What does authenticated IP or authenticated sender mean in email marketing?

Summary

Email authentication is the process of verifying a sender's identity, ensuring they are authorized to send emails from their domain. This verification builds trust with mailbox providers, improves email deliverability, and protects the sender's reputation. Core authentication protocols include SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which prevent spoofing and phishing attacks. While "authenticated IP" can be a vague term, it often refers to shared IPs authenticated with a specific domain. Implementing these protocols is essential for businesses of all sizes, as it improves inbox placement and safeguards brand credibility. Additionally, managing IP reputation and warming up IPs are crucial for maintaining deliverability.

Key findings

  • Authentication Defined: Authentication verifies sender identity and authorization.
  • Key Protocols: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are core authentication protocols.
  • Deliverability Boost: Authentication improves email deliverability and inbox placement.
  • Spoofing Prevention: It prevents spoofing and phishing attacks.
  • Reputation Protection: It protects sender reputation and brand credibility.
  • Authenticated IP: "Authenticated IP" might refer to a shared IP authenticated with a domain.
  • IP Warmup: IP warmup helps establish a positive sending reputation.

Key considerations

  • Protocol Implementation: Ensure correct setup of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
  • IP Management: Monitor IP reputation and implement IP warmup strategies.
  • Small Business Needs: Small businesses should not overlook basic authentication.
  • DMARC Configuration: DMARC provides a comprehensive authentication framework.
  • Ongoing Monitoring: Continuously monitor authentication results and adjust settings as needed.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Email authentication is the process of verifying the sender's identity to receiving mail servers, proving authorization to send emails from a specific domain. This verification builds trust with mailbox providers, improving email deliverability and protecting the sender's domain reputation. The primary goal is to prevent spoofing and phishing attacks by malicious actors. Key protocols involved include SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which work together to confirm the sender's legitimacy and ensure email content integrity. Additionally, managing IP reputation and implementing IP warmup strategies are important aspects of maintaining good deliverability. Email authentication is crucial for businesses of all sizes, as it ensures messages reach the inbox and protects brand credibility.

Key opinions

  • Authentication Purpose: Email authentication primarily verifies sender identity and prevents spoofing.
  • Key Protocols: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential protocols for authenticating emails.
  • Deliverability Impact: Proper authentication significantly improves email deliverability rates.
  • Reputation Protection: Sender authentication safeguards brand reputation and prevents phishing.
  • Applicability: Email authentication is vital for businesses of all sizes, not just large senders.
  • Authenticated Sender: Authenticated Sender typically refers to an IP that passes SPF, is DKIM signed, and DMARC aligned.

Key considerations

  • Protocol Implementation: Correctly implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for effective authentication.
  • IP Reputation: Maintaining a positive IP reputation is essential for deliverability; IP warmup is a key strategy.
  • Regular Monitoring: Continuously monitor authentication results and adjust configurations as needed.
  • Small Business Focus: Even small businesses should prioritize basic email authentication setup (SPF/DKIM).
  • DNS Delegation: Consider DNS delegation for easier management of authentication records.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that email authentication is a method of proving that an email was sent from the person or company that appears to be sending it. The goal of email authentication is to stop spammers and prevent email spoofing.

September 2022 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from Validity shares that sender authentication helps protect your brand's reputation and improve email deliverability. It prevents spoofing and phishing attacks, which can harm your brand's credibility.

March 2022 - Validity
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that IP warmup is the process of gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from a new IP address. Warming up the IP gradually helps build a positive sending reputation with ISPs, and it can reduce the likelihood that emails are flagged as spam.

September 2023 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid shares that email authentication verifies the sender's identity and prevents malicious actors from using your domain. Protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for this process. Authentication ensures that your emails are more likely to reach the inbox.

April 2022 - SendGrid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC work together to verify the sender's identity and ensure that the email content hasn't been tampered with. Implementing these authentication methods is a crucial step in improving email deliverability.

June 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares language used @ Sendlane about "Authenticated Sender". It means the IP will pass SPF, the email is DKIM signed, and DMARC aligned. Sendlane does this through DNS delegation of a subdomain, managing all SPF, DKIM, and DMARC details.

May 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps explains that the reputation of the IP address plays a critical role in email deliverability. A good IP reputation means your emails are more likely to land in the inbox, while a poor reputation can lead to emails being marked as spam.

April 2024 - GlockApps
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that sender authentication proves you're authorized to send emails from your domain. It builds trust with mailbox providers, improving deliverability. Authentication involves protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which verify the sender's identity and prevent spoofing.

