If you are looking for a domain and hosting plan, you might have stumbled upon the term dedicated IP address. Often appearing among various add-ons and features offered by hosting providers, a dedicated IP typically raises many questions.
Before we discuss the specifics of a dedicated IP, it is important to note that it is not the same as a dedicated server NZ. Depending on your host, you can get a dedicated IP with every type of web hosting, such as VPS or shared hosting. Now, let’s understand what exactly a dedicated IP address is.
What is a Dedicated IP Address?
A dedicated IP is a unique IP address assigned exclusively to one device or user and not shared with others. To sustain its operational costs and exclusivity, VPN services, hosting companies, or ISPs usually charge extra.
A dedicated IP serves as a website’s address. Users can access their website by typing their IP address or their domain name. When a hosting provider pairs a dedicated server with a dedicated IP, you can access full server resources. Some hosting providers also provide a dedicated IP as an add-on for an existing web hosting package.
Benefits of a Dedicated IP
1. Secure Remote Access
A dedicated IP address enables employees to securely connect to company resources. It allows you to control access to sensitive company assets and specific resources. You can do this by restricting access to servers and approving specific addresses.
2. Safer and Faster File Transfers
A dedicated IP can help enable faster website speed. For example, you do not have to contend with web traffic as you only use the IP address.
A dedicated IP also enables you to build a private FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server to share files within a company. A private FTP server provides faster file transfer rates and better protection.
3. Email Deliverability
The percentage of emails that reach recipients’ mail inboxes is known as email deliverability. IP reputation is one factor that influences email deliverability. It affects how ISPs determine whether an email belongs in the inbox. Therefore, the better the reputation, the more emails are delivered.
Email services such as Yahoo and Google tend to trust emails from dedicated IPs more than those from shared IPs. Therefore, dedicated IP enables businesses to send a higher volume of emails.
Why Should You Buy a Dedicated IP?
There are some cases when a dedicated IP address can be beneficial for you, including-
1. Regularly Accessing Your Site Through FTP:
A dedicated IP allows viewing and editing your site without a domain name.
2. Establishing Your Email Reputation:
With its isolated environment, a dedicated IP protects you from getting penalised for malicious activities by other domains.
3. Installing Third-Party Applications:
Several services and applications require a dedicated IP address to run on your server.
4. Improving User Experience and Performance:
A dedicated IP lets your host server immediately retrieve your website content, significantly reducing your website loading time.
To Wrap It Up
Knowing your website’s requirements is important when selecting the type of IP address suitable for you– not every site will need a dedicated IP. A shared IP address will work fine if you are a beginner and are not expecting a lot of web traffic.
However, if your site is experiencing high traffic, you need regular FTP access to your website, and you need to facilitate a large volume of outgoing emails, then you will need a dedicated IP address.