Proxies are used for a variety of tasks online and the proxy type you use is the determining factor of your success. The way your proxies are configured can also affect your operations as the right settings can be detrimental to your results. Understanding the settings you require and the providers that offer them can save you time, money and ultimately get you the data you need.
Here I’ll break down different use-cases and the IP types I would suggest. As every case is different, tweaking these suggestions for your specific needs is always recommended.
Proxies for Account Management
When working with accounts whether on social media, sneaker sites or ticket sites it is suggested to use static exclusive IPs. Static ensures they will not rotate mid-session and that you can assign one IP to one account so operations remain uninterrupted. Exclusivity is required to ensure no one else has used that IP for the same website. Multiple users of one IP is an action that is quickly flagged and may prompt a verification email or cause you to get your account disabled. Utilizing a Residential IP will provide the highest success rates for account management due to their quality and ability to emulate a real user.
Data Extraction / Web Scraping / Data mining IPs
Whether you are scraping data for market research, sales intelligence or pricing information it depends on your target sites. For non-sophisticated target sites, merely a large number of Datacenter IPs in a pool will do the trick and it is a more cost-effective extraction solution. Continuously rotating between these IPs helps to avoid rate-limitations especially when using a crawler when mining. When it comes to more sophisticated sites, residential IPs are suggested as entire subnets of Datacenter IPs can be blocked in an instant. Residential IPs provide the most accurate data by greatly reducing the ability to get blocked or fed misleading information. Normally provided in a pool, merely set up your crawler to rotate the IPs every x number of requests and you can easily avoid the majority of blocking techniques while web scraping.
Proxies for Ad Verification
Verifying ads is reliant on emulating your target audience. To do so you will require residential or mobile IPs with the right targeting options. A high-resolution IP means you can really hone in on the campaign and verify the positioning, ensure affiliate links are not broken and guarantee their compliance. In this case, country and city targeted IPs may not be sufficient and ASN or carrier targeting will be required. Make sure to find a proxy service that has all of your IP requirements before jumping in.
Many proxy services have support engineers that can assist in suggesting the best set-up for your needs. The truth is it is all about trial and error. Start with an account and optimize it but by using the right IP you can do so without jeopardizing your crawling, accounts, data or campaign information.
