As awareness of personal privacy online grows, the best VPN services are becoming increasingly popular and are no longer just for techies. In fact, VPNs have become so mainstream that August 19 is officially "International VPN Day" as part of a cybersecurity awareness project led by NordVPN.

It may seem a bit over the top, but getting people to understand the benefits of VPNs is important, especially in this age of data mining, geo-blocking, and telecommuting.

However, simply switching on a VPN is not enough to truly stay protected. Furthermore, for those new to VPNs, there is a lot of jargon and it can be difficult to arrive at meaningful advice.

So here we outline six mistakes that both new and experienced users tend to make to get the most out of VPNs, and how to avoid them yourself.

As noted above, VPNs are not a one-stop store for Internet privacy; while they can help you hide your IP and in the process avoid trackers and other malicious parties trying to identify you, the way you act online online is arguably more important. Furthermore, many people feel invincible online when they use a VPN, but in reality they are putting themselves at risk.

For example, social networks like Facebook are often used to log into sites and apps. What's more, logging into social media is an easy way to identify you, no matter which network you are connected to.

Almost every site on the web uses cookies, and one of their primary uses is to identify you and link to your previous activity. Cookies are rarely malicious - they store passwords, remember the contents of your cart, or are used for targeted advertising - but their purpose is at odds with true privacy.

Using a secret mode and setting up a 'burner' email to log into the site is a quick solution, and using a VPN provides an effective layer of separation between you and your activities, while at the same time hiding you from your ISP. Tor Browser or Tails Further measures could be considered, such as using an operating system like Tor Browser or Tails, but for the everyday user, simply taking the time to consider what you type online may be enough.

Another common mistake is to use a VPN "only when really necessary. For example, if you are using public Wi-Fi for general browsing and want to log on to online banking, many users might switch on the VPN only to enter sensitive banking information and switch it off when they are done.

If they are truly concerned about keeping their information private over public Wi-Fi, they should activate the VPN before connecting and only turn it off when they disconnect. As explained above, social media is a simple and effective identifier, and even if you are unlucky enough to suffer a man-in-the-middle attack, there is a lot more useful information than your bank account details. [We understand, however, that in some cases, using a VPN can make routine tasks inconvenient. Therefore, if there are times when you may want to turn off your VPN for a specific reason, you may want to use the general split tunneling feature available with most top-rated VPNs. This way, you can whitelist certain websites and apps while maintaining VPN protection for other connections.

While many VPNs work perfectly out of the box, it is important to check the settings when you first start using them to make sure all the features you signed up for are enabled.

For example, a kill switch that disconnects you from the Internet if the VPN is disconnected is a simple and effective way to avoid unwanted data leakage. However, in many applications, this is disabled by default. A quick trip to the settings menu will give you access to everything you can do with the VPN, including the mandatory kill switch and the aforementioned split tunneling.

Free VPN services have their place. For those who don't want to invest money, they can get around some basic limitations on some networks, and if you start to worry about public Wi-Fi networks, they should be able to keep your data safe when the time comes.

However, if you really want to get the most out of what a VPN can do, a paid service, even an inexpensive VPN, will work much better.

Unlike most free options, many of the top-tier paid providers are verified as zero-logging. This means that they do not store any data about your activities, so there are no beans to leak, even if you are compelled by the government to hand over your information.

In addition, most free services cannot be kept active at all times, thanks to data traffic limits, transmission speed restrictions, and a design that prevents access to streaming content.

When things go wrong, and it's not an easy fix, you often hit a brick wall - don't worry, we've been there too. However, if you are using a top quality VPN, you will receive comprehensive support in the form of email, article knowledge base, and most importantly, live chat.

Another advantage that free services do not have is access to immediate support from a real person who can explain your problem, which can be very helpful; VPNs have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, but there are still things that can go wrong.

You don't have to feel guilty about bothering the support team with small issues. You are paying a certain amount of money for the VPN, so you have the right to contact the support team no matter how small the issue.

Now, this will vary from person to person, but it is highly recommended that you sign up for a long-term contract in order to get a significant discount on your fees. Many people prefer the flexibility of a monthly VPN, but in most cases it is best to commit for at least a year.

For those who are unsure, all of the providers we recommend offer at least a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don't like it, it's very easy to request a refund.