Pretty much everything we do today is, in a sense, personalized. The posts and ads we see on our social media feeds, recommendations we get from e-commerce shops, and even the shows and movies we stream daily are results of providers’ content personalization efforts. And there’s a reason for that—close to a third of the world’s consumers only engage with personalized messaging. But what is content personalization? And how can your company implement it? This post answers those questions and more.
Continue readingLocation-based marketing has always been a silent force behind today’s massive advertising campaigns. Stiffer competition in the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) spaces is pushing more companies, big or small, to take notice and see location dependent marketing as a necessity.
In a quest to vie for consumers’ elusive attention, marketing professionals are turning to location-based marketing techniques to maintain their edge. After all, the stakes are higher now—with social media and e-commerce’s rapidly expanding role in the big picture—therefore calling for innovative segmentation techniques.
Continue readingGeolocation is a broad term for technologies which allow businesses to pinpoint the physical location of any individual that interacts with their corporate network. It encompasses both the Global Positioning System (GPS) and IP address spaces, although this article focuses on the latter.
Virtually any industry can benefit from geolocation for various business requirements, primarily marketing and cybersecurity. This post discusses what users can expect and gain from IP Geolocation API.
Continue readingPhishing’s roots are traceable as far back as the early 90s when a group of hackers known as the “Warez Community” launched an attack against America Online (AOL) users. In what was dubbed one the first phishing attacks (if not the first), the perpetrators developed a program to come up with randomly generated credit card numbers so they could create fake AOL accounts. They then used these accounts to spam users and scammed them into giving out personal information.
Decades after, the threat remains in use for one simple reason—phishing does work. But like many attack types, it has since evolved to take on more sinister forms or work on any kind of communication device. Regardless of innovations, though, phishing is preventable with the help of IP geolocation tools like an IP Geolocation API or a IP Geolocation Database.
Continue readingThis year, experts expect the total global card loss to exceed $35 billion. As the number of card holders increases, so does the amount lost to fraudulent transactions. In 2019, for instance, for every $100 sale, almost $6 was lost to fraud. The losses stemmed from counterfeiting, card-not-present (CNP), fraudulent application, lost and stolen card, card-not-received, and other fraud categories.
Like most cybercrime forms, card fraud can be avoided with the help of technologies such as IP Geolocation API or IP Geolocation Database. We’ll discuss how in more detail later. First, let’s define carding, which accounts for much of the card fraud we have seen.
Continue readingWhile phishing is no longer a new thing, it remains a huge threat to organizations worldwide as these statistics show:
The data presented above are just some of the reasons why companies, regardless of size, need to stay protected from probably one of the oldest yet still active threats—phishing. This post features an oft-unused means by cybersecurity teams to effectively stop phishing threats—IP geolocation.
Continue readingIP geolocation is a crucial data point in the business sector. Knowing the location of website visitors and potential customers, for instance, allows organizations’ marketing teams to create targeted campaigns that are more effective than larger ones. Email and website content can be further personalized based on a target’s IP geolocation. Besides, IP geolocation data strengthens a company’s threat intelligence and cybersecurity programs.
While location-based targeting works well in marketing, advertising, cybersecurity, and other business processes, it also serves its purpose for cybercriminals. Location-based cyberattacks exist, too. In this post, we explored some of the ways that cybercriminals target users based on their location.
Continue readingCredit card fraud is the number 1 type of identity theft fraud, and we are facing some alarming statistics. In 2018 alone, $24.26 billion was lost due to this type of cybercrime, indicating an 18.4% increase from the previous year. And where do these fraudulent transactions take place? Mostly online. Some 81% of credit card fraud happens during “card not present” sales, so e-commerce and online shopping seem to be creating more opportunities for cybercriminals to perform evil acts. Fraudsters need only obtain a victim’s credit card number, thus evading detection.
Now, let’s talk about the billions of dollars lost due to credit card fraud. Who pays for this? In most cases, not the credit card holder. The federal laws of a majority of countries protect consumers from unauthorized credit card transactions. As a consequence, the terms of service of credit card companies conform to these laws. According to a study, credit card issuers incurred around $19 billion losses, while merchants incurred $8.64 billion, both due to credit card fraud.
Therefore, if you are a cybersecurity manager for an e-commerce company, your job is crucial. There is a need to beef up your company’s security to avoid losing a massive amount of money, and IP geolocation data could be beneficial. Here are five tactics that could help e-commerce merchants reduce credit card fraud.
Continue readingGlobalization has made the world a relatively small community. People no longer have to wait for weeks to hear from their friends living abroad. Buyers in various countries can now purchase once inaccessible brands and products in just a few taps. Information gets passed around in a matter of seconds.
Even so, localization can’t be ignored. Determining the location of website visitors is essential in ensuring the success of one’s business, and that is doable with IP Geolocation API. For cybersecurity, meanwhile, geolocation is of the utmost importance when tracking down cybercriminals.
