Why did my email open rates drop after moving to a dedicated IP address?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 2 May 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
7 min read
Moving to a dedicated IP address is often seen as a significant step towards greater control over your email deliverability. The idea is that you'll have sole ownership of your sending reputation, free from the actions of other senders. So, it can be quite alarming when your email open rates suddenly plummet after making this change.
This unexpected drop isn't uncommon, and it's usually tied to how mailbox providers, like Gmail and Outlook, view new or changed sending infrastructures. Understanding these dynamics is key to diagnosing and fixing the issue.
Understanding IP reputation and warming
When you move to a new dedicated IP address, it essentially starts with a neutral reputation. Unlike shared IPs, which benefit from the collective reputation of many senders, your new dedicated IP has no history. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Mailbox Providers (MBPs) are cautious of mail coming from unfamiliar IPs to prevent spam.
This is where IP warming comes into play. It's a critical process of gradually increasing the volume of email sent from a new IP address. This slow ramp-up allows MBPs to assess your sending behavior, email content, and recipient engagement. Skipping this step or sending high volumes immediately can trigger spam filters, leading to a sudden drop in inbox placement and consequently, open rates.
A proper IP warming strategy builds trust over time. It shows MBPs that you are a legitimate sender with consistent and engaging email practices. Without this warm-up, even a perfectly clean list can see emails diverted to the spam folder, impacting your perceived (or actual) open rates.
Shared IP addresses
Reputation is collective: Your sending reputation is influenced by all other senders using that IP.
Lower control: If others send spam, it can negatively impact your deliverability.
Good for low volume: Suitable if you don't send enough mail to maintain a dedicated IP's reputation.
Dedicated IP addresses
Reputation is yours alone: You have full control over building and maintaining your sender reputation.
Requires warming: Needs a careful ramp-up to establish trust with ISPs.
Ideal for high volume: Best for senders with consistent, large email volumes.
Common reasons for open rate drops
Beyond IP warming, several factors contribute to a sudden dip in open rates after migrating to a dedicated IP. One primary cause is inconsistent sending volume. MBPs expect a stable flow of emails from a dedicated IP once it's warmed up. Large, infrequent sends, or sudden drops in volume, can negatively affect your reputation, leading to emails being filtered as spam or junk.
Another crucial aspect is your email authentication setup. When you change IPs, ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured for the new sending environment. Any misconfiguration can cause emails to fail authentication checks, a major red flag for MBPs. This often leads to messages being rejected or routed directly to the spam folder, regardless of your content quality. You can learn more about email authentication and its role in deliverability.
Furthermore, a dedicated IP means you bear the full weight of any negative signals. High bounce rates, spam complaints, or sending to unengaged users will directly impact your IP's reputation. If your list quality isn't pristine, or if you encounter spam traps, your new IP will quickly develop a poor sender reputation (or blacklisting/blocklisting) and deliverability will suffer. You can read more about why your emails are going to spam.
Key considerations after moving to a dedicated IP
Consistent volume: Maintain a steady sending volume to build a reliable reputation.
Authentication records: Verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly updated for your new IP.
List hygiene: Ensure your email list is clean and actively engaged to minimize complaints.
Monitor blocklists (blacklists): Regularly check if your IP has been added to any email blocklists.
Delivery vs. reporting: the Google pre-fetch effect
It's important to distinguish between a drop in actual email delivery and a drop in reported open rates. Open rates, particularly with MBPs like Gmail, are often tracked by invisible pixels (tiny images) loaded when an email is opened. Google, for instance, pre-fetches images from emails, which can lead to inflated open rates.
When you switch your sending IP or authenticate domains, Google might temporarily stop pre-fetching images from your new IP address. This means that while your emails might still be landing in the inbox, the opens are not being automatically recorded as they were before. This creates a perceived drop in open rates, rather than an actual problem with delivery to the inbox.
