How does site IP type and host server setup affect SEO?

[Brett_K]

Hi all,

I moved my site from a shared IP to a dedicated IP. How much does that affect my ability to be seen and listed by search engines and which search engines does it matter to most?

I am getting a problem report from an optimization analysis tool that compares the the first few lines of my site code returned from a low-level TCP/IP (socket get) and then a "browser get". The report says that the results are different, indicating that I may be on a virtual server and recommends that I get a dedicated IP. Since I already have a dedicated IP, I am wondering if there is a problem with the way the host server is set up. Has anyone had a similar experience or can shed light on the possible issues that may be contributing to the problem report?

Thanks,

Brett K

[DaveAtIFG]

Having a dedicated IP precludes the possibility of spiders being "confused" about your site. Virtual hosting configuration errors and bugs in spider software have been known to cause the wrong site to be spidered or indexed. Having just one site associated with a given IP insures none of that can happen.

As to your problem report, I'd first try to confirm that the tool you're using is reporting accurately. Try Brett's Server Header Check [webmasterworld.com] and do some comparing between what each tool returns. My experience is that Brett's tool is pretty reliable.

[Brett_K]

Thanks for the resource and the info.

Brett

[a_chameleon]

DaveatIFG is ultra-correct; I took some real beatings w/ Google using virtual hosting; Google would apply one site's cache to the other, and one or the other would dissapear
completely on a regular basis to reyurn in a month or so.

Dedicated's the only way to go.