One of the most important professions in the world now is online marketing. Digital advertising is the main source of revenue for two of the biggest websites in the world, Facebook and Google.
In 2020, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, earned $147 billion in advertising income, or more than 80% of its overall revenues. Meanwhile, 98% of Facebook’s revenue that year came from advertising.
Online marketing, in particular, is much more than just advertising. The marketing of websites and businesses crosses many different disciplines, including content and copywriting, social media administration, reporting, and analytics.
The success of online marketing depends on having access to as much data as possible, including personal information, browsing habits, location data, and more. Online marketing experts, however, face more and more challenges as more internet users take safeguards to protect their online privacy.
Above all, it is essential to grow and adapt when more modern approaches lose their effectiveness and new opportunities arise. VPNs (virtual private networks)
One element of your arsenal of online marketing tools that is commonly overlooked is a virtual private network (VPN). But it might undoubtedly be a very useful tool for online marketers. Read on to get a more thorough explanation of why online marketers need VPNs.
What Is A VPN?
By concealing your device’s IP address, VPN software secure your online connection. The software encrypts your data before sending it over secure networks to servers located in other states or other countries. By masking your online identity with a VPN, you may access the internet anonymously.
Types of VPN
VPN can be categorized into three main groups. The following list includes the three basic types of virtual private network services:
1. Remote Access VPN:
Businesses that provide employees with a secure internet connection so they may log in and work from home are the most prevalent example of a remote access VPN. The rising habit of working from home is helping to increase the adoption of this type of VPN.
Every organization aims to ensure the security of its systems and data as high as feasible. To guarantee this, they make sure that only individuals with the required access establish secure internet connections to their servers.
They implement remote access VPN as a result, creating the barrier necessary to safeguard the company’s data and enabling employees to operate uninterrupted by any network.
2. Personal VPN:
The use of VPN services is increasing as people become more aware of online security. The bulk of consumer-grade VPN services used today for secure internet connections is personal VPNs. They operate similarly to remote access VPNs.
The only change is that now, instead of connecting to your company’s secure server, you are connecting to the server of the virtual private network provider. By encrypting your data, a VPN safeguards your security and privacy while you browse.
Before use, the VPN service provider’s software must be downloaded and configured. Some free VPNs also provide these services, however, these VPNs are not particularly reliable.
3. Site-to-Site VPN:
Site-to-site VPN is described as a VPN that is specifically configured to connect two different intranets or distant places. These VPNs are generally used by big businesses with numerous regionally dispersed staff. Thanks to the VPN, which connects the intranet or local network of all these locations, the remote teams can communicate and share data over a secure internet connection.
Because it needs several resources and is challenging to set up, only major businesses opt to use this type of VPN connection. But they offer a highly safe working environment for the company.
How Does VPN Work?
One of the first applications for virtual private networks was put into practice in 1996 by software behemoth Microsoft, which created a special, secure link that let employees access company servers from a distance.
As soon as Silicon Valley saw the value of this process, other IT companies started to duplicate and adapt it to meet their needs. In the past ten years, the trend has expanded to include regular users who also want to protect their data. All IT firms quickly adopted VPN servers.
You frequently enter data into your web browser while you use it to browse the internet. Then, it informs your Internet service providers of these details (ISP). The proper servers then receive the request from the ISP and provide the necessary websites, which are then loaded into your web browser.
As a result, your online browser and ISP are constantly in contact with one another, and during this exchange, your personal information may regularly be sent to the ISP or the website you are visiting. You are additionally exposed to several harmful security threats in such an open connection.
The server acts as a mediator between you and the Internet service provider when you utilize a Virtual Private Network. Your web browser initially makes encrypted queries to the VPN server. The VPN server sends internet requests to the ISPs while concealing your IP address, browsing history, and more. Thus, the ISP could never trace web requests to their source.
Then we’ll return the needed information. After examining the data, the VPN server will prevent any security risks. It sends the data to your system’s web browser through a secure internet connection after that.
When you browse the internet, your system is specifically identified by its IP address. It follows that someone might discover you using this unique number. VPN services, however, are pretty good at obscuring your IP address.
Therefore, the identity of the IP address making a specific data request would never be known to the ISP. Because hackers or other organizations couldn’t snoop on you or record your surfing history, your web sessions would be safe, secure, and private.
Why Do Online Marketers Need a VPN?
