A dedicated IP puts the email you send from WordFly in its own “channel.” Only your organization can send from that channel. This exponentially reduces your chances of getting blocklisted. Think of it like a phone number just for your business. Instead of sharing a phone number with several businesses, you have your own line. If you ever have an inbox placement issue or your mail gets blocked, it makes it much easier to resolve.
A shared IP puts your emails in a shared “channel” with other WordFly customers. Instead of having a dedicated line, you’ll be sending along with many other users. It is standard practice for email providers assign several senders to a shared IP as well as offer dedicated IPs for a monthly fee. Shared IPs offer benefits to certain types of senders and are generally the best choice for smaller organizations.
Does my business need a dedicated IP?
WordFly recommends dedicated IPs for senders with active subscriber counts of 50k+ subscribers or for senders with lower active subscriber counts who are sending 50k+ emails a month. When evaluating, consider the following...
Is your sender reputation critical?
If you have a history of reputation issues or your business requires the security of an excellent sender reputation, a dedicated IP is the right choice. The essential benefits of a dedicated IP are how it reflects your unique sender reputation and its mitigating effect against blocking issues.
As you send email with WordFly, you build up an email sender reputation. Many ISPs use Return Path’s Sender Score program to help determine your sender reputation. Your score is based on how well you follow email best practices, such as promptly unsubscribing addresses, removing abuse complaints, and overall subscriber engagement. Your sender score helps ISPs understand how you have been sending over time and whether they can trust your emails in their inboxes. A dedicated IP address allows you to build a sender reputation unaffected by other senders. Whereas, a shared IP reputation is built by multiple senders that may approach their email marketing responsibilities differently from your own.
Who is on your list?
Some organizations are sending mainly to subscribers with addresses at major ISPs (Gmail, Comcast, AOL, Yahoo, etc). However, if you’re sending to corporate domains as well, it can be much harder to get through spam filters. A dedicated IP will allow businesses on the receiving end of your emails to add your business to their safelist organization-wide, greatly improving long-term deliverability.
What is your list size and cadence?
Senders get better scores for reliability and consistency with email marketing. ISP filters often flag senders with highly variable volumes. Many ISPs use a minimum volume threshold of 1-5k emails per day to determine your reputation. Senders with smaller lists and lower volume are generally better off using a shared IP. The higher your email volume, the easier it is for ISPs to get to know you and determine your inbox placement.
How to get set up on a dedicated IP address
1. Email support@wordfly.com to request a dedicated IP.
2. We will update your account to use a unique IP address.
3. Once your account is updated, your monthly invoices will reflect your monthly dedicated IP service fee.
Here’s what to expect with a dedicated IP address:
- Your account will be assigned to a dedicated IP address
- There is absolutely no downtime for your email sending while your IP address is configured
- Once set, your test and live emails will immediately be sending using this IP address
- The IP will be visible in your email headers
- You will need to warm up your IP address if you have not been sending on this IP address
FAQ
I think my business already has a dedicated IP. Can we keep using it?
Yes, but you’ll need to upgrade to our Paid IP Plan. Please email support@wordfly.com to find out more.
How does it work? Is there downtime involved?
There are no service interruptions. We’ll take care of all the details behind the scenes and send you the details about your IP address. In most cases you won’t know we’ve made a change.
How much does a dedicated IP cost?
The Dedicated IP plan is $100/month ($1,200 annually). There is no setup fee.
How much does a shared IP cost?
Nothing. This is covered in your monthly payment. However, it’s wise to consider what the potential cost of getting blocklisted would be to your business. If you’re comfortable with the risk involved or your sending volume is low, then a shared IP is mostly like the right choice. If you’re a bigger business, a dedicated IP is well worth the investment.