There will be differences in these web hosting accounts depending on whether the IP address is shared or unique. A unique IP address can be bought simply by placing an order with any of the multitude service providers that are available. These web hosting companies will provide a unique IP address after full payment has been made. These websites allow the customer to upload content and other files to their own personal, secure web space.

These types of web hosting accounts are ideal for larger businesses or for e-commerce websites that need to be certain that their site offers the most in security. Dedicated IP web hosting is also ideal for individuals that want to buy the unique IP addresses for a premium price. Some individuals may find that they want to go this route due to the fact that it will prevent the website from collecting spam, a problem that can often occur when using a shared website.

Another advantage to using a dedicated IP web hosting service is that it provides for greater flexibility while also allowing for more complex hosting. Two advantages of this are that they include a private SSL certificate and an anonymous FTP. An SSL certificate provides for online businesses that need to make sure that their customers will have secure transactions. The advantage of an anonymous FTP allows people to share information on the Internet. This will allow anybody who is using the Internet to go to that company’s website and access a public directory by using FTP software.

By gaining a dedicated IP web hosting account and securing a unique IP address, it allows the business owner to have full control over their website. By obtaining a dedicated IP address, it allows individuals or business owners to get the most benefit out of their website. This will result in better search engine results, which are much sought after by businesses.

Dedicated IP addresses are highly valued and are considered as prime Internet real estate. Because of this, there are sometimes high service fees associated with this kind of service. It is possible however to find a web hosting company that will offer dedicated IP addresses for a very reasonable price. If a company thinks that they will benefit the most from dedicated IP addresses, it’s very important that research be done on many different companies. Besides the differences in price that all companies are bound to have, there will also be differences that are dependant on the company’s needs and goals.

Related posts:

• July 9, 2010 – VPS vs Dedicated Hosting Plans – Finding an Ideal Plan
• March 17, 2009 – Practicing FTP Security
• January 13, 2011 – Shared and Dedicated Web Hosting
• August 12, 2010 – When is it Time to Graduate to a Dedicated Server?
• June 30, 2010 – Dedicated Web Hosting – Plan Options
• June 24, 2010 – Dedicated Web Hosting – Is it Worth the Price?
• April 14, 2010 – Leasing a Private Server – Managed and Dedicated Hosting Plans
• June 19, 2009 – Common E-commerce Hosting Terminology
• February 3, 2009 – Benefitting From VPS Hosting
• December 12, 2008 – Do You Need Dedicated Hosting?

Cloud VPS Hosting vs Conventional VPS Hosting

Cloud VPS hosting is more advanced than conventional VPS hosting and many dedicated hosting plans, primarily because the cloud hosting structure allows for a completely custom billing system that only charges the customer for the resources they use, yet provides access to seemingly limitless. Indeed, cloud VPS hosting is perhaps the best on the market right now, however many people are getting cloud hosting confused with standard VPS hosting. A conventional VPS hosting plan still has some significant restrictions that are seldom mentioned. It is important to note that the following limitations are only associated with conventional VPS hosting plans and do not apply to cloud VPS hosting.

IP Addresses and Software Configuration

Dedicated hosting plans tend to come with more IP addresses, which may be a factor for some webmasters that need access to several IP addresses for their sites. Although it is possible to purchase additional IP addresses for a VPS hosting plan in some cases, dedicated hosting provides a better value when it comes to an all-inclusive package that includes IP addresses. However, VPS hosting does carry an advantage over shared hosting in this area because shared hosting requires you to share an IP address with other webmasters, whereas VPS hosting gives you at least one IP address. Unfortunately, some VPS hosting providers will not let you install new software on the server partition, or modify software that is currently installed. It is important to inquire about your capabilities as a webmaster before deciding on any VPS hosting plan.

