Is a dedicated IP address suitable for low volume transactional emails, and how do open/click tracking and cold emailing affect deliverability?

Summary

The consensus is that dedicated IPs are unsuitable for low-volume transactional emails. Consistent, high-volume sending is crucial for building a positive IP reputation; otherwise, a shared IP is recommended. Open/click tracking can affect deliverability if tracking domains lack a good reputation or proper authentication. Cold emailing significantly harms deliverability, especially with poor-quality lists, leading to low sender scores and spam reports. Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and permission-based marketing are essential for improving deliverability. Low sending volume can even appear suspicious to filters.

Key findings

  • Dedicated IP Inefficiency: Dedicated IPs are inefficient for low-volume sending due to the inability to establish a positive sender reputation.
  • Shared IP Preference: Shared IPs are generally preferred for low-volume transactional emails.
  • Tracking Risks: Open and click tracking can negatively impact deliverability if tracking domains are not reputable or authenticated.
  • Cold Email Impact: Cold emailing damages sender reputation and deliverability, particularly with poor-quality lists.
  • Volume Consistency: Consistent and sufficient sending volume is critical for IP reputation; low volume appears suspicious.

Key considerations

  • Volume Assessment: Carefully assess email volume to determine if it justifies a dedicated IP; shared IPs are often a better choice for low-volume senders.
  • Tracking Domain Management: Maintain a reputable tracking domain and ensure proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to mitigate deliverability risks associated with tracking.
  • List Quality: Prioritize building and maintaining high-quality, permission-based email lists and avoid cold emailing to preserve sender reputation.
  • Authentication Implementation: Implement and maintain robust email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify sender identity and improve deliverability.
  • Sending Practices: Practice responsible sending habits, including list segmentation, engagement monitoring, and prompt removal of unsubscribed recipients.

What email marketers say
13Marketer opinions

Using a dedicated IP for low-volume transactional emails is generally not recommended as it's difficult to build a positive sender reputation due to the lack of sufficient sending volume. Shared IPs are often more suitable in such cases. Open and click tracking can affect deliverability if the tracking domains have a bad reputation or are not properly authenticated. Cold emailing negatively impacts deliverability, especially with poor quality email lists, as it can lead to low sender scores and spam reports.

Key opinions

  • Dedicated IP Inefficiency: Dedicated IPs are not efficient for low-volume sending as they struggle to build and maintain a positive reputation.
  • Shared IP Suitability: Shared IPs are often a better option for low-volume transactional emails.
  • Tracking Impact: Open and click tracking can negatively affect deliverability if tracking domains have a bad reputation or are not properly authenticated.
  • Cold Email Risks: Cold emailing damages sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues, especially with poor-quality lists.
  • Volume Consistency: Consistent sending volume, not just list size, is important for IP reputation; low volume can appear suspicious.

Key considerations

  • Sending Volume: Assess whether the email volume is sufficient to maintain a dedicated IP's reputation.
  • Tracking Domain Reputation: Ensure tracking domains used for open and click tracking have a good reputation and are properly authenticated (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
  • Email List Quality: Avoid cold emailing or ensure email lists are clean, permission-based, and well-maintained to prevent spam complaints.
  • Authentication Protocols: Implement and maintain proper email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve deliverability.
  • Sender Score: Monitor sender score and take corrective actions if it's low, as it impacts inbox placement.
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign explains that the tracking domains you are using can influence deliverability. Making sure you use your own domain, and checking it is properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

May 2024 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks confirms that an unknown reputation can definitely affect inbox placement.

September 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explained that dedicated IPs are not just based on size of list, but also frequency and volume. If the business is sending such few transactional emails that it looks like suspicious activity, a shared IP is a better option.

September 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that dedicated IPs are best suited for senders who maintain consistent sending volume (at least 50,000 emails per month) to build a positive reputation. Low volume senders may not generate enough sending history to establish a good reputation, potentially harming deliverability.

May 2024 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares cold email systems typically piggyback off of Gmail's shared IPs, so IP rep would be Google's. Domain rep would be iffy, and cold emailers typically send from domains set up just for that purpose, then discarded when they get bad reps.

October 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass Blog explains that open and click tracking could affect deliverability based on the type of tracking used (pixel tracking vs. link wrapping) and the recipients security settings. Although generally safe, some older clients can cause issues and the reputation of the domains used is important.

January 2023 - GMass Blog
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains every single piece of structured data in an email (including URLs) gets assigned a reputation, and a bad reputation will impact deliverability. It’s not so much what that URL is used for, it’s more in what context is it used in.

July 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that for very low volumes (like the 20 emails per day), a dedicated IP is likely overkill. The effort to maintain its reputation and keep it warm would be disproportionate to the benefit. A shared IP pool is often a better option in this scenario.

