: Will Google and other search engines follow IP address only sites (i.e., no URL) Will Google and other search engines follow links to and index sites that don't have a URL, but instead just

@Heady270

For years, I haven't seen a site ranking in Google that doesn't have a domain name. That doesn't mean it isn't possible, but few (if any) sites are doing that now. Here are a bunch of reasons that you should get a domain name:


IP addresses cannot be moved from one web host to another the way that domain names can.

IP Addresses change. It is very difficult to obtain a IP address that can be stable for a number of years. Most ISPs force IP address changes from time to time. Heck, your ISP may even go out of business.
You may want to change IP address, for example to move to a better host.

Domain names are cheap

You can get .com for around /year.
You can get free third level domain names (for example from dyndns)

Domain names give you branding. You don't want to brand yourself to an IP address, but you do want to choose a domain name that is brandable.
A domain name is reputable. Even if you can get an IP address site ranked in Google, it will be harder to rank well than with a domain name. Google may see the domain name as a quality signal. Even if Google doesn't explicitly have a ranking factor for it, users will trust a URL with a domain name more which can have an indirect impact on your rankings.
A domain name is memorable. Who is going to want to rememeber and type in an IP address?

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