How do you migrate an email sending domain from one platform to another?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 29 Apr 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
5 min read
Migrating an email sending domain from one platform to another is a critical process that demands careful planning and execution. It's not just about moving data, it's about preserving your sender reputation, ensuring continuous email deliverability, and avoiding disruption to your communication channels.
The stakes are high, as any misstep can lead to emails landing in spam folders or, worse, being completely rejected. I've seen many organizations struggle with this transition, often due to a lack of understanding of the underlying technical complexities and their impact on deliverability.
My goal is to walk you through the essential steps and considerations to ensure a smooth and successful migration. We'll cover everything from deciding on the right domain strategy to managing DNS records and maintaining your valuable sender reputation throughout the process.
Migrate existing or create new?
One of the first and most crucial decisions you'll face is whether to migrate your existing sending domain or set up a completely new one. While creating a new domain might seem simpler on the surface, it often introduces more challenges than it solves.
Maintaining brand continuity is paramount, and a new domain can confuse your recipients, potentially leading to increased spam complaints or even making your emails appear like phishing attempts. Furthermore, if your current domain has a good sender reputation, creating a new one means starting from scratch, which can significantly impact your inbox placement.
Migrating existing domain
Pros: Preserves existing sender reputation and brand recognition, leading to smoother transitions for recipients.
Cons: Requires careful management of DNS records and potentially complex coordination between old and new platforms.
Creating new domain
Pros: Can be an option if the existing domain has a severely damaged reputation and a fresh start is truly necessary.
Cons: Requires a complete domain warm-up process, losing established trust and potentially confusing recipients.
The critical role of DNS records
Your Domain Name System (DNS) records are the backbone of your email authentication and deliverability. During a migration, correctly configuring these records is paramount. This includes SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records. Misconfigurations can lead to emails being blocked or marked as spam, impacting your domain reputation.
Many email service providers (ESPs) offer to handle your DNS for you, which is known as delegation. While convenient, some argue it's safer to maintain your DNS records on your own hosting provider. If your subdomain was delegated to a previous provider, you'll need to reclaim control of it before migrating. You'll then configure the necessary DNS records to work with both the previous and new providers during the transition, removing the old records only once the migration is complete.
DNS management during migration
It's common for email service providers to manage DNS settings, but consider maintaining your own DNS if possible. This gives you direct control and flexibility during complex migrations or when running in parallel with multiple platforms. Always double-check DNS records to ensure they align with the new platform's requirements.
Warming up and managing reputation during migration
Even when migrating an existing domain, a warm-up period is often necessary for the new IP addresses or infrastructure you'll be using. Mailbox providers, like Google and Yahoo, consider the combination of your domain and IP address when assessing your sender reputation. A sudden shift to new IPs, even with an established domain, can trigger spam filters.
Therefore, a gradual approach is recommended. Begin sending a small volume of emails through the new platform, slowly increasing the volume over time. This allows the new IP addresses to build their own reputation and the mailbox providers to recognize and trust your sending patterns from the new infrastructure. For more on this, check out this guide on subdomain warm-up processes.
Continuously monitoring your deliverability and blocklist status during this phase is vital. Sudden drops in inbox placement or appearances on blacklists (or blocklists) indicate issues that need immediate attention. Tools like DMARC monitoring and other deliverability checkers can provide valuable insights.
Phase
Action
Deliverability impact
Phase 1: setup
Configure the new platform with your domain, including all necessary DNS records. Maintain existing platform sending.
Minimal impact if DNS is set correctly for both platforms.
Phase 2: warm-up
Start sending low volumes from the new platform, gradually increasing volume. Prioritize engaged recipients.
Crucial for building new IP reputation. Monitor closely for any deliverability issues.
Phase 3: transition
Shift more traffic to the new platform while slowly reducing sends from the old. Update MX records when ready.
This phase requires careful monitoring. Ensure DMARC reports show good alignment.
Phase 4: completion
Fully transition all sending to the new platform. Remove old DNS records once confident.
Should have minimal impact if previous phases were successful.
Addressing potential pitfalls and maintaining stability
During your migration, you might encounter issues like unexpected blocklistings or significant drops in deliverability. It's important to understand that any change in sending patterns can initially appear suspicious to mailbox providers. This is why a cautious, phased approach is always best. Avoid making too many changes at once, and always monitor your performance closely.
Another common pitfall is prematurely canceling your old email platform. It's always a good practice to maintain your old setup for a period, even after you've transitioned the bulk of your sending. This serves as a vital fallback in case unexpected problems arise with your new provider. It also allows you to gradually wind down your old services, ensuring no emails are lost and no deliverability issues arise from an abrupt switch.
Don't cancel too soon
Never cancel your old email platform until you are 100% confident that your new setup is stable and fully established. Keep the old service active as a safety net for several weeks or even months post-migration. This allows for a smooth fallback if any unforeseen deliverability issues arise.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Maintain a dual-sending setup for a period to allow gradual warming of new infrastructure without disruption.
Prioritize maintaining your existing sending domain, as creating new ones can lead to brand confusion and reputation loss.
Regularly monitor DMARC reports and deliverability metrics from both platforms during the transition phase.
Common pitfalls
Switching domains abruptly, which can confuse recipients and reset your established sender reputation.
Failing to adequately warm up new IP addresses or subdomains, leading to immediate deliverability issues.
Delegating DNS control to your new provider without understanding the implications or having a backup plan.
Expert tips
Ensure DNS records are meticulously configured for both old and new providers during parallel sending.
Consider the impact of tracking links, as they are one of the few customer-visible domain changes during migration.
A well-planned migration strategy includes ongoing monitoring and a willingness to adjust based on real-time feedback.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that switching domains typically does not lead to long-term delivery improvements; true success comes from maintaining strong sending practices on the current domain.
2023-11-15 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that creating an entirely new domain can break brand continuity and sacrifices established sender reputation, which has no direct equivalent to SEO's 301 redirects for transferring benefits.
2023-10-20 - Email Geeks
Final thoughts on email domain migration
Migrating an email sending domain is a significant undertaking, but it doesn't have to be a nightmare. By prioritizing your existing domain's reputation, meticulously managing your DNS records, and implementing a careful warm-up strategy, you can ensure a smooth transition.
Remember, the key is always to take it slow, monitor your performance, and have a contingency plan. With the right approach, you can successfully move your email sending infrastructure without jeopardizing your deliverability or brand trust.
