People are now obsessed with following the tendencies which strongly impact how business owners build their strategies. More and more marketing campaigns and customer services pass to the social media and other sources, the most visited by their target audience.
It has its advantages, but it also causes some risks. People use proxy services to avoid these troubles and secure the results of their work. To use the most reliable proxy servers, visit the https://soax.com/turkey-proxy page and learn what benefits this service is ready to offer.
What are proxies
But first thing first. People often hear about proxies and VPNs that provide a secure connection and allow access to blocked websites. But what exactly happens to provide these functions?
Let’s start with the definition. The word “proxy” is a noun that means someone or something having the power to represent another person in some process. Initially, it touches upon some courts, voting procedures, etc. But the current reality changes the meaning of this word a little.
Today, by saying “proxy”, people mean the proxy servers most often. They serve as mediators between you (a device you use for Internet activities) and the web hosts you visit. Named proxy, these servers represent your devices and pass the requests you send on your behalf. A request — is information about:
- what you want to know;
- what device you are using to visit the page;
- and where this device is located.
The first point is clear, but the last two seem suspicious. An IP address contains the info about your device and location. It is assigned to any computer or smartphone with access to the Internet.
How they work
But how can proxies represent your devices, and for what purpose? When the request you send comes to the proxy server, it analyzes the information and changes (or does not change anything) it according to the functions you have chosen to use. Among the points mentioned above, you can change the info about the device and location. The contents of what you searched for can be only hidden.
The proxy server offers the following options:
- Manipulations with an IP address – depending on the proxy type you use, your IP can be shown without changes, hidden, changed to a fake one, being changed periodically to different fake addresses. “Fake” here does not mean they are fictional. They are real — provided by Internet Service Providers from all over the world. The proxy providers can use them for their customers.
- Request encryption – helpful if you do not want anyone to know what you browse and why you can use the encryption function. It is valuable for securing your private (like credit card numbers) or business (bank account) data. It is also helpful while conducting market research and other data collection.
The proxy servers collect and cache the data you send and get. The main advantage of this process is that you can use the saved data later, and it enhances the speed of the connection. Furthermore, if several users of one proxy send a request to the same site, the server sends only one request on behalf of all those users. It also helps maintain better network performance. But the risk is that if you entrust your data to the wrong proxy provider, they can only steal and sell them, giving you no security claims. The riskiest and most unreliable are free proxies.
Types of proxy services
People distinguish several kinds of proxies:
- transparent – used mostly for control and monitoring of a user’s activity, changes no information of a request;
- anonymous – hides your IP but identifies itself as a proxy to let access to the web pages;
- distorting – shows the faux IP address;
- high-anonymity – changes the IP periodically.
The encryption is available for all types except the first one. When passing a request to a web host, the proxy server identifies itself anyway.
Uses for business
Business use of proxy servers is diverse. The most widespread purposes of use include:
- Monitoring of pricing policies (competitors and other companies). Helps stay anonymous and not let the web server identify your activity as suspicious.
- Monitoring of the search tendencies. A proxy helps to look at the current situation from the outside.
- Other market research. The means people use to engage customers in the community, social media analysis, etc. – you can collect this data easier with a proxy.
- Verifying your ads work for selected locations. As the changing IP changes the location shown to the hosts, the location-based advertising reacts to these changes.
- Checking the availability of your web page and the speed of connection provided for its visitors. It is another benefit of looking at the situation from the outside.
- Detecting the fraudulent representations of your brand.
These usage examples are general, but more specific cases arise from individual needs and requirements. When you start using the proxies, you will understand their usefulness, whether you need only basic functionality or the advanced one.
Summarizing all the above, proxy services are helpful nowadays, and sometimes – even indispensable. They can strongly impact the quality of your work, and save you much time and resources in managing the marketing and other issues. First and foremost – it provides high-quality protection of your data and guarantees robust connection through all the proxy servers available.