As you become more involved in email marketing, you may hear about dedicated IPs. To comprehend dedicated IPs and determine whether you require one, it’s necessary to first understand email deliverability and sender reputation.

Deliverability of an email is highly dependent on the reputation of the IP address that sent it. If you send from a spick-and-span IP address, your emails are more likely to make it to the inboxes of your subscribers. If your Sender Scores are low, you run the risk of being blocked by certain inboxes.

By default, most email service providers, such as HubSpot or MailChimp, process and send your emails using a pool of shared IP addresses. In the case of shared IP addresses, the sender reputation is defined by the actions of all businesses that use the same IP address. Email service providers actively monitor the health and reputation of their shared IPs to ensure high deliverability rates for their emails.

So What Are the Advantages of a Dedicated IP Address?

Certain high-volume email senders elect to use their own IP address for email sends in order to avoid sharing an IP address with other businesses. A dedicated IP address gives high-volume senders with engaged subscribers’ greater control over the deliverability of their emails. Rather than having their IP’s reputation determined by the actions of others, they gain sole control over whether or not their emails are delivered.

Along with increased control, many customers choose a dedicated IP address because they do not want their emails to include a sender appendix such as emailer.hubspot.com. In a shared IP environment, the email service provider sends all emails on behalf of Company X. Dedicated IP addresses appear to originate solely from the email address of the originating company.

How Do I Determine If I Should Get One?

Dedicated IP addresses are ideal for businesses that send a large volume of email on a regular basis, such as more than 100,000 messages per week. Additionally, because you have complete control over your sender reputation, you must be confident that your email list is completely permission-based and engaged. If your hard bounce rates are higher than average (3 percent or more) or your sending volumes are irregular, you may benefit from a shared IP. The good news is that the majority of email service providers can walk you through these options and assist you in determining which the best fit for your business is.