What is a sending domain?
At Klaviyo, the term sending domain refers to the domain used in an extended email header to identify and authenticate you as the sender, which likely will not be exactly the same as what you use in the “from” address.
Your sending infrastructure plays a crucial role in email marketing. Sending domains are used to:
- Validate that emails are coming from a trustworthy source
- Determine the sender reputation
- Keep email deliverability high
Branded vs. shared sending domains
When you set up your sending domain, you’ll be faced with the choice to use a shared domain or a branded domain. Understand the difference so you can make an informed choice.
What is a shared sending domain
A shared sending domain is used by multiple senders to send email messages. It’s easy to set up but has significant downsides.
Gmail will display a shared sending domain might look like this: “firstandlastname@yourcompany.com via emailserviceprovider.com,” where “via emailserviceprovider.com” stands for a shared sending domain.
When you use a shared sending domain, you’re sharing it with other brands—which means you could be penalized if those other brands don’t follow email deliverability best practices. A shared domain using something like “via emailserviceprovider.com” can also make your business appear less credible than companies with branded sending domains.
What is a branded sending domain
A branded sending domain is unique to your business. When you send emails from a branded domain, the inbox providers know they’re receiving messages from your ecommerce brand.
A branded sending domain will not include the “via emailserviceprovider.com” after the “from” address “firstandlastname@yourcompany.com” because the domain in your “from” address aligns with the root domain of your branded sending domain.”
Using a branded domain helps you build trust and improve email deliverability. Because there are no other users of the domain, you’ll be building sender reputation independently, eliminating any potential negative impact caused by other senders’ actions.
Note:
As of February 2024, Google and Yahoo have announced that setting up a branded sending domain will be required for all bulk senders, which Google defines as those who have ever sent more than 5,000 emails in a single day. If you have or ever plan to send more than 5,000 emails in a single day to Gmail users, set up a branded sending domain with DMARC.
How to warm up your new sending domain
When you set up a sending domain at Klaviyo for the first time, you may experience some temporary spam filtering because you have changed your email infrastructure and are rebuilding your reputation. Most Klaviyo customers set up sending domains that are new to Klaviyo, but not actually new because they have previously been used to send emails from other systems.
If that’s the case, building a reputation on Klaviyo won’t take long because you already have a reputation on your “from” address domain and IPs. Please note that newly registered domains or domains that have never been used for email before will take longer to warm up because you must establish a reputation for the first time.
For the quickest and best results, follow these steps to establish trust with inbox providers and make sure your messages reach your subscribers:
- Focus on quality: Prioritize sending emails to engaged subscribers that have opened and/or clicked recently and suspend any re-engagement flows.
- Monitor email deliverability metrics: Track key metrics like open rates, click rates, and bounce rates to assess your performance.
- Use authentication: Configure email authentication parameters (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) to verify your domain’s authenticity.
- Use a marketing automation platform: Platforms like Klaviyo can help you manage the warm-up process effectively.
Klaviyo simplifies the warm-up process with targeted list segmentation and performance monitoring. Use Klaviyo to optimize send times, send personalized campaigns and flows, and improve deliverability rates.
Sign up for Klaviyo today to start building a strong sender reputation and achieve your email marketing goals.