An IP address is a unique number that identifies an Internet site or a server on the world-wide web, so if you have a dedicated IP, it will be employed exclusively by your Internet sites and won't be shared with others as it happens with shared web hosting accounts. Provided you have your own server, you shall have a dedicated IP, but you may require extra ones for a variety of uses. If you have an online store, for example, you will need an SSL certificate for it, to make certain that the payment information your customers submit shall be encrypted and safe. The same is valid in case you have a login form of some type and you wish the usernames and the passwords that visitors type in to be protected. The SSL certificate requires a dedicated IP address, which ought to be different from the one that you already have on the web server. You could also need an independent IP for an application such as a VoIP server, or if you need a slightly better overall performance for a particular website, which will affect its position in search engine results.