Upgrades and Cost

The cost of a VPS hosting plan can vary from under $20 to more than $200, depending on the type and the hosting provider, Each hosting provider can offer up to 7 or more VPS plans, all of which vary greatly in their capabilities and the amount of allocated server resources provided. Unfortunately, this large selection only serves to confuse many novice webmasters that are uncertain of their sites’ needs. Most of the time the webmaster pays too much and does not use enough of the plan to warrant an upgrade, or pays too little and has to upgrade again in the near future. Cloud hosting gets rid of this problem by providing instant expandability that is billed on a per usage basis. Although it is easy to upgrade to a new VPS hosting plan, you’ll have to do so when your next hosting bill arrives in some cases, which can be a problem for site owners that are experiencing a constant rise in web traffic.

Related posts:

• September 20, 2010 – Conventional VPS Hosting vs Cloud VPS Hosting
• July 29, 2010 – Cloud VPS Enterprise Web Hosting
• July 9, 2010 – VPS vs Dedicated Hosting Plans – Finding an Ideal Plan
• December 30, 2008 – The Benefits of VPS Hosting
• September 20, 2011 – Cheap VPS hosting – Considering the Top 5 Options
• June 21, 2011 – Five Reasons to Choose VPS
• January 31, 2011 – Is VPS Hosting Actually Cheaper Than Shared Hosting?
• December 23, 2010 – Shared Hosting vs. VPS
• November 16, 2010 – Is Cloud VPS Hosting Right for Novice Webmasters?
• November 10, 2010 – VPS Hosting for Multiple Domain Hosting

Figuring out how to reach the top of the search engines and then perfect this and do it repeatedly is not for the faint of heart, and it requires a perfect web hosting plan (or several plans) and the right knowledge in SEO. If you have reached a point in your online career in which you would like to move forward and diversify then consider the following information.

SEO Web Hosting for Multiple Sites

SEO web hosting is relatively new, so many people do not understand what it is used for and why it is so important. SEO web hosting places a strong emphasis on the amount of IP address given to each hosting account. This is important in search engine optimization because search engines can see the IP address of your web site. This means you cannot have a strong backlinking network within the same niche without more than one IP address, because the search engines will view all of your sites as the same entity. Backlinks get you higher search engine rankings, and with more IP addresses you can create a network of sites in different niches that are providing link “juice” to each other.

Dedicated Hosting for Multiple Sites

Dedicated web hosting also comes with multiple IP addresses in many case,s however the number is usually along the lines of four or eight, whereas SEO web hosting can provide 50 or more C class IP address to each customer. In order to get access to this many IP addresses for your web sites with dedicated hosting you would need to provide justification, which means you’d have to give the web hosting company a reason for requesting more IP addresses.  It is possible to receive justification with a dedicated hosting plan, and gain access to IP addresses at a cheaper rate than SEO web hosting.

Conclusion

Having access to multiple IP addresses is only important if you plan on operating network of sites that are used to transfer search engine optimization benefits to each other through internal and external linking. If you are going two options; either buy an SEO hosting plan that includes an adequate amount of C class IP addresses, or you can purchase a dedicated hosting plan and provide justification. If you decide to purchase a dedicated hosting plan and provide justification then you will receive access to the IP address for a lower rate and you will have access to a more powerful web server.

Related posts:

• March 12, 2010 – Improve Your SEO Efforts by Choosing the Right Web Hosting Plan
• September 10, 2011 – Common Advice in Search Engine Optimization
• September 8, 2011 – SEO Web Hosting: A Powerful Tool to Dominate Search Engine Rankings
• March 14, 2011 – How Dedicated Host Can Enhance Search Engine Optimization Results
• December 17, 2010 – Search Engine Optimization with No Investment Needed
• September 8, 2010 – How to Track Search Engine Optimization Progress
• May 4, 2010 – SEO and Backlinks – Quick and Easy vs. Slow and Calculated
• April 23, 2010 – SERPs and Backlinks – The Keys to SEO
• April 20, 2010 – The Importance of Anchor Text in SEO
• April 13, 2010 – The Relationship Between Web Hosting and SEO Results

The Main Purpose of a Web Server

A web server’s main purpose is to store web site files and broadcast them over the internet for you site visitor’s to see. In essence, a web server is simply a powerful computer that stores and transmits data via the internet. When someone visits a web page on your site their browser communicates with your web server, sending and receiving information that ultimately dictates what appears on the visitor’s computer screen. Thus, the main purpose of a web server is to store and transfer web site data upon the request of a visitor’s browser.