To confirm if it's a reporting issue or a true deliverability problem (meaning emails are going to spam), you should look at other metrics. Are clicks still healthy? Are you seeing conversions from your emails? If these metrics remain stable despite lower open rates, it's a strong indicator that it might be a pre-fetching issue. Over a few weeks, Google (and other MBPs) will usually resume pre-fetching as your new IP gains trust, and your reported open rates should recover. You can also monitor your Google Postmaster Tools dashboard for insights into your domain and IP reputation.
Issue
Impact on open rates
What to do
Insufficient IP warming
MBPs see new IP as suspicious, leading to emails being filtered into spam folders, resulting in true open rate drops.
Invalid SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records cause emails to be rejected or quarantined, leading to true open rate drops.
Verify all DNS records are correctly set up post-migration. Use DMARC monitoring to catch issues.
Google pre-fetching changes
Changes to sending infrastructure can temporarily halt image pre-fetching, causing perceived (reported) open rate drops.
Monitor clicks and conversions. If these are stable, the issue may resolve itself after a few weeks as trust builds.
Strategies to recover and maintain open rates
The key to recovering from a drop in open rates after moving to a dedicated IP is patience and meticulous attention to your sending practices. First and foremost, revisit your IP warming strategy. If you rushed it, slow down. Gradually increase your sending volume, targeting your most engaged subscribers first. This helps build positive engagement signals with MBPs, improving your new IP's reputation.
Maintain consistent sending volumes. Erratic sending patterns can be a red flag. If your usual volume is low, a dedicated IP might not be the best fit, as it requires a steady flow of mail to maintain a good reputation. Consider if a shared IP might be more appropriate for your volume, or if you need to increase your sending frequency to sustain your dedicated IP's standing.
Regularly monitor your domain and IP reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools. Pay attention to complaint rates, spam rates, and deliverability errors. These metrics provide real-time feedback on how your emails are being perceived. If you notice a high complaint rate, it's a strong indicator that your emails are hitting the spam folder, signaling a true deliverability issue, not just a reporting discrepancy. You can find out more on email deliverability issues.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always follow a structured IP warming schedule, even with an existing, clean list.
Segment your audience and send to the most engaged subscribers first during warming.
Ensure all email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is correctly configured for your new IP.
Common pitfalls
Sending full volume immediately from a new dedicated IP without warming.
Ignoring email authentication updates after changing your sending infrastructure.
Having inconsistent sending patterns, like large bursts followed by long quiet periods.
Expert tips
If your open rates seem low but clicks are stable, it might be a reporting issue due to image pre-fetching changes, not actual delivery failure.
For lower sending volumes (e.g., less than 100,000 emails per month), a shared IP might offer better deliverability and reputation stability.
Actively encourage subscribers to move your emails from spam to inbox to send positive signals to ISPs.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says: An open rate of 20% might indicate underlying issues, and it's important to check other metrics for overall health.
2024-07-25 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says: It's crucial to investigate if emails are landing in the inbox or spam, as changes in sending identities can affect Google's image pre-fetching, which impacts reported open rates.
2024-07-25 - Email Geeks
Navigating your dedicated IP transition
A drop in email open rates after moving to a dedicated IP address is a common challenge, but it's usually a temporary phase. The core issue often lies in the new IP's lack of established reputation and the crucial need for proper IP warming. It's also vital to differentiate between actual deliverability problems and merely a change in how opens are reported due to image pre-fetching by mailbox providers like Gmail.
By diligently following a structured IP warming process, ensuring all your email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are meticulously configured, and consistently monitoring your sending reputation across various tools, you can navigate this transition successfully. Remember that patience is key as you build trust with MBPs.
Gmail and 
Outlook, view new or changed sending infrastructures. Understanding these dynamics is key to diagnosing and fixing the issue.
Gmail, are often tracked by invisible pixels (tiny images) loaded when an email is opened. Google, for instance, pre-fetches images from emails, which can lead to inflated open rates.
Google Postmaster Tools. Pay attention to complaint rates, spam rates, and deliverability errors. These metrics provide real-time feedback on how your emails are being perceived. If you notice a high complaint rate, it's a strong indicator that your emails are hitting the spam folder, signaling a true deliverability issue, not just a reporting discrepancy. You can find out more on email deliverability issues.
Gmail.
