Are you wondering how accurate is IP address location? This actually depends on several factors, such as the connection, use of VPNs, and more. By the end of this article, you’ll understand how much you can trust the quality of the IP address data.
Marketers need to understand if they can trust data to ensure they create the right advertising messages. Incorrect IP addresses can be the cause of low marketing conversion rates. Hence, you should take steps to improve the accuracy of IP geolocation to get the best results.
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Can IP Address Location Be Wrong?
Yes, the IP address location can be wrong for reasons like the use of VPNs and dynamic IP addresses. Therefore, you cannot completely trust the accuracy of IP addresses with geolocation marketing. Here’s a summary of the answer to the question, “Can IP address location be wrong?”:
- Dynamic IP address: Many Internet service providers (ISPs) use dynamic IP addresses. This means that the IP address assigned to a user can change periodically. This can lead to outdated location information if the IP address has recently changed.
- VPNs and proxies: When users employ virtual private networks (VPNs) or proxy servers, their apparent IP address can be from a different location. The actual user may be from a different country than what the IP address suggests. Targeting these users is a waste of money, and it’s something you need to avoid.
- Mobile networks: Mobile network providers often route traffic through centralized data centers. These can be far from the user’s actual location, which results in inaccurate geolocation data.
- IP geolocation databases: The accuracy of IP geolocation technology depends on the database you use. These databases may not update frequently or accurately enough, leading to incorrect location data, which can reduce the accuracy of your geolocation marketing efforts.
- Shared IP Addresses: An IP address can have an association with a central location rather than the individual user’s actual location. This happens when multiple users share the same IP address, such as in corporate networks or through certain ISPs. Therefore, you’ll have a harder time pinpointing the physical location of your target audience.
Is an IP Address Based on Location or Device?
The IP address is based on your location and device. As you move through a country and access different devices, your IP address will differ.
You can check for yourself by using an IP lookup tool to monitor how the IP changes as you change the connection.
Furthermore, it’s possible to instantly change your IP address with the help of a VPN service.
How to Geolocate IP Addresses
You can geolocate IP addresses by using an IP lookup tool, and there are many available online. IP lookup tools are essential for various applications, which include marketing. Therefore, it’s ideal for businesses when trying to launch a location-based marketing campaign.
Here are the key features and benefits of IP lookup tools:
- Geolocation data: These tools provide geolocation data such as the country, city, and region. Furthermore, you may get the latitude and longitude coordinates for more accurate location mapping. Finally, you’ll get info about the user’s time zone, which is ideal when foraging out the right time to send marketing messages.
- ISP and organization info: The IP lookup tool can uncover the internet service providers and organizations that are connecting. However, the organization info isn’t always available since it depends on what you share with the ISP.
- Connection details: You can also learn a lot about the connection details of the person you want to look up the IP for. You can uncover the connection type, which might be broadband, dial-up, or mobile. This information can help you segment your geo-targeted ads to optimize your approach.
- Historical data: A good quality IP lookup tool also gives you information about past locations and IP changes. This can help you get more information about users with static IP addresses. For some marketers, access to historical data can make marketing messages more relevant.
- Security insights: The tool may identify whether the IP address links with malicious activities, such as spam or cyber-attacks. You can remove these from your marketing efforts. Furthermore, the tools determine if the IP address is from a known proxy or VPN. It makes sense to avoid these IPs since the user’s true location is likely to be far away.
5 Best Practices for Improving IP Address Location Accuracy
Do you want to improve the accuracy of your IP address location targeting? It is important when marketing products to ensure that you send marketing messages to the correct devices.
Otherwise, you’ll waste a lot of funds on sending ads to users who have no interest in your offers. Continue reading for the top strategies you can implement to get accurate geolocation information.
1. Use Multiple Geolocation Services
Don’t fully trust the IP location data of a specific service? Then, you can combine the data of several services to increase the accuracy. You can take the average location data of several services to get a better end result.
This strategy is one of the more costly since you’ll need to buy more than one piece of software.
However, when choosing geolocation services, you’ll need to take into account the review and reputation. Previous customers can provide insight into the accuracy you can expect. Keep this in mind when you want to learn how accurate is an IP address location.
2. Incorporate User Input
Provide an option for your audience to add the exact location manually. This will arguably offer the most accurate location that you can use to send marketing offers. However, don’t rely on manual input since most users will ignore the feature.
You’ll need to make the feature easily accessible to increase the likelihood of people entering their IP addresses. You can also educate users on how to look up their IP addresses to increase accuracy.
Finally, you can share the benefits of adding the correct IP address for the end user. This includes receiving more relevant marketing messages.
3. Leverage Hybrid Location Services
You can take advantage of services that leverage other data to improve the geographical location of your users.
Examples of this data include cell tower triangulation, Wi-Fi, and GPS. However, the location data must be available at the device level.
Furthermore, you’ll need to transparently communicate with end users about the location tracking services you use. Most customers will not mind if you use the data ethically to improve marketing relevance.
4. Monitor and Adapt to Changes
Monitor for changes in IP address allocations, regional policies, and technological shifts that might affect geolocation accuracy. Furthermore, you’ll need to adapt your strategies accordingly to constantly optimize your approach.
Also, keep an eye on the strategies your competitors use to improve IP address accuracy. When learning how accurate are IP addresses, the competition can be a source of valuable information.
5. Regularly Validate IP Data
Periodically validate your IP address data against known benchmarks or verified user locations. This ensures that you improve the quality of the accuracy and maintain a trustworthy log of customer locations. This can help identify and correct inaccuracies in your database.
Most good-quality IP geolocation tools regularly update the user location to improve accuracy. Make sure to inspect the frequency at which your IP geolocation tool updates IP addresses. This contributes to the overall accuracy of the user location.
How Accurate Is IP Address Location?
The accuracy of your IP address location data is vital to ensure you make the right conclusions. For example, marketers need accurate data to ensure they send relevant messages at the right time.
However, some amount of accuracy is inevitable as IP geolocation technologies aren’t perfect.
When learning how accurate is IP address location, you need to develop strategies to improve accuracy. Use the strategies in this article to get the best results for your use case. However, you can turn the odds of success with a top-tier service for generating accurate locations.
With that thought in mind, consider using geoPlugin for all of your IP geolocation needs. We are a trusted service that has a long list of satisfied customers.
We also support a variety of programming languages when interfacing with our API. So what are you waiting for? Sign up today to check out geoPlugin for yourself.
