For the basic needs, when you are running a ecommerce website, and you look forward to have own ssl certificate. Then its time to get a dedicated IP address. It's the requirement for applying for a ssl certificate. Else you will be using the free shared ssl, which appear to have extra steps for users to make payment after they checkout. Private SSL are essential for your ecommerce store.

In fact dedicated IP address, allow your website to be access directly through IP address instead of domain name. This is a extra advantage in term of speed of locating the website and speed of retrieving content. In large website architecture, each website will be having their own dedicated IP address. Its not build on shared ip address platform, which appear to be the ?budget? solution. If you need a fast website, get a dedicated IP.

Its appear that recent months, some ISP are blocking certain IP address, especially the China ISP are blocking the IP address to certain US hosting provider website. With the blocking, the website is not accessible by china visitors. For this, you will need to find a dedicated IP address, and you will free from the blocking issue.

When there is a need, you will need to look for a dedicated IP address. Look at ixwebhosting as a sample. I run a ixwebhosting review at http://www.ixwebhostingreview.org/ and you can view their dedicated ip details at this page http://www.ixwebhostingreview.org/ixwebhosting/ixwebhosting-dedicated-ip/ Ixwebhosting is offering up to 16 free dedicated IP per hosting account. And its all free ip address.