Warming up IP addresses – why is this important?
Webpower is happy to help its clients build up a good email reputation. This is not a static given, but the dynamic result of various factors. It includes looking at:
- The number of emails you send monthly
- The number of spam complaints
- The number of undelivered emails (your bounce rate)
- The number of opened emails (showing whether they are relevant to the recipient)
- Your IP address: an important factor
New IP addresses, with no sender history, are more likely to be mistrusted by email clients.
What exactly is an IP address?
The IP (Internet Protocol) address is the electronic address of your internet connection/network. Devices connected to a network are assigned an IP address. This makes it possible to reach and localise the devices. IP addresses are recognisable by their four blocks of numbers, usually separated by a full stop. IP addresses are also used when sending emails.
IP addresses in pools
Webpower makes use of multiple IP addresses. These are split into different pools (platinum, silver, gold and bronze), which are filled based on reputation. This means that new clients are shared between these pools. In order to build up a good reputation for you as a sender, a warming up programme is put together, based on your existing database. Once a party has proven that their database is clean, they are returned to a higher queue. Or vice versa, as the case may be.
What is warming up?
Webpower helps you to build up a good email reputation by warming up your IP address. This involves increasing the sending volume of an IP address organically.
If you are a new user, we start with a daily mailing to a growing group of recipients. It is best to spread the volume over the first month (i.e. divide it by 30) and then gradually increase the volume. The extent of the growth depends on the size of the database.
For example, the first emails are sent to your very best Hotmail and Gmail recipients. We call these your ‘most-engaged customers’. If you have a new database, we work in the same way, to allow the ISP to grow accustomed to the new domain.
FAQs:
Why does the email volume have to be built up slowly?
If you send too many emails at the same time after being assigned a new IP address, this can have a negative effect on your reputation. You are more likely to be perceived as a spammer.
Are real emails sent to my recipients or is it a fake process?
They are real emails; mainly existing marketing mails, which we transfer from one email Service Provider to another. If you are just starting out as a client, you should pay particular attention to your first mailings and make sure that the content is relevant.
How long does such a warming up process usually take?
It depends on the size of the database, but the process usually takes around three to six weeks.
How do you keep an eye on my email reputation after the IP address has been warmed up?
Our dedicated team of experts continually monitors your email reputation, including your IP address.
