Does a Dedicated IP Address Help Your SEO?

One of the most debated aspects of web hosting and websites is whether or not having a dedicated IP address (as opposed to a shared one) improves your search engine optimization (SEO). And though opinions vary widely, most of the experts tend to view having a dedicated IP as helping your SEO. While there are other reasons for purchasing a dedicated IP address (for example, if you’re going to have an ecommerce website), the question remains for many: Should I get a dedicated IP for SEO purposes?

The problem with trying to determine the effects of a dedicated IP on your search engine results is that there are so many other factors involved it’s hard to isolate an IP’s importance. For example, even if most of the top 50 websites of search engine query utilize a dedicated IP, there could be many other SEO methods being employed by those sites. Even well-known SEO experts like Bruce Clay and Associates state that even though they have found that switching to a dedicated IP caused increases in rankings, it could just be a coincidence.

In these types of cases, I usually like to do my own testing and research to see what works or does not work for me. So, I decided to do my own experimenting. Specifically, I purchased a dedicated IP address for a couple of my sites that were previously using a shared IP. To further try to isolate a dedicated IP’s effects, I tested two different types of sites. The first one is a relatively newer site that I’ve concentrated mainly on content and authorship and have not been concerned about backlinks. The other website I tested has been around for a number of years and I’ve done a lot more backlinking and other SEO methods to try and boost traffic. In fact, this second site has taken a hit with the recent Google updates.

Now, I’ve only been testing for a month, but here’s what I’ve found so far. Take a look at the graphs below. Comparing the data from the last month using a shared IP with the latest month’s data using a dedicated IP address, you can see there has not been any improvement in search engine impressions.

Website A Using a Shared IP Address:

Website A Using a Dedicated IP Address:

Website B Using a Shared IP Address:

Website B Using a Dedicated IP Address:

In fact, the numbers are actually lower. Site A (the newer website) went from having over 10,000 impressions to just below 9,000. Site B (the more established website) was lower by over 100 impressions. The average position for search query results also showed little or no improvement. For the newer site, the average position improved by just one spot. The average position for the older site was actually worse by 7 spots.

Obviously, there are many factors that affect your SEO results. And, your results may be different. However, so far with my testing, it appears that a dedicated IP address does not improve your SEO. There’s certainly nothing wrong with getting a dedicated IP. But be aware that if you’re mainly purchasing one to improve your SEO, you might be disappointed.

I will continue testing and analyzing my dedicated IP results with my websites to see if there are any changes. Stay tuned for more updates.