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IP reputation is a score that email providers assign to the IP address used for sending emails. This score reflects the sending history and trustworthiness of that IP address. A good IP reputation means your emails are more likely to reach the inbox, while a poor reputation can cause your emails to be blocked or sent to spam folders.
IP reputation directly impacts your email deliverability. Even if your email content is legitimate and your subscribers want to receive it, a poor IP reputation can prevent your messages from reaching them. Email providers use IP reputation as a first line of defense against spam. A bad reputation can result from sending to invalid addresses, receiving spam complaints, hitting spam traps, or sending inconsistent volumes. Once damaged, IP reputation takes time and effort to rebuild, making prevention essential.
Email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft track the behavior of every IP address that sends email to their users. They monitor metrics such as bounce rates, spam complaints, spam trap hits, sending volume patterns, and authentication results. Based on this data, they assign a reputation score to each IP. When your server sends an email, the receiving server checks your IP reputation before deciding whether to accept, reject, or filter the message. High-volume senders often use dedicated IPs to maintain control over their reputation, while lower-volume senders may use shared IPs provided by their email service provider.
You can check your IP reputation using free tools like Google Postmaster Tools (for Gmail), Microsoft SNDS (for Outlook/Hotmail), and third-party services like Sender Score, Talos Intelligence, or MXToolbox. These tools show your reputation score, spam complaint rates, and any blacklist listings.
Dedicated IPs give you full control over your reputation but require sufficient volume (typically 100,000+ emails per month) to build and maintain a good reputation. Shared IPs are managed by your ESP and work well for lower volumes, but your reputation is affected by other senders on the same IP. Choose dedicated if you have high volume and want full control.
Repairing IP reputation typically takes 2-4 weeks of consistent good sending practices. This includes sending only to engaged subscribers, maintaining low bounce and complaint rates, and gradually increasing volume. Severe reputation damage may take longer, and in some cases, switching to a new IP and warming it up properly may be faster.
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