Shared IP or Dedicated IP?

Introduction

There are two types of IP address used for web hosting, a shared IP where lots of websites have the same IP or a dedicated one where a single site has an IP and no other sites.

Dedicated IP

Having an exclusive IP address for your website offers a number of advantages.

• Ability to install a SSL certificate
• Spam mails - if anyone on a shared IP has a spam problem then the IP concerned can get blacklisted by one of the anti-spam services such as spamcop. Having a dedicated IP means that you only have a problem if your website or PC's are sending spam.
• A downside is that IP addresses cost money for a webhosting company, and this cost will be passed on you as a user.
• The search engines such as Google use the IP of a website as part of their algorithm, having different IP's and different C class blocks in the IP means that domain names are treated uniquely.

Shared IP

• This is a cheaper option
• As mentioned above spam can become a problem, and at the time of writing this seems to be a real issue and consideration.
• Websites will be associated together by the search engines. Search engines work by IP rather than domain hence a possible hacked site can contaminate otherwise clean sites that share the same IP.

If you need help or advice on IP address, please call our main number 01952 898701.

Adrian Lawrence is a webmaster with Discount Domains a top UK Domain Registrar.