If you’re in business and you have no knowledge about what a proxy is, then this article could be a real eye-opener for you. It might just be that the use of proxy could bring some substantial benefits to your day-to-day tasks.
In simplest terms, a proxy provides you some level of protection while you surf the internet. It is a “wall between you and the internet. For every request you make via the proxy, your IP address is out of view.
There are different types of proxies, but in this article, we will concentrate on the datacenter proxies type.
What are Datacenter Proxies?
The question “what are datacenter proxies?” will come up when safety issues arise on the internet for you. Thus, having a perfect understanding of what they do can keep you miles away from a potential cyber-attack.
Datacenter proxies, in other words, are IP addresses that are not affiliated with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). They are harnessed to keep unwanted eyes from viewing your real IP address on the web. Instead, of your IP address, the datacenter’s IP address will be public. It’s simple as that.
Datacenter proxies main features are:
- Used for web filtering
- Harnessed for data loss prevention
Advantages
- They tend to be cheap in comparison to other proxy types
- They offer unmatched speed in comparison to other proxy types
Disadvantages
- They’re less legitimate due to being artificial in their nature
- They can be easily detected and blocked by web serves when surfing the net
If you would like to get familiarized more on data center proxies, follow the link.
Datacenter Proxies & Web Scraping
Web scraping is the collection of data from a website for different purposes. It may be for SEO monitoring, price intelligence, or market research, to name a few.
For instance, when you go scraping for intelligence on e-commerce websites and send too many requests in a short time, the site’s webserver will slam you with a ban. It is because they’re coming from a single IP, and they will treat it as a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack. Hackers bread and butter.
However, web scraping is not illegal. And, to get around any potential blocks by web servers, you simply need to use proxies. By introducing proxies, you get to send requests from unique, multiple IPs. The website will have no idea that the request is actually coming from a single IP. What they’ll see are the proxies of the IPs. That way, you can scrape endlessly without restrictions.
With a web scraping tool, you can automate the extraction of prices from your competitors’ sites, and adjust your pricing strategy accordingly. After all, the more you know, the more you grow.
You can also scrape contact information on leads, product descriptions, and much, much more.
Data Gathering
Data has become the new oil. Without it, companies will struggle to make a mark in their fields. Businesses analyze competitors, their services, and products and extract the necessary data to generate a competitive advantage.
As businesses grow, gathering a vast amount of data becomes essential. When companies seek for data, they use public data sources, huge networking solutions (proxy networks), and automation. In all of this, the proxy networks are the most important.
Data allows businesses to make real-time decisions. If you don’t have a proxy, you simply won’t be able to scrape for information at scale. You’ll be restricted, and that is not what you want to experience in the age of data.
Data gathering and its use for price comparison or market analysis keep you a step ahead of your competitor. It could be offering an irresistible offer to your consumer or just a better pricing model. The possibilities are endless.
SEO Monitoring
You know the saying, “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” That is evident when keeping sharp eyes on your competitors and analyzing their activities. You track their SEO keywords and monitor their SEO campaigns.
However, if you want to explore your competitors’ websites without attracting their attention, you’ll be needing proxies. The proper thing to do is to use a proxy when accessing these sites. This way, you’ll be able to stay under the radar.
Let’s take it from another angle. Have you being a victim of an error page from Google which says “Unusual traffic from computer network?” It is a big problem for most SEO agencies. With too much activity around an IP address, that message may pop up.
The search engine will always consider the use of keyword ranking software a potential Denial of Service attack. A proxy server comes to your rescue. You can access any websites from a range of IPs.
You may be an SEO agency located in the UK, and your client is in the US. Google will likely provide you with the result that is native to your location. It could create a gap between the search engine results and that of your client.
Again, a proxy can come handy in this situation. With a proxy server in the US, you’ll get the exact results that your client has. It will give you a proper understanding of your client’s needs without any hassle along the way.
It’s a wrap
Now you know what datacenter proxies are capable of doing. Especially, when it comes to web scraping practice. Datacenter proxies perfectly fit to accomplish the majority of business objectives and can aid in beating your competition in whatever industry you find yourself. Use proxies for your business and stand out from the crowd.
