Summary
Moving to Amazon SES with a dedicated IP involves several crucial deliverability considerations. A flawless technical setup with proper rDNS, naming conventions, and aligned authentication is paramount. It's vital to secure a clean IP reputation by avoiding 'dirty' IPs and proactively checking for blacklisting. Due to potential Microsoft blocking and a potentially worse initial reputation for Amazon IP ranges, careful planning is necessary. Employ permission-based list acquisition to build a healthy subscriber base. A proper IP warm-up process, where sending volume gradually increases, is essential for establishing a positive sending reputation. Monitoring sending activity, managing bounces and complaints through feedback loops, and maintaining consistent sending volumes are all key to ensuring optimal deliverability. Segmenting lists, using seed lists, and verifying email addresses contribute to a strong sending reputation and improved deliverability.
Key findings
- Technical Excellence: A near-perfect technical setup is fundamental for SES deliverability.
- Clean IP Reputation: Securing a clean IP and avoiding blacklists is paramount.
- Warming IP: Proper IP warm-up is crucial, gradually increasing sending volume.
- Active Monitoring: Constant monitoring of IP reputation and sending activity is necessary.
- Clean List: Maintain clean and engaged lists to avoid bounces and complaints.
- Email Authentication: Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) must be correctly configured.
- Consistent Volume: Maintain consistent sending volume for optimal deliverability.
- Feedback Loops: Establish feedback loops to manage bounces and complaints effectively.
- Microsoft: Consider Microsofts IP blocking of Amazon SES IPs.
Key considerations
- Flawless Technical Configuration: Prioritize technical configurations for smooth integration with Amazon SES.
- Pre-Sending IP Check: Thoroughly inspect the IP for any issues that can impair the reputation.
- Microsoft Implications: Factor in potential Microsoft blocking effects on deliverability results.
- Controlled Ramp-Up Strategy: Develop a ramp-up strategy to help boost deliverability results.
- Aggressive Monitoring: Use tools to review and mitigate deliverability issues with consistent performance.
- Email List Maintenance: Consistently maintain your email list to minimize deliverability challenges.
- ISP Relationships: Configure and maintain a good relationship with ISPs to improve overall deliverability.
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
When transitioning to Amazon SES with a dedicated IP, several deliverability considerations are crucial. Initially, ensure a clean IP reputation and proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Warming up the IP gradually by throttling sending rates is essential to establish a positive reputation with ISPs. Maintaining a clean and engaged email list by removing inactive subscribers and verifying email addresses is vital. Proactively monitoring IP reputation, managing bounces and complaints effectively through feedback loops, and maintaining a consistent sending volume further enhance deliverability. Employing seed lists to monitor placement across different ISPs and segmenting email lists for targeted sending are also beneficial strategies.
Key opinions
- Authentication: Proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential to verify email legitimacy and reduce spam filtering.
- IP Reputation: A clean IP reputation is crucial; check for blacklisting and ensure a positive sending history.
- List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean, engaged email list is vital for deliverability; remove inactive subscribers and verify email addresses.
- Warming Up: Gradually warm up the IP by throttling sending rates to establish a positive reputation with ISPs.
- Monitoring: Proactively monitor IP reputation and track bounces, complaints, and delivery rates.
- Consistent Volume: Maintaining a consistent sending volume helps build a positive reputation; avoid large bursts followed by inactivity.
- Feedback Loops: Implement feedback loops to manage bounces and complaints effectively.
Key considerations
- Technical Setup: Ensure all technical aspects, including authentication and unsubscribe links, are properly configured.
- Operational Capabilities: Assess your team's ability to manage a sending platform from the ground up, as Amazon SES requires expertise in handling deliverability issues.
- Gradual Increase: Gradually increase sending volume to avoid triggering spam filters and damaging your reputation.
- Consistent Sending: Maintain a consistent sending pattern to demonstrate that you are a legitimate sender.
- List Segmentation: Segment email lists based on engagement and demographics to improve engagement and reduce spam complaints.
- Seed List Monitoring: Use seed lists to monitor deliverability across different ISPs and identify any issues early on.
- Address Verification: Regularly verify email addresses to remove invalid or inactive accounts, reducing bounces and improving reputation.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus Blog shares the importance of segmenting email lists based on engagement and demographics. Sending targeted emails to specific groups of subscribers improves engagement rates and reduces the likelihood of spam complaints.
