Is Your IP Address A Google Ranking Factor?

Age-old tales and recommendation just like the beneath from Brian Dean would have us consider that your server’s IP tackle will have an effect on your rankings.

I imply, why not? If your server is all porn, playing, or Viagra, it will make sense to blacklist the server, proper?

But is it a delusion?

One may think it wouldn’t be a lot assist if Google blacklisted the server as a result of website positioning black hats may transfer their server. But it will turn into a relentless recreation of Hungry Hungry Hippos.

That, and with proof we’ll share beneath, is why website positioning professionals are getting blended messages right here. Below, we focus on the reality behind IP addresses as a rating issue.

The Claim: IP Address As A Ranking Factor

When it involves IP addresses as a rating issue, issues can get cloudy within the website positioning group. And it’s tough to know who or what to consider.

The thought of IP addresses as a rating issue started with the time period “dangerous neighborhoods.”

Bad neighborhoods are primarily based on the concept that in the event you’re on shared internet hosting, your IP tackle is shared with all these different websites on the identical shared server.

Essentially, this might imply you’re sharing a server with 5, 20, 100, 1,000, and even 20,000+ different web sites.

If you share a server with 499 different web sites speaking about porn, does this affect your rankings?

Should you get a devoted IP tackle? Or cloud internet hosting?

Let’s discover the proof.

The Evidence Of IP Address As A Ranking Factor

Is IP Address A Ranking Factor?

Google’s Matt Cutts answered this IP address question again in 2003.

His response:

“I actually wouldn’t fear about it that a lot.”

But later in May 2011, Kaspar Szymanski, Google’s Search Quality Strategist, tweeted:

As you’ll be able to think about, this raised some confusion within the website positioning group. In June 2011, Google launched a weblog submit about defending customers from malware hosted on bulk subdomain services.

Then in July 2011, Google banned an entire subdomain, .co.cc,  as a result of the host had an uncommon quantity of spammy websites.

Finally, in 2018, Google’s John Mueller laid this to relaxation when requested an analogous question about IP addresses on Twitter.

Mueller’s response was easy and direct:

So, we are able to guess this was a possible rating issue again within the early 2010s. But that’s not the case anymore.

Does The Server Location Matter For website positioning?

If you may have your web site hosted within the U.S. however transfer it to a server in Brazil, will that affect your website positioning?

Mueller answered this query on Twitter, stating:

If you progress to a server in a special location? Usually not. We get sufficient geotargeting info in any other case, e.g., from the TLD & geotargeting settings in Search Console.

Screenshot by writer, July 2021

Do IP Addresses Affect Link Building?

Many website positioning professionals consider the server location and different C-Class IP addresses can improve ranking.

Honestly, in the event you’re enthusiastic about this in relation to your hyperlink constructing technique, you aren’t doing hyperlink constructing proper.

Want proof?

Mueller answered this question in a Google Hangout with a easy “no.”

He added:

“That shouldn’t be one thing the place that you must artificially purchase IP tackle blocks to only shuffle issues round. And particularly if you’re on a CDN, then you’ll find yourself on an IP block with different firms as properly. Or if you’re on shared internet hosting then this stuff occur. That shouldn’t be one thing that that you must artificially transfer round.”

Is A Shared IP, Dedicated IP, Or Cloud Hosting Better For website positioning?

It doesn’t matter in case you have a shared IP, devoted IP, or cloud internet hosting for website positioning.

Mueller answered this query associated to dedicated IP and SEO on Twitter.

IP Address As A Ranking Signal: Our Rating

Your IP tackle doesn’t affect your rankings, not less than not anymore.

The common consensus is that your time is best spent focusing in your web site efficiency and content material.

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Featured picture: Paulo Bobita