Helikas - Why would you want a dedicated IP?
Most larger websites or ecommerce sites have dedicated IP addresses, meaning that their site is the only one on the internet using that unique IP number. For example, if you typed 209.131.36.158 into your web browsers address bar you would be taken to Yahoo! This is their dedicated IP address and no one elses. 209.131.36.158 is the unique address on the web that has been attached to the domain name yahoo.com.
If you have a business oriented website then you probably will need a dedicated IP address for your site, especially if you have a merchant account and accept credit card payments through your site. You can’t even get an SSL certificate for your website until you have a dedicated IP address. You can get around this by using a PayPal shopping cart or something else hosted off your site but most people don’t like the idea of sending the customer to a new address to close the deal.
SEO or search engine optimizations is also a consideration. Many people have found that sites with a dedicated IP address do mysteriously better in the search engine results than those utilizing shared IPs. Often times security concerns drive people to upgrade their hosting account to include a dedicated IP address.
Both shared and dedicated IPs can be useful depending on what kind of website you own. The key is to do some research and find out which one is right for you. Rumors are circulating that eventually we will run out of unique IPs under the current system and a new address or IP system will be necessary. Even today, most hosting companies charge a premium if you want to upgrade to a dedicated IP.
