What is a Google Proxy Server?
A Google proxy server is a computer that provides you with an IP that is suitable to be used for Google’s infrastructure. It can be used for a variety of purposes, including Google’s SERP scraping and creating multiple accounts on the platform. Normally, the most reliable Google proxy is a residential IP of a real internet user, which will be hassle-free in use and won’t raise red flags by Google’s sophisticated antibot system. We will dive into details of how you can use residential proxies with Google later, but for now, you need to know that essentially, there are two types of approaches to Google related scraping: one that involve single-time access and another that involves multiple time access (via proxies with a special rotating mechanism, so-called datacenter rotating proxies or residential rotating proxies, depending on the quality of the proxies).
When Should You Use Google Proxies?
If we consider the most common use cases for Google proxies, we will find the following:
Bypassing geographical hurdles. If you care about viewing and analyzing localized search results, you will greatly benefit from the use of Google proxies. With such IPs, you will overcome the geo-restrictions that Google imposes on some locations.
Web scraping and data harvesting. Market researchers use Google proxies to scrape information from the Google SERP. They help them harvest tons of data from Google’s output in order to make educated decisions about the competition.
SERP monitoring. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experts greatly benefit from studying Google SERP using dedicated proxies for Google. They allow them to track the rankings, monitor keyword performance, and analyze the SEO strategies of competitors. You can mimic the organic searches using proxies from various locations and collect valuable data based on the search results.
Ad verification. This area is very dependent on Google proxies. You can use servers to verify the placement of ads and their visibility. This is done by simulating browsing from various locations to verify if your ads are displayed correctly.
Types of Google Proxies
The regular bunch of proxies that you can use with Google includes datacenter, residential, and mobile proxies. Below, we will give you detailed instructions on when to use each type of proxy with Google.
Residential proxies with Google
When talking about Google proxies, you will hear about residential proxies in the first place. These IPs come from real internet users, as they are assigned by ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and delivered to you by your proxy provider.
The use cases for residential proxies for Google include the following:
SEO monitoring. You can study your competitors by analyzing the SSERP of Google with residential proxies. Such monitoring is very accurate since Google is fooled into serving real people with real IPs.
Botting. You can power your bot with a residential proxy and use it to automate your purchases online.
Social Media Management. If your social media activity raises red flags, with residential proxies, you will most likely get rid of this problem.
Datacenter Proxies with Google
Datacenter proxies are generated by data centers. They do not come from ISPs and do not appear like regular users. The following are the most common use cases for datacenter proxies:
Web scraping. Web scraping would be the first choice as a use case for datacenter IPs. The advantages of datacenter proxies over residential IPs are their speed and cost-effectiveness. Most scrapers use datacenter IPs with special rotation mechanisms, which allow the user to use a new IP on each session for accessing the target website.
Ad verification. You can use datacenter IPs for ad verification, just like residential proxies. Only in this case your speed will be much higher; however, the accuracy will entirely depend on the quality of the IPs.
Price comparison. If you want to learn more about your competition in terms of their pricing policy, you can use datacenter proxies to study e-commerce sites and collect valuable data.
Mobile Google Proxies
Mobile proxies, or mobile IPs are sourced from real mobile phone users and originally come from mobile providers. They have a high level of authenticity, meaning that they have a very low level of probability of being detected by Google’s anti-detect systems.
App testing. You can use mobile proxies for testing mobile apps from various geographical locations while overcoming the geo hurdles of Google.
Mobile ad verification. If you need to see how your ad appears in various locations on online platforms, you need Google proxies. This is done in order to make sure your ads appear correctly in various regions.
Location-specific Google services. With mobile Google proxies, you will be able to access location-based services of Google while overcoming the restrictions of Google’s antibot systems.
Residential Rotating Google Proxies vs. Static Residential Google Proxies
Sometimes it makes sense to use Google proxies with a special rotating mechanism that will allow you to change your IP on each connection. This alone will drastically improve the chances of overriding Google’s protection mechanism.
Each Google proxy provider produces a proprietary rotation mechanism for its proxies. The idea is simple: you want to improve your chances of scraping Google’s SERP without being blocked.
Of course, you can use single IPs (static residential proxies for Google), but you will need to swap them in case Google detects and blocks your IP.
Benefits of Using Google Proxies
The benefits that Google proxies bring to the user are obvious. You need them to overcome the geo-restrictions that Google imposes. You can use a rotation mechanism like we said before in order to increase your chances of success while scraping Google’s SERP for tracking your competition, for ad verification, and for a variety of other purposes related to Google services.