December 2021 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from SMTP2GO explains that sender authentication is the process of verifying your identity as a sender to receiving mail servers. It involves setting up DNS records for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This authentication helps improve email deliverability and protects your domain's reputation.

September 2023 - SMTP2GO
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit user shares that small businesses often overlook email authentication but it's critical. Even with low volumes, SPF and DKIM are easy to set up and significantly improve deliverability. They emphasize that it's a fundamental step, not just for large senders.

December 2024 - Reddit

What the experts say
6Expert opinions

Email authentication is a critical component of email deliverability. Experts suggest "authenticated IP" may refer to a shared IP authenticated with your own domain, while others believe it's a misleading term for a special group of IPs. Single authentication involves DKIM alignment, and double authentication includes both DKIM and SPF alignment. Ultimately, authentication builds trust with mailbox providers, ensuring messages aren't mistaken for spam and improving deliverability. It's considered one of the most important steps to prove sender identity.

Key opinions

  • Authenticated IP Meaning: "Authenticated IP" is a potentially misleading term, possibly referring to a shared IP with domain authentication or a special IP pool.
  • Authentication Levels: Single authentication is DKIM aligned; double authentication is DKIM and SPF aligned.
  • Deliverability Improvement: Email authentication is vital for avoiding spam filters and boosting deliverability.
  • Trust Building: Authentication establishes trust with mailbox providers.
  • Proving Identity: Email authentication is one of the most important things to verify who you claim to be.

Key considerations

  • Term Ambiguity: Be aware that the term "authenticated IP" can be ambiguous and may require clarification.
  • Authentication Strategy: Consider whether single or double authentication is appropriate for your needs.
  • Implementation Importance: Prioritize proper email authentication setup to maximize deliverability benefits.
  • Reputation Focus: Recognize sender reputation and authentication as essential to email delivery success.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains single authentication is DKIM aligned and double authentication is both DKIM and SPF aligned.

September 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that "authenticated IP" could refer to a shared IP authenticated with your own domain.

January 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks believes it’s a poor way of describing a special shared pool or small group of IPs.

April 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from SpamResource.com emphasizes that email authentication is one of the most important things you can do to improve delivery. Mailbox providers use authentication to verify you are who you claim to be.

October 2022 - SpamResource.com
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that sender reputation and authentication are essential components of email deliverability. Authenticating your email is foundational to getting your messages delivered to the inbox.

November 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from SpamResource.com explains that authenticating your email helps ensure that your messages aren't mistaken for spam. It establishes trust with mailbox providers and can significantly improve your deliverability rates.

July 2021 - SpamResource.com

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Email authentication, as explained by various documentation sources, is a critical process for preventing email spoofing and ensuring deliverability. Protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are fundamental for verifying sender identity and protecting domains from unauthorized use. SPF identifies authorized mail servers, DKIM uses digital signatures for verification, and DMARC builds upon these to provide a comprehensive authentication framework. Implementing these methods helps ensure that emails are trusted by receiving mail servers, preventing messages from being marked as spam.

Key findings

  • Core Protocols: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are the primary protocols for email authentication.
  • Spoofing Prevention: Email authentication is crucial for preventing spammers from spoofing domains.
  • Identity Verification: These methods verify the sender's identity to receiving mail servers.
  • DNS Record Importance: SPF records identify authorized mail servers for a domain.
  • Comprehensive Framework: DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM for a comprehensive approach to email authentication.

Key considerations

  • Implementation: Proper setup of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is crucial for effective authentication.
  • Domain Protection: Email authentication helps protect your domain from unauthorized use and email spoofing.
  • Trust Establishment: Utilizing these protocols helps ensure that your emails are trusted by receiving mail servers.
  • Deliverability Impact: Failing to authenticate your email can result in poor deliverability and messages being marked as spam.
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that Authenticating your email helps prevent spammers from spoofing your organization and sending unauthorized messages. Setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC ensures that your emails are trusted by receiving mail servers.

July 2021 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from DKIM explains that DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication system designed to detect email spoofing. It allows an organization to take responsibility for a message in a way that can be verified by email providers. This verification is possible through a digital signature linked to the domain.

February 2023 - DKIM.org
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is an email authentication protocol. It allows domain owners to protect their domain from unauthorized use, commonly known as email spoofing. DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a comprehensive authentication framework.

June 2022 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from AWS explains that setting up Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is crucial for email deliverability. These authentication methods verify your identity and help prevent malicious actors from spoofing your domain.

August 2023 - AWS
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that an SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record is a type of DNS record that identifies which mail servers are permitted to send email on behalf of your domain. SPF records help prevent spammers from sending messages with forged 'From' addresses at your domain.

June 2022 - Microsoft