Email communication is at the heart of every successful business. Managing emails efficiently and ensuring they reach the right recipients is critical. One effective way to achieve this is by using email subdomains. In this article, we will explore what email subdomains are and why they are crucial for businesses.
What is an email subdomain?
Email subdomains are subsections of your main domain that are used specifically for email communication. Simply put, if your domain is “yourbusiness.com,” an email subdomain might be “email.yourbusiness.com.” What sets them apart from the root domain is that they have their own IP addresses.
Using subdomains in email addresses provides a simple yet effective way to categorize and manage messages. By using subdomains, organizations can easily differentiate between different departments or functions within their email system.
For example, imagine you work for a company called Example Inc. If you receive an email from “someone@sales.example.com,” you’ll immediately know that it’s sales-related. This helps streamline communication and ensures that messages are directed to the right recipients quickly.
Difference between an email domain and an email subdomain
Email domains are the most common way to send and receive emails in a professional manner. Your business looks much more professional with a @yourdomain.com domain instead of a @gmail.com or @yahoo.com address. Many businesses prefer to use their root domain, or primary domain, for professional emails, as it is a way to easily verify that the email is coming from the company.
Why use an email subdomain
Maintaining a positive sender reputation is critical to email deliverability. A root domain’s reputation can be negatively impacted if promotional or transactional emails encounter issues. Recovering a damaged root domain reputation can be challenging. Email subdomains act as a protective shield for your root domain’s reputation.
Maintaining the reputation of the root domain:
When you send emails from a subdomain, you isolate its sender reputation. This means that any issues with a subdomain will not affect the root domain or other subdomains. A shared root domain, on the other hand, can be affected by the performance of all emails sent from it.
Reputation recovery is easier:
If a subdomain encounters deliverability issues, it’s easier to address and fix them without damaging your root domain’s reputation. Recovering from email delivery issues on a root domain is considerably more difficult.
Categorize different departments:
You can create separate subdomains for different departments or types of emails you send. This is a great way to organize conversations and manage them effectively.
For example, you wouldn’t want your sales emails mixed in with complaints or phone support emails. You also wouldn’t want to mix your transactional emails with PR emails. This creates confusion and makes it even harder to track your efforts in a category.
When to use email subdomains
Depending on your email communication needs, you may consider setting up multiple subdomains for different purposes. This offers even more granular control.
For example: You can have one subdomain for outreach and PR, another for transactional emails, etc. This will also help keep your conversations separate and organized.
- Promotional emails: By assigning a separate subdomain for promotional emails, you can improve their deliverability. This is especially useful when sending marketing campaigns to a large audience.
- Outreach and PR: For partnership, outreach, and PR emails, using a different subdomain can be beneficial. It helps distinguish these critical communications from other types of emails.
- Transactional Emails: Transactional emails, such as order confirmations or password resets, require flawless deliverability. A dedicated subdomain ensures that these emails consistently reach recipients’ inboxes.
- Complaint Emails: You can also have a separate email for complaints and give more priority to responding to them quickly. The faster you resolve a customer’s issue, the more satisfied they will be.
- Newsletter: Using a separate subdomain for newsletters makes it easier to track their performance and organization. You can get accurate analytics for just your newsletters, without mixing data with other types of emails.
5 practices for using email subdomains
Now that you understand the importance of email subdomains, it’s essential to implement best practices to maximize their effectiveness. Here are some key practices for using email subdomains:
1. Plan subdomain naming conventions
Establish a clear naming convention for your subdomains. Consider using prefixes like “email,” “promo,” or “news” to indicate the purpose of the subdomain. For example, “email.yourbusiness.com” for marketing emails. Don’t use different prefixes, as this will confuse your team and prospects.
2. Separate subdomains by email type
Create separate subdomains for different types of emails. Promotional, transactional, and outreach emails should each have their own dedicated subdomain. This separation helps maintain sender reputation and monitor performance.
3. Consistent authentication setup
Implement email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for each subdomain. Consistent authentication across all subdomains improves email deliverability and security.
4. Monitor and analyze performance
Regularly monitor the performance of your subdomains. Track metrics such as open rates, click rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints. Analyzing this data allows you to make informed adjustments to your email campaigns.
5. Gradual warming of IP
If you are using a new subdomain, start with a gradual IP warm-up. Send a small volume of emails initially and gradually increase. This helps build a positive sender reputation with ISPs. Some tools you can use to warm up your email subdomain are Snov.io, Mailshake, etc.
Subdomain name ideas for email marketing campaigns
Choosing relevant, clear, and professional names is important when naming subdomains. Here are some ideas:
General marketing emails:
- mail.yourcompany.com
- newsletter.yourcompany.com
- campaigns.yourcompany.com
Transactional emails:
- orders.yourcompany.com
- invoices.yourcompany.com
- receipts.yourcompany.com
- events.yourcompany.com
- webinars.yourcompany.com
Support and customer service emails:
- support.yourcompany.com
- help.yourcompany.com
Make sure the subdomain aligns with the type of emails you send to avoid confusion among recipients.
Incorporating email subdomains into your communication strategy is a wise decision for any business. Not only does it streamline email management, it also protects your sender reputation and ensures consistent email deliverability. Don’t underestimate the value of email subdomains in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your business’ email communication.
