Do you want to find the proxies for SEO powersuite, ScrapeBox, GSA search engine ranker? We offer easy steps to find the best proxy for your SEO application.
Do you know how war is an art? Well, lot’s of things are art, especially Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I’ll spare you the basic lecture on SEO because if you’re planning on using proxies and software to boost your search rankings, you know exactly what it is. But that doesn’t mean you know how to optimize your website for search, and even if you did, you don’t know the art of it.
I don’t mean to talk down to you. The reality is almost nobody knows the art of SEO warfare. That’s why you can pay companies thousands of dollars to help you. It’s also why countless software applications have been developed; why blackhat, greyhat, and whitehat hat techniques are hotly debated over the internet.
In an increasingly internet-centric world, SEO is a currency that multiplies its own wealth. It’s completely understandable why you want to get in on the gold rush, and I’m here to help.
I’ll be focusing on the ways to do this with SEO software because you probably don’t have thousands to spend (monthly) on a specialized company. That said, money is going to be an important piece of this How-To.
SEO software, especially the best software, isn’t free, and many of the proxy types I’ll be discussing below will cost monthly as well.
You’re likely doing this to grow a business. You want it to be more searchable, and therefore more profitable. These tools should be viewed as further investments in that business.
Why use SEO Proxies?
When you do a quick Google search on this topic you’ll find a number of people asking why they actually need proxies for SEO software.
There are a number of answers.
- Running keyword searches and other data-heavy allocations/requests can put a lot of strain on your connection and ISP IP address. Using more IPs to accomplish the same task will increase the overall completion time.
- The most common reason anyone uses a proxy. If you’re performing anything other than extreme white hat techniques, you’ll want proxies to make sure your actions can’t be traced back to you. I’ll have some words of warning below.
- Prevent blocking. Even if you are performing legitimate white hat searches, Google and other companies will block your requests if they are repeated too often and from the same IP. The second you load your IP address into a software application it will use that IP like a bot, not like a human. It doesn’t mean you’ll get in trouble, but you will have to wait until you’re IP is un-banned.
The reality is that if you want to use SEO software successfully, you’re going to need proxies. “But what kind of proxies?!” you chant from the endless plains of the internet. I’ll put multiple kinds in context below, and show you how to go about finding your own.
Finding Proxies for SEO Software
The issue with giving blanket advice is that nobody has the exact same situation. We’re all using slightly different methods to achieve similar ends—a better-ranked page with more traffic —but the roads to get there are not simple or written in stone.
Did you know that Google updates its search algorithms and processes 500-600 times a year? They don’t conduct major overhauls that often, but the search giant is constantly changing the rules. With proxies and SEO software, there are no hard and fast rules. There are guidelines.
A Note on Free Proxies
Free proxies can work for some basic SEO software applications, like ScrapeBox. You can even use ScrapeBox to help you find more free proxies.
However, free proxies will never live up to the sheer workhorse of an elite private proxy.
The issue is that if they’re free, everyone is using them. If 100 people are using the same IP address to do all sorts of internet pinging, that proxy will get banned very quickly. Such is the case with all free proxies.
If you’re looking for a better time management system or wondering why all your free proxies keep breaking, that’s why. Stop using them and move on to a private proxy provider. Yes, it will cost money. Remember, this is an investment.
Ask the Provider
The first and almost-always foolproof rule in the guidebook is not complicated, it doesn’t cost any money, and it usually results in a better understanding of both the software you’re using and the proxies you may buy.
Ask your provider. Do it. Every single legitimate proxy provider should have a “Contact Us” section. If they don’t, beware that provider.
You’ll want to be straight forward in your request for information. Ask what type of proxies they provide, what types of software or platforms the proxies typically work on, and what level of technical troubleshooting is available.
That last step is key. Some SEO proxies providers are very helpful and very tech-oriented, so you’ll get real answers from a dedicated staff. Others will just try to sell you more products, which you don’t want or need.
You can go about these requests in two different ways:
1. Ask the provider what software works best with their IPs.
If you haven’t already pulled the trigger on a type of software but have narrowed it down to one or two providers, shoot an email and ask which SEO software tool works best with their proxies. ScrapeBox, GSA, and SEO PowerSuite are all popular options (there are many, many more). If the provider says a certain kind works better and you like what they’re offering, go that route.
2. Tell the provider what kind of software you have and ask if their proxies work.
Sometimes you’ve already paid for the software. In this case, tell them what you have and ask if it works in certain use cases.
