Want your emails to go direct to inboxes, not spam? Getting a dedicated IP can help. A dedicated IP makes sure you alone manage your email reputation, helping your messages gain trust from Gmail, Yahoo, and more. Here's why it's important and how you can set it up:
Quick Tip: Dedicated IPs work best for businesses with large email needs, new product launches, or transaction emails. For smaller needs, shared IPs might save money.
Keep going to find out step-by-step methods, warm-up tricks, and ways to keep your email reputation solid.
A dedicated IP is an IP address reserved exclusively for a single sender. Unlike shared IPs, which are used by multiple businesses to send emails, a dedicated IP gives you complete control over your email reputation. Think of it this way: a shared IP is like living in an apartment building - your reputation is tied to your neighbors. A dedicated IP, on the other hand, is like owning a house - you’re fully responsible for its upkeep and reputation.
The main advantage of a dedicated IP lies in reputation control. With a shared IP, your email deliverability can suffer if other senders on the same IP engage in harmful practices, like spamming. Dedicated IPs eliminate this risk by isolating your reputation.
| Shared IP | Dedicated IP |
|---|---|
| Many users send from this one | Only you send from this one |
| You share how good it looks with all | You alone make it look good or bad |
| Costs less, simple to begin | Costs more, but you run it all |
| Already set and ready to go | You must get it ready first |
| Not much say in how well it sends | You get a lot of say in how well it sends |
| Good if you don't send lots of emails | Best if you send a lot of emails |
It's key to know when a single-use IP fits your email plan. Email hosts like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook check your IP's past to see if they can trust you. If you handle your own IP past, you can build a strong trust with these hosts. Having this control is big when we look at setting things up with Infraforge later.
Next: when should you pay for a single-use IP?
Now that you get what single-use IPs are for, think about when they are worth the cost. A big thing to look at is email number. If you send over 100,000 emails each month, a single-use IP makes sense. In fact, many pros say to shift to a single-use IP when you send over 150,000 emails each month. Also, some say sending about 10,000 emails a day can catch the eye of big email hosts.
Single-use IPs are great for key campaigns. If you make money from emails getting seen - like launching products, sales, or meeting new customers - full control over where your emails go is key. They are good for more outreach, doing regular campaigns like news or deals, and for transactional emails. In fields where being seen in the inbox helps you make money, a single-use IP can really help.
For companies with low or up-and-down email numbers, shared IPs often work better. Shared IPs are ready to go and handled by your email service, so they are easy to use.
Tools like Infraforge help manage single-use IPs by setting up tech, DNS setups, and giving many IP choices for big teams. At $99 per IP each month, Infraforge is for serious email work, giving solid setup without the tech trouble.
To set up a single IP just for you, you need to do three things: get the IP, set DNS records, and link it to your email service (ESP). Each step must be done well, but doing them in order makes it easier.
Start by picking an ESP that gives out single IPs. Most need you to send a big number of emails each month before giving one to you. For instance, Postmark needs at least 300,000 emails per month, while others ask for 100,000 emails each month.
If you want an ESP with no limits on how many emails you send, Infraforge gives out IPs for $99 a month. They also set up everything for you, which can save you time. When picking an ESP, think about the monthly price and how hard the setup is. Infraforge's easy setup might work for you if you want to keep things simple, but other services let you have more control if you're okay with handling more of the setup.
After you get your IP, you need to set up the right DNS records.
Setting up these DNS records right is key to making sure your emails get to where they need to go. You need to put in place three main records: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Each has its own role in showing your emails are real.
v=spf1 ip4:192.168.1.100 include:mailchimp.com ~allselector._domainkey.yourdomain.com). The name of the record depends on your ESP’s choice.
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:reports@yourdomain.com; pct=100| Rule | Goal | Method | Safe Gains |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPF | Okay mail senders | Has a list of fine IPs and names in DNS | Stops fake mail sender info |
| DKIM | Check who sent it | Puts a safe mark on emails | Keeps emails real and not changed |
| DMARC | Fix bad checks | Sets rules for SPF/DKIM mess-ups | Makes sure mail and sender are true |
Keep in mind DNS changes may need up to 48 hours to spread all over. Use tools like MXToolbox or an SPF Record Checker to see your settings are right before you send emails.
Once you set your DNS records, the next move is to link your dedicated IP to your ESP. You'll need to make sure your domain is checked and the IP is listed in your ESP’s settings.
For users of Infraforge, this is mostly done for you. When you buy a dedicated IP, the system does all the tech work and gives you API access for sending with code. Infraforge works well with tools like Salesforge and more outreach apps.
If you use services like SendGrid, Mailgun, or Amazon SES, you need to check your domain on their panel and link the dedicated IP. This often means you add the DNS records your ESP gives you and wait to confirm. Once it's sure, set your sending apps with the right SMTP details.
For smaller senders - those who send less than a few hundred emails a day - a shared IP might work better since it has good standing from all users. But, if you send a lot all the time, a dedicated IP lets you have more say over your sending name.
Once your IP is set, it’s key to have a warm-up phase of 4–8 weeks. Slowly up your sending amount in this time to build a good name with big email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook. Next, we'll get into how to warm up your dedicated IP right to keep a strong sender name.
