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Do dedicated email domains or IPs improve deliverability in specific countries or markets?

Summary

For email deliverability, dedicated IP addresses can significantly enhance performance in specific countries or markets, particularly for high-volume senders. This benefit stems from the complete control a dedicated IP offers over your sending reputation, allowing you to build trust directly with local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and navigate regional filtering nuances. While many global senders operate successfully from .com domains, certain regions, like China, present unique requirements, often necessitating a local presence. Dedicated domains, while not directly improving mailbox provider preference, contribute to user experience, brand recognition, and offer a layer of domain reputation protection across different markets.

Key findings

  • Dedicated IP Benefits: Dedicated IP addresses provide complete control over a sender's reputation, allowing for isolated reputation building.
  • Country-Specific Advantages: This control is particularly beneficial in countries or markets with strict filtering, unique ISP preferences, or specific regional regulations, such as Germany or Japan.
  • China Exception: China is a notable exception, often requiring a local sending presence, making it unique compared to other markets.
  • Volume Requirement: The advantages of dedicated IPs are most pronounced for high-volume, consistent senders who can maintain a strong, positive sending history.
  • Localized Domains: While primarily for user experience, branding, and DMARC alignment, localized domains can indirectly aid deliverability by fostering trust and protecting a brand's reputation across different regions.
  • Geo-Segmented Reputation: Email sending reputation can be geo-segmented, meaning a sender's standing might vary in different countries.

Key considerations

  • Sending Volume: Assess if your email volume to a specific region is high and consistent enough to justify and effectively manage a dedicated IP address.
  • Regional Nuances: Research and understand specific country or market requirements and filtering behaviors, such as China's local presence needs or stricter ISP policies in other regions.
  • Reputation Management: Be prepared to actively manage and nurture your dedicated IP's reputation, as it will be solely dependent on your sending practices.
  • Brand & UX: Consider localized domains for enhancing user experience, building regional trust, and potentially segmenting domain reputation for different markets.
  • Troubleshooting: Recognize that dedicated setups can make troubleshooting deliverability issues easier, especially if problems are isolated to a specific market.

What email marketers say

8 marketer opinions

Email deliverability in specific countries or markets can indeed benefit from dedicated email domains or IP addresses, though their primary purpose and impact vary. Dedicated IPs offer senders, especially those with high volumes, unparalleled control over their sending reputation. This control allows for direct relationship building with local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and tailored compliance with regional policies, crucial for navigating diverse filtering nuances. While many global campaigns succeed using .com domains, distinct regional requirements exist; China, for instance, uniquely mandates a local sending presence. Localized domains, while not directly influencing mailbox provider preference, are valuable for enhancing user experience, establishing brand trust, and protecting domain reputation across different geographical markets.

Key opinions

  • Dedicated IP Control: Dedicated IPs empower senders with full control over their sending reputation, essential for navigating the varied filtering practices and regulations of international ISPs.
  • Regional ISP Trust: They enable direct cultivation of trust with specific regional ISPs, which is vital for improving inbox placement in countries with stringent email policies or unique filtering tendencies.
  • China's Local Requirement: China stands out as a market where a local presence is often a mandatory prerequisite for successful email delivery, unlike most other global regions.
  • Domain Localization Role: Localized domains primarily serve to enhance user experience, build regional brand trust, and safeguard domain reputation across diverse markets rather than directly influencing mailbox provider preferences.
  • Geo-Specific Reputation: Sending reputation is frequently geo-segmented, meaning a sender's deliverability performance can naturally differ from one country or market to another.
  • High Volume Efficacy: The advantages of utilizing dedicated IPs for international deliverability are most evident and beneficial for senders maintaining high, consistent email volumes.

Key considerations

  • Volume Justification: Evaluate whether your email sending volume to a specific international market is sufficiently high and consistent to warrant the investment and management of a dedicated IP address.
  • Market-Specific Research: Thoroughly investigate unique country-specific email regulations, local ISP filtering behaviors, and any mandatory requirements, such as China's demand for a local sending presence.
  • Proactive Reputation Nurturing: Be prepared to meticulously manage and nurture the dedicated IP's reputation, as its performance will depend solely on your sending practices and compliance with local standards.
  • Localized Domain Strategy: Assess the value of localized domains for improving regional user experience, reinforcing brand identity, and segmenting domain reputation to mitigate risks across different markets.
  • Simplified Issue Resolution: Recognize that using dedicated IPs or localized domains can simplify the isolation and resolution of deliverability issues that might be specific to a particular geographical market.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that China is a country that specifically requires a local presence for email sending.

24 Nov 2023 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that using localized domains is more about user experience and precaution than mailbox provider preference. It helps protect domain reputation for different markets and makes troubleshooting easier if one market's contact list quality declines.

24 Jul 2021 - Email Geeks

What the experts say

4 expert opinions

The strategic deployment of dedicated email IP addresses and domains offers distinct advantages for improving deliverability, particularly when targeting specific countries or markets. Dedicated IP addresses provide unparalleled control, isolating your sending reputation from others and allowing you to build direct trust with local Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This is especially beneficial for senders with significant, consistent email volumes to regions known for strict filtering, like Germany or Japan, where precise reputation management is paramount. While dedicated domains primarily support branding and DMARC alignment, they can indirectly boost deliverability in specific markets by fostering audience recognition and trust, leading to higher engagement and fewer spam complaints.

