Can some IPs receive more hits from Search Engine Bots than others?

[skuba]

I am looking into changing all my sites to a new host. So I placed a message on another forum asking if there could be any problems in terms of SEO is I did that.

One of the responses said that some IP address receive more bot activity than others. And that I should do some research on my future IP first.

It's the first time I hear anything about how a IP can affect the Bots activity.

Do you know anyhting about it?

Thanks

[troels nybo nielsen]

This is new for me too. Might it be a question of technical problems with the servers that some hosts use?

[skuba]

I am switching to a new server that will have a brand new IP.
Is there a problem with that? Becuase it's a new IP?
Thanks

[troels nybo nielsen]

AFAIK the IP in itself has no influence on the willingness of the bots to visit a website. Linking structure is important and the setup of your server, but I have never heard before that the IP should matter.

[Nova Reticulis]

Absolutely no relevance. *However*, when you move hostings make damn well sure that the service provider is not a spamhaus and that its IP space is not blacklisted anywhere.

[troels nybo nielsen]

> Absolutely no relevance

Actually I think that this _is_ relevant here. "Blacklisted anywhere" might mean blacklisted by a search engine.

Thanks for pointing this danger out. And welcome to WebmasterWorld.

[Nova Reticulis]

Thanks!

I was merely suggesting that the Google crawlers are unlikely to take consideration to IP addresses. However, your customers' email servers are :)

[troels nybo nielsen]

Yes, my own spamfilter has a long blacklist. But we should also remember that search engines have huge databases and strong instruments for analysis of those databases. That's a part of their nature. There is strong evidence that Google use the IP as a part of their basis for deciding the language of a website. They might also use it to decide if there is some connection to websites and hosting companies that are damaging the web. At least I would not count out that possibility.