Todd Nesnick
Google has been identifying and tracking IP addresses to extract users’ geolocations to localize its search engine results for a long time. An IP address, also known as Internet Protocol, identifies your electronic devices on the internet, just like your home or office address. IP addresses are unique and different for every device that you use. Wherever you go online to interact or share information with someone, you are identified by the internet through your IP address.
Using a residential proxy is smart to switch from your IP address to another and keep your identity protected on the internet. Click here to learn about effective residential proxies offering unlimited connections with no setup fees. This article will shed light on how IP addresses work and how Google uses them for geopositioning on websites.
Defining IP Address
Before surfing the internet, various devices require a unique identifier such as an IP address. An internet protocol is a set of rules that permits data transfer between devices on a network. Therefore, IP addresses are not random numbers as they are mathematically allotted numbers by various internet authorities. Google takes full advantage of IP addresses and provides localized results for online traffic.
IP addresses determine the location of the users on the internet, making the process of geolocalization extremely smooth. Geolocalization estimates the device’s exact location with the help of Satellite navigation and the IP addresses of the electronic devices. There are four different types of IP addresses that help make devices identifiable on the internet:
- Private
- Public
- Static
- Dynamic
IP addresses can further allow a smooth transfer of information on the internet. Moreover, your IP address can be used to identify your city, postal code, latitude, longitude, and Internet Service Provider (ISP). As beneficial IP addresses are for platforms like Google, many individuals view this as a security concern. Many users wish to keep their location on the internet protected, and they can do so by using the residential proxy to conceal their identity. These proxies safeguard users on the internet and help them change their location with more than 195 options.
How the Internet Works
The internet runs on open standards that allow every network to connect with every other network. The global internet consists of many interconnected networks run by service providers, private companies, governments, and other institutions. IP is used by the devices to identify themselves and send data on the internet. Internet protocol enables reliable and continuous transmission of information in messages among users on the internet. The good thing about this transmission of data via IP address is that this process happens regardless of the location of the type of electronic device.
An ISP helps your device to connect to the internet. This connection can be at your home or your office. Once you are connected, ISP issues your device an IP address that works as an identifier. The information searched on the web is tracked back to you through this 32-bit number known as an IP address.
What is IP Address Geolocation
The mapping of an IP address to the physical and geographical location of the internet from the electronic device is known as IP address geolocation. The process provides you with the exact information about the user’s location. Information includes country, state, ISP, area code, etc. This is mainly used to deduce the user’s location and present them with more localized and personalized products or services.
Google uses IP addresses in almost everything. They use it for building data centers, enabling their engineers to make products like Maps or Search, getting YouTube videos, and a lot more. These websites and apps are localized automatically as soon as you search from your internet connection.
Geolocation services have access to various databases that provide information to locate an individual’s IP address. Data extracted for these services vary from database to database. This is a common issue due to the difference in database records. If you face this issue, you can get it fixed by requesting a correction for a record.
Software like Tamo-Soft, IPinfo, DB-IP, and IPligence assist you in obtaining geopositioning information from various databases. Some of them also provide free web services to analyze the IP-based positioning of users on a website. The information obtained from these vendors can be beneficial to localize the traffic automatically.
Conclusion
Using IP addresses to collect data about a user’s precise location has proved effective. That is why platforms like Google and other websites use IP addresses to localize the content and view the global traffic inflow. This enhances the search results and makes the internet experience more personalized. Geolocation has made the transmission data smooth for the users and provided ease to web servers to monitor and target their audience. To avail these perks of geopositioning, start using the residential proxy and enjoy unlimited connections.