An IP address is a unique number which identifies a website or a web server on the world-wide web, so in the event that you have a dedicated IP, it will be employed just by your websites and will not be shared with other individuals as it happens with shared Internet hosting accounts. Provided you have your own web server, you will have a dedicated IP, but you may require additional ones for a variety of purposes. In case you have an Internet store, for example, you'll need an SSL certificate for it, to make certain that the payment information your clients submit shall be encrypted and safe. The same is valid in the event that you have a login form of some type and you wish the usernames and the passwords which visitors enter to be protected. The SSL certificate requires a dedicated IP, which ought to be different from the one that you already have on the machine. You could also need an individual IP for an app such as a VoIP server, or if you want a slightly better functionality for a given website, which may affect its position in search engine results.