How Do Web Servers Work?

Every web server and computer that is connected to the internet is assigned an IP address that identifies that device on the network. Even standard computers are assigned IP addresses when they connect to the internet. An IP address is almost like the return address on a postal package. When you visit a web site, a request is sent out from your IP address to the IP address of the web server. The web server then responds by sending data to the requesting IP address, and this is the process through which all data is transferred to your computer from a web site. More than ninety percent of the web sites on the internet are currently utilizing a leased web server that is being provided by a web hosting company. Web server capabilities differ depending upon the type, size and provider of the hosting plan.

Why Are Web Servers Needed?

Without web servers the internet as we know it would cease to exist. Web servers are an integral part of the way the internet works. The web hosting industry is simply used to lease out web servers, providing average business owners and individuals with the opportunity to use high-tech servers that make it possible to expand their outreach to the entire world. Without rental web servers the internet would be a fraction of the size it is today, as most web site owners can afford to buy their own web server in cash.

Web servers are the gateway between the average individual and the world wide web, yet surprisingly web hosting plans start at only a couple of dollars per month. Now that you’re familiar with web servers you can begin shopping for a quality web hosting plan without the usual confusion that most novices experience.

Related posts:

• March 31, 2011 – The Freedom and Flexibility of Colocation Hosting
• March 17, 2011 – How to Start a Web Hosting Business from Scratch
• February 28, 2011 – What Does a Managed Web Hosting Provider Do?
• January 13, 2011 – Dedicated IP Web Hosting
• November 18, 2010 – Difference Between Dedicated Hosting and VPS Hosting
• October 14, 2010 – The Benefits of Virtualized Hosting for eCommerce
• September 30, 2010 – An Overview VPS Hosting Restrictions
• September 16, 2010 – SEO Web Hosting vs Dedicated Web Hosting
• September 10, 2010 – How to Classify Web Hosting
• August 27, 2010 – Cloud VPS Hosting for eCommerce Stores

Although there are a few forms of multiple-domain hosting, the most popular version is to host all domains on a single IP address. There are many critics that argue this is not good practice. There are many pros and cons to this method of hosting. The pros include:

• One billing account
• Faster access to multiple sites
• Basic packages save money

The cons include:

• Search engine issues
• Adding features costs significantly more

One useful feature is that all the domains are charged onto one billing account. That way its easier to keep track of which sites had overages charges, thus allowing the client to upgrade those sites with a good deal of traffic. Having one account also allows the client to find all statistics in one place.

Also when linking from one site to the next on the same server, the connection will be faster due to less access time. This is a helpful feature for the client that has a network of sites all connected from a main page.

Finally, the basic multiple-domain hosting packages save money. Since the client doesn’t have to pay for one hosting plan per website all on different servers, they are able to save much more money by paying one bill for all, on the same server.

One disadvantage of multiple-domain hosting is the search engine issues that arise. If a website is banned from a search engine due to a violation of terms and conditions, the entire IP address will be banned, thus not indexing all websites under that account. This can cause major problems especially if the sites are posted on major search engines.

Another disadvantage is that adding various features can cost significantly more money. For instance, since most multiple-domain providers offer dynamic IP addresses. If the client needs a static IP address, they will have to spend a good portion of extra money to obtain it. This would be a requirement for the configuration of SSL on the website.

Despite the few cons associated with multiple-domain hosting, there are many pros that make this an attractive option. Since the basic packages are an economical decision, this has become one of the most popular hosting methods currently available.

Related posts:

• September 20, 2011 – IPv6: What it is, and What You Need to Know
• September 9, 2011 – Multiple domains – When Will This Benefit Your Endeavors?
• September 6, 2011 – Performing IP Filtering Through cPanel – A Brief Tutorial
• February 1, 2011 – Reasons to Purchase Multiple Versions of Your Primary Domain
• January 13, 2011 – Dedicated IP Web Hosting
• September 30, 2010 – An Overview VPS Hosting Restrictions
• September 16, 2010 – SEO Web Hosting vs Dedicated Web Hosting
• September 2, 2010 – SEO and Web Hosting – The Connection
• August 23, 2010 – What Are Web Servers and Why Are They Needed?
• July 9, 2010 – VPS vs Dedicated Hosting Plans – Finding an Ideal Plan

Sharing an IP address with other webmasters can be detrimental to the success of your website because if the other websites on your IP address get banned or deindexed from the search engine then you run the risk of having the same happen to you.

