A proxy is adopted in order to obscure the IP address of its user. This obscuring is obtained through the re-routing of Internet traffic via an intermediary server. Once this occurs, the IP address belonging to the user is transferred elsewhere. In the case of a residential proxy, this new location will be a different residential address, with this typically being achieved through a feature called a rotating proxy. Rotating proxies ensure that with each new connection a new IP address is ascribed to the traffic being routed. Consistent rotation means that any activity taking place is consequently harder to track, so users are less likely to be blocked from websites or from making specific actions.
How do they drive competitive edge?
A key technique adopted by businesses in the modern era is web scraping, and the details of this will be explored later on in this article. The use of a residential proxy makes such tactics much easier to execute through the privacy they ensure. It is through this privacy that businesses can attain a competitive edge within their field. This is due to them being able to gather large amounts of data which can be put into practice. Such information is then incorporated into marketing and business strategies, aiding companies to stay afloat in an ever transforming market. Below are a number of examples detailing how residential proxies can drive competitive edge:
SEO monitoring
Business visibility is of utmost significance, with many brands increasing their visibility through Wikipedia. SEO monitoring is the tracking of your business’s visibility. This visibility typically centers where your website ranks in search engines. When SEO monitoring is carried out, companies can also gather data regarding how long users spend on their website and what their bounce rate is, accompanied by the amount of organic traffic they generate.
SEO monitoring is a great requirement for the conduct of a business because it can confirm whether or not they are reaching their target audience and whether their content is appearing in the right place or in the right language. The use of a residential proxy makes this form of monitoring more accessible as the researcher will appear as a standard citizen. This false appearance is important because if a company is researching their competitors with a regular IP address they will be blocked from doing so.
Web scraping
Similar to SEO monitoring is the use of web scraping. Web scraping is used specifically for tracing the actions of business competitors and gathering other forms of data about them. When web scraping is done companies tend to use a bot to automate the process. The problem which arises from this is the fact that bots are very easily prevented and restricted. Many businesses will apply an anti-scraping protocol or technique to their website to prevent their competitors gaining the upper hand.
It is in this scenario where residential proxies become useful. This is because the use of a residential address makes the bot appear to be a real user. In turn, a business can scrape a large volume of data without a trace.
Increasing security
A more general use of a proxy is to increase security. For example, a residential proxy can track outgoing emails and detect any malicious content within them. Secondly, a residential proxy can protect the identity of a business from being faked. A proxy can highlight a fake website which may be profiting illegally from a company’s products. This is also known as trademark infringement. Finally, proxies add layers of protection against malware.
Customer feedback tracking
The online reputation of a business is of increasing importance in the 21st Century. Responding to and tracking customer reviews can improve the ranking of companies on Google due to the fact that reviews are incorporated into search engine algorithms. However, when businesses attempt to do this they sometimes find their IP address being blocked, thus hindering the process. As previously mentioned, residential proxies are able to gather large quantities of data. This means that a company can track its growth and progress without worrying about potential IP address bans
Conclusion
To conclude, a residential proxy reroutes the IP address of its users to a residential address. Businesses are encouraged to adopt this form of proxy due to the competitive edge it can provide. This edge materializes through the proxy’s elimination of internet restrictions. Ultimately, such lack of restriction renders a business free to conduct tactical actions such as: SEO monitoring, web scraping, and customer feedback tracking. In addition to this are the increased layers of security provided by a proxy, lessening the risk of malware attacks and trademark infringement.