What SEO checks need
National rank checks need volume at low cost. Local checks need IPs in the right city or ZIP. Mobile checks need mobile-like traffic. Search engines rate-limit hard, so rotation and pacing matter. See SEO proxies.
Side by side
| Check | Rayobyte | Geonode |
|---|---|---|
| National, light | Static or semi-dedicated datacenter (unmetered) | Rotating datacenter |
| National, heavy | Rotating datacenter from $0.30/GB, residential when blocked | Rotating datacenter, residential when blocked |
| Local packs | Premium Residential by city or ZIP | Residential by city |
| Mobile SERPs | Device OS targeting or US mobile | Mobile in US, UK, Australia |
| Managed | Scraping API | Search API, Scraper API |
At the time of writing.
Rayobyte's SEO heritage
Rayobyte began as Blazing SEO, selling datacenter IPs to rank tracker users, and its unmetered static and semi-dedicated datacenter lists remain a cheap way to run national checks. ZIP targeting is a real advantage for local SEO in dense metros. See Rayobyte for SEO rank tracking.
Geonode's strengths
Geonode's residential is cheaper per GB at modest volume and doesn't expire, which suits agencies with uneven reporting cycles. Its Search API returns search results without you handling proxies at all. See Geonode for SEO rank tracking.
Residential tip: The simplest way to settle this comparison is to test both: Rayobyte has a free trial with no card, and Geonode sells a low-cost residential trial. Run the same targets through each. See Rayobyte for SEO rank tracking.
Cost per 10,000 checks
A results page fetched with an HTTP client is around 200 KB, so 10,000 checks use about 2 GB: roughly $7 on Rayobyte residential at the smallest tier and under $2 on Geonode residential. On Rayobyte rotating datacenter, under $1 if it works for your queries.
Pacing on either
- Rotate per query.
- Add random delays from static IPs.
- Spread checks across the day.
- Back off when CAPTCHAs appear.
Which to choose
| Situation | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Cheap unmetered national tracking | Rayobyte static datacenter |
| ZIP-level local SEO | Rayobyte |
| Modest residential checks, uneven schedule | Geonode |
| UK or Australian mobile SERPs | Geonode |
| SERPs without managing proxies | Geonode Search API or Rayobyte Scraping API |
With Webshare: SEO across all three.
A real-world example
An SEO agency tracks 8,000 keywords: 6,000 nationally and 2,000 across 50 cities. National tracking runs on 200 Rayobyte semi-dedicated datacenter IPs with unmetered bandwidth, about $170 a month at the 100-plus tier. City-level local tracking runs on Geonode residential, about 12 GB a month at a low per-GB rate. For 300 keywords in dense metros where local packs change by ZIP, the agency uses Rayobyte ZIP targeting.
Proxy tip: If your residential usage comes in bursts, Geonode is worth a look: purchased GB doesn't expire and sticky sessions can last up to 24 hours. More in Geonode for SEO rank tracking.
Pros and cons for SEO
Rayobyte
- Unmetered static and semi-dedicated datacenter IPs.
- ZIP and device OS targeting.
- Higher residential price at small volumes.
Geonode
- Cheapest city-level residential checks.
- Search API for SERPs without proxies.
- No ZIP targeting.
For the bigger picture beyond our three partners, read our best proxies buyer's guide, and see cheap proxies for ways to cut cost per successful request. To understand the IP type behind this, read our residential proxies guide.
Budget tip: For jobs where a fixed IP list is enough, Webshare is one of the cheapest options: shared datacenter proxies are sold by the IP, and static residential (ISP) proxies cost well under a dollar per IP per month at the time of writing. More in Webshare for SEO rank tracking.
Key takeaways
- Rayobyte is strong for unmetered national checks and ZIP-level local SEO.
- Geonode is cheaper for modest residential checks and offers a Search API.
- Search results are light, so bandwidth costs stay low with HTTP clients.
- Pace and rotate on either provider.
FAQ
Which is better for local SEO?
Rayobyte, if you need ZIP targeting. For city-level checks, both work.
Can I use datacenter proxies for Google rank tracking?
At light volumes, often yes. Move to residential when CAPTCHAs increase.
Does Geonode have a SERP API?
Geonode offers a Search API at the time of writing.
Sources and further reading
Independent references that back up the points above, from standards bodies, governments, universities and non-profits. They open in a new tab.
- Bandwidth (computing) (Wikipedia): What bandwidth means, the unit most residential proxies are priced by.
- CAPTCHA (Wikipedia): The history of CAPTCHA challenges, from Carnegie Mellon to today.
- Introduction to robots.txt (Google Search Central): Google's own guide to how it reads robots.txt.
- IPv4 Depletion and Transfers (ARIN): Background on IPv4 run-out, which is why IPv4 proxies cost more than IPv6.
- RFC 9293: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) (IETF / RFC Editor): The current TCP specification, the transport under HTTP and SOCKS proxies.
Editorial note: Proxy providers change their pools, features and prices often, so treat any figures here as typical ranges at the time of writing and confirm current terms with the provider before you buy.