A lot has been written about the importance of having a dedicated IP address to achieve search engine rankings and Matt Cutts has confirmed the following statement by Googles Craig Silverstein still to be true;

“Actually, Google handles virtually hosted domains and their links just the same as domains on unique IP addresses. If your ISP does virtual hosting correctly, you’ll never see a difference between the two cases. We do see a small percentage of ISPs every month that misconfigure their virtual hosting, which might account for this persistent misperception–thanks for giving me the chance to dispel a myth!”

In our experience best practice dictates that you should always opt for a dedicated hosting solution with a dedicated IP address. This has the effect of retaining complete control over your website. A few years ago dedicated hosting solutions were expensive, not any more! With shared hosting solutions and shared IP addresses, there is always the risk that third party websites beyond your control could damage your SEO by participating in link farms or spamming Google which could end up with an IP address that is forever tainted.

If you are moving hosts or setting up a dedicated hosting solution for the first time, enquire with the host as to whether the dedicated IP address has been used before. If so, find it who previously occupied the space. As a precaution, think twice about using an old IP address used by the Gambling, Viagra or Adult fraternity. If in doubt, demand a new IP address from your host.

Before entering into an SEO services campaign agreement with an agency, factor in the cost of dedicated hosting as part of the overall campaign costs and eliminate the risk of external influences impacting your campaign.