How do ESPs manage IP pools and how does it affect deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Validity explains that feedback loops are an important part of IP reputation management. Feedback loops allow the sender to know what is reported as spam and to be removed from the list to prevent it from being a spam email.
Email marketer from SparkPost explains that warming up an IP is important to build sender reputation for the IPs. Without warmup, emails are more likely to go to spam.
Email marketer from Elastic Email explains that one of the best tools for good deliverability is to monitor email reputation. By monitoring, this allows issues to be resolved before being blacklisted.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares an experience where a client moved to a dedicated IP after being limited by a bad apple on a shared IP, but cautions that dedicated IPs can be counterproductive for lower-volume senders.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that smaller senders on shared IP pools are often at the mercy of larger senders, if the larger senders' sending practices are bad, it will impact the other smaller senders deliverability rates.
Email marketer from ZeroBounce explains that a clean email list can improve deliverability. An active and clean list improves sender reputation, increasing deliverability.
Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that when using a shared IP, your deliverability is affected by the sending habits of other users on that IP. If they send spam or have poor engagement, it can negatively impact your deliverability, regardless of your own sending practices.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that even in a segmented scenario, your own reputation in a shared IP pool is only as good as the worst sender in that pool.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that ESPs manage IP pools by segmenting users based on sending reputation. Senders with good reputations are placed in pools with other reputable senders, improving deliverability. Poorly managed IP pools can lead to blacklisting, impacting deliverability for all senders in the pool.
Email marketer from Moosend explains that ESPs warm up IP pools gradually by increasing sending volume over time. This process helps establish a positive reputation with ISPs and improves deliverability, as it demonstrates legitimate sending behavior.
Email marketer from Email Hippo explains that good deliverability involves a mixture of things, including a good IP reputation. Using good IP practices is a part of a good deliverability strategy.
Email marketer from StackExchange shares that IP address blacklists are shared across the internet so the reputation of an IP can impact the ability for emails to be delivered.
Marketer from Email Geeks recommends using dedicated IPs if you have the volume and want the best possible deliverability and control over IP reputation, assuming best practices are in place.
What the experts say6Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks shares that domain reputation is often more important than IP reputation for consumer ISPs, making dedicated IPs less ROI-positive for many ESPs.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that proactive monitoring of IP reputation is essential for identifying and addressing deliverability issues early on. ESPs often provide tools and resources to help senders track their IP reputation and identify potential problems.
Expert from Email Geeks recommends some IP segmentation and different pools, like a pool for new or unknown customers, but says older strategies like "gold," "silver," and "bronze" pools aren't as effective.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that sender reputation, influenced by factors like IP address and domain, significantly impacts deliverability when using shared IP pools. ESPs manage this by monitoring sender behavior and potentially segregating users into different pools based on their reputation.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that some ESPs move riskier email clients to worse shared IP pools, while others don't. It depends on automation, understanding of client desires, and how on top of things they are.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that "pool tuning" should maximize delivery for good clients, not all clients, moving away from the strategy of blending in bad mail to balance IP reputation.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools emphasizes that maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial for deliverability. Google uses various factors, including IP reputation and spam complaints, to determine whether to deliver emails to the inbox or spam folder. Monitoring and addressing deliverability issues is recommended.
Documentation from Amazon SES explains that dedicated IP addresses allow senders to control their reputation. By consistently sending high-quality email, they can build a positive reputation and improve deliverability. Conversely, poor sending practices can negatively impact deliverability.
Documentation from RFC explains that Sender Policy Framework (SPF) can be used for email authentication to prevent spoofing. This is an important component in IP reputation, by verifying emails came from an approved source.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that sender reputation, including IP reputation, plays a key role in filtering decisions. Senders with poor reputations are more likely to have their emails delivered to the junk folder. Maintaining a clean IP address and following best practices are essential for good deliverability.