What is IP filtering and how it works?
Every computer which is connected to the Internet is assigned an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which is more or less a unique identity of the computer (or the computer network). The IP address is a combination of numbers and the numbers are assigned in blocks of numbers per country. Currently there are approximately 2.8 billion IP addresses in use.
Through the IP address it is therefore possible to determine the country (and other location data) of your visitors.
By using an IP filtering service you can allow or block your visitors based on several methods (Country filtering, custom IP filtering, proxy handling, advanced filtering). For instance if you want - for some reason - that only US visitors can reach your website (i.e. you only ship to US), then you have to check the IP address of each visitor and lookup their country in the IP - Country database.
TrafficCleaner simplifies IP filtering as:
Through the IP address it is therefore possible to determine the country (and other location data) of your visitors.
By using an IP filtering service you can allow or block your visitors based on several methods (Country filtering, custom IP filtering, proxy handling, advanced filtering). For instance if you want - for some reason - that only US visitors can reach your website (i.e. you only ship to US), then you have to check the IP address of each visitor and lookup their country in the IP - Country database.
TrafficCleaner simplifies IP filtering as:
- you don't need to install any software on your server
- you don't need to install any database on your server
- you don't need to update an IP database (TrafficCleaner IP database is continuously updated and refreshed for you!)
- you don't need to harmonize with any technical requirements
How it works?
You signup for a FREE TrafficCleaner account.
Login to your account and define your settings.
• Custom IP filtering: You can create your own block and white lists of IP addresses. IP addresses placed on these lists will always be blocked (for block list) or allowed (for white list), when they enter your site.
• Country - IP filtering: You can set which countries you want to block/allow. Visitors will be blocked/allowed to visit/browse your site based on your „Country IP filtering settings”.
• Proxy detection: due to increased usage of proxy servers by fraudsters, we allow you to define how you want to handle proxy servers.
• Advanced IP checking: is for experienced webmasters and developers. Your website forwards the visitors' IP address to our server and our server will reply with the location (Country, Region, City, Longitude, Latitude) and technical (blacklist, whitelist status) data of the IP address.
• Custom IP filtering: You can create your own block and white lists of IP addresses. IP addresses placed on these lists will always be blocked (for block list) or allowed (for white list), when they enter your site.
• Country - IP filtering: You can set which countries you want to block/allow. Visitors will be blocked/allowed to visit/browse your site based on your „Country IP filtering settings”.
• Proxy detection: due to increased usage of proxy servers by fraudsters, we allow you to define how you want to handle proxy servers.
• Advanced IP checking: is for experienced webmasters and developers. Your website forwards the visitors' IP address to our server and our server will reply with the location (Country, Region, City, Longitude, Latitude) and technical (blacklist, whitelist status) data of the IP address.
Place a simple html code into your pages.
From now on, when someone visits your website, his IP address will be checked (based on your filter settings). If the visitor is allowed, then nothing will happen and he can browse your website normally. But if his IP address is NOT allowed, then the visitor will be forwarded to the alternative URL you have defined in your settings, even before your original website is loaded. Through this technique, the NOT allowed visitor will not be surprised, as he will not even notice any abnormal browsing experience.
We also provide advanced IP checking for experienced webmasters and developers. Your website forwards the visitors' IP address to our server and our server will reply with the location (Country, Region, City) and technical (date added, proxy detection, blacklist status) data of the IP address.
From now on, when someone visits your website, his IP address will be checked (based on your filter settings). If the visitor is allowed, then nothing will happen and he can browse your website normally. But if his IP address is NOT allowed, then the visitor will be forwarded to the alternative URL you have defined in your settings, even before your original website is loaded. Through this technique, the NOT allowed visitor will not be surprised, as he will not even notice any abnormal browsing experience.
We also provide advanced IP checking for experienced webmasters and developers. Your website forwards the visitors' IP address to our server and our server will reply with the location (Country, Region, City) and technical (date added, proxy detection, blacklist status) data of the IP address.
