How important is IP certification for email deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from GlockApps goes into details on how to imporve your IP reputation. They state, warm up your IP, clean email lists, consistent volume, authentication and monitor sender reputation. IP Certification is not mentioned.
Email marketer from Return Path (via EmailDeliverability.com) stresses that building a strong sender reputation through consistent sending volume, proper authentication, and high engagement rates is more critical for email deliverability than obtaining IP certification.
Email marketer from Litmus explains deliverability and notes that factors like domain reputation, spam complaints and email authentication play a much larger role than IP Certification.
Email marketer from Reddit discusses that it's more important to warm up your IPs correctly than getting them certified. Building a good sending reputation is more important.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester shares it's far more important to build email lists organically, send relevant content and implement authentication protocols. IP certification doesn't play any role in that.
Email marketer from Validity shares that while IP certification was once valuable, its importance has diminished as mailbox providers now prioritize sender reputation based on engagement and authentication practices. Certification alone does not ensure deliverability.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow argues that while IP certification can offer some advantages, it's not a magic bullet for deliverability. Core factors like sender reputation, content quality, and list hygiene are much more important.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that IP certification programs do not guarantee inbox placement. While they may provide a small boost, they are not a substitute for good sending practices and engaging content.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that while IP certification programs like Bonded Sender existed, the industry has largely moved towards more sophisticated methods of sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and reputation management based on user engagement and data-driven filtering. IP certification is not as effective as modern reputation systems.
Expert from Word to the Wise discusses that your reputation will influence where your mail is placed. Some mailbox providers have a white list, but building your reputation is still far more important.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that IP certification is not nearly as important as it once might have been and it’s certainly not a red carpet into the inbox.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org goes into technical detail about the DMARC protocol, but shows it is far more important to implement this than IP certification.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools outlines sender guidelines that focus on email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining low spam complaint rates, and providing valuable content to drive engagement. IP certification is not mentioned as a significant factor for deliverability to Gmail users.
Documentation from RFC 4408 outlines the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) standard, a core email authentication method that helps prevent email spoofing and improves deliverability by verifying the sending server's authorization. This documentation focuses on technical implementation rather than IP certification.
Documentation from Microsoft details factors influencing deliverability to Outlook.com and emphasizes sender reputation, authentication, list hygiene, and content quality. IP certification is not highlighted as a key element for reaching the inbox.