Miscellaneous

Almost everything you'll ever need to know about running proxies is in the above 8 chapters. For everything else, you will need to try it out yourself. However, I am going to post a few Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below for those topics too small to address in an entire chapter. Also, please note that many answers depend on the type of proxy you want to run.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is domain parking?

Domain parking is when you take the files from one domain, and attach them to another. It will be like a mirror, where you will be able to view the exact same website under different domains. For example, if you have domain1.com and then park domain2.com to it, then by visiting domain2.com, you will see the exact same thing as by visiting domain1.com

Many people, including myself, use this with proxies to quickly and easy make an entire proxy network. It's a smart idea, being able to make a new proxy in a matter of seconds, and being able to edit all of your websites with one set of files. However, there are a few negatives.

First, if you wish to sell one of the domains, it will be hard to get statistics on it if you use something like Google Analytics (since it will be portraying statistics for ALL of the domains). Also, if you park, what happens on the addon domain happens on all, so you can't customize them individually.

I've also heard stories of Google AdSense banning parked proxies because of duplicate content. People solve this simply by using different templates on different proxies. However, I have yet to get banned because of this, and until so, I consider this a rumor only.

How necessary is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

There are two types of proxies: The 'quick, unblock filters, then get banned' type of proxy, or the 'established, anonymous, long term' type of proxy. If your proxy is dedicated to students that will use it to unblock filters, then don't bother. The proxy will probably get blocked in a month or so, and you won't get anywhere near the first or second or tenth page of Google by then.

If you plan on using domain parking, then don't bother with SEO. Google likes to ban domains with duplicate content (in other words your parked domain) from it's search engine.

If you plan on establishing your proxy, then yes, do SEO. In fact, my proxies get a lot of hits from search engines and at the same time are on page 250 or so. Now imagine how many hits you would get if you were on the first page. Now note that by then your proxy would be banned at most schools, so these proxies are more for free-speech advocates or people using them to stay anonymous or steer clear of viruses.

If you choose to do SEO on a proxy you don't expect to stay all that active longer than a few months, don't worry about off-page SEO. Use header tags and keywords where necessary on your pages, and keep it clean and validated. That's all the SEO advice that I can really give you.

Now, I have a proxy (http://www.guardtunnel.com) that I am trying to get to page 1 for the term 'unblock myspace'. Why is that? Well first, it will get me 1000s of hits of good traffic EVERY DAY, and somebody just sold their proxy that was #2 for 'unblock facebook' and got $1,400 for it.

However, BEWARE. Google randomly likes to take proxies out of it's index, regardless of duplicate content or not. So just be ready if your proxy suddenly disappears one day.

Should I use different templates for each of my proxies?

As I mentioned above, I have heard stories of sites getting banned for duplicate content if they have the same text and template. If you run a bunch of proxies with the same template, it is better to change the text. If you have a bunch of proxies with the same text, then change the template. It's all up to you, my proxies are parked, so they have the same template and domain.

Also , just a reminder, you MUST have at least SOME content on your proxies. Content allows ad networks to find relative ads, and it keeps it within the TOS. Just placing a form on a blank page with some ads is NOT allowed.

Does proxy traffic depend on the time and day?

Proxy traffic is extremely dependent on the time and day. If you look at logs, you will find that the most active time of day for proxies is from 10am – 3pm. This is generally when people are at work or school and have computer access, or are on their lunch break.

Also, you will notice a steep drop in traffic on weekends. It may not be as steep on Saturday (people have Saturday school/work), but Sunday is the all- time worst day for proxies. Don't expect more than a dollar or two.
Holidays, vacations, and breaks aren't the best time for proxies either, since people spend time at home or away. Summer vacation is a little different, since people are stuck in Summer school and still have jobs. However it is not as active as the school months.

Just remember this when you are buying payed promotion/newsletter blasts. The best time to advertise is either Sunday night or Monday morning, right before people start using proxies. Don't bother on Friday's or before breaks, it's a waste of money.

Oh no! Summer is coming...

Summer is that horrible time of year when school kids get their break and proxies become virtually useless, hits go from 5k to 30 in a matter of days. Earnings shoot down to almost nothing.
Most people tend to get rid of their proxies just like that, or sell them for ultra-low. I do NOT think you should do that.

There are still kids in summer school and adults at work, you just need to advertise more. Anyways, the summer is a great time to work on your SEO. That way, once school starts again, you will have great SERPs.

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