Summary
Migrating to a new Email Service Provider (ESP) is a critical step that requires careful planning to protect your established sender reputation. The primary challenge lies in the transition of your sending infrastructure, particularly if you are moving to new IP addresses. Understanding how different Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Google and Microsoft manage reputation during this transition is key to a successful migration.
Key findings
- IP reputation impact: Moving to new IP addresses is a common pitfall that necessitates significant time and effort to rebuild your sending reputation.
- Domain focus for Google: Google tends to focus more on domain reputation, suggesting that a slow phase-in of new IPs while maintaining the same sending domain can help preserve your standing.
- Microsoft's IP emphasis: Microsoft, in contrast, places a stronger emphasis on smooth IP warming, requiring a careful and gradual increase in sending volume on new IPs.
- Subdomain migration: Migrating your existing subdomain to the new ESP is generally advisable to leverage your established domain reputation, provided the new ESP supports this and you continue to send slowly.
Key considerations
- Gradual IP warming: Implement a disciplined IP warming strategy, especially when moving to dedicated IP addresses. Rushing this process can lead to significant deliverability issues.
- Parallel sending: Run both your old and new sending systems in parallel for as long as possible. This allows for a controlled transition and minimizes disruption.
- Maintain domain authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are properly configured with your new ESP to maintain your domain's credibility.
- Leverage ESP support: A good ESP will provide a ramp-up plan and ongoing guidance to facilitate a smooth migration. Consult their migration resources to understand their process.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often face a dilemma when migrating ESPs, particularly when they've invested significant effort into building a strong sender reputation with their current system. The primary concern revolves around the potential loss of this hard-earned reputation, especially when new IP addresses are involved. Marketers seek practical advice on how to minimize disruption and ensure their campaigns continue to reach the inbox effectively.
Key opinions
- Reputation concern: Marketers are highly concerned about losing existing high Gmail or other ISP reputation when moving to a new ESP.
- Subdomain value: There's a strong desire to migrate existing subdomains to leverage established trust, although practicalities like delegation need to be considered.
- ESP support expectations: Marketers expect their new ESP to provide comprehensive guidance and a clear ramp-up plan for smooth onboarding.
- Data quality importance: The existing quality and volume of subscriber data are seen as significant factors influencing the ease of migration.
Key considerations
- Clean your list: Prior to migration, clean your email list thoroughly to ensure only engaged subscribers are transferred, which significantly aids in maintaining a good sender reputation.
- Start slowly and segment: Even on shared or pre-warmed IPs, begin sending at a low volume and gradually increase. Prioritize sending to your most engaged recipients first to build positive signals. This helps with diagnosing potential deliverability drops early.
- Benchmark performance: Before migrating, capture your current engagement metrics by ISP. This benchmark will provide a clear baseline to measure performance against during and after the migration. More information is available in guides like The ultimate guide to switching ESPs.
Email marketer from Email Geeks highlights the challenge of migrating from a homegrown system to a new ESP. They express concern about preserving a hard-earned high Gmail reputation, questioning the value of moving their existing subdomain. This indicates a primary concern about reputation loss and the strategic choice of subdomain migration.
Email marketer from Email Geeks emphasizes the importance of selecting a capable ESP. They note that a good ESP will typically offer a comprehensive ramp-up plan during the onboarding phase, which is vital for gradually increasing sending volume and establishing a new IP reputation effectively. This support is crucial for mitigating deliverability risks.
What the experts say
Deliverability experts provide strategic and technical insights into managing sender reputation during an ESP migration. Their advice emphasizes the nuances of how different ISPs (like Google and Microsoft) assess reputation, the critical importance of a meticulous IP warming process, and the value of maintaining consistent sending practices. They often highlight the pitfalls of rushing the transition and the benefits of a measured, data-driven approach.
Key opinions
- IP reputation loss: The most significant challenge is the time required to rebuild reputation on new IP addresses.
- ISP-specific warming: Warming strategies vary by ISP; Google prioritizes domain reputation, while Microsoft focuses heavily on smooth IP warming.
- Parallel system operation: Operating both the old and new ESP systems concurrently is recommended for a gradual and controlled transition.
- Strategic subdomain use: Migrating the subdomain can help, but ensure the new ESP's delegation process allows for parallel use if needed.
- Benchmarking and monitoring: Establish a performance baseline before migration and continuously monitor engagement metrics to track progress.
Key considerations
- Do not rush IP warmup: Patience is paramount during IP warming, especially for dedicated IPs. A rushed process can severely damage deliverability. For more on this, see common deliverability issues during warmup.
- Engaged recipient first: When beginning sends on the new ESP, prioritize your most engaged recipients. Their positive interactions will help build a strong initial reputation. Consider guides on rebuilding sender reputation with engaged subscribers.
- Consistent sending patterns: Maintain consistent sending volumes and content during the transition. Abrupt changes can trigger spam filters and cause blocklisting (or blacklisting).
- Monitor ISP-specific metrics: Pay close attention to deliverability metrics for each major ISP, as their reputation assessment models can differ significantly. Tools and insights like those on building sending reputation can be valuable.
Email expert from Email Geeks points out that the most common pitfall during an ESP migration is the shift to new IP addresses. This transition necessitates a significant amount of time to rebuild the sender reputation previously established on the old IPs. They further suggest that Google might be more forgiving if new IPs are phased in slowly, provided the same sending domain is maintained, as Google tends to focus predominantly on domain reputation.
Email expert from Email Geeks differentiates the warming strategy for Microsoft. They explain that for Microsoft properties, the key is to warm up new IP addresses very smoothly and gradually. The expert also mentions uncertainty regarding Yahoo's current reputation model, indicating a potential variability in their approach to sender reputation.
What the documentation says
Official documentation and technical guides provide detailed, step-by-step instructions and best practices for ESP migration, with a strong emphasis on maintaining email deliverability. These resources often highlight the technical configurations necessary for successful domain authentication and the strategic importance of list hygiene and gradual volume increases to preserve sender reputation during the transition.
Key findings
- Authentication setup: Proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on the new sending domain is a non-negotiable step for establishing sender trust and avoiding blocklisting (or blacklisting).
- DNS record updates: DNS records need to be updated, sometimes multiple times, to reflect the new ESP's sending infrastructure.
- List hygiene importance: Cleaning email lists before migration is consistently recommended to prevent sending to problematic addresses and to maintain a healthy sender reputation.
- Phased migration: A step-by-step, phased approach to migration, especially regarding volume increases, is crucial for smooth transition and reputation management.
Key considerations
- Comprehensive checklists: Utilize ESP-provided or industry-standard checklists to ensure all technical and strategic steps are covered during the migration. Act-On's deliverability checklist is a good example.
- Dedicated IP planning: If you plan to use a dedicated IP, arrange for it in advance and integrate its warming into your migration timeline.
- Content and template transfer: Remember to plan for the transfer of email templates, forms, and automation flows, as these are integral to your email program's continuity.
- Migration timeline: Develop a detailed migration timeline to manage the transition systematically, including phases for data transfer, setup, and warming.
Documentation from Mailjet advises confirming that DKIM and SPF are set up as a key step in ESP migration. These authentication protocols are fundamental for email security and sender verification. Proper configuration ensures that your emails are recognized as legitimate by recipient mail servers.
Documentation from Stripo.email emphasizes the necessity of updating DNS records at least twice when switching ESPs or CRMs. They recommend setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on the new sending domain and updating authentication. This technical process ensures proper email authentication and alignment with your new sending infrastructure.
