Guides, Tutorials & Insights
Learn about residential proxies, web scraping, data collection strategies, and industry best practices from the Shifter team.
Geo-Targeted SERP APIs: The Secret Behind Accurate Local SEO Tracking
Local results change street by street, and most tracking gets them wrong the same way. Here is what geo-targeting granularity means and how to verify it.
Chris Collins · September 3, 2026 How SEO Platforms Use SERP APIs for Rank Tracking and Keyword Monitoring
If your product runs on search data, collection is a cost centre rather than a moat. Here is what SEO platforms buy, what they build, and where economics bite.
James Meadow · September 3, 2026 Residential Proxy Setup Checklist for Your First Project
Twelve checks, in order, from first request to a job you can leave running. Work down the list and you will avoid the mistakes that cost first-timers a month.
Matt Brown · September 2, 2026 Trademark Abuse Detection Without Getting Blocked
Trademark abuse hides in ads and listings that never surface from one location. Detection is the easy half; staying able to collect is the hard one.
James Meadow · September 2, 2026 Monitoring Unauthorized Sellers and MAP Violations at Scale
Both problems come from one dataset: who sells your products, where, and at what price. Here is how to collect it and act on it without drowning in noise.
James Meadow · September 2, 2026 How to Detect Counterfeit Listings Across Global Marketplaces
Counterfeits hide behind geography, not just keywords. Here is how to search marketplaces as a local buyer would and turn findings into usable evidence.
Matt Brown · September 2, 2026 Catching Cloaked and Geo-Targeted Ads Competitors Hide From You
Competitor ads you cannot see from your desk are not hidden by accident. Here is how cloaking and geo-targeting work, and how to see what real users are shown.
James Meadow · September 1, 2026 Verifying Ad Placements at Scale: A Playbook for AdTech Teams
A verification programme is a sampling strategy, an evidence standard, and an escalation path. Here is how to design all three so findings get acted on.
Matt Brown · September 1, 2026 How to Detect Ad Fraud Across 195+ Countries in Real Time
You cannot detect fraud from the dashboard reporting it. Detection means checking placements from real user vantage points, in every market, continuously.
James Meadow · September 1, 2026