How does parent domain reputation affect subdomain deliverability and sender reputation?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that a parent domain's reputation significantly impacts subdomain deliverability. If the parent domain has a poor sender reputation due to spam complaints or blacklisting, subdomains can inherit these issues, leading to deliverability problems.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains authentication and reputation are different things. Building sender reputation takes time and requires sending emails that people open and click. If the test messages are going to spam then it is hard to build reputation.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign mentions that when using subdomains, it's important to be aware of the parent domain's reputation. If the parent domain has a bad reputation, it can affect the ability of the subdomain to achieve good deliverability.
Email marketer from Gmass notes that while subdomains are helpful for protecting the main domain's reputation, they still operate within the context of the parent domain. A poor parent domain reputation can create challenges for subdomain deliverability.
Email marketer from WebmasterWorld forum shared that search engines and ISPs do look at the association between the parent domain and subdomains. A really bad reputation on the parent can negatively impact new subdomains, even if those subdomains are trying to do things right.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that while subdomains are often used to isolate email streams and protect the main domain's reputation, they are not entirely independent. A very poor parent domain reputation can bleed into the subdomain's reputation, especially with Gmail.
Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that the parent domain has an impact but is a factor. Setting up the infrastructure correctly, and ensuring that all authentication mechanisms are in place are important. Also ensuring that you have good list hygiene in place is important and users don't mark you as SPAM.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that subdomains offer a way to manage sender reputation, but the parent domain's reputation still matters. A parent domain with a history of spam or abuse can negatively impact the deliverability of subdomains.
Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that while subdomains can help segment email sending and protect the main domain, they aren't immune to the parent domain's reputation. A bad parent domain reputation can make it harder to establish a good reputation for the subdomain.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks and Marketer from Email Geeks suggest that you need to start with rehabbing the parent domain as that will allow gmail recipients who override the Gmail filter default (spam) to get emails to the inbox. Completely removing inactive recipients from the list is also advised.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if the test messages are going to spam, it will be difficult to build a reputation. She recommends fixing the trashed parent domain reputation and points out this advice is specific to Gmail.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that if the parent domain has a bad reputation, it will affect the subdomain's reputation. Google's machine learning recognizes that subdomains are sometimes used to evade filters after the parent domain's reputation has been damaged, so a new subdomain of a poorly rated domain will be treated with suspicion.
Expert from Spamresource explains that subdomains used for sending marketing emails are generally treated separately from the root domain. However, if the root domain has a very poor reputation or is blacklisted, it can affect the deliverability of emails sent from the subdomain, particularly with certain ISPs. They advise monitoring both the subdomain and parent domain reputation.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that while subdomains allow senders to isolate reputation, a badly damaged parent domain can negatively impact the reputation of its subdomains. ISPs can consider the overall domain family when filtering, especially if there is evidence of coordinated spam activity across multiple subdomains.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from SendGrid Docs states that when setting up a subdomain, the reputation of the parent domain can influence the initial deliverability. Although subdomains allow for segmentation and improved reputation management, a severely damaged parent domain reputation can still hinder the subdomain's performance.
Documentation from Microsoft Learn explains that a sender's reputation, whether at the domain or subdomain level, is a crucial factor in email deliverability. Poor sending practices from the parent domain can negatively affect the reputation of subdomains, leading to emails being filtered as spam.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that parent domain reputation can affect subdomain deliverability. While subdomains allow for segmentation and management of sending practices, a negative parent domain reputation can still pose challenges.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that Google does consider the reputation of parent domains when evaluating the reputation of subdomains. A negative reputation of the parent domain can negatively impact the deliverability of emails sent from the subdomain.