Both of these methods will require you to be specific about how you want to use your proxies. You should say things like, “Will your proxies work for ScrapeBox’s Keyword Harvester?” or “How do your proxies hold up with SEnuke’s backlink posting capability?”
The readers who balked at that second question have a leg up on the game, because they know the difference between a white hat and a black hat question. Automated backlink posting, like that conducted by SEnuke, is frowned upon in the industry.
It automatically leaves comments on related blogs and sites with URL links back to your own website. This is considered “cheating” because you’re not generating quality backlinks.
The Warning
We’ve reached the point where a proxy warning is necessary. The warning applies always and to every proxy. Ready?
Proxies can be used for very illegal things. You can bring down Government websites and infiltrate famous companies with proxies.
They are powerful and yet, in many ways, are the backbone of a functioning internet. The sort of things you’ll be doing with SEO software application won’t destroy the internet, but certain aspects of those actions can get you into trouble.
Automating backlinks, falsifying articles with bots, and trying to cheat PageRank stats can get you in trouble. If you ask a provider a point-blank question about grey or black hat tactics, they will probably not want to do business with you. If they do not care, they’ll officially say in the email that their proxies shouldn’t be used for that, and then ask how many you want to buy.
Due to the fragile nature of proxy use, this is always a tight rope to walk. Do what you will, but be aware of the consequences and don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Providers with Many IPs
Now that you’re properly warned, we can get into some specific proxy traits a good provider will have. The first is to find a provider that boasts a huge number of IPs.
With SEO software you’re typically running a massive number of requests per minute in order to retrieve data. The keyword harvester is a good example. Depending on how many results you’re looking for, you’ll want 10-100 dedicated, elite private proxies and need a provider that can provide that number. That number alone is not so high.
You’ll also want a provider that refreshes those IPs monthly, or on request, if they stop working. Even though keyword harvesting is perfectly legal, Google does not like it when bots send millions of requests. Your IPs can get suspended or banned, in which case you’ll need to ask (or buy) more. This means the provider will need a backup cache of proxies for every client they have, which starts to add up.
Lastly, a provider with a large number of IPs and subnets (groups of proxies starting with the same numbers) will be able to do more for you. Often a proxy provider will say their proxies work great for SEO software, and you find out three months in that some of them just keep failing. You can’t figure out why, and the provider can’t figure out why.
A proxy provider with many IPs and subnets will be able to thwart this issue by providing you different IPs from different subnets so you can test things out. This is invaluable and will help you build a concrete way to deal with proxies.
SOCKS vs. HTTP vs. HTTPS Proxies
The above are three different types of proxies. HTTP is the most common and what many providers have. SOCKS and HTTPS are more secure, less common and typically more expensive than HTTP because they provide much higher security. They also function better for certain types of connections, which can be invaluable for SEO functionality.
Granted, the additional security and specific functionality are often more in the black hat realm of proxy use, so I won’t get into details. In general, it’s a great idea to get SOCKS and HTTPS proxies if you can because they are more secure. Your actions won’t be traced back to you, and Google bans them a lot less often because they are not as common.
This is another case of “Ask Your Provider” to find out why type of proxies they have on tap. Most that have SOCKS advertise that fact, but it’s not always the case with HTTPS. Usually, a provider will roll all three into a bundle and ask what kind you want when you sign up.
This is another great way to test IP processes to find the best ones that work, and at the least, you’ll have more options and security, which is never a bad thing.
Residential IPs Over Data Center IPs
One of the bigger conversations in the proxy world today is residential IPs vs. data center IPs. Residential IPs are the addresses your ISP provides you with. Datacenter IPs are usually what proxy providers have; they are large batches of IPs stored in a data center and are just waiting to be used.
Companies like Google can tell the difference between these two types of proxies. The theory goes that residential IPs are seen as human requests, while data center IPs are seen as bot requests.
This doesn’t mean that Google denies every single data center IP that tries to come through its door—hardly. But if you have 100 IPs all from the same subnet pinging Google too often, it will be quicker to ban and captcha you, which will stop your harvesting in its tracks.
And the ethics are a little sketchy at times, so be aware of that.
In Summary
Those are some solid steps on the path to finding the best proxy for your SEO application. I can’t recommend asking your provider enough. They are probably the most well versed in what will work, and what software is best on a day to day basis.
When in doubt, any elite private proxy will work better and longer than a free proxy.