If you are like most website owners, you have probably invested in shared hosting, meaning your website is stored a server with a number of other sites. When hosting in this environment, it is more than likely that the web host assigned a single IP address to the server, which mean you have the same IP address as everybody else. With unique IP hosting, you are able to be assigned your own IP address, even if the provider is maintaining multiple sites on one server. More often than not, such a luxury will cost you a little extra each month. Depending on the circumstances however, you may find the fee are minimal and well worth it.
In most cases, the conventional setup of shared hosting rarely leads to problems. However, there are still a few reasons you may want to opt for a unique IP address. For example, this is the perfect solution if you want to install a private SSL certificate for your website. This will prove to potential customers that you are not relying on the provider’s shared certificate and that your website is completely secure for online transactions. Another benefit is the ability to use anonymous FTP which allows anyone to access specific information on your site. From these aspects, unique IP hosting is advantageous because it gives you more control over the security and functionality of your site.
Another benefit of unique IP hosting mainly relates to rumors. It has been speculated that search engines penalize spammers by banning the entire IP address they originate from along with all the other websites that use it. If this is true, it could be very damaging to your marketing efforts, especially if you are relying on targeted traffic from the search engines. While there is no solid proof of this actually occurring, having a unique IP address would ensure that you would not be punished for the illicit actions of spammers or anyone else doing wrong on the same server.
Conclusion
As you can see, the value of unique IP hosting largely depends on your individual needs and where you stand on the whole search engine concept. The best thing about it is that this type of hosting can be found at a reasonable price. In fact, some companies offer peace of mind by throwing in unique IP addresses when purchasing a web hosting plan. So, while you may not absolutely require such a solution, having one will not hurt the cause either.
