What are the deliverability considerations when moving to Amazon SES with a dedicated IP?

Key findings

• IP warming is crucial: New dedicated IPs on Amazon SES have no sending history, necessitating a gradual increase in sending volume to build a positive reputation and avoid deliverability issues.
• Microsoft challenges: Microsoft is often particularly tough on Amazon IP ranges, and some ranges might face active blocking, making deliverability to Outlook or Hotmail harder.
• Technical setup: A perfect technical configuration, including clear rDNS, consistent naming conventions, and robust email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), is paramount for success with SES.
• Platform management: Amazon SES has strict spam and bounce thresholds. Senders must be prepared to actively manage their email program, especially when consolidating multiple sending streams.

Key considerations

• Reputation transfer: Understand that existing sender reputation does not automatically transfer to a new dedicated IP, requiring a fresh start and careful warming strategy.
• Consolidation risks: Merging email streams from different platforms into one can create temporary deliverability blips, even with a strong existing reputation.
• Long-term outlook: While a dedicated IP provides more control, successfully navigating deliverability, particularly to challenging ISPs, is a continuous effort.
• Operational capabilities: Directly managing SES requires a robust backend and a well-trained team, which might differ from a simpler ESP interface.

For a comprehensive guide on migrating to Amazon SES and effective IP warming strategies, Amazon Web Services provides detailed documentation.

Key opinions

• Current ESP limitations: Marketers frequently express frustration with existing ESPs, particularly when dealing with poor sender reputation or issues with specific ISPs like Microsoft, which may be unresolvable on their current platform.
• Consolidation benefits: A primary motivation for moving to SES is to consolidate sending platforms, aiming to streamline operations and reduce costs.
• Deliverability inconsistency: Some marketers find that while their deliverability to providers like Google is strong, they struggle significantly with others, such as Microsoft, regardless of their current ESP.
• Cost vs. control: Dedicated IPs offer greater control but come with their own costs and management overhead, influencing the decision-making process.

Key considerations

• Warming up: New dedicated IPs on Amazon SES require a warming period because they lack a sending history, which can affect initial deliverability, especially if high volumes are sent too quickly. This is a common deliverability issue during new IP warmup.
• Microsoft's stance: Be aware that Microsoft may have active blocks on certain Amazon IP ranges, which can make improving deliverability to Microsoft domains particularly challenging, even with a dedicated IP.
• Technical prerequisites: Ensure your technical setup, including DNS configuration and authentication, is robust and correctly implemented to avoid deliverability pitfalls.
• Send volume management: Plan for future scalability, as higher email volumes may necessitate additional dedicated IPs to distribute the load and maintain optimal deliverability.

One marketer's experience migrating to Amazon SES highlights the nuances of dedicated IP use, especially concerning initial sending history and deliverability impacts, as detailed in this Medium article.

Key opinions

• Migration blips: Experts generally agree that moving email flows will likely cause a temporary blip in deliverability, even if prior reputation is clean.
• Technical perfection: The technical setup for SES must be as close to perfect as possible, including rDNS, naming conventions, and authentication, to ensure optimal deliverability.
• Microsoft's stance: A significant and recurring concern among experts is Microsoft's active blocking of Amazon IP ranges, which often start with a poorer reputation.
• Operational rigor: Amazon's unforgiving nature regarding spam and bounce thresholds means senders must be prepared for rigorous, hands-on platform management.

Key considerations

• No quick fixes for Microsoft: If the primary reason for moving to SES is to improve deliverability to Microsoft, be prepared for a very long and potentially challenging road due to their specific filtering policies.
• Warming strategies: Implement a disciplined IP warming schedule to build sender reputation gradually, mitigating the risk of initial blocklisting.
• Authentication alignment: Ensure all authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are perfectly aligned and configured to avoid common deliverability issues.
• Monitoring and feedback: Continuously monitor blocklists, bounce rates, and spam complaints to quickly identify and address any emerging reputation problems.

For more insights into managing email reputation, especially after an IP blocklist, SpamResource offers valuable guidance.

Key findings

• Dedicated IP advantages: Dedicated IPs enable senders to build and control their own sending reputation independently, which is a key benefit over shared IPs.
• Warming necessity: New dedicated IPs have no prior sending history, making the IP warming process essential to avoid deliverability issues when sending high volumes.
• Reputation management: Senders are solely responsible for the reputation of their dedicated IP, requiring careful monitoring of engagement, bounce, and complaint rates.
• Scalability planning: For anticipated higher email volumes, planning for additional dedicated IPs is recommended to distribute the load and maintain deliverability performance.

Key considerations

• Gradual volume increase: Implement a gradual increase in sending volume to build trust with ISPs, avoiding sudden spikes that can trigger spam filters or blocklists (or blocklisting of your IP).
• Technical setup: Proper configuration of DNS records, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, is essential for authentication and improved deliverability.
• List hygiene: Maintaining a clean email list with low bounce rates and spam complaints is critical for nurturing a healthy sender reputation on a dedicated IP.
• Engagement monitoring: Actively monitor engagement metrics to ensure your content resonates with recipients, which directly impacts your IP's reputation and inbox placement.

Amazon Web Services provides comprehensive resources on optimizing sending reputation with SES dedicated IPs.