September 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailOctopus Blog shares that a dedicated IP is only necessary if you're sending a large volume of emails regularly. Otherwise, a shared IP is sufficient. For low-volume transactional emails, a dedicated IP may not be the best choice.

May 2024 - EmailOctopus Blog
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks mentions link-tracking might affect deliverability, but only if the tracking domain has a bad reputation.

February 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot Blog indicates that a low sender score can cause emails to be flagged as spam by recipient inboxes. They also discuss that a low sender score can be caused by cold emailing, which can cause deliverability issues.

June 2022 - HubSpot Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that cold emails could be detrimental if your email list is poor. Poor list quality can cause many spam reports and a low reputation. If your sender reputation is low, your emails may be seen as spam.

April 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains using a dedicated IP for such a low volume isn't recommended as there won't be enough volume to build a reputation. They recommend shared IPs should be sufficient for transactional emails.

July 2024 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Experts generally advise against using a dedicated IP for low-volume transactional emails. Maintaining a consistent volume is crucial for building a positive IP reputation; otherwise, it's better to switch to a shared IP pool. Cold emailing, particularly when combined with low volume, can significantly damage sender reputation, leading to emails being marked as spam. Permission-based marketing is recommended to improve deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Dedicated IP Inefficiency: Dedicated IPs are not suitable for low volume sending due to the inability to build a sufficient reputation.
  • Shared IP Recommendation: Switching to a shared IP pool is advisable for low volume senders.
  • Cold Email Harm: Cold emailing damages sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Volume Sensitivity: Low volume combined with cold emailing will likely cause emails to land in the spam folder.
  • Reputation Risks: Low volume sending can appear suspicious to filters.

Key considerations

  • Volume Requirements: Assess if sending volume is sufficient to maintain a dedicated IP's reputation.
  • Permission-Based Marketing: Prioritize permission-based marketing to avoid damaging sender reputation.
  • Alternative Solutions: Consider shared IP pools as a viable alternative for low volume email programs.
  • Reputation Management: Focus on building and maintaining a positive sender reputation through appropriate email practices.
  • Cold Email Avoidance: Avoid or significantly limit cold emailing practices.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks warns that low volume sending combined with cold emails will likely result in emails landing in the spam folder forever.

March 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks recommends switching back to a shared IP.

March 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that sending emails to recipients who have not opted-in (cold emailing) can damage sender reputation and thus deliverability. He recommends permission-based marketing to improve deliverability and ROI.

August 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that dedicated IP addresses need to maintain a consistent volume of mail to build a good reputation. Very low volume sending doesn't build a reputation and can sometimes look suspicious to filters. It's often better to use a shared IP pool if you don't have a high sending volume.

October 2021 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

Email service documentation consistently advises against using a dedicated IP address for low-volume email sending, especially transactional emails. A key factor is that consistent, high-volume sending is necessary to build and maintain a positive IP reputation with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and email filters like Gmail. Low or inconsistent volume makes it difficult to establish trust, potentially leading to deliverability problems and emails being flagged as spam.

Key findings

  • Low Volume Detrimental: Sending low volumes of emails from a dedicated IP, particularly during warm-up, is detrimental to deliverability.
  • Volume Consistency Key: Consistent volume is crucial for building a positive IP reputation and establishing trust with ISPs.
  • Impact on Reputation: Sporadic, low-volume sending can negatively impact sender reputation.
  • Warm Up is Crucial: Gradually increasing email volume is important in order to build sender reputation with ISP's

Key considerations

  • Volume Threshold: Assess if the anticipated email volume meets the minimum requirements for maintaining a healthy dedicated IP reputation.
  • Sending Schedule: Ensure a consistent sending schedule to build and maintain sender reputation.
  • Reputation Building: Prioritize gradually increasing email volume over time to warm up a dedicated IP and establish a positive reputation with ISPs.
  • Alternate Solution: Consider using a shared IP pool if the email volume is consistently low.
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost Documentation indicates that consistent volume is crucial for building a positive IP reputation. Low sending volume on a dedicated IP makes it difficult to establish trust with ISPs, potentially leading to deliverability issues.

November 2021 - SparkPost Documentation
Technical article

Documentation from Twilio SendGrid Documentation explains that sending a low volume of emails from a dedicated IP, especially during the initial warm-up period, is detrimental. They advise gradually increasing volume to build sender reputation with ISPs. Low volume won't allow you to establish a strong sending reputation.

May 2023 - Twilio SendGrid Documentation
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help suggests maintaining consistent sending volumes to improve deliverability. While not directly addressing dedicated IPs, the principle applies: consistent volume helps build a positive reputation with Gmail's filters. Sporadic, low-volume sending can negatively impact your sender reputation.

July 2023 - Google Workspace Admin Help