Do I need DMARC for transactional emails from a small website, and what are the best low-cost alternatives for sending emails if my IP is blocked?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks recommends Postmark, PostageApp, and Amazon SES as reasonable cost-wise and good quality alternatives for sending emails.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that while DMARC offers robust protection, it might be overkill for very small businesses with limited email volume, especially if they're just sending transactional emails. Focus on SPF and DKIM first.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that DMARC implementation is important for protecting your domain's reputation and improving deliverability, but it requires careful planning and monitoring. Assess your specific needs before implementing.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that ensuring proper SPF and DKIM records are set up correctly is crucial before even considering DMARC. Also they mentioned to check your IP reputation with online tools.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that Mailjet provides a free plan with a daily sending limit, which can be a good starting point for small websites. They also offer affordable paid plans as your needs grow.
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that monitoring your IP address reputation is crucial for deliverability. Blacklists can severely impact your ability to send transactional emails, so proactive monitoring is necessary.
Email marketer from StackOverflow shares that there are alternative cheaper SMTP Relay services available which have free sending limits that can be investigated.
Email marketer from Gmass explains that using Gmail's SMTP server is a free alternative for sending transactional emails from a small website, but it comes with limitations in terms of sending volume and deliverability.
Email marketer from DigitalOcean Community shares that while DigitalOcean is a VPS provider, you can set up your own SMTP server on their platform for a relatively low cost, offering full control over your email sending.
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that Sendinblue offers a free plan for up to 300 emails per day, suitable for small businesses. It's a cost-effective alternative if your IP is blocked.
Email marketer from Quora explains that services like SendGrid, Mailgun and Postmark offer better deliverability and detailed analytics tailored for transactional emails compared to general email providers.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that the IP address being used is associated with OVH and the delivery issues are likely due to a general reputational issue with that IP, which is shared with many customers.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that Gmail would be a reasonable free option for sending outbound emails, unlikely to be blocked for this setup.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that for a small website sending a couple hundred transactional emails, DMARC is not needed and will likely break things. Recommends using DKIM and SPF aligned From: header instead.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that DMARC is useful, but can be complex. For small transactional senders, ensuring SPF and DKIM are correctly configured and monitored is often sufficient initially. Focusing on deliverability fundamentals might be a better use of resources.
Expert from Email Geeks describes OVH's IP space as a 'cesspit' due to their lack of infrastructure and interest in handling abuse issues.
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that after an IP block, small senders should consider using a reputable third-party email sending service to leverage their established infrastructure and IP reputation. Services such as SendGrid, Mailjet, and Mailgun can be cost-effective alternatives.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Workspace explains that using Gmail SMTP for transactional emails is possible, but it is important to adhere to Google’s sending limits to avoid being flagged as spam.
Documentation from AWS SES explains that Amazon SES is a cost-effective email sending service suitable for transactional emails. It offers pay-as-you-go pricing and integrates well with other AWS services.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide enhanced email security. It allows domain owners to specify how email receivers should handle messages that fail authentication checks, preventing spoofing and phishing.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that monitoring your sending reputation is crucial. If your IP gets blocked, they advise switching to a dedicated IP or using a reputable email service provider.