Why did my email open rates drop after moving to a dedicated IP address?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email on Acid recommends ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is set up correctly on the new dedicated IP. Incorrect or missing authentication can lead to deliverability issues and reduced open rates.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign advises segmenting email lists and tailoring content to specific audience groups. This helps improve engagement and signal a higher value to ISPs, boosting deliverability and open rates.
Email marketer from StackOverflow user EmailNoob suggests that changes in email content when moving to a dedicated IP can trigger spam filters. ISPs see the new IP combined with different content and react negatively.
Email marketer from Gmass highlights the importance of maintaining consistent sending habits. Drastic changes in sending frequency or volume after moving to a dedicated IP can negatively affect deliverability and open rates.
Email marketer from Litmus recommends reviewing list hygiene practices. Sending to unengaged or inactive subscribers on a new IP can damage reputation and lower open rates.
Email marketer from Reddit user rMailGuru suggests that low sending volume on a dedicated IP can be problematic. ISPs might not get enough data to properly assess the sender's reputation, leading to inconsistent filtering.
Email marketer from SendGrid highlights that a dedicated IP starts with no sending reputation. A period of warming up is necessary to build a positive reputation by gradually increasing sending volume and maintaining good engagement metrics.
Email marketer from HubSpot suggests monitoring IP reputation and deliverability metrics closely after moving to a dedicated IP. Identifying and addressing any issues early on is crucial for maintaining healthy open rates.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor focuses on user engagement. Encouraging recipients to add the sender to their address book and regularly interact with emails helps improve deliverability and open rates on a dedicated IP.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that a sudden shift to a dedicated IP without proper warmup can negatively impact deliverability. The reputation of the new IP is unknown to ISPs, leading to initial distrust and potential filtering.
Email marketer from Quora emphasizes the importance of setting up feedback loops. This allows senders to receive information about spam complaints, enabling them to address any underlying issues affecting deliverability.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests the decrease in open rates might be a reporting problem, not a delivery problem. The change in sending IP address could be triggering Google to stop pre-fetching images, leading to lower "open rates" because open rate isn't actually opens at all. Laura advises to confirm if mail is going to inbox or spam.
Expert from Spam Resource recommends rigorous seed list testing after moving to a dedicated IP to identify placement issues and blocklist monitoring. This proactive approach helps diagnose deliverability problems that could impact open rates.
Expert from Word to the Wise underscores the importance of establishing and monitoring feedback loops (FBLs). These provide crucial insights into spam complaints from recipients, enabling senders to identify and address underlying issues that are contributing to decreased open rates.
Expert from Word to the Wise advises evaluating email content for potential spam triggers. Changes in content coinciding with a move to a dedicated IP can inadvertently activate spam filters, negatively impacting deliverability and open rates. Regularly analyzing and refining content is vital.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests the issue might be that emails are going to the spam folder due to lower volume on a dedicated IP. Al suggests ensuring all authentication checks pass and maintaining the normal send cadence for 3-5 weeks. He also suggests reverting to a shared IP might be better.
Expert from Email Geeks advises alerting users through the website, login, and app about the change, and suggests checking opens by domain to find remediation pathway.
Expert from Spam Resource discusses that starting with a new dedicated IP means establishing sender reputation from scratch. This involves consistently demonstrating responsible sending behavior to build trust with ISPs and improve deliverability, which directly affects open rates.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Google states that spam filters learn from user behavior. If users don't engage or mark your emails as spam, your sender reputation suffers, impacting deliverability and open rates.
Documentation from RFC states SPF records define which IP addresses are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. Incorrectly configured SPF records can cause recipient servers to reject emails or mark them as spam.
Documentation from Microsoft emphasizes that IP reputation is crucial for email delivery. New or un-warmed IPs often face higher scrutiny, leading to emails being filtered as junk until a positive reputation is established.