What is an IP address, what is the difference between a shared IP and a dedicated IP, and what are the benefits of having a dedicated IP.
What is an IP? An Internet Protocol address, most commonly known as an IP address, is a unique string of numbers that looks like 123.45.67.89 if it is IPv4 or 2001:db8:3333:4444:5555:6666:7777:8888 if it is IPv6 and identifies a computer or any other device connected to the Internet. Without an IP address, the device cannot communicate with other devices connected to the Internet. IP addresses are part of the Domain Name System (DNS), which is basically a huge address book. Domain names are “mapped” to different IP addresses. When you enter a domain in your web browser, your ISP looks up the domain name, finds the associated IP address, and then opens the site that responds at that IP address.
Shared IP vs. Dedicated IP. By default, all shared hosting and reseller accounts have a single shared IP address and no dedicated IP address. You can find your current shared IP of your site in the General Information section on the right side of cPanel. With a shared IP, all websites on a server use this IP. The user’s web browser communicates with the DNS and server to display the correct website. A dedicated IP means it is yours and only your site(s) use this IP (including for sending emails). This means you won’t share the IP address with any other site, even if you are on the same server.
Do I need a dedicated IP address?
It is not necessary in most situations. You can purchase a dedicated IP (if your web hosting package does not include one) for 8 RON + VAT per month. The advantage is that only your account uses this IP for sending emails, thus avoiding situations where sent emails end up in Spam instead of the Inbox. These situations are not very common because we constantly monitor IPs to ensure they are not listed on RBLs.
A dedicated IP is also used for sites with special needs and many people also claim it helps with SEO optimization.