Summary
The choice between using a shared IP address or a dedicated IP address for email sending is a critical decision that impacts deliverability and sender reputation. While a dedicated IP offers complete control and the ability to build a singular reputation, a shared IP leverages the collective reputation of a pool of senders, which can be beneficial for certain scenarios. This decision often hinges on email volume, sending consistency, and the nature of the content being sent.
Key findings
- Control vs. shared risk: A dedicated IP provides direct control over your sender reputation, while a shared IP distributes the risk and reputation across multiple senders. Mailgun points out that understanding how different IP types work is crucial.
- Volume dependency: High-volume senders (often over 100,000 emails per month) typically benefit most from a dedicated IP address to establish and maintain a strong reputation. For more on this, see what email volume justifies using a dedicated IP.
- Reputation consistency: Using different IPs for different content types from the same sending domain can still impact your overall domain reputation, as mailbox providers view the domain holistically.
- Warm-up period: Dedicated IPs require a careful warm-up process to build a positive sending history with Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
- Quality over IP: The quality of your email list and content, along with sending practices, are ultimately more significant than the IP type itself. Learn more about how a shared IP affects email deliverability.
Key considerations
- Sending volume and consistency: If you send a large, consistent volume of emails, a dedicated IP is generally preferred. For lower, inconsistent volumes, a shared IP might be more suitable.
- Reputation management: With a dedicated IP, you are solely responsible for its reputation, necessitating careful monitoring and adherence to best practices. With shared IPs, your reputation is influenced by others in the pool.
- Content and audience: Sending different types of content (e.g., transactional vs. marketing) or to different audience segments should be managed with consistent best practices regardless of IP type to preserve domain reputation.
- Cost and complexity: Dedicated IPs often come with higher costs and require more technical understanding for proper warm-up and maintenance. Shared IPs are typically simpler to manage.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often grapple with the decision between shared and dedicated IPs, sometimes driven by misconceptions about deliverability issues or a desire to compartmentalize risk. Some consider using shared IPs for specific content types to protect their dedicated IP's reputation, while others might suspect their Email Service Provider (ESP) of assigning a 'bad' dedicated IP, leading them to experiment with shared pools.
Key opinions
- Risk mitigation strategy: Some marketers consider using a shared IP for 'less ideal' sends to avoid risking their primary dedicated IP's reputation, although this approach can still impact the overall sending domain.
- Perception of ESPs: A common sentiment is that if a dedicated IP performs poorly, the ESP might have provided a 'bad' IP, leading marketers to try shared IPs as a 'proof' that they can achieve better results. This is often due to a misunderstanding of how deliverability issues truly originate.
- Temporary reputation offset: Shared IPs can sometimes provide a temporary improvement in results by blending a sender's traffic with others, masking underlying poor sending practices.
- Domain reputation always at stake: Despite using different IPs, marketers generally agree that email activities on any IP will likely affect the main sending domain's overall reputation.
- Volume considerations: Marketers frequently discuss specific volume thresholds, with many agreeing that dedicated IPs become beneficial for volumes above 100,000 emails per month. Mailchimp highlights this benefit for thousands of emails.
Key considerations
- Addressing root causes: If a marketer is considering switching IPs due to deliverability issues, it's crucial to first identify and address the underlying problems with list quality or sending practices, rather than simply changing the IP strategy. For more context, read about should you use a shared or dedicated IP.
- Content quality remains supreme: No IP strategy can compensate for sending unwanted or low-quality content. Focus on engaging your audience consistently.
- Transparency with providers: Be transparent with your ESP about your sending intentions and volumes to receive the best guidance on IP allocation.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks questions a strategy of having a dedicated IP for commercial sending and then using a shared IP for other content, believing it would negatively affect the same sending domain's reputation. They express concern over where such advice might originate, indicating a lack of clear reasoning for such a split approach.
Marketer view
Marketer from Klaviyo suggests that businesses and organizations sending high volumes of emails should generally use a dedicated IP infrastructure. This approach offers greater control and allows for the cultivation of a specific sender reputation, crucial for consistent deliverability.
What the experts say
Email deliverability experts generally advise against splitting email sending between dedicated and shared IPs for the same domain based on content quality. They emphasize that the domain's reputation is paramount and that attempts to isolate 'bad' sends on shared IPs are often counterproductive, seen by ISPs as suspicious behavior. The consensus is to focus on consistent, high-quality sending practices across all channels.
