Spy service is slow: why it happens and how to avoid it

You’ve launched a spy service, but it barely loads and produces incomplete results. This happens even with reliable services like ours. But don't rush to blame the service — often the problem lies on the user side or with the advertising platforms.

In this article, we’ll explain why a spy service might work slowly or incorrectly and how to fix it.

What is a Spy Service and How Does It Work?

A spy service is a program that collects and analyzes advertisements across various platforms. In other words, it is a huge database of competitors' creatives and landing pages.

Affiliate marketers use spy services to find profitable "bundles": a converting creative for a specific niche and GEO. What you can find there:

• Creatives with headlines and descriptions;

• Landing pages;

• Targeting settings: gender, age, interests, device type, and geography.

Our spy service searches and analyzes ad bundles from Facebook, TikTok, Push, and In-Page ads. The program finds data using 16+ filters and covers 185+ countries.

Why a Spy Service Might Slow Down

The logic behind a spy service is simple: you enter search parameters and view the bundles. However, external factors sometimes interfere with this chain. As a result, results load slowly or are not displayed fully. Users have to restart the search in hopes that all results will appear this time, which significantly hinders work.

There are several reasons for the slowdown — sometimes the service itself is at fault, and sometimes it isn't. Let's look at each separately.

Reason #1: Spy Service Server Overload

If too many users access the spy service at the same time, the servers may struggle to keep up. In this case, nothing depends on the user; the fault lies with the spy service itself for lacking sufficient power. Users can only wait for the service to be upgraded.

In our service, this problem is minimized, but even we experience force majeure situations, so read on.

Reason #2: Suspicious IP Addresses

The problem may lie within the anti-fraud systems of advertising platforms. Many popular ad platforms dislike frequent requests from a single IP address and fight such activity. If too many requests come from one address in a row, the platform starts to throttle the speed or issue temporary bans. Consequently, the spy service loads slowly, even if everything is running smoothly internally.

Reason #3: Too Frequent and Heavy Requests from a Single User

If you send a hundred search queries with a bunch of filters from one IP address within a minute, the system may start to lag. This also includes cases where you use APIs and automation.

The service cannot handle the excessive load of frequent and repetitive requests, so it processes them less smoothly than it would under a normal load.

The situation worsens if your IP has already been flagged by the platforms — then their anti-fraud systems will suspect foul play and begin processing requests many times slower.

How to Make a Spy Service Work Without Delays

If the problem is an overloaded service server, there’s nothing you can do — you just have to wait. However, in most cases, the issue is with IP addresses, and this can be addressed.

You need to create the appearance that the activity is coming from different users with different IP addresses. Then, the anti-fraud systems of advertising platforms will "think" that the requests are being sent by several people rather than one. Accordingly, traffic will be distributed evenly, and platforms won't prevent the spy service from working at full strength.

Proxies help distribute traffic evenly and avoid raising suspicion from the anti-fraud systems of advertising platforms.

A proxy is an intermediary between the user and the internet that sends requests on its own behalf and passes them to the final web resource.

Proxies solve two main tasks when working with a spy service:

1. Protect against bans from advertising platforms. Anti-fraud systems ban IPs that show overly active behavior. A proxy pool solves this: traffic is distributed evenly, and platforms will think requests are coming from different users.

2. Reduce ping and increase request processing speed. Ad materials from US platforms will be collected faster if searched from a US IP. With a proxy, you can change your IP to any geolocation.

However, you need anonymous and secure proxies. We advise staying away from free proxies — they often have zero anonymity and speed, and hackers frequently use them to steal users' personal data. It’s better not to risk it and rent a proxy from a specialized service.

Where to Get Reliable Proxies

You can rent proxies with guaranteed IP masking, low ping, and enhanced security at Proxys.io.

The Proxys.io service offers:

• All types of proxies: mobile, residential, and datacenter;

• Speeds from 7 Mbps — sufficient for any online task;

• Automatic address delivery — proxies can be used immediately after payment;

• A wide selection of plans for any budget — starting from $0.13 per month.

How it works together:

1. Rent and connect the proxies.

2. Launch the spy service.

3. The system distributes requests from different IPs.

4. The service responds quickly and without delays. Advertising platforms don't notice anything suspicious and don't throttle the speed.

Don't be quick to blame the spy service if it slows down or doesn't show all results — check if it's an IP issue. Connect a proxy and restart the spy service: there is a high probability that normal operation will be restored.