Continue readingYou can find an e-commerce site for pretty much everything these days. It’s not surprising since shoppers with no time to go out and shop physically need access to whatever product or service is on their mind, and with no more than a few taps away on a keyboard.
So, to date, there are between 12 and 24 million e-commerce sites worldwide. And by 2040, studies predict that e-commerce sites will account for 95% of all purchases. That would mean even stiffer competition. And market players must therefore seek better strategies to get a good chunk of shoppers’ budget.
In response to the challenge, e-commerce website owners are endeavoring to go global. Instead of offering one size fits all products and services, though, they strive to customize or localize marketing campaigns for better customer satisfaction. They specifically employ e-commerce geolocation.
This post will give you more concrete ideas about using IP Geolocation API to bolster your e-commerce geotargeting strategies and consequently improve your bottom line.
Continue readingUsing geolocation in social media advertising has become more than just a temporary craze. An increasing number of companies are employing location-based advertising to improve the effectiveness of their campaigns. And they are not going to get disappointed as a study revealed that 8 out of 10 marketers found that location-based advertising and marketing led to growth in their customer base. They also saw significant improvements in other metrics such as response rate, customer engagement, and return on investment (ROI).
Furthermore, using geolocation-based data also enabled these companies to learn more about their customers. As a result, they can better adapt to customer needs and interests.
Continue readingWe’re living in an excellent time to grow a business. Thanks to all the marketing innovations at one’s disposal, newly-founded and scaling start-ups can augment their reach more than ever in a shorter time. What’s more, customers are social media- and e-commerce-savvy, as they check their smartphones almost all the time. It seems like an entrepreneur’s dream, right?
Not exactly so. Unfortunately, there are also reasons why starting and managing a business nowadays can be difficult. In fact, the competition is undoubtedly tighter now than it was then...
Continue readingAt present, website development is one of the most in-demand skills. There are more than 1.7 billion websites in January 2020, yet a report cited that there were only about 22.30 million developers in the world as of 2018. There could be a shortage, as these statistics already include an estimated 4.3 million nonprofessional developers. Even so, developers and those studying to become one can’t afford be complacent as the job requirements are no easy feat.
One fail-proof way to become a successful web developer, however, is to consider end-user experience. Sure, projects have specifications, but they may all not contribute to positive user experience, which eventually affects a website’s ranking. For instance, as many as 39% of users stop engaging with a website if it takes too long to load or its images don’t show.
Continue readingOur mission here at geo.ipify.org is to educate our clients on how they can make the best use of our software. Our clients often ask us as an IP intelligence provider for tips on how to implement IP geolocation technologies to attain specific goals. One question that we often get is concerned with geo redirection.
Geo redirection is a personalization technique wherein users see content that corresponds to their locations. It involves the use of location data, specifically, geolocation information derived from IP addresses.
Over the years, the need for geo redirection has become more significant as companies do their best to identify opportunities in new markets. Consumers tend to be more receptive to a brand that speaks their local language or offers them the choice to view location-based content.
This post provides site owners with insights into how to apply geo redirection from a marketing and web development perspective. We’ll also recap some best practices so that you can remain compliant with Google’s guidelines on redirects.
Continue readingGeo-based redirection is a much-debated subject in the realm of search engine optimization (SEO). The majority of experts see no problem with the practice; however, a small minority believe that geo-based redirection could lead to de-indexing and thus impact website rankings.
This post aims to clear up the confusion over these opposing views. Read on to learn more about Google’s advice on geo-based redirection (also known as “geolocation SEO”), as well as the search engine authority’s recommended best practices.
Continue readingAs the world turns into a global village because of the Internet and other technological innovations, it’s interesting to note that location data remains indispensable. In marketing, for instance, geographic market segmentation has always been effective in augmenting a company’s overall strategy, and we don’t see this changing anytime soon.
Knowing the location of their target market enables marketing professionals to start conversations, send personalized messages, and effectively build their companies’ brand image. In the 2018 Location-Based Marketing Report conducted by Lawless Research, marketers said they enjoyed the following advantages when they incorporated location data in their marketing tactics...
Continue readingGeotargeting and geofencing are two terms that entrepreneurs often come across when reading about location-based marketing. While both strategies sound similar, they require their own distinct tools and offer completely different outcomes.
In a nutshell, geotargeting is about personalizing content based on location, while geofencing is about triggering notifications as a mobile device and its user leave or enter a given area.
Here’s a detailed overview of geotargeting as opposed to geofencing so you can select the best option for your needs.
Continue readingTo say that geolocation marketing is at its peak would be an understatement. Marketing research firm eMarketer found that location-targeted ad budgets are expected to soar from US $26.5 billion this year to US $38.7 billion in 2020. As further proof of the rising influence of geolocation marketing, a separate study by Factual revealed that 8 out of 10 marketing professionals rely on location data for their campaigns.