Choosing the Right Google Proxies
The following are the factors you need to consider while choosing the right Google proxy for your project:
Proxy speed and reliability. A good Google proxy provider will always supply you with the information on the performance of its proxies. Premium private proxies for Google will have high speed for uninterrupted scraping of SERP.
Proxy pool diversity. Again, a good provider will give you a good pool of proxies to choose from. Efficient providers have a lot of Google proxies at their disposal to make sure that you don’t run out of IPs.
Pricing and mission scalability. A regular pricing policy of a proxy provider would be as follows: you get a selected bunch of IPs for free for trial to establish project fit, and later you commit your budget to buying several proxies from a select pool. Later, as your mission grows, you upgrade your plan with more IPs (you can even go with customized plans with thousands of IPs and a rotating mechanism) and proceed with your Google scraping.
Tech support of Google proxies. A good provider will never leave you alone in the dark. We always secure a dedicated account manager with each client who will respond to your needs virtually momentarily. It is our top priority to get your mission without any hiccups or red flags. For that, we are ready to go the extra mile to make sure you are satisfied with our IPs and their performance.
Google Proxies Most Common Use Cases
As we mentioned in this article several times, Google proxies are used for all Google related services from the perspective of using its valuable services for business analytics.
You definitely need Google proxies if you do the following:
Organize multiple Google accounts. Google proxies allow creating multiple accounts for operating Google services without getting blocked.
Web scrape Google SERP. Analysts need to gather data from Google’s SERP because it is highly valuable for making business decisions. Scraping Google’s SERP regularly requires special software – a bot – which needs to be powered by a Google proxy in order to avoid detection by Google.
Need to proceed with ad verification. If you need to have a clear idea about how your ads appear in a remote region, you will need to use Google’s SERP from the location where your ad appears. Google proxies can help you with that. With Google IPs, you can view ads on Google as though they were shown to you in the location of the target audience.
Setting Up and Configuring Google Proxies
Setting up proxies for Google is a rather simple and straight-forward process. Here is a step-by-step guide that is meant to help you configure your private proxy for Google, depending on your machine configuration.
First, you will need to choose a proxy provider to source high-quality Google proxies. Once you buy your IPs, you will have access to your proxy dashboard, where you will be able to obtain your proxy credentials. Normally, such information will include proxy IP, port number, and authorization details (username and password). This information will be needed in the following steps of the setup process.
Setting up Google Proxies on Windows Machine
In order to start your Google proxy setup process on a Windows machine, find “Proxy Settings” in the Windows search bar first.
Open “Proxy Settings” to choose from Automatic or Manual proxy setup.
The first option will let you detect your proxy settings automatically. And if you have a specific IP and port number, you need to select the Manual setup.
For the Automatic mode, you need to choose “Use setup script”, enter the script address, and click Save.
For the Manual mode, enter your server address and port number. At this stage, you can also select websites that do not require proxies for access. Check “Don’t use the proxy server for local addresses” checkbox if you do not want to use your proxy on local addresses. Click Save to save the settings.
Setting up Google Proxies on a Mac
To set up your proxy on a Mac, click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen. Then select “System Preferences”. In the Preferences find “Network”. Go to advanced settings by clicking “Advanced”. Make sure you have your wifi connection active.
In the Advanced settings go to Proxies tab. Choose your proxy protocol from the dropdown list. Consult your provider if in doubt. Enable the “Secure Web Proxy” option. Fill out the proxy credentials (Proxy Server Address and Port Number) as supplied by your proxy provider. Click OK to save your proxy configuration.
Setting up Google Proxies on the iPhone
Setting up a proxy on the iPhone is also done in Automatic or Manual modes.
The proxy setup process on the iPhone starts by going to your settings and choosing the “Wi-Fi” option. Select your current wifi network from the list of available networks. Then choose “Configure Proxy” and go to “Auto” of “Manual” depending on your proxy setup strategy.
If you choose “Auto”, your iPhone will automatically check if a proxy is required for the current network. If no proxy is required, it will not be used. If you insist on using a proxy in automatic mode, you need an automatic configuration script that comes as a .PAC file from your proxy provider.
For the “Manual” mode, you need to input your proxy credentials in the respective fields. Here, you can fill in your proxy IP, port number, and authentication details (username and password).
Setting up Google Proxies on an Android Phone
For an Android phone, you need to go to the Settings app, click “Mobile Network” and select “Access Point Names” (or “APNs”).
Choose the APN you want to change your proxy settings for and fill out the “Proxy” and “Port” fields. Click “Save” to save your proxy settings.