Many times the search engines view your website as being owned by the same entity if it hosted on an IP address with another site, especially if just two of those sites happen to link to each other. To prevent this from happening, many people have resorted to leasing dedicated and virtual private servers though dedicated and VPS hosting plans. Although these are definitely suitable solutions, there are still tremendous differences between various dedicated and VPS hosting accounts. The following information should help you decide which one is right for you and  how you can find one that will accommodate your hosting needs.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated Hosting accounts let you lease a dedicated server that will only be used by you, meaning you’ll have access to more server resources. With a dedicated hosting account you are also given a dedicated IP address which you can host your site on and not have to worry about sharing your site’s IP address with negative websites that could impact your search engine rankings. Dedicated hosting accounts are the most popular solution for business owners.

VPS Hosting

A VPS hosting account is very similar to a dedicated hosting account, however instead of having a server that is simply dedicated to your website’s needs, you’ll also be bale to configure the server as if it was your own. Many dedicated hosting accounts come with management options that let the user relax while the web host deals with server administration. Since VPS hosting does not include this kind of maintenance service, the cost of VPS hosting is usually much cheaper.

How To Find a Good VPS or Dedicated Plan

Finding a good hosting plan within either one of these hosting types is usually fairly simple, in fact you may be able to acquire one with your current web host. The best way to find a good VPS or Dedicated hosting account would be to search web hosting forums. There are web hosting forums where experienced members share hosting plans with each other and cheap web hosting companies come to place special offers. Often times you can find special discount coupons at these forums and you can find in depth reviews form real people. Using this method you can find a good hosting account of any kind without having to take the risk of using an unreliable service.

Related posts:

• June 21, 2011 – Five Reasons to Choose VPS
• January 13, 2011 – Dedicated IP Web Hosting
• December 23, 2010 – Shared Hosting vs. VPS
• September 30, 2010 – An Overview VPS Hosting Restrictions
• August 12, 2010 – When is it Time to Graduate to a Dedicated Server?
• February 3, 2009 – Benefitting From VPS Hosting
• September 25, 2011 – What To Remember When Moving To A New Control Panel
• September 20, 2011 – Cheap VPS hosting – Considering the Top 5 Options
• August 3, 2011 – New Services Launched by Evalice
• January 31, 2011 – Is VPS Hosting Actually Cheaper Than Shared Hosting?

Subnets can be viewed as sequential chunk of addresses, varying in range, assigned solely to the client. The size of a subnet can vary from a single address to thousands or even millions. Generally, subnets are issued in 8, 16 or 32 IP addresses depending on client request. While this has historically been a difficult concept to grasp, network and telecommunications engineers must know this topic in depth.

Usability of IP’s

Once issued a subnet, not all IP’s within the range have the ability to be used as hosts. Several of the IP’s are not utilized for internal networking tasks which will be separated as the network address indicating the first address in the range. The middle address in the range is known as the gateway address. The last address is the broadcast address. Consequently if 16 IP addresses are issued, only 13 will be available for use.

The Size of the Subnets

The number of IP’s that are issued is established through the use of a network mask. This is the numbering string notation commonly used by IP addresses. The longer the network mask, the smaller the subnet and thus fewer usable IP’s. A long mask black’s out more of a range while a smaller mask black’s out less of a range allowing for more IP’s.

Subnet Example

Subnets conform to the following example:

192.128.1.0/32

This is a similar notation to an IP address with the addition of the ‘/’ then a number. The last number is indicative of the length of the subnet mask.

