General Discussions

**barbara** · 05-02-2006, 01:26 PM

how critical is it for a website to have a dedicated IP address? what does it use for?

**Openg** · 05-02-2006, 01:44 PM

Some people think that Google is looking at things like whether your ip is unique or shared (shared hosting has many people using the same ip), which would tell them how serious you are about your web presence.

They can look at all sorts of things to do with your domain, like how long it is registered for (registered for 10 years and you are in for the long haul).

Ultimately you can't tell what Google is really up to, but I have my site on a unique ip, which also has its own class C ip (do a search in google for that one

)

**stOx** · 05-02-2006, 02:31 PM

Unless you can think of a good reason why you would need a dedicated IP, You probably don't need one.

I can't see why google would think a site with a dedicated IP would be better than one with a shared IP.

**vangogh** · 05-02-2006, 02:48 PM

I'll agree. A static ip might give you some trustrank with Google, but so many sites use a shared ip and unless your site grows to a point where you need your own server you really don't need one. There are legitimate reasons to use a shared ip.

Still if you can get one it might be a good idea. A static ip can be an indication that your site and business is larger or you think it will be. It can be an indication that you plan to be around longer. It probably won't make a huge difference though in where you rank. Maybe one small factor at most.

**barbara** · 05-02-2006, 03:24 PM

thanks

**Anacrusis** · 05-02-2006, 04:55 PM

Actually, ARIN (the people you gives out the IP's) won't give you an IP address unless it's for a good reason. A new dedicated server needs an IP, SSL certs require an IP. I don't think SEO is considered a good reason however. We're fast running out of IP addresses and it's best not to use one unless you need it.

**etech-martin** · 05-03-2006, 03:17 AM

There are a lot of false assumptions about SE's ranking algorithm, one of them is SERPs ranking weighs in favor of dedicated ip addresses over shared ip addresses. There are a lot of factors that the SEs take into consideration for rankings and a dedicated ip is certainly not one of them.

**vangogh** · 05-03-2006, 01:51 PM

Agreed and I hope I didn't give the impression that I thought a dedicated ip was important. I can see where Google might give a very slight boost through TrustRank, but I really don't think there will be any difference for a site that's on a shared ip. It's very common and like Anacruis said there are only so many ips to go around.

**Minaki** · 05-04-2006, 04:19 AM

Quote:

It's very common and like Anacruis said there are only so many ips to go around.

That is, until everybody upgrades to IPv6