IP geolocation API help?

Hey everyone! I just launched my very first web tool, a simple IP lookup service, and honestly, I'm a total noob feeling a bit overwhelmed. The main goal is to provide accurate IP geolocation details for any IP address users input. However, I'm running into some frustrating issues. I'm noticing a lot of inconsistent data or really slow response times when people try to geo-locate certain IP addresses, especially those from less common ranges. It feels like my current setup, which relies on a free tier API, isn't robust enough to handle varied requests reliably for IP geolocation.

Here's a snippet of what I'm seeing in my logs:

[2023-10-27 14:35:01] ERROR: Geolocation API Timeout for IP: 192.168.1.1
[2023-10-27 14:35:05] WARNING: API Rate Limit Exceeded. Retrying in 60s.
[2023-10-27 14:35:10] ERROR: Data Inconsistency Detected for IP: 8.8.8.8 - Mismatch in City/Region.

As a complete beginner, I'm trying to understand what common pitfalls I might be falling into or what best practices exist for optimizing IP geolocation data retrieval. How can I ensure accuracy and faster response times without completely breaking the bank on premium APIs right out of the gate?