How important is IP reputation versus domain reputation, especially for B2B senders with low engagement and emails going to spam?

Email marketer from Reddit shares that domain reputation matters more than IP reputation in today's email ecosystem, particularly for B2B. They explain that building a strong domain reputation involves consistent sending habits, engaging content, and active list management to avoid spam traps and low engagement rates.

Email marketer from Mailjet responds that for B2B senders struggling with low engagement and spam issues, focusing on list hygiene and segmentation is essential. Targeting the right audience and removing unengaged contacts can significantly improve domain reputation and deliverability.

Email marketer from Stack Overflow shares that domain reputation plays a significant role in B2B email deliverability due to the reliance on enterprise-level filtering solutions. They suggest improving domain reputation by ensuring emails are relevant, personalized, and sent with proper consent.

Email marketer from Neil Patel Digital emphasizes that domain reputation is more critical than IP reputation because major mailbox providers like Gmail and Microsoft heavily filter based on domain reputation. If a domain has a poor reputation, emails are more likely to land in the spam folder regardless of IP reputation.

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) significantly impacts domain reputation. Implementing these protocols helps verify the legitimacy of emails, making them less likely to be marked as spam by mailbox providers, especially for B2B senders.

Email marketer from Litmus responds that tracking domain reputation metrics, such as spam complaints and engagement rates, is crucial for B2B senders to identify and address deliverability issues. They suggest using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS to monitor domain reputation and make necessary adjustments to sending practices.

Email marketer from Gmass explains that focusing on domain reputation is essential for cold email deliverability, especially for B2B senders. They suggest warming up your domain by sending emails to engaged contacts first and gradually increasing volume to build a positive sending history.

Email marketer from SendGrid shares that sender reputation (both IP and domain) is crucial for email deliverability, but suggests focusing on domain reputation first. For B2B senders, engaging content and consistent sending practices are vital to improve user engagement and domain reputation.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that in B2B, emails go up against enterprise filtering solutions and that user engagement and behaviour is important.

Email marketer from Woodpecker shares that personalized emails with relevant content are more likely to engage recipients and improve domain reputation. They suggest tailoring emails to individual recipients and providing valuable information to increase open rates and reduce spam complaints.

Expert from Spam Resource emphasizes that for B2B senders, domain reputation is crucial. With low engagement and spam placement, domain reputation is the priority. Check authentication and be conservative in what you send, and how often.

Expert from Email Geeks says the main thing is really about your mailstream reputation and if it is something people want.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that they don’t really worry about IP reputation at Google, as they are more focused on domain reputation, especially for low-volume senders. Also volume at other mailbox providers doesn't count and mail to google workspace domains doesn't count either.

Expert from Email Geeks says if your Gmail reputation is bad and your open rate is 0.3%, the most likely explanation is all that mail you're sending to Google is going to the spam folder and the first thing you need to do is get mail out of the spam folder.

Expert from Email Geeks says that while it depends on the filter, they haven't cared about IP reputation from an ESP in years, and instead focuses on making sure that the mail clients send is mail that the recipients want.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that deliverability issues are often tied to engagement. If emails are going to spam and engagement is low, focusing on improving the quality of your email content and the relevance to your audience will improve your domain reputation. They suggest asking “why aren’t they engaging?” and resolving those issues.

Documentation from RFC specifies that implementing SPF records helps to authenticate the sending domain. This assures mailbox providers that the emails are legitimately from the domain, which improves domain reputation and reduces the likelihood of emails being marked as spam.

Documentation from DMARC.org states that implementing a DMARC policy helps protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. This protects the reputation of your domain as mailbox providers know mail coming from your domain is legitimate and that spoofed emails are blocked.

Documentation from Google states that domain reputation is a key factor in Gmail's spam filtering. Low engagement rates (low open rates, high spam complaints) negatively impact domain reputation, leading to increased spam placement, especially for B2B senders who may not have strong user interaction.

Documentation from Mimecast highlights that domain reputation is a key factor in their email filtering process. Domains with poor engagement rates, high bounce rates, or frequent spam complaints are more likely to have their emails blocked or sent to spam folders. Mimecast recommend monitoring your domain on their reputation checker.

Documentation from SparkPost states that proper bounce handling is crucial for maintaining domain reputation. They explain that high bounce rates can negatively impact domain reputation, leading to increased spam placement. Senders should implement a robust bounce processing system to remove invalid email addresses from their lists.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that Exchange Online Protection (EOP) uses a combination of IP and domain reputation to filter spam. Domain reputation is heavily weighted, especially for senders with low engagement. Senders should monitor their domain reputation via Microsoft's SNDS program.