Let’s look at some of the reasons online marketers might need a VPN:
1. Better usage of social media marketing
Globally, 3.5 billion people are said to utilize social media. This means that regardless of the kind of business you are in, social media is the ideal medium for reaching a specific audience.
Nowadays, businesses in almost every industry are starting to spend money on social media marketing. It is a useful tactic for interacting with potential customers and developing stronger relationships with them.
The vast majority of online marketers are not aware of the critical role a VPN can play in enhancing and securing their social media marketing. Let’s look into it!
Due to the abundance of information about you and your clients on social networking sites, hackers can access your account and take your personal information. A VPN connection, thankfully, offers a higher level of security. Because VPNs provide good encryption, hackers won’t be able to access crucial data about your clients.
VPNs also help you get out to your target demographic on social media. If your customer requires that you target an audience there, you can utilize a VPN service to connect to a server there. It will be easier to create social media marketing strategies that are acceptable if you are aware of the interests and preferences of their target audience.
2. Enhance local SEO
VPN technology is akin to social media marketing and can help you in your SEO efforts.
If your client’s target market is in a location entirely different from the one they are operating in, a VPN service can be quite beneficial in helping you better understand the demands of their audience.
To further understand it, let’s use an illustration. Even though their business is based in the United States, let’s imagine that your client wishes to market to India. How could you find out more about what their intended audience is looking forward to? A VPN may be helpful in this circumstance.
You can trick Google into believing you are based in India by connecting to an Indian VPN server. If you go about it this way, you’ll be able to use Google searches just like a local.
You will be able to adjust your marketing strategies as a consequence to meet the needs of your target market. You can also keep an eye on local competitors if you don’t have a platform that can do it for you.
3. Better remote working
If you’re an online marketer who frequently works from home, in coffee shops, libraries, or other public spaces, you must invest in a reliable VPN service.
While working remotely has numerous benefits for both businesses and people, there may also be some security risks.
When working remotely, you might regularly need to connect to unsecured public WiFi networks. These networks are accessible in places like cafes, restaurants, hotels, and public transportation.
Some marketers aren’t aware of the possible drawbacks associated with the ease of staying connected remotely.
Unsecured public Wi-Fi connections are the primary source of cybersecurity issues. Fortunately, using a reliable VPN service enables you to interact with customers and access crucial information without being concerned about security breaches.
Most clients nowadays who want to build a top-notch remote marketing team make sure that their staff is connected to them via a secure network.
4. Keeping an eye on competitors’ activity
The best way to improve your marketing outcomes is to keep an eye on the competitors.
As an online marketer, you must keep an eye on what your client’s competitors are doing. You can learn about potential backlink partners as well as their marketing strategies.
Additionally, by watching your competitors, you can rapidly find out about unhappy customers.
By using a VPN, you can covertly monitor your client’s competitors without letting them know that you are visiting their websites. You might give the impression that you are connected to a foreign IP address.
5. Anonymous downloading
The use of torrents has become more widespread. They are widely used to download copyrighted content, although they also have legal purposes.
Digital marketers typically require software and solutions to meet the expectations of their customers. However, because torrent trackers monitor your downloads, they can gather your crucial information. Furthermore, this crucial data may occasionally be sold to a third party.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent your vital data from falling into the wrong hands is to use a torrent through a reliable VPN provider.
6. Enabling geo-restriction services
As an online marketer, you may occasionally have to work remotely.
Regrettably, internet filtering has gotten worse in several parts of the world over the past few years. Fortunately, certain VPNs allow you to get around Netflix’s limitations and access geographically limited content.
By using a trustworthy VPN to connect to a server in the required country, you can unblock content.
7. Protection of private information
Everywhere in the world, cybercrime is on the rise. Hackers can quickly gain access to your network infrastructure because of unsecured WiFi and internet connections. Nowadays, obtaining your personal information may be easier for cybercriminals.
The best approach to safeguard your personal information from criminals that use devious tactics like IP-address masking and high-grade encryption techniques is by using a VPN.
The entire web session is encrypted when you use a VPN to browse the internet, making all of your data unreadable to cybercriminals.
8. Avoid bandwidth and data throttling
It should come as no surprise that Internet marketing needs a quick internet connection. Have you ever wondered why your internet occasionally lags?
Well, broadband throttling might be to blame in some cases. The deliberate slowing down of available bandwidth is known as bandwidth throttling.
At this point, you might be wondering who would benefit from bandwidth throttling. However, businesses located between you and your website destination might benefit from it. Your ISP might, for example, restrict your access to the internet during specific times of the day to reduce network congestion.
