Subdomains and deliverability

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Subdomains and Deliverability

Using subdomains for email sends is a great way to boost your deliverability and reputation as an email sender. This article will explain what subdomains are, how to use them effectively, and their impact on your email sending practices.

Introduction

A domain is a unique identifier representing an entity, such as a company's website, while a subdomain is an extension of this base domain. For example, in the URL "news.activecampaign.com," the subdomain is news. Subdomains are essential for building a strong sending reputation across various types of emails and can help you avoid domain reputation issues.

By implementing subdomains, you can segment your email types effectively, thereby optimizing your overall deliverability. This strategy is widely regarded as an industry best practice, encouraging better control over how you manage your email communications.

How to Access This Feature

Accessing subdomains in ActiveCampaign involves navigating the settings section in your account. This is typically found by going to your account dashboard and locating the settings related to domains and sending options. Depending on your specific needs, you may need administrative privileges to configure subdomains under your ActiveCampaign account.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To set up and effectively use subdomains within your email marketing strategy, follow these steps:

1. **Identify** the types of emails you send, such as transactional emails (e.g., order confirmations) or promotional newsletters. 2. **Choose** appropriate subdomains that reflect the purpose of each email type. For instance:

  - Use blog.yourwebsite.com for blog updates.
  - Use events.yourwebsite.com for event notifications.

3. **Set Up** your DNS records to create these subdomains. Ensure that you correctly configure the necessary DNS entries to point to the email servers of your email service provider. 4. **Verify** the subdomains in your ActiveCampaign account to ensure they are recognized and functioning correctly. 5. **Monitor** the performance of each subdomain using tools such as Google Postmaster Tools to track engagement and reputation metrics separately.

Configuration Options and Settings

When working with subdomains for email deliverability, consider the following important configurations:

- **Subdomain Assignment**: Assign different subdomains for varying email types to keep reputations distinct and manageable. - **DNS Records**: Ensure you configure the relevant DNS entries correctly for each subdomain to avoid deliverability issues. - **Deliverability Monitoring Tools**: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools to track the performance and reputation of each subdomain independently.

Best Practices and Tips

To maximize the benefits of using subdomains for email deliverability, keep these best practices in mind:

- **Maintain Reputations**: Ensure each subdomain maintains a good sending reputation by following best sending practices. - **Segment Traffic**: Segregate different types of emails (e.g., promotional vs. transactional) across subdomains to prevent one email type from negatively influencing another. - **Use Deliverability Monitoring Tools**: Regularly check the reputation of your subdomains using tools like Google Postmaster Tools, which will help you identify shifts in performance and reputation. - **Be Consistent**: Maintain a consistent sending volume for your subdomains to avoid drastic reputation shifts.

Common Use Cases with Examples

Utilizing subdomains effectively can significantly enhance your email marketing strategy. Here are some typical use cases:

- **Transactional Emails**:

 - Examples include order confirmations, password resets, and delivery notifications. These emails usually yield the highest engagement rates and the lowest spam complaint rates.
 - Consider using integrations like the Postmark CX App within ActiveCampaign to facilitate these transactional emails from your automations.

- **Batch Sends**:

 - Newsletters, promotions, new product announcements, and brand updates are often sent as batch emails.
 - It is essential to monitor engagement levels as these may fluctuate based on the audience segment, content, and other deliverability factors.

- **Corporate Emails**:

 - Emails that deliver high-value content, such as legal documents or proprietary information.
 - Keeping your corporate email communications on the base domain while using subdomains for other marketing or bulk emails protects their reputation.

Troubleshooting

If you experience issues related to your subdomain setup, consider the following troubleshooting steps:

- Verify that your DNS records are correctly configured and pointing to the appropriate servers. - Ensure that your subdomain has been properly verified within your ActiveCampaign account settings. - Check for any filters or settings in recipient mail servers that might affect email deliveries from your subdomains.

Related Features

- Deliverability: Explore more about factors that influence the overall deliverability of your email campaigns. - Email: Delve deeper into various email marketing strategies and tools available in ActiveCampaign.

FAQ

What are subdomains and why are they important for email deliverability?

Subdomains are extensions of a base domain, and they help in managing a sender’s reputation by allowing different types of emails to be segmented.

How can I set up subdomains for my email strategy?

You can set up subdomains by configuring DNS records for each specific subdomain and verifying them within your ActiveCampaign account.

What types of emails should I send from specific subdomains?

Typically, use subdomains for transactional emails, batch sends, and corporate emails to ensure a clear reputation management strategy.

How do I monitor the performance of my subdomains?

You can monitor performance by using tools such as Google Postmaster Tools to track engagement and detect any reputation shifts.

Will using subdomains help if I have a bad domain reputation?

While subdomains can help segment traffic and manage reputation, they do not solve underlying bad domain reputation issues directly.

Can I use the same subdomain for different email types?

It is generally recommended to use different subdomains for each email type to maintain clarity in reputation management.

Are there any risks associated with using multiple subdomains?

Frequent shifts in reputation among subdomains can negatively influence the reputation of the base domain, so it is essential to manage each subdomain effectively. ```