It’s a safe bet to say that most netizens are familiar with what IP is, and a layman’s definition tells you that it stands for Internet Protocol, which is the main communications protocol used on the Internet for data transfer. This is where an IP address is derived, which is a device network address. It’s a set of numbers that gives a computer or any network device an assigned ‘location on the Internet,’ kind of like a home address. However, there is more to IPs than what most of us understand.
Each computer we use in connecting to the Internet has an unique IP address. As we all know, an IP address is composed of a set of numbers separated by decimal points. It is also separated into different blocks, which are assigned by its hosting provider.
An IP has available ranges that are categorized into five classes: Class A to Class E. However, only Classes A to C are commonly used. Each set of numbers is divided into two parts: the Net and the Host. The Net is the part that has the first set of numbers, which is used to determine the network the computing device belongs. The Host—also known as the Node—determines the actual computing device on the network, which contains the last octet. What we know so far is there are five classes in an IP, but the one we should turn our attention to is the Class C.
The Class C address is commonly used in small to medium scale businesses. To get a firmer grasp around this concept, an octet is a group of eight bits, and an IP address that has a first octet range of 192 to 223 is part of Class C. Moreover, a Class C address also includes the second and third octets as part of the Net identifier, with the last octet used to determine each host.
Class C IPs can have a huge impact on search engine optimization. Search engines have removed linking power from sites that are on the same Class C IP to fight spamming. This means that two sites on the same host are only as powerful as one. The best way to find backlinks in making your SEO campaign work is by making sure you go for links on websites with unique Class C IP addresses to increase your promotional strength.
To keep it simple, search engines give more weight in rank if websites link each other on different Class C IPs.
Webmasters often go for VPS (virtual private server) hosting to maximize the strengths of utilizing unique Class C IP. A VPS is a server that is partitioned on each section to act as its own separate server, making it a less expensive option to link websites with unique Class C IPs.
Benefits of VPS vs Shared and Dedicated Hostings on SEO
Websites on shared hosting share space on a server and usually have the same IP with other websites. It has a slower speed than both VPS and dedicated servers and can make websites crash upon reaching its limit. This gives a negative impact on SEO. The only plus you get out of it is its cost, which can go for as low as $5 to $10 monthly.
The one main benefit users get out of VPS hosting is its customizable feature. This gives it added functions with a more affordable price compared to dedicated servers. The limited disk space and RAM can be tweaked according to a user’s needs, with a larger demand available for a higher price. This gives users the option to get exactly what they need, while having their own IP.
Dedicated hosting is a private server that users can customize according to their needs, from the operating system to hardware and performance features. However, this is expensive and generally used for huge company websites.
In terms of choosing which one is the best for search engine optimization, this entirely depends on a user’s needs. So if you’re not building a huge, complex website, your best bet would be VPS hosting. Google values website speed and stability, making it the key factors in making an impact on SEO. So as long as you maintain a favorable bandwidth, disk space and memory usage in a VPS, your website will go at a constant speed that can place you in the top search results.
Performance Features
There are a few essential characteristics of web hosting that impact the site’s SEO rankings, since Google takes these factors into account. But aside from advantages on SEO, a VPS’s main features give users important benefits:
Stability
All traffic and Internet activity within the virtual private servers are not affected by other VPSs within the same server. Available high-end resources within the server allow virtual private servers to load faster for both site visitors and VPS administrators.
Dedicated flexible resources
Essential requirements such as CPU, disk space and RAM for the main server are very large and equally distributed to all VPS accounts. This gives VPSs enough resources available for it to run with the same capacity as a private server that can do almost anything, which means installation of any operating system and software of a user’s choice can be done.
Independent user control
The partition that houses VPSs can be independently controlled, making it possible to restart websites in the event of a crash with the possible application of updates whenever the user or owner desires.
User root access
Most VPSs allow users control panel access to give them authority to do nearly anything they wish on the server. They are granted full control on the partition, use any operating system and install software they need.
Monitoring
Many VPS hosting services offer different monitoring methods to help protect websites from hacking, malware, spam and other online annoyances.
Ultimately, webmasters should consider other factors like the overall quality of the site to appear high in search ranking results. This also includes website speed. If you are in the market to find a good VPS host, it would be in your best interest to go for HostGator, with SEOhosting.com as its partner site, which allows web host managers to create different accounts on different Class C IPs.
This article is written by Marie Felipe. She is a writer and an online marketer for more than 6 year. She is now promoting her new site Clear Internet She lives and breathes computer and is always up to date with the latest technology and gadgets.
