Is using the same subdomain for email and CloudPages bad for deliverability in Marketing Cloud?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 13 Jun 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
7 min read
I recently heard from a client who attended an email sending reputation session at Connections. She was told that having email and CloudPages on the same subdomain is bad for deliverability. This came as quite a surprise, especially considering that Salesforce Marketing Cloud specifically sells its Sender Authentication Package (SAP) to unify all your links under the same branding. It felt like a contradiction, so I looked into it further.
The idea behind the SAP is to create a seamless, branded experience for your recipients. All links within your emails, including those pointing to CloudPages, are rewritten to use your custom subdomain. This consistency is generally seen as a positive signal, reinforcing trust and brand legitimacy.
Given the core purpose of the SAP, this claim about shared subdomains being detrimental to deliverability seemed counterintuitive. It raises questions about whether this is a genuine concern or a potential misunderstanding of specific edge cases in email deliverability.
Understanding subdomain reputation
Subdomains inherit some reputation from the root domain, but they also build their own independent sending history. This dual nature means that while they benefit from the parent domain's overall standing, specific sending practices on a subdomain will significantly shape its individual reputation.
Separating subdomains for different functions, such as transactional emails versus marketing campaigns, is a common strategy to mitigate risk. If one subdomain experiences deliverability issues, like a low engagement rate leading to a blocklist (or blacklist), the others are less likely to be directly affected. However, this strategy is more about isolating different types of email streams rather than isolating email from web content on the same subdomain.
Robust email authentication protocols, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, are crucial for any sending subdomain. Ensuring these DNS records are correctly configured and aligned for your sending and tracking domains builds trust with mailbox providers. This is a fundamental aspect of establishing a legitimate sender identity, irrespective of whether a subdomain is also used for web content like Marketing Cloud CloudPages. For a deeper dive into these protocols, check out our guide on DMARC, SPF, and DKIM.
Aligning for trust
Strong alignment of email sending and link tracking domains through proper authentication setup builds trust with mailbox providers and enhances deliverability.
Marketing Cloud's SAP and link branding
The Salesforce Marketing Cloud SAP is specifically designed to consolidate all email-related links, including tracking links, image links, and CloudPage links, under a single, branded subdomain. This unification is intended to provide a consistent brand experience and signal legitimacy to both recipients and mailbox providers.
A primary benefit of the SAP is brand consistency. When recipients see familiar domain names for links within your emails, it builds trust and reduces the likelihood of emails being flagged as suspicious. This consistency helps to prevent the perception of fragmented or misleading origins for your email content, which could otherwise lead to deliverability issues.
From a deliverability standpoint, having your sending domain and all associated links, including those for CloudPages, aligned under one authenticated subdomain is generally considered beneficial. It simplifies trust signals for mailbox providers and avoids potential flags that might arise from disparate domains, which could be misinterpreted as phishing attempts. Discussions on multi-domain versus subdomain email marketing often highlight the value of consolidation.
Consistent branding with SAP
Unified identity: All email components appear to originate from a single, trusted source.
Increased trust: Recipients are more likely to trust links that match your sending domain.
Simplified authentication: Easier for mailbox providers to verify your sender legitimacy.
Improved user experience: A seamless journey from email to landing page.
Fragmented domains
Inconsistent experience: Different domains for email and links can confuse recipients.
Potential for suspicion: Mailbox providers might flag disparate domains as less trustworthy.
Complex management: Managing multiple DNS records and reputations can be cumbersome.
Divided reputation: Positive or negative activity on one domain doesn't fully benefit or harm the other.
Key deliverability factors
While subdomain configuration plays a role, several other factors far more heavily influence email deliverability. The most critical is sender reputation, which is built over time by consistently sending wanted mail to engaged recipients. This reputation is the foundation of your inbox placement.
Mailbox providers like Google and Yahoo primarily evaluate your sending behavior based on engagement metrics. High open rates, click-through rates, and low complaint rates are positive signals. Conversely, high bounce rates, spam complaints, and low engagement can quickly damage your sender reputation, leading to emails landing in spam folders or being blocklisted (or blacklisted). You can explore this further in our in-depth guide to email blocklists.
