What are the considerations when purchasing a block of class C IP addresses for hosting mail servers?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from SocketLabs.com emphasizes that while dedicated IPs offer more control, you should still be aware of the reputation of neighboring IPs within the same Class C block. If other users on the same block engage in spammy behavior, it can negatively impact your sending reputation.
Email marketer from EasyDMARC explains that setting up a Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) record helps protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a more robust authentication mechanism.
Email marketer from DigitalOcean explains that setting up a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record helps prevent email spoofing and improves deliverability. An SPF record specifies which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
Email marketer from Reddit states that it is important to do your research when choosing an IP broker. Some brokers specialize in 'cleaning' IPs, while others may just be offloading blocks with existing reputation issues. Check reviews and ask for references.
Email marketer from SendGrid.com highlights the importance of setting up a reverse DNS (rDNS) record for your IP addresses. An rDNS record maps an IP address back to a domain name, which helps ISPs verify the legitimacy of your sending server and improves deliverability.
Email marketer from GlockApps highlights the importance of DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) ensures that the emails you send haven’t been altered in transit and validates who sent the message. It's crucial for inbox placement.
Email marketer from StackExchange highlights ensuring that the PTR record resolves correctly to the hostname of your mail server is critical. Mismatched or missing PTR records are a red flag for many spam filters.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog emphasizes the importance of proactively monitoring the reputation of your IP addresses. This includes tracking metrics like sender score, bounce rates, and spam complaints. Early detection of reputation issues allows for timely intervention and prevents deliverability problems.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that a proper IP warmup strategy is crucial when starting to send emails from a new IP block. Gradually increasing the sending volume over time helps establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs and prevents your emails from being flagged as spam.
Email marketer from EmailDeliverability.com Forum notes to consider the geographical location of your IP block. Sending emails from an IP block located in a region different from your target audience can sometimes trigger spam filters.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that IPs can be checked against SenderScore, SpamHaus, and Talos and their reputation will fade over time. Reputation can be affected by neighbors at the Class C level, but only when a large chunk is behaving poorly. He warns that achieving good results requires more than just getting a class C and an MTA.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that historical reputation issues are rare and resolvable. He also seconds the point that wrangling it all after purchasing the IPs will be a challenge.
Expert from Email Geeks shares experience advising clients on buying IPs, stating it's generally easy to get them from ARIN. She reinforces that IP ranges can always be recovered, neighbors across /24 boundaries are unlikely to cause harm, and ARIN cannot reclaim IPs once registered. She advises to announce routes and notify the bogons list.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that If a spammer has already damaged the IP range, you’ll have to spend more time rehabilitating the IP address, potentially through a warmup process, working with ISPs to delist the IPs, and monitoring reputation metrics.
Expert from Word to the Wise Staff advises to carefully vet brokers selling IP addresses to determine if the addresses are clean or have a history of being used for spam, as this can directly impact deliverability and sender reputation.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that it is important to check the IP health. Look up the IPs on various blocklists. If an IP has a history of abuse, be prepared to work at getting it removed. Look at the whois record for the IPs. Does the contact information look legitimate?
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Spamhaus.org details the importance of understanding and avoiding IP address blacklists. Being listed on a blacklist can severely impact email deliverability. Regular monitoring and adherence to best practices can help prevent blacklisting.
Documentation from RFC-Editor.org details that you ensure you are requesting Public IP addresses from ARIN. RFC1918 specifies the block of IP address which are private. You cannot send directly from private IP addresses.
Documentation from ARIN.net explains that organizations requesting IPv4 address space must demonstrate a need based on current utilization and/or planned use within 12 months. Justification must include details about network infrastructure, services offered, and the number of IP addresses required.
Documentation from IETF.org highlights adherence to SMTP standards, as outlined in RFC 5321, which is essential for ensuring email interoperability and deliverability. Deviations from these standards can result in emails being flagged as spam.