IP Classes

There are three classes of IP subnets; class A, B, C, D and E. Class A is used in fifty percent of the internet. Class B is used in twenty-five percent of the internet. Class C is used in a twelve percent of the internet. Class D is used in a six percent of the internet and class E is used in three percent of the internet.

While this is a basic understanding of subnets, the origins and calculations of actually calculating a subnet can be quite difficult. While many individuals have a difficult time with this concept, subnet’s are vital every network from the smallest local network to the largest global network. By understanding the inner-workings of this difficult topic, both the customer and the website will benefit in the long run.

Related posts:

• April 1, 2011 – Three Reasons Why Colocation Hosting Is More Expensive
• November 1, 2010 – Why is Colocation Hosting so Expensive?
• September 1, 2010 – Colocation Hosting – Is it Right For You?
• May 21, 2010 – Is Colocation Hosting Right For You?
• September 15, 2009 – How Will You Host Your E-commerce Site?
• December 1, 2008 – What to Look for in Colocation
• September 8, 2011 – Colocation Hosting – A Hard Fit
• September 6, 2011 – Understanding Colocation Hosting
• July 21, 2011 – Data Foundry Opens Data Center in Austin
• July 6, 2011 – The Launch of he Savvis Markets Infrastructure

Downtime and Crawlers

If you’re in the business of search engine optimization then you know that search engines use crawlers to index the entire web including your site. If your site is down when these crawlers visit your site, then the search engine cannot crawl the site and index any new changes made to your site. This means any optimization efforts you recently made will go unnoticed. If this happens several times you could be greatly hindering your search engine optimization efforts without even realizing it.

Server Speed

Having a slow loading website is another factor that could hurt your search engine optimization efforts. This means you’ll need to use a web host that is known for having reliable and competent servers, and you’ll need to purchase a plan that gives you all of the server resources needed to keep your site running smoothly even when you’ve uploaded a plethora of content and you have hundreds of daily unique visitors. If the page takes too long to load then many visitors will become annoyed and leave the page.

The interesting aspect about Google is that it uses an algorithm to detect how long some on stays at your page before they return to the search engine results. This information is then applied to your site SEO score and it directly affects the way your site is ranked. If your visitors are leaving your site within a few seconds due to s low loading home page, then you can be assured that your site is going to experience a drop in page rank. If you want your site to get to the top of the search engines and stay there, then you will need to make sure you have a reliable hosting plan with plenty of server resources.

IP Addresses

Another factor that plays into your search engine ranking is the IP address of your website. If you use shared hosting then you will be sharing an IP address with other websites. If one of those websites does something to get their site deindexed by the search engines, then you may suffer the same fate. Therefore you may want to consider a hosting plan that gives you your own IP address such as dedicated web hosting. If you really want to get handle on the search engines then you may even want to have access to several IP addresses. To do this you can use SEO hosting services that will lease you several IP addresses per month.

Related posts:

• September 2, 2010 – SEO and Web Hosting – The Connection
• March 18, 2010 – How Does Search Engine Optimization Relate to Your Web Host?
• February 15, 2010 – SEO Keywords: Keyword Density vs. Keyword Placement
• January 16, 2012 – Top 4 Ways to Optimize WordPress for Search Engines
• December 1, 2011 – The Importance of SEO
• September 25, 2011 – Search Engine Optimization tips for Bing
• September 21, 2011 – Are Search Engine Optimization Companies – Worthy of the Cost?
• September 15, 2011 – Add-Ons That Will Save Your Web Hosting Business
• September 14, 2011 – The Dummies’ Guide To SEO
• September 10, 2011 – Common Advice in Search Engine Optimization

Server Reliability

Perhaps one of the most fundamental aspects of your web host that will affect your search engine ranking is the reliability of your web server. The main problem that you need to be aware of is server downtime. Search engines crawl the web at various points throughout the day. No one can know for sure when the search engine spider will visit your site. This means you need to make sure your site is up at all times. If the search engine spider attempts to crawl your site while it is down, then all of the recent changes you have made to your website will not be indexed., This can greatly hinder your search engine optimization progression.