7 Apr 2022 - Litmus Blog
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that consolidating mail flows might cause a temporary issue, but it shouldn't matter if neither platform has prior reputation problems. They advise ensuring technical and legislative aspects align, such as authentication and maintaining old unsubscribe links.
4 Apr 2022 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
6 expert opinions
When moving to Amazon SES with a dedicated IP, several key deliverability considerations emerge. A near-perfect technical setup, including clear rDNS, proper naming conventions, and aligned authentication, is crucial. Microsoft's active blocking of Amazon IP ranges, coupled with the potential for worse initial reputation of those ranges, necessitates careful planning. Securing a clean IP reputation by avoiding 'dirty' IPs and ensuring the IP is not blacklisted is vital. Employing permission-based list acquisition practices rather than buying lists is essential for maintaining deliverability. Finally, a proper IP warm-up process involving a gradual increase in sending volume is critical for establishing a positive sending reputation with ISPs.
Key opinions
- Technical Setup: A flawless technical setup with proper rDNS, naming, and authentication is essential for SES deliverability.
- Microsoft Blocking: Microsoft actively blocks Amazon IPs, impacting deliverability.
- IP Reputation: Amazon IP ranges may start with a worse reputation.
- Clean IP: A clean IP reputation is critical; avoid inheriting 'dirty' IPs.
- List Acquisition: Permission-based list acquisition is vital; avoid buying lists.
- Warm-up Process: Proper IP warm-up is critical for establishing a positive sending reputation.
Key considerations
- Technical Perfection: Strive for near-perfect technical configurations to maximize deliverability.
- Microsoft Impact: Factor in Microsoft's blocking of Amazon IPs when planning your strategy.
- IP History Check: Thoroughly check the IP's history before using it to ensure it's not blacklisted.
- Ethical List Building: Focus on building a permission-based email list to avoid deliverability problems.
- Gradual Ramp-up: Implement a gradual ramp-up of sending volume to establish a positive reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that Microsoft actively dislikes Amazon and blocks IP ranges.
20 Sep 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource highlights the importance of having a clean IP reputation when moving to a dedicated IP with Amazon SES. She explains that inheriting a 'dirty' IP (one previously used for spamming) can significantly harm your deliverability from the start. Checking the IP's history and ensuring it's not blacklisted is crucial.
9 Oct 2021 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
When moving to Amazon SES with a dedicated IP, it's essential to follow AWS's recommended best practices. Warming up the IP address by gradually increasing email volume is crucial for establishing a positive sending reputation with ISPs. Monitoring sending activity, including bounces, complaints, and delivery rates, via the SES console or CloudWatch allows you to identify and address deliverability issues promptly. Email content should be relevant, engaging, and free of spam triggers. Setting up feedback loops (FBLs) with ISPs enables you to receive notifications when recipients mark your emails as spam, allowing you to remove problematic subscribers.
Key findings
- IP Warm-up: Gradually increase email volume to establish a positive sending reputation.
- Monitoring Activity: Monitor bounces, complaints, and delivery rates to identify issues.
- Content Quality: Ensure email content is relevant, engaging, and free of spam triggers.
- Feedback Loops: Set up FBLs to receive notifications of spam complaints.
Key considerations
- Ramp-Up Strategy: Develop a strategy for gradually increasing sending volume over several weeks.
- Monitoring Tools: Utilize the Amazon SES console or CloudWatch to monitor sending activity.
- Content Creation: Create high-quality, engaging email content that provides value to recipients.
- FBL Implementation: Implement feedback loops with ISPs to identify and remove problematic subscribers.
Technical article
Documentation from AWS Documentation explains the importance of monitoring your sending activity, including bounces, complaints, and delivery rates, via the Amazon SES console or CloudWatch. High bounce or complaint rates can negatively impact your sending reputation and deliverability. Take immediate action to address any issues.
5 Dec 2024 - AWS Documentation
Technical article
Documentation from AWS Documentation explains that when using a dedicated IP address with Amazon SES, it's crucial to warm up the IP by gradually increasing the volume of emails sent. This helps establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs. Start with a small volume and gradually increase it over several weeks, monitoring deliverability metrics closely.
19 Jun 2022 - AWS Documentation
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