Since its role in augmented reality (AR) and cybersecurity is growing, there is no doubt that geolocation should see a higher adoption rate in other industries as well. To support this statement, this post takes a closer look at what geolocation marketing is and how to implement it.
Continue readingWhen sales bottlenecks occur, possible reactions among marketers and sellers include overhauling their entire strategy or upgrading their customer relationship management (CRM) platform to the latest one. These are not the only ways to streamline a sales pipeline, in any case. Several things factor in, from pitch decks to store layouts. Another approach is geolocation, which could play a massive role in improving an organization’s sales performance.
With a cohesive geolocation marketing plan in place, professionals can study a specified location and its inhabitants at a more granular level to create personalized campaigns. Geolocation-fueled marketing also enables professionals to deliver just-in-time sales via clever pushes to finally convert a lead.
There are three main types of geolocation marketing, the first of which, geotargeting, is empowered by users’ IP addresses that can be tracked via an IP Geolocation API to improve current business strategies.
Continue readingLooking up a physical location given an IP address has many purposes. For marketing professionals, it aims to tailor-fit campaigns to customers. For cybersecurity professionals, it is meant to protect the integrity of their websites and businesses against cyber threats.
Continue readingIP geolocation technology has been in existence for more than a decade now. It has dramatically contributed to several industries, especially to marketing. Still, IP geolocation technology remains a mystery to most, particularly to marketing professionals who have yet to reap its benefits.
Continue readingIt has only been six years since beacons first made their way into the retail market, and we’re now seeing a more extensive array of applications for geolocation marketing technologies. Many geolocation marketing services have cropped up to cater to a continuously expanding segment, from subscription-based service providers to device manufacturers.
Despite the unprecedented growth in this space, the market enthusiasm doesn’t match the numbers. Data shows that retailers may not even know what to do with geolocation marketing technologies, or they might need to brush up on it.
According to a marketing automation software provider, more than half of retailers lack the know-how to provide personalized mobile shopping experiences for their store visitors. While 54% use apps, only 12-16% send out behavior-based push notifications. What’s worse, the average retailer scored only 5.5 out of 20 points in terms of maximizing app use.
If this sounds all too familiar to your organization, consider revamping your location-based marketing strategies with some tried-and-tested recommendations.
Continue readingIP geolocation refers to the mapping of an IP address based on a connected device’s geographical location at the time it accessed the Internet. Through this geographical mapping, anyone can pinpoint where a particular user was when he accessed a computer or file stored somewhere within a network for several reasons.
Continue readingAn IP address serves two principal functions. First, it helps with interface identification within a network of machines. In an internal network, a particular IP address corresponds to a connected computer or device. Second, it provides location information for a specific machine anywhere in the world. Every computer or device connected to the Internet has its own IP address.
Performing an IP address lookup means browsing through a massive database of identification numbers stored in an IP or a passive Domain Name System (DNS) database. Regardless of the method used, looking for bulk IP addresses provides users with exhaustive information about a domain’s web host and ISP within a specific network block.
Continue readingAn IP address serves two principal functions. First, it helps with interface identification within a network of machines. In an internal network, a particular IP address corresponds to a connected computer or device. Second, it provides location information for a specific machine anywhere in the world. Every computer or device connected to the Internet has its own IP address.
Performing an IP address lookup means browsing through a massive database of identification numbers stored in an IP or a passive Domain Name System (DNS) database. Regardless of the method used, looking for bulk IP addresses provides users with exhaustive information about a domain’s web host and ISP within a specific network block.
Continue readingThe internet brought an amazing benefit of bridging the gap between people and countries, making the virtual world feel almost like a reality. The sad thing, however, is that some people take advantage of this physical distance to steal from others. Spammers, phishers, cyber thieves and so on exploit the fact that it is difficult to keep an eye on an online activity or event. However, IP geolocation data can help businesses and organizations to understand the nature of an attack, curb the attack, and help with cyber investigations that may hold criminals accountable. IP-based geolocation is the most frequently used technique to track IP location and it works well for its intended purpose.
Continue readingIP addresses are the Internet's equivalent of postal addresses. Every device connected to the Internet has an IP address (and usually more than one).
First, you've got local IP addresses. These addresses are used to locate a device on a local network. Let's say you have a wireless router at home with three separate devices connected to it: a TV, laptop, and mobile phone. Each of these three devices would have a unique "local IP address" that your router would use to route information to and from these devices over the local network.
Next, you've got public IP addresses. These addresses are what connects a device to the public Internet and allow it to send and receive information all over the world. Public IP addresses are globally unique.
If you're trying to find the location of a device with a specific IP address, there are a few things you need to know.
Continue reading