Robot Text

Another important factor of search engine optimization that closely relates to your web hosting account is your robot text. The robot text is a document that tells your server how it should deal with outside influences such as website visitors and search engine crawlers. This document will differ depending on the hosting company that you’re with. Some web hosts will have the document set to allow search engine crawlers while others will not. It is extremely important to make sure your robot.txt files allows crawlers to index your site, otherwise the site will not even be indexed at all!

IP Address Reputability

The final SEO factor that is directly related to your web host is your IP address. Every website online has an IP address that it is associated with. With some hosting plans you share an IP address with others, and some hosting accounts give you your own dedicated IP address. If you decide to share an IP address with others then you need to understand that you are taking a substantial risk to your search engine optimization efforts. Since you are sharing an IP address with other sites, if these sites are penalized by the search engines your site could lose some of its value within the search engine as well, especially if your site is in anyway linked to the non-reputable site on your IP address. For more information on this make sure you talk to your hosting company about dedicated IP addresses and how they can help you.

Related posts:

• April 13, 2010 – The Relationship Between Web Hosting and SEO Results
• March 12, 2010 – Improve Your SEO Efforts by Choosing the Right Web Hosting Plan
• July 23, 2009 – Seven SEO Myths Debunked
• January 16, 2012 – Top 4 Ways to Optimize WordPress for Search Engines
• December 1, 2011 – The Importance of SEO
• September 25, 2011 – Search Engine Optimization tips for Bing
• September 21, 2011 – Are Search Engine Optimization Companies – Worthy of the Cost?
• September 15, 2011 – Add-Ons That Will Save Your Web Hosting Business
• September 14, 2011 – The Dummies’ Guide To SEO
• September 10, 2011 – Common Advice in Search Engine Optimization

Geographic Targeting

Many people seem to overlook the importance of targeted traffic. Getting traffic to your web page can be easy, especially if you accept any kind of traffic. However, getting traffic that is actually going to convert into sales is another story. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative to go after traffic that will be beneficial to your business. One of the ways you can do this is by targeting your traffic geographically. If you are trying to sell a product or service that is going to be popular in the UK, then you wouldn’t want a lot of your traffic coming from China. For this reason it is important to choose a web a hosting provider that is located in the area you would like to target. I.E. -  If you are in the US, then try to pick a web hosting provider in the United States.

IP Addresses

Another important aspect to consider is the IP address of your web site. Search engines often look at the IP address of a website to determine it’s relation to other websites, which may directly impact it’s rankings in the search engines. In other words, choosing a web hosting plan that offers only shared IP addresses may not be the best decision. You may find it too expensive to purchase a dedicated hosting plan, however you can still get a dedicated IP address with your shared hosting account. If you share your IP address with other websites then you are risking the search engine ranking of your site, since the actions of those websites could be directly connected with your site’s behavior by the search engines. When you have a dedicated IP address you will not have to worry about such occurrences, as your IP address will only be used by your website.

Site Building Tools

You’ll also want to make sure you have access to all of the website building tools and languages that are standard in today’s technology. For example, you’ll need to be able to use PHP, MySQL databases, FTP clients and other standard tools. You’ll also need access to your .htaaccess file and PERL if you want to have a fully functional and reliable website. These tools are also extremely important in the search engine optimization efforts of your website. If your web hosting provider does not offer these tools then you may want to consider a different web hosting company.

Related posts:

• September 8, 2011 – SEO Web Hosting: A Powerful Tool to Dominate Search Engine Rankings
• September 16, 2010 – SEO Web Hosting vs Dedicated Web Hosting
• March 18, 2010 – How Does Search Engine Optimization Relate to Your Web Host?
• May 28, 2009 – SEO Considerations for Web Hosting
• September 8, 2010 – How to Track Search Engine Optimization Progress
• August 6, 2010 – Utilizing Video Marketing to Optimize Search Engine Results
• May 17, 2010 – Search Engine Optimization and Meta Descriptions
• May 4, 2010 – SEO and Backlinks – Quick and Easy vs. Slow and Calculated
• April 13, 2010 – The Relationship Between Web Hosting and SEO Results
• November 27, 2009 – The Importance of SEO Article Writing