Key opinions
- Domain reputation is primary: Experts consistently highlight that the sending domain's reputation is the most critical factor, overriding the specific IP address used for a given send. Mailbox providers assess the domain's overall sending behavior.
- Avoid reputation shifting: Using shared IPs to send content deemed risky for a dedicated IP is not a sustainable strategy and can signal poor practices to ISPs, potentially leading to blocklisting of the domain. Learn more about what happens when your domain is blocklisted.
- Consistency is key: Maintaining a consistent sending volume and content quality is vital for building and preserving a positive sender reputation, especially on dedicated IPs.
- No quick fixes: There's no magic solution for poor sending practices. Addressing underlying issues such as list hygiene and subscriber engagement is paramount.
- Strategic IP usage: Dedicated IPs are best for senders with high, consistent volume who want granular control. Shared IPs are suitable for lower, less consistent volumes or for warming up new sending programs. An expert from SpamResource highlights the importance of sending wanted mail.
Key considerations
- Holistic deliverability view: Focus on improving overall email deliverability metrics, including engagement, spam complaints, and bounce rates, rather than segmenting by IP address. This helps build a stronger understanding of your email domain reputation.
- Monitor performance: Regularly monitor your domain's reputation and deliverability across all IPs used to promptly identify and address any issues. Metrics from Word to the Wise indicate this is crucial.
- Content and list quality: Invest in maintaining a clean, engaged email list and producing relevant, valuable content to achieve optimal deliverability, regardless of the IP type.
- Long-term strategy: Develop a long-term deliverability strategy that aligns with your sending volume and business goals, rather than seeking short-term fixes by switching IP types.
Expert view
Expert from SpamResource emphasizes that building a solid sending reputation takes time and consistent good practices, regardless of the IP type. This involves carefully nurturing subscriber engagement and maintaining low complaint rates to ensure long-term deliverability.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise states that IP reputation is inherently tied to the sending domain's overall practices and cannot be easily segregated by changing IPs. Mailbox providers have sophisticated ways of linking sending identities, making attempts to isolate bad sends ineffective.
What the documentation says
Official documentation from leading ESPs and industry bodies provides clear guidelines on IP usage. They generally align on the principle that dedicated IPs are best suited for high-volume, consistent senders who wish to maintain precise control over their reputation. Shared IPs, conversely, are typically recommended for lower volumes, inconsistent sending, or for senders new to email marketing who can benefit from the collective reputation of the pool.
Key findings
- Volume thresholds: Documentation often indicates that dedicated IPs are most effective for senders with substantial and consistent email volume, frequently cited as 100,000 emails per month or more. Klaviyo's documentation supports this for high-volume senders.
- Reputation autonomy: Dedicated IPs provide the sender with complete autonomy over their IP reputation, meaning their sending practices directly determine their deliverability success. This also means greater responsibility for reputation management.
- Shared IP benefits: Shared IPs are ideal for email senders who have lower volumes, inconsistent sending patterns, or are new to email marketing, as they can benefit from the aggregate reputation of the shared pool. Twilio's insights confirm this blending benefit.
- Warm-up necessity: Documentation consistently stresses the importance of a proper IP warm-up process for dedicated IPs to build a positive sending history with ISPs and avoid initial filtering.
Key considerations
- Sending pattern analysis: Evaluate your typical sending volume, frequency, and consistency. This data is crucial for deciding which IP type aligns best with your needs. Consider how many emails you can send.
- Reputation impact: Understand that poor sending practices on a dedicated IP will directly and quickly impact your deliverability. On a shared IP, while the impact might be diluted, your domain's reputation can still suffer. For expected improvements, see deliverability improvements from dedicated vs shared IPs.
- Monitoring capabilities: Be prepared to actively monitor your email metrics, including open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints, particularly if using a dedicated IP to proactively manage its reputation.
- Content and audience considerations: Even with different IPs, the underlying quality of your email content and the engagement of your audience remain crucial determinants of deliverability.
Technical article
Documentation from Klaviyo notes that large organizations with high email volumes should generally use a dedicated IP infrastructure. This recommendation stems from the need for greater control and predictability over sending reputation, which is critical for consistent deliverability at scale.
Technical article
Documentation from Mailgun states that the choice between dedicated and shared IPs depends on a sender's specific needs and volume characteristics. They emphasize that there isn't a single answer, and the best option varies based on the individual sender's profile and goals.
Related resources
5 resources
Related pages
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