Search Engine Optimization is a process to get organic and free traffic from search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. Higher ranking in search results means that you have better opportunities to sell your products or services online. To rank higher in search results, SEO experts keep experimenting on websites with every aspect. The question arises here is, does dedicated IP address offer more benefits to SEO when compared to shared IP address. However, this conversation never seems to get old in SEO industry.
To understand how beneficial dedicated IP address can be in website rankings, you should know what shared and dedicated IP address is. The dedicated hosting server in which site is being hosted is a single machine, which owns a distinct IP address. In shared web hosting, one server host thousands of sites at given time and these sites are recognized by single IP address which is allocated to host’s server. On other hand, dedicated IP address is an allocated to single website on a server rather than a machine itself. It is often used by websites whose priority is security like eCommerce sites.
Now, let’s find out what are its benefits for SEO:
1. SSL
From 2014, Google has started giving preference to websites that have added an SSL 2048-bit key certificate. This makes site URL change from HTTP to HTTPS. SSL certificate will protect emails and domain name from phishing scams. It encrypts visits to site and is used by sites that store sensitive information. SSL make website more visible through public networks. To make sure site has SSL certification, there is lock icon or green bar which visitor lookout before purchasing anything online.
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2. Security
There is plethora of situations where dedicated IP address may be beneficial for SEO. One of the biggest benefits is higher security and better performance. The shared hosting harbours thousands of websites and some of these sites may contain malware. As those sites share same IP address as yours, so your site can be recognized as residing in ‘bad neighbourhood’ and can have negative impact. Dedicated IP eliminates this risk, and it is always preferable to have a distinct IP address with any reputed web hosting provider.
3. Speed
When site has shared IP address, then it is sharing resources with other sites also which may slow your site down. It can also result in overloading of server and resulting in downtimes. The slower the website, the further down rankings it goes. Dedicated IP eliminates these problems and make site accessible, reliable, faster and more secure.
To conclude, these are some of major factors why dedicated IP is safe. No doubt, getting to first page in Google rankings can be controlled by various factors, but IP address and SSL certificates are one of most significant factors.