Key opinions

  • Dedicated IP Reputation Isolation: Dedicated IP addresses allow senders to build and control their own sending reputation, isolated from the practices of other senders on shared IPs.
  • Targeted Market Advantage: This isolation and direct reputation control are particularly advantageous in countries or markets with strict email filtering, enabling better trust-building with local ISPs.
  • Volume-Based Efficacy: The benefits of a dedicated IP are most pronounced for senders maintaining significant and consistent email volumes to a particular geographic region.
  • Domain's Indirect Deliverability Boost: While primarily for branding and DMARC, dedicated domains can indirectly improve deliverability in specific markets through enhanced audience recognition, leading to increased engagement and reduced complaint rates.
  • Precision in Deliverability Control: Having a dedicated IP provides more precise control over deliverability outcomes, as your reputation is solely dependent on your own sending practices.

Key considerations

  • Evaluate Sending Volume: Determine if your email volume to a specific country or market is consistent and high enough to warrant the investment and active management of a dedicated IP.
  • Understand Market Filtering: Research the specific filtering stringency and ISP requirements of your target countries to assess where dedicated resources would offer the most significant deliverability gains.
  • Commit to Reputation Stewardship: Be prepared to actively and meticulously manage the sending reputation associated with a dedicated IP, as it will directly reflect your sending quality.
  • Leverage Domain for Local Trust: Consider how a dedicated or localized domain can strengthen brand recognition and build trust with a specific regional audience, contributing to deliverability indirectly.

Expert view

Expert from Reddit - r/emailmarketing shares that while a dedicated IP isn't a silver bullet, it can be advantageous for deliverability in specific countries if you have significant, consistent volume to that region. It allows you to isolate your reputation from other senders and build trust with local ISPs, which is particularly relevant in markets like Germany or Japan with strict filtering.

17 May 2022 - Reddit - r/emailmarketing

Expert view

Expert from Reddit - r/emailmarketing explains that while a dedicated domain primarily helps with branding and DMARC alignment, it can indirectly aid deliverability in specific markets by allowing for clear branding and trust-building. If a local audience recognizes a specific domain as legitimate for their region, it can contribute to higher engagement and lower spam complaints, positively impacting deliverability.

29 May 2022 - Reddit - r/emailmarketing

What the documentation says

5 technical articles

Dedicated IP addresses offer significant benefits for email deliverability, especially when targeting distinct countries or markets, by granting senders full control over their sending reputation. This precise oversight enables businesses to cultivate direct trust with local Internet Service Providers (ISPs), navigate country-specific filtering systems, and mitigate the risks associated with shared IP pools, which can be particularly volatile in diverse global email environments. This level of customized reputation management is crucial for high-volume senders seeking consistent inbox placement across various international networks.

Key findings

  • Full Reputation Control: Dedicated IP addresses provide senders with absolute control over their sending reputation, isolating them from the practices of other senders on shared IPs.
  • Localized Deliverability Impact: This independent control is highly beneficial for improving deliverability in specific countries or markets, allowing senders to build direct trust with local ISPs and navigate regional filtering complexities.
  • High-Volume Sender Efficacy: Dedicated IPs are most effective and recommended for high-volume senders who can maintain a consistent and positive sending history, ensuring stable deliverability across global networks.
  • Mitigating Shared IP Volatility: Utilizing a dedicated IP helps to avoid the negative impacts of other senders' poor practices on shared IPs, which can be particularly volatile and detrimental in diverse international email environments.
  • Tailored Deliverability Management: The precise control offered by dedicated IPs enables tailored reputation management, crucial for addressing unique ISP requirements and varied spam filtering rules in specific international regions.

Key considerations

  • Volume Assessment: Evaluate if your email sending volume to a specific country or market is consistently high enough to warrant the investment and active management of a dedicated IP address.
  • Market-Specific Rules: Research and understand the unique filtering nuances, 'trust' signals, and specific ISP preferences prevalent in your target international markets.
  • Active Reputation Management: Be prepared to diligently manage and nurture your dedicated IP's reputation, as its performance will depend solely on your sending practices and compliance with local standards.
  • Resource Allocation: Consider the strategic value and resource allocation for a dedicated IP, particularly in markets where independent reputation control is a critical factor for deliverability.

Technical article

Documentation from SendGrid Documentation explains that a dedicated IP address can be beneficial for high-volume senders, including those targeting specific countries, as it provides complete control over the sender's reputation. This allows for building a localized reputation that can be crucial in markets with specific filtering nuances or ISPs that prefer known sending IPs.

10 Jun 2024 - SendGrid Documentation

Technical article

Documentation from Mailgun Help Center indicates that a dedicated IP can help manage reputation independently, which is critical when dealing with diverse global email ecosystems. While not explicitly about countries, it implies that managing one's own IP reputation can lead to better deliverability globally, as it allows senders to avoid being impacted by others' sending practices, which could be more volatile in certain international markets.

4 Jan 2025 - Mailgun Help Center

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    Do dedicated email domains or IPs improve deliverability in specific countries or markets? - Technicals - Email deliverability - Knowledge base - Suped