Another major factor is list hygiene. Regularly cleaning your email list to remove invalid or inactive addresses is crucial. Sending to bad or old lists is a common pitfall that negatively impacts deliverability and can lead to hitting spam traps. This practice helps maintain a healthy sender reputation and avoids appearing on a blocklist.
The content of your emails also matters significantly. Avoiding spammy keywords, maintaining a good text-to-image ratio, and personalizing content can significantly improve inbox placement. Always ensure your content provides value and is relevant to your subscribers to encourage positive engagement and avoid spam folders.
Factor
Impact on deliverability
Sender reputation
Highly critical, based on historical sending behavior, engagement, and complaint rates.
Clean lists reduce bounces and spam trap hits, preventing blocklisting.
Content quality
Relevant, valuable, and non-spammy content fosters positive recipient engagement.
Is it really bad for deliverability?
The claim that using the same subdomain for email and CloudPages is inherently "bad for deliverability" in Marketing Cloud is generally a misunderstanding. Salesforce's SAP is designed to create a unified sending infrastructure, and this consistency is usually a positive signal. Many companies successfully use this setup without issues.
Most email deliverability experts and practitioners agree that domain consistency across email and associated web content, like CloudPages, is beneficial. It creates a cohesive brand experience and simplifies the authentication process for mailbox providers, reinforcing legitimacy. Some even argue that new subdomains inherit some reputation from the parent domain, making consistency an advantage, as noted in discussions on sending domains.
If an issue were to arise, it would likely stem from poor sending practices on the email side, such as sending to unengaged lists or experiencing high complaint rates, rather than the mere fact of sharing a subdomain with CloudPages. The performance of your CloudPages themselves does not directly impact email deliverability reputation, unless they are hosting malicious content or leading to security flags, which would be a separate, more severe issue.
Therefore, for most Marketing Cloud users leveraging SAP, sharing a subdomain for both email and CloudPages is not only acceptable but often recommended for optimal branding and a streamlined technical setup. The focus should always be on maintaining excellent sending hygiene and providing valuable content to your subscribers to ensure strong deliverability.
Prioritize sending hygiene
Maintain strong sender reputation by focusing on engagement, list quality, and authentication. These factors outweigh concerns about subdomain sharing for email and CloudPages in a unified platform like Marketing Cloud.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always authenticate your sending domains properly with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to build trust.
Focus on delivering high-quality, relevant content to engaged subscribers to improve sender reputation.
Regularly monitor your engagement metrics, including opens, clicks, and complaint rates.
Common pitfalls
Ignoring subscriber engagement can lead to poor sender reputation and emails landing in spam folders.
Failing to maintain a clean email list can result in high bounce rates and spam trap hits.
Misinterpreting isolated advice without understanding the full context of deliverability factors.
Expert tips
Continuously test your email deliverability to various mailbox providers to identify potential issues early.
Implement a DMARC policy to gain visibility into your email authentication and prevent unauthorized sending.
Segment your audience and tailor content to improve relevance and drive higher engagement.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they have not heard that using the same subdomain for email and CloudPages is bad for deliverability, and their clients have not experienced issues.
May 23, 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that if a deliverability claim cannot be easily checked during the SMTP transaction, it should likely be discounted.
May 23, 2024 - Email Geeks
Maintaining strong deliverability
The notion that using the same subdomain for email sending and CloudPages in Salesforce Marketing Cloud is detrimental to deliverability is largely unfounded. Salesforce's SAP is designed to create a cohesive and trusted brand presence across all email elements, including link tracking and hosted content, which is a net positive for your email program.
True email deliverability hinges on fundamental practices like maintaining a strong sender reputation, ensuring high subscriber engagement, rigorous list hygiene, and robust email authentication. Focusing on these core principles will yield a far greater positive impact on your inbox placement than segmenting subdomains for a unified platform feature.
Google and 
Yahoo primarily evaluate your sending behavior based on engagement metrics. High open rates, click-through rates, and low complaint rates are positive signals. Conversely, high bounce rates, spam complaints, and low engagement can quickly damage your sender reputation, leading to emails landing in spam folders or being blocklisted (or blacklisted). You can explore this further in our in-depth guide to email blocklists.
