internet privacy tools to minimize online tracking and preserve portions of anonymity.
This is where the proxy servers, and their best version – residential proxies, come into play. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of these intermediary tools and how they add anonymity and flexibility to the browsing experience. We will review how specific IP addresses change how you see the internet and what can be done to bend it to your liking. For example, if you cannot access a website in Southeast Asia, a connection via a Vietnam proxy may solve your problems.
This is where the power of Smartproxy comes into play. Not only are they great for preserving online anonymity, but they also change your digital location, which opens up a lot of opportunities. Besides a Vietnam proxy, there are hundreds of other regions to choose from. To learn more about these servers in technical detail, check this article by Smartproxy. For now, let’s focus on the power of residential proxy servers.
Residential vs. Datacenter Proxies: Which Option Is Better?
Most proxy server providers offer two options for intermediary servers – datacenter and residential IPs, but which option is the right choice?
Datacenter proxies are the cheaper and, surprisingly – the faster choice. However, they could do a better job in the privacy department. While the protection might be sufficient for the average browsing session, some IP addresses on search engines, online shops, and retailer websites might be banned. Because their IPs are clumped together and have no association with internet service providers, website owners can see them as suspicious connections and ban all addresses from preventing unpredictable connections.
Source: oxylabs.io
Residential IPs are the superior option if you want absolute privacy. Sure, their connections are slower, but only because their addresses come from real devices serviced by internet service providers. These connections blend in with regular web traffic and have fewer peculiarities that attract suspicion.
While their prices are higher, residential proxies from IncrediTools are the better option, especially when visiting well-protected websites for data-oriented tasks, which are essential for modern businesses.
When to Use Residential Proxies: Which Use Cases Bring the Most Benefits?
Residential proxies are worth the investment if we use them at the right place and time. For an average user, they are great for activities like web scraping for travel tickets, products, and real estate. Automated bots send many connection requests and attract the risk of an IP ban. A residential IP shields the primary identity from exposure, letting you continue extracting data without danger.
Residential Proxies for Business Growth and Marketing
Arguably their biggest strength, residential proxies, is perfect for data-driven business tasks, especially business marketing. From data scraping for discovering leads and partners to social media management with fake accounts, proxy servers give us thousands of identities to play with instead of routing absurd amounts of traffic through a single IP address.
Social Media Bots
Source: nytimes.com
With thousands of social media bots, businesses, and their social media managers can create hundreds of fake identities without being flagged for suspicious activity. Then, these identities can start conversations and comment on posts and videos, to mimic an active community and stimulate growth with fake engagement. Paired with purchases of ads, these active posts appear on the feeds of real users and attract their attention to the product or brand.
Data Scraping
Web scraping is the essential use case that depends on residential proxies. Modern businesses use automated data collection algorithms every day to better understand their competitors and make smart decisions. These use cases include, but are not limited to:
- Price comparison: IP changes let you scrape websites of different competitors and regions, compare prices and make smart adjustments.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Web scraping search engines is nearly impossible with a single IP address. Collecting this information is essential for SEO and researching the main keywords. A good residential proxy provider will have a massive pool of addresses at your disposal.
- Product scraping: Knowing what products are introduced by competitors helps companies understand their supply and demand, what goods and services deserve your attention, and what options should be discontinued
Conclusion
Residential proxies are essential to the modern experience, and their benefits shine the brightest in the highly competitive business world. Modern companies need web scraping to collect public data and seize marketing opportunities on social media platforms.
Equipping yourself with proxies adds an additional layer of security to your online presence, helping you avoid unwanted interruptions and restrictions.
