An email marketer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address is kind of like their digital home base—it’s one of their most valuable assets. But sometimes, making a move from one IP address to another is unavoidable. Maybe your list has expanded, and you need to move to a different email service provider (ESP) that can better accommodate the size. Maybe you’re ready to switch from a shared IP to a dedicated IP.
Whatever the case may be, that move means one thing: an IP migration. Let’s be honest—it’s one of the most nerve-wracking events in any email marketer’s career.
The IP migration process is notoriously prone to error—it’s one of the biggest risks an email program can face on the path toward satisfying subscribers and earning higher revenue. The best way to survive an IP migration is by creating a thoughtful IP warmup plan.
Read more to understand IP warming, its benefits, and how to set yourself up for success.
How to choose the right type of IP address
A crucial part of migrating to a new IP is deciding where to land—whether that’s on a dedicated IP you control entirely, or a shared IP where reputation is influenced by multiple senders. Each option comes with its own pros and cons, and the right fit depends on your email program’s size, goals, and sending practices.
Shared IP address
On a shared IP address, the IP address is shared between senders—meaning you don’t have full control over which emails are sent through it. The ESP controls this shared IP, which has already been warmed up by other senders.
In this scenario, the negative actions of other senders can undermine your reputation and deliverability.
But there are benefits too. For example, low-volume mailers can quickly establish a reputation and history with mailbox providers, and seasonal mailers don’t need to warm up dedicated IP addresses every year.
This is also an inexpensive way to gain access to an IP address.
Dedicated IP address
A dedicated IP address is an IP address that is assigned to one sender who has full control over which emails are sent from it.
On a dedicated IP, your emails aren’t grouped with other (possibly less reputable) senders—you alone build and maintain your IP reputation. This typically ensures better inbox placement—as long as you follow email best practices.
A dedicated IP also makes troubleshooting much easier. Because only your activity is tied to the IP, it’s simpler to pinpoint the root cause of deliverability issues and accurately measure your sender reputation.
For more advanced programs, using multiple dedicated IPs adds another layer of control. It allows you to separate traffic by message type, audience engagement, or other factors—helping you manage reputation across different email streams more effectively.
What is IP warming and why is it important?
IP warming is the process of gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from a new or rarely used IP address, carefully ramping up as reputation builds. This step is essential when migrating to a brand-new IP.
Think of your IP address as the name tag for your email sending server. Because that server is tied directly to your email program, your IP becomes the name tag that represents you as a sender.
That’s why IP warming matters so much: mailbox providers (MBPs) look at your IP address to determine your sender reputation. And your reputation is what decides whether your emails land safely in inboxes—or get blocked or filtered into spam.
A guide to a successful IP warming
Follow these actionable tips when starting your IP warming process, whether you’re ramping a brand-new dedicated IP or re-warming a previously dormant IP:
- Start small. Begin warming with a low number of recipients at first and gradually increase the number per daily send.
- Target your most active and engaged users. MBPs tend to base their filtering decisions on user engagement. You’ll want to mail to engaged users during the initial phase of IP warming to quickly build your reputation and expedite the warmup process.
- Be consistent. Whether in volume or frequency, staying consistent is how MBPs will notice trends in your mail stream. When a pattern is evident, they begin recognizing your IP address and becoming familiar with it much more quickly.
- Implement feedback loops and complaint suppressions. Feedback loops are a valuable tool, more so when beginning to send mail on a new IP address. They give you insight into which users mark your email as spam. With this knowledge, you should implement complaint suppressions and ensure those individuals do not receive future mailings so your reputation can continue to grow and move in the right direction.
- Check bounce logs. Confirm you’re targeting the right people and removing the bad ones by checking the bounce logs. Flag unknown or invalid addresses as hard bounces and suppress them immediately. Senders should also check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC alignment before adjusting volume.
- Be vigilant and patient. You’ve begun your warmup process, your first day of sending volume has fully deployed, and you notice that your IP address has a low Sender Score. Don’t hit the panic button just yet. Patience is a virtue in this scenario. If an aggressive approach is needed, consider scaling down on your send volume temporarily. It’s really a matter of sending your mail, monitoring the results of those sends, and seeing what, if anything, needs to be adjusted.
Benefits of IP warming
A successful IP warming process provides significant benefits to email marketers, such as:
- Positive sender reputation: IP warming helps you establish a sender reputation with your MBPs so they identify you as a legitimate sender and not a spammer.
- Improved email deliverability: It increases your email’s chances of reaching the intended recipients, leading to higher engagement and click-through rates.
- Increased sending limits: As more and more emails land in your recipients’ inboxes and complaint and bounce rates remain low, the better your sender reputation becomes. With a positive reputation, MBPs are likely to increase your email’s sending limits and improve deliverability.
The role of Validity Sender Certification in IP warming
Sender certification can accelerate warming by pre-validating your reputation with participating mailbox providers. Validity’s Sender Certification software is a comprehensive solution that includes IP warming capabilities and a variety of other features essential to successful email deliverability.
Why trust Sender Certification?
Validity Sender Certification offers several key advantages for email marketers, especially in sender reputation and email deliverability. These include:
- Guided IP warming plans and expert support.
- Industry-leading inbox placement and deliverability.
- 24/7 sender reputation monitoring.
- Access to feedback loops, whitelists, and other actionable data insights.
IP address warmups can be stressful, but with patience, awareness, and smarter sending, they can be seamless. To see how Sender Certification can help, schedule a demo today.