Summary
Sharing IP ranges can significantly impact email deliverability due to shared IP reputation, where poor sending practices by one sender can negatively affect others. Managing IP reputation for different clients involves strategies like using dedicated IPs for full control and isolating reputation issues, or setting up IP pools and VMTAs to segment clients based on their sending habits, using PowerMTA. Proper IP warming is crucial for gradually building a positive reputation, and tools like Google Postmaster Tools and GlockApps are essential for monitoring IP and domain reputation. Authentication methods such as SPF records, maintaining clean lists, actively addressing blocklisting, and utilizing feedback loops for identifying spam complaints are vital for improving and maintaining sender reputation.
Key findings
- Shared IP Risk: Sharing IPs leads to shared IP reputation, impacting deliverability based on the program's health.
- Dedicated IP Benefit: Dedicated IPs offer full control over sending reputation and isolation of reputation issues.
- Segmentation Strategies: Techniques like IP pools and VMTAs (using PowerMTA) help manage reputation by segmenting clients.
- IP Warming Necessity: Properly warming up IP addresses is critical for establishing a positive sending reputation.
- Monitoring Importance: Actively monitoring IP, domain reputation using tools such as Google Postmaster Tools, and GlockApps is crucial for proactive issue detection.
- Authentication Protocols: Using SPF records and other authentication protocols prevents spoofing and improves deliverability.
- List Hygiene Significance: Maintaining clean email lists reduces bounce rates and spam complaints, improving sender reputation.
- Blocklist Management: Quickly addressing blocklisting issues is crucial to minimize damage to deliverability.
- Feedback Loop Utilization: Utilizing feedback loops (FBLs) helps remove spam complainants and maintain list integrity.
Key considerations
- Program Health: Consider the overall health of your email program to understand how shared IPs can impact deliverability.
- Risk of Shared IPs: Acknowledge that even one sender with poor habits affects the deliverability of all using shared IP ranges.
- Cost of Dedicated IPs: Evaluate the costs and complexity of dedicated IPs against the benefits of reputation control.
- Warming Schedule Planning: Develop and follow a strict schedule for warming up new IPs to ensure a positive start.
- Data Monitoring: Implement regular data monitoring and analysis using deliverability tools to identify anomalies.
- Prompt Reaction: Develop processes for prompt reaction to blacklisting or other reputation-related problems.
- Testing for Deliverability: Continually test your deliverability
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
Sharing IP ranges can significantly affect email deliverability due to shared IP reputation. A sender with poor practices on a shared IP can negatively impact the deliverability of all senders using that IP. Managing IP reputation involves strategies like separating clients with different sending habits onto different IPs, setting up pools and VMTA's, and warming up IPs to gradually build reputation. Monitoring IP reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools, authenticating emails, maintaining clean lists, and promptly addressing blocklistings are also essential.
Key opinions
- Shared IP Reputation: Sharing IPs means sharing IP reputation, impacting deliverability.
- Client Segmentation: Separating clients with different sending habits onto different IPs is a common strategy.
- IP Pools and VMTA's: PowerMTA can be used to set up IP pools and VMTA's to manage different client reputations.
- Monitoring is Crucial: Actively monitoring IP reputation is essential for identifying and addressing deliverability issues.
- Improve Sender Reputation: Improving sender reputation involves authentication, list maintenance, and avoiding spam triggers.
- IP Blocklists: Being on an IP blocklist is detrimental and requires immediate action.
- Deliverability Testing: Regular testing helps identify deliverability problems.
- Feedback Loops: Utilizing FBLs helps identify and remove spammers from list improving reputation.
Key considerations
- Program Health: The healthiness of your entire email program affects the impact of shared IPs on deliverability.
- Low-Performing Pools: Ensure the lowest performing IP pool doesn't negatively impact others.
- Authentication: Implement email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- List Hygiene: Maintain clean email lists to minimize bounce rates and spam complaints.
- Proactive Monitoring: Regularly check IP reputation and deliverability metrics.
- IP Warming: Implement IP warming strategy for new IPs
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that any attribute of an email has some type of reputation tied to it. Sharing IPs means sharing IP reputation between email streams, impacting deliverability depending on the program's health.
23 Dec 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that sharing IP addresses can negatively impact deliverability if one sender on the IP has poor sending practices. Maintaining a good IP reputation is crucial for ensuring emails reach the inbox.
26 Oct 2021 - Mailjet
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Experts emphasize that IP address reputation significantly affects email deliverability. Using a dedicated IP address offers control over your reputation, which is crucial when managing clients with varying sending practices. Warming up new IPs gradually builds a positive reputation, while sudden large sending volumes can negatively impact your IP reputation. Key factors contributing to reputation include sending volume, spam complaints, and engagement metrics.
Key opinions
- Dedicated IP Control: Dedicated IPs provide control over email reputation, affecting deliverability.
- IP Warming Importance: Proper IP warming gradually builds a positive reputation.
- Reputation Factors: Sending volume, spam complaints, and engagement metrics influence IP reputation.
Key considerations
- Dedicated IP Cost: Consider the cost and technical requirements of managing dedicated IPs.
- Gradual Sending Volume: Avoid sudden large sending volumes with new IPs to prevent reputation damage.
- Engagement Metrics: Monitor engagement metrics (opens, clicks) to identify potential deliverability issues.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise highlights that the reputation of your sending IP address significantly impacts email deliverability. Factors contributing to reputation include sending volume, spam complaints, and engagement metrics.
4 Feb 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, shares the importance of warming up new IPs. Proper IP warming gradually builds a positive reputation, which impacts deliverability. Sudden large sending volumes can negatively impact your IP reputation. Although this doesn't 100% answer the prompt it is closely linked.
13 Nov 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Technical documentation emphasizes the importance of managing IP reputation for email deliverability. Using dedicated IP addresses gives full control and allows for isolating reputation issues. Warming up IPs gradually is crucial for establishing a good reputation and preventing deliverability problems. Services like Google Postmaster Tools provide data on sending reputation to help improve deliverability. Implementing SPF records is vital for email authentication, preventing spoofing, and enhancing deliverability.
Key findings
- Dedicated IP Control: Dedicated IPs provide full control over sending reputation.
- IP Warming: Properly warming up IPs is crucial for establishing a good reputation.
- Reputation Monitoring: Tools like Google Postmaster Tools provide data to monitor and improve sending reputation.
- SPF Authentication: SPF records are crucial for email authentication and preventing spoofing.
Key considerations
- IP Isolation Benefits: Consider the benefits of isolating different clients on separate IPs for reputation management.
- Warming Schedule: Develop a gradual IP warming schedule to avoid deliverability issues.
- Data Analysis: Regularly analyze Google Postmaster Tools data to identify and address deliverability problems.
- SPF Record Setup: Ensure SPF records are properly configured to authorize sending mail servers.
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost explains that properly warming up IP addresses by gradually increasing sending volume is important for establishing a good IP reputation. Sending too much email too quickly can negatively affect deliverability.
18 May 2025 - SparkPost
Technical article
Documentation from SendGrid explains that using dedicated IP addresses gives you full control over your sending reputation, which impacts deliverability. Separating clients by IP allows isolating reputation issues.
17 Sep 2022 - SendGrid
How do ESPs manage IP pools and how does it affect deliverability?
How can ESPs identify and block spammers before they damage IP reputation?
How does IP range behavior affect other IPs and domain reputation?
How can I check which companies are sharing my IP address for email sending?
How can I improve email deliverability on a shared IP for marketing automation emails like abandoned carts?
Can I use DMARC with shared IP addresses?
