Scaling Email Campaigns: When to Use VPS for Reliable Deliverability
Email marketing still remains one of the most effective tools for audience reach and conversion increase. Your email list is going to grow, and so will the challenges such as issues with deliverability and security. And this is when businesses usually explore potential upgrades such as Windows VPS plans to promote more autonomy and control over their email performance.
In this article, we will look at scenarios that call for VPS usage for the sake of making email delivery more reliable.
Why Shared Hosting Might Not Be Enough for Email Campaigns
Many small businesses or individuals start with shared hosting or third-party email marketing platforms. These environments are beginner-friendly and easy-to-use but their limits start to be palpable very quickly.
Shared hosting usually comes with hard limits on outgoing emails per hour to prevent spam or blacklisting. Suppose you have to send out hundreds of messages as a part of your marketing campaign, a scale that is pretty common for growing e-commerce businesses or newsletters; shared hosting is likely to restrict such an activity. Shared environment of such hosting also poses security risks since they offer shared IPs, meaning that your email deliverability is vulnerable to various actions of other users on the same server.
Some hosting providers offer scalable shared hosting plans, but that scalability is very limited and lacks the aspects of customization and flexibility when it comes to a personal environment. Sure, virtual hosting is affordable, but as a long-term solution, it works in a limited number of cases. A virtual private server might be a better potential investment for email campaigns.
How VPS Can Streamline Email Deliverability
A VPS or a virtual private server represents a middle ground between dedicated servers and shared hosting. Yet, it gives unique features such as dedicated resources, complete root access, a dedicated IP, and affordable cost. These and other features make VPS a favourable hosting option for businesses with moderate resource demands.
A VPS can help streamline email campaigns through:
- A dedicated IP address. VPS provides a dedicated IP address, which means you don't depend on other users' behaviour and won't get penalized for it.
- Control over server configuration. VPS usually offers flexibility in terms of server configuration, meaning you can choose your own email server (e.g., Postfix), set up reverse DNS, and do other things for improving deliverability.
- Performance consistency. VPS provides a much more stable performance compared to shared hosting.
It will become even more effective using a Windows-based server, especially for businesses relying on Windows-specific software for email automation and CRM integration.
When to Upgrade to a VPS
We have created a list of cases where your email delivery can benefit from having a VPS. We recommend considering upgrading to a VPS when:
- You're sending over 1,000 emails a day. Here, a VPS can help you overcome restrictions that the shared hosting poses.
- Email open rates drop. In some cases, low open rates can be linked to problems with email deliverability, for example, when messages end up in the spam folder.
- You want more control over how you send your emails. VPS gives you full backend access to configure your emails however you want, whether it's custom headers or anything else.
- You use email-based CRMs. Such systems work best on VPS since it can support their functionality.
Those are just examples of when VPS can be beneficial for your email campaigns.
Key Considerations Regarding VPS Setup
Getting a VPS is no problem; it's usually the setup that needs most attention. To ensure successful setup:
- Choose the right operating system. By ‘right' we mean the OS that best fits with programs and platforms you are already using: for example, some .NET-based CRMs work better on Windows-based VPS, while others fulfill their potential with the flexible nature of Linux distributions.
- Install a reliable email server. Opt for Postfix, Exim, MailEnable (for Windows), or a full suite like iRedMail or Mailcow.
- Incorporate email authentication. You can use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for email validation and reducing the chances of your messages getting into spam.
- Carefully manage your IP address. You can implement IP monitoring practices that give you insight into your IP's health and reputation.
Conclusion
Scaling email campaigns isn't always about better or catchier content, or targeting the right audience; it's also about ensuring that your messages end up where they should.
Using shared hosting or third-party platforms can put limitations on your email management; VPS, on the other hand, offers sufficient reliability to ensure a stable performance level and successful completion of your email campaigns.
Most importantly, virtual private servers give you autonomy to create a system built to accommodate your marketing needs.