They won’t need to purchase more equipment to handle traffic surges because they won’t need to analyze as much data at once.
However, a VPN could be able to help you escape this predicament. Your traffic moves via a less crowded private network when you choose to use a VPN rather than a third-party ISP. You can avoid problems like bandwidth throttling since your data selects a less busy route.
In addition to preventing bandwidth restriction, a VPN also helps prevent data throttling. VPNs will encrypt the internet traffic on your device, making it impossible for anyone on the network to see what you’re doing online. Your internet service provider won’t be able to anticipate when to slow down your internet if you hide your online behavior.
Features of VPN Service
Now that you are sure that a VPN is necessary, it is critical to identify the elements you should consider when choosing a VPN connection. Although there are numerous reliable companies on the market, they offer a variety of services at various price points. You can decide which one suits you the most using the information below:
- Security Highlights:
Since security is the apparent factor influencing your decision to use a VPN, you must ensure that it has all the required security features. Look for features like no-log generation, hidden anonymity policies, and other simple but essential protection measures like IP masking and kill switches to make sure your actions are safe and secure.
- Amount of Servers:
A group of several servers is referred to as a “VPN Server.” The capacity of a VPN provider is directly impacted by the number of servers it has. It is wise to look at the number of servers the VPN provider provides because more servers equal higher bandwidth and performance.
- Servers Location
Along with the number of servers, it is also important to find out where they are. If you used a VPN, you would desire the flexibility to go to almost any place in the globe. This is essential if you want to bypass geo-based filtering or access content from other regions. If you want a VPN for other uses, the server location also needs to be close to you for simpler access.
- Authentic encryption
The primary purpose of a VPN is encryption, and without reliable encryption technology, even the fastest speeds offered for free won’t be useful. Although it can be challenging to comprehend the encryption techniques employed by VPN service providers, you can still decide which is better. You can then use the right encryption measures to safeguard your privacy and stop identity tracking based on your usage and requirements.
- Universally accessible
Once you start using a VPN, you start to think it works everywhere. Unfortunately, this is in no way the case. Numerous VPNs are blocked in different regions of the world. The significance of this issue will grow if you frequently travel and use VPNs abroad. Check to see where a VPN provider isn’t available to make sure you don’t end up with a VPN that is also blocked.
- Permission for Static IP:
Some tools and programs, meanwhile, do require a static IP, thus not all users will need one. A VPN frequently assigns a dynamic IP that is ever-changing depending on the place or time. You should always choose a VPN service that offers a static IP because you never know when you’ll need one.
- Browsing Speed:
Along with security, you would expect speed from your VPN service provider. It is incorrect that slower VPNs offer more security. With a solid VPN, you might be able to have both: extreme security and super-fast speed. The encryption technique, the number of servers offered by the service provider, and other factors affect speed. Usually, a VPN’s speed becomes what sets it apart from the competition.
- Ease of Use:
The only persons who previously used VPN services were those who were extremely technical. However, common consumers now make use of VPNs. The VPN program must be straightforward to install and use. A VPN service that is too complex and leaves you baffled while attempting to use it is not something you would want to sign up for.
- Technical Support:
Any internet service, whether a VPN or another one, must have robust and dependable technical support. Whether you like it or not, there is a chance that you could become stuck somewhere and need help. VPN users should assess if their VPN provider provides live chat, phone help, or just email support with a slow response time.
- Pricing & Subscription Models:
The final and most important criterion is a VPN’s cost. Even though many VPNs on the market tout their free services, these free VPNs are typically unreliable or painfully slow. They can steal your information rather than provide you with free VPNs.
Pros And Cons Of Using A VPN
In case you’re still unsure, here is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of using a VPN for online marketing.
Pros
- increased internet security
- safe remote access
- safely transferring data between networks
- Travel without being censored
Cons
- maybe expensive slow internet connections
- VPN configuration and management by a dedicated resource
Conclusion: What Is A VPN?
So how effective are VPNs?
One of the best things about working in online marketing is that there is always more to learn. Someone in this position is extremely unlikely to learn or discover the best way to complete any task and then repeat it every day.
As new strategies and technologies are continually being developed, those who adapt and take full use of the new chances offered can boast ongoing success.
The best time to start preparing is now before VPNs become as popular as antivirus software. It doesn’t necessarily guarantee that something will be successful in the future just because it was in the past. By maximizing the benefits and conquering the challenges, the top marketing experts continue to set themselves apart from the competition.