Why is TrafficCleaner triple search engines safe?
TrafficCleaner handles the search engines issue very importantly.
First of all, the code you will have to paste into your website(s) is a simple html code and has no influence or whatsoever on "spidering". The code does NOT contain any elements (i.e. redirecting) that may be considered "dangerous" from a search engines optimization point of view.
Further, we use an IFrame technique to check your visitors IP addresses. This technique ensures that the IP checking happens directly on your site (the visitor does not leave your site!).
Thirdly, TrafficCleaner never filters search engines, regardless of your "Filter settings". No matter from which country a search engine spider visits your site, TrafficCleaner will not interfere/disturb the spider crawling your site. To ensure this we use a double checking technique to identify search engines: first the IP address is checked, then the user-agent field is checked too, thus allowing to accurately determine if the visitor is a search engine or not.
First of all, the code you will have to paste into your website(s) is a simple html code and has no influence or whatsoever on "spidering". The code does NOT contain any elements (i.e. redirecting) that may be considered "dangerous" from a search engines optimization point of view.
Further, we use an IFrame technique to check your visitors IP addresses. This technique ensures that the IP checking happens directly on your site (the visitor does not leave your site!).
Thirdly, TrafficCleaner never filters search engines, regardless of your "Filter settings". No matter from which country a search engine spider visits your site, TrafficCleaner will not interfere/disturb the spider crawling your site. To ensure this we use a double checking technique to identify search engines: first the IP address is checked, then the user-agent field is checked too, thus allowing to accurately determine if the visitor is a search engine or not.
Achieve higher fraud protection
The probably most prominent reason for filtering visitors when they enter your site is that IP filtering is the first level and the most efficient way to fight against frauds. Especially if you are selling goods, services or memberships, you know how much hassle and/or harm spam e-mails or even worst, credit card frauds, can bring to you. Unfortunately some countries are known about being a real pain about these issues. With TrafficCleaner you can easily block these countries and avoid visitors to even land on you site, thus achieving a higher fraud protection.
Other applications of IP filtering are:
Cut down your costs
More visitors to your site do not always mean more sales, BUT always mean more costs! It can be exactly tracked and analyzed how much money a visitor costs to you (every visitor uses server resources, bandwidth, etc. - no matter if they are potential buyers/clients or not).
Now ask a simple question to yourself? How much business have you made so far with customers from Nigeria, etc.? Probably NONE! So why should you continue receiving visitors from country you know will never bring you business or you just do not want to do business with? Through TrafficCleaner you can control the traffic and save costs, which means enhance profits!
Now ask a simple question to yourself? How much business have you made so far with customers from Nigeria, etc.? Probably NONE! So why should you continue receiving visitors from country you know will never bring you business or you just do not want to do business with? Through TrafficCleaner you can control the traffic and save costs, which means enhance profits!
Enhance your profits
Can you believe that you can make money with the traffic coming from countries you do not want on your site? Simply forward the filtered NOT allowed traffic to a separate page which contains pay per click advertisements (simple html page you have created previously). You will be paid for every click through on one of the placed advertisements and you won't even have to feel bad about it, because the advertisers opted for receiving traffic from the countries you apparently blocked.
Make your server run faster (without upgrading)!
If you server is not fast enough, you can lose visitors and sales. It is a proven fact that a visitor waits an average max. 5 seconds for a website to load. If he keeps seeing a blank page after 5 seconds he will most probably leave and go check somewhere else. Considering that you are not doing any sales with specific countries, then why should you let those visitors slow down your server? Through TrafficCleaner you can free up your server resources and make the surfing experience better for the visitors you care about!
Any more?
There might be several more reasons why you don't want visitors from one or more countries to reach your site. Here are some:
- you ship only to specific countries
- you provide a service to specific countries only
- you have a sensitive content which can/cannot be seen by visitors of specific countries