When you set up a dedicated IP, it's key to start slow with it. Raising your email volume bit by bit helps make a good sender name and lowers the chance of being seen as spam. Missing this step might make email service companies (ESPs) think your actions are odd, which could lead to them stopping your emails completely.
A careful and steady start lets Internet Service Providers (ISPs) watch how you send emails and how people react to them, building trust as time goes on. As ISPs keep a close watch on how many emails you send to spot spam, slowly upping your email rate shows them you're careful and get good replies. This way cuts down on the risk of hurting your reputation. Let’s go through how to up your email count and keep an eye on replies in this important time.
The base of a good start is easy: begin low and add to your count bit by bit over weeks. Often, this takes 4–8 weeks. Start by sending 50–200 emails a day and boost the number if your replies stay strong. Sending too many too fast can make ESPs wary and might lead to short or long stops.
Focus on those who reply the most first. Make your email list clean by taking out dead or wrong addresses, which helps cut down on returns and spam claims. Split your list smart - start with people who have opened your emails in the last 30 days. Then, reach out to those active in the past 60 days, and finally, add those from the last 90 days.
Here’s an example plan for warming up based on how people interact:
| Time | When | Emails Each Day | Who Gets It |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st-2nd | Day 1-14 | 50 - 3,200 | Most into it (last 30 days) |
| 3rd-4th | Day 15-28 | 6,400 - 125,000 | Just in (last 60 days) |
| 5th-6th | Day 29-42 | 150,000 - 450,000 | Kind of into it (last 90 days) |
Keep it steady. Try tools like Infraforge's warm-up help for regular growth. Yet, doing things by hand can give you a deeper look at how your good name is shaping up. Taking your time can let you find and deal with issues before they get big.
When you send more, watch your engagement numbers closely to make sure your warm-up is going right. These numbers are like a quick health check on how well your emails are hitting the mark with people and they matter a lot to your sender status.
"Great emails are a conversation. The only way to assess how what you are saying is perceived is by studying the reactions to your email. Whether someone clicks, shares, and/or replies are the 'facial expressions' and 'words' that a person shares back that can tell you how well your conversation is going."
- Seth Giammanco, Principal, Strategy and Technology, Minds On Design Lab
Here are the main goals to hit:
If you see your numbers drop - like lower open rates or more spam reports - slow down how fast you send more and look again at your message and who you send it to. Good email sending is like a loop: the right message to the right people at the right time means better chances of hitting the inbox.
Check your numbers every day when you start out and learn from what worked before to make your plan better. By keeping alert and making changes when needed, you'll create a strong sending name needed for good email work.
Once your own IP is ready, the next step is to keep it working well. A good IP status isn't just a one-time thing - it needs your constant care and quick action. Always watch it closely to stop small problems from getting big and hurting your email delivery.
Look at how well your emails are doing, as how people react to them really matters to your IP status.
Good watching tools give you live news on how email places see your emails. They can help you avoid trouble:
To keep your IP doing great, focus on these:
Tools like Infraforge make it easier with live watching and alerts. For example, seeing trends like fewer opens or more spam flags lets you fix issues before they mess up your sending.
Besides watching, it's smart to have backup plans for your email setup to keep sends safe.
Even with top watch tools, your main IP can have problems. Having backups keeps your email sends smooth, even when there are bumps.
A good plan is IP rotation, using many IPs to spread out your sends. This lowers the chance of issues from just one IP. Also, keeping backup domains ready helps if your main domain's status drops. But remember, domain names take longer to fix than IPs.
Another safe step is suppression list management, which stops emails to addresses that always bounce or flag spam. Automated systems can also change routes when delivery dips, keeping your sends going while you fix problems.
Using your own IP can greatly make your email sending better and keep your sending name safe. Some good things are more control of your name, less risk of being blocked, and lifting how your brand looks. Given that 19% of emails are lost or go to spam, your own IP can help make sure your mail gets to people.
Setting up your own IP isn't just done once and left alone. You need to set up DNS rules like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and slowly get your IP known to email hosts. This work keeps going, as you need to often check how sending, bouncing, and reading is going.
If the setup seems too much, there are ways to make it easier. For instance, Infraforge does all the work in five minutes. This kind of tool saves time and makes sure things work right.
Once you have the tech part set, you can work on making your emails better. Begin by getting your IP ready and keeping a good check on it. Tools like Infraforge can do the tech heavy work, letting you focus on making your emails better. The cost for your own IP starts at $99 a month, with extra costs for slots at $17 a month when you pay for the year.
To ensure your new dedicated IP gets a good start and sends emails well, start by sending a few (about 50 to 100) emails to those who often open your emails. Then, slowly add more emails each day - around 15–20% more - over 4 to 8 weeks. This slow build-up helps you get a good name with internet service providers (ISPs).
During this warm-up time, focus on sending good stuff. Avoid sending to people who do not often open your emails or using bought lists, as these can hurt your name. Being steady is key - keep to a fixed email schedule and watch closely how many open and click on your emails. This careful way sets up trust with ISPs and makes a strong base for your emails to be well received in the long run.