VPN (Virtual Private Network) services are used around the world by Internet users who want to protect their privacy and access websites that are blocked in their country of residence due to legal or licensing issues. However, did you know that you can use VPN services to improve your SEO endeavors as well?
Following are some reasons why even the best free VPN’s will give you more accurate SERP results than regular searches alone:
1. Correct Search Engine Results for Different Countries
When you search a particular phrase on a search engine like Google Search, then it displays the results based on your location. Take for instance if your location is Canada. When searching “best pottery courses”, you will get the links of professionals, in relation to your specific geographic location, who give these courses. Remember, most search engines firstly provide location-based results.
If you want to target the markets in different countries, understanding the importance of local SEO is absolutely crucial. Without a VPN you will not see the proper research results from the target country in the SERP results from your home country. To see the exact results that your prospects see when they search with different phrases online from their respective locations, then you have to use a VPN service. This is because only with a VPN service, you can access the websites through servers in different countries and get search engine results that are provided to the users in these locations rather than your actual physical location.
2. Staying Off Your Competitor’s Radar
As an SEO expert, it’s your job to keep a close watch on your competition. This means that you should do competitor research and frequently visit the websites of your rivals to study the keywords and marketing techniques that they are using. However, you may not want them to know that- something which is hard to do as your IP address is visible to them when you visit their websites. This problem can also be solved by using a VPN as that can hide your actual IP address and allow you to study your competition without revealing your identity. Additionally, looking at competitors from a local level can perhaps give them “SEO juice” in the SERP; avoid this by viewing them from “afar”.
3. Accuracy in Google Ad Preview
If you know the fundamentals of PPC marketing, then you know that Google Ad Preview is a nifty tool that allows you to monitor and strategize PPC advertisements by simulating searches for keywords in different locations. However, the tool isn’t 100% accurate and you may get the organic rankings in the wrong order.
If you want accurate organic and paid PPC results, then the best way to do that is to use a VPN tool. Only then you can see the results in the correct/actual/natural order.
As you can see, using a VPN has many advantages for digital marketers and SEO professionals. If you are not yet using a reliable VPN service, then you should seriously consider how it might influence real-time decisions as well as improve your SEO campaigns.