Why is my e-commerce brand seeing bad IP reputation for unknown IPs and how will it impact deliverability?

Email marketer from Litmus shares that a poor IP reputation can severely impact email deliverability, leading to higher bounce rates, increased spam complaints, and emails being blocked or filtered into the spam folder. She emphasizes the importance of proactively managing IP reputation by implementing best practices for email authentication, list hygiene, and sending behavior. Litmus also recommends monitoring deliverability metrics and addressing any issues promptly to mitigate the negative effects of a bad IP reputation.

Email marketer from Quora shares that using shared IPs can sometimes lead to reputation issues if other senders on the same IP engage in poor sending practices. They recommend monitoring your IP reputation closely and considering switching to a dedicated IP if deliverability problems persist. DigitalMarketer also advises warming up new IPs gradually and maintaining consistent sending habits to establish a positive reputation. As you may not be able to control the activity of other users on the shared IP, ensure that you have authentication in place to help protect your emails.

Email marketer from StackExchange emphasizes the importance of securing your email server to prevent unauthorized use and maintain a good IP reputation. He advises regularly updating server software, implementing firewalls, and monitoring outgoing traffic for suspicious patterns. EmailGuru also recommends setting up intrusion detection systems to identify and respond to potential security threats promptly. If you have multiple IPs setup, ensure that your DNS records have been configured correctly.

Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog shares that protecting IP reputation is crucial for email deliverability. He recommends implementing email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining consistent sending volumes, and promptly removing inactive subscribers to avoid being flagged as spam. He also suggests monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints to proactively address potential issues.

Email marketer from Gmass details how important it is to test your deliverability. There are a number of tools such as Mail-Tester, GlockApps, and IsNotSpam which help provide information about your deliverability before you send to your main mailing lists.

Marketer from Email Geeks recommends accessing the DMARC reports fed into Kickbox for more details about IPs sending on behalf of the domain.

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that the appearance of unknown IPs with bad reputation could indicate a compromised email account or server. They advise checking for unauthorized access and reviewing server logs for suspicious activity. They also recommend strengthening password policies and implementing multi-factor authentication to prevent future breaches. They warn that this could heavily impact reputation.

Marketer from Email Geeks advises against adding a TXT record to the SendGrid subdomain because it can break the CNAME and cause SPF and MX records to fail. If they aren't valid SendGrid will fallback to a shared domain.

Email marketer from SendGrid explains that maintaining a positive sender reputation is essential for ensuring emails reach the inbox. They recommend warming up new IPs gradually, segmenting email lists based on engagement, and regularly cleaning email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses. SendGrid emphasizes the importance of consistent sending habits and providing value to subscribers to foster a positive sender reputation. They also advise that seeing unknown IPs could be caused by compromised accounts or misconfigured DNS records.

Marketer from Email Geeks advises checking the DKIM and SPF domains in GPT to identify potential abuse on authenticating subdomains and agrees with Steve that it may not be worth spending too much time on the issue.

Email marketer from Constant Contact answers that regularly cleaning email lists by removing inactive subscribers and hard bounces can significantly improve IP reputation. They explain that sending emails to engaged subscribers reduces bounce rates and spam complaints, signaling to mailbox providers that you are a legitimate sender. Removing unengaged subscribers helps maintain a healthy list and prevents your emails from being marked as spam.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forums notes that compromised user accounts are a common source of unexplained email traffic. MailBlaster suggests implementing stronger password requirements and enabling two-factor authentication to prevent account takeovers. He also advises monitoring user activity for unusual patterns, such as high email sending volumes from previously inactive accounts. As you may have a compromised account which is sending emails through your account, ensure you implement all of the recommended authentication standards.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that preventing phishing attacks, which can damage your IP reputation, involves implementing DMARC policies. He explains that DMARC allows domain owners to instruct email receivers on how to handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks, helping to prevent malicious actors from spoofing your domain. Monitoring DMARC reports is essential for identifying and addressing potential phishing attempts.

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that subscribing to feedback loops provided by mailbox providers allows you to identify and address spam complaints promptly. By receiving feedback on which of your emails are being marked as spam, you can take corrective action to improve your sending practices and maintain a good IP reputation. These also help detect if your email has been abused in some way by a third party.

Expert from Email Geeks confirms with Francis that adding a TXT record to the sendgrid subdomain can cause validation problems.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests checking DMARC reports to identify the cause of the issue and highlights that even if Google reports issues, actual delivery problems should be monitored to gauge the severity.

Expert from Email Geeks advises cleaning up the SPF record, noting that several includes are likely unnecessary due to exceeding the maximum DNS lookups. Suggests reviewing: `v=spf1 include:ca._<http://netblocks.mimecast.com|netblocks.mimecast.com> include:<http://_spf.google.com|_spf.google.com> include:<http://shops.shopify.com|shops.shopify.com> include:<http://email.prnewswire.com|email.prnewswire.com> include:<http://mailgun.org|mailgun.org> ~all`

Expert from Spam Resource explains that maintaining a clean email list is essential for protecting your IP reputation. Regularly removing inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses reduces bounce rates and spam complaints. This demonstrates to mailbox providers that you are a responsible sender, improving your chances of reaching the inbox.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests someone might be using the domain in their return path or forging it to send spam and recommends cleaning up the SPF record to rule out authentication issues. Notes that if messages are forging the address in the 'from:' field, it would be visible in the DMARC reports, but SPF issues alone wouldn't.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is crucial for authenticating your emails and preventing domain spoofing. They emphasize that proper authentication helps mailbox providers verify that your emails are legitimate, improving your IP reputation and deliverability. She goes on to explain that all 3 should be implemented correctly.

Expert from Spam Resource responds by explaining the importance of monitoring your IP address and domain for inclusion on blocklists. They explain that blocklists are used by mailbox providers to filter out spam, and being listed on one can severely impact your email deliverability. He advises using tools and services to track your blocklist status and take steps to remove yourself from any lists you are on.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that monitoring IP reputation through tools like Sender Reputation Data (SRD) is crucial for identifying potential issues. SRD provides insights into the sending volume, spam complaints, and other metrics associated with your IP address, enabling you to take proactive measures to address any negative trends. Unusual IP activity can indicate a compromise, or someone is using a DNS record incorrectly.

Documentation from Google explains that a low IP reputation can result in emails being marked as spam or rejected. It advises monitoring IP reputation in Postmaster Tools and ensuring that sending practices comply with Google's sender guidelines to improve and maintain a good reputation. They do not elaborate on seeing unknown IPs, only that you should fix poor reputation.

Documentation from SparkPost explains that implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for sender authentication is a crucial step to safeguard your IP reputation. These protocols help verify that emails are sent from authorized sources and protect against domain spoofing and phishing attacks. SparkPost advises that you should regularly review and update authentication settings to prevent malicious actors from exploiting vulnerabilities in your email infrastructure. They also recommend limiting the amount of includes in your SPF record to avoid DNS lookup errors.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC, which builds on SPF and DKIM, helps email receivers decide what to do with emails that fail authentication checks. This can prevent attackers from spoofing your domain. Implement and monitor DMARC records to gain visibility into your email authentication ecosystem, identify potential spoofing attempts, and protect your brand's reputation.

Documentation from RFC-Editor explains that SPF records authorize mail servers to send emails on behalf of a domain, preventing spammers from forging the 'From' address. They explain that you must audit SPF records to ensure only authorized sending sources are included to prevent spoofing. Improperly configured or overly permissive SPF records can be exploited by attackers to send malicious emails that appear to originate from your domain.