Subdomain Strategy for HubSpot Email: Boost Deliverability or Overkill?

Navigating the Subdomain Maze: Is It the Key to HubSpot Email Deliverability?

Email deliverability. It's the Everest of digital marketing, isn't it? You craft the perfect message, design a stunning email, and hit 'send,' only to have your masterpiece languish in the spam folder, unseen and unloved. One strategy often touted as a solution is setting up an email sending subdomain. But is it a silver bullet, or just another layer of complexity? Let's unpack this, drawing insights from a recent HubSpot Community discussion.

The Core Question: Subdomain vs. Main Domain

The heart of the matter is this: does using a subdomain (like 'news.yourdomain.com') for your HubSpot marketing emails actually improve deliverability compared to using your main domain ('yourdomain.com')? A community member recently raised this very question, highlighting the confusion surrounding the necessity of subdomains and the potential need for entirely separate domains and Google Workspace accounts.

Many HubSpot users, especially those also exploring options like setting up ecommerce on wix, are juggling multiple platforms and need clarity on where to focus their efforts.

Community Wisdom: Proactive Strategies Trump Reactive Measures

One insightful response suggested that separate email sending domains primarily become beneficial *after* the original domain's reputation has already taken a hit. The emphasis shifted to proactive strategies designed to prevent deliverability issues in the first place. This approach focuses on building and maintaining a healthy domain reputation, making a subdomain potentially less critical.

Key Strategies for Email Deliverability Success

Here’s a breakdown of the recommended proactive strategies:

• Strategic Contact Management: Implement a robust system for segmenting and suppressing contacts. This means identifying and removing contacts who are unengaged, have unsubscribed, or are otherwise unlikely to interact with your emails. HubSpot's list segmentation tools are perfect for this. Not only does this improve your sender reputation, but it can also save you money on your HubSpot contact tier.
• Subscription Type Optimization: Carefully define and manage your email subscription types. Ensure that contacts are subscribed to the *right* lists and that you're sending them content they've explicitly opted in to receive. This reduces the likelihood of recipients marking your emails as spam.
• Personalization and Segmentation: Leverage HubSpot's powerful segmentation and personalization features to deliver highly relevant content to your audience. The more targeted and engaging your emails are, the less likely they are to be ignored or marked as spam. Use active lists to dynamically update your segments based on user behavior.
• Domain Warm-up: If you're starting with a new domain or haven't been sending emails regularly, gradually warm up your domain by sending small batches of emails to engaged contacts. This helps establish a positive sending reputation with email providers.

The Technical Side: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

Regardless of whether you choose to use a subdomain, proper email authentication is crucial. This involves setting up SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) records in your DNS settings. These records verify that you are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain, which significantly improves deliverability.

HubSpot provides detailed instructions on how to set up these records for your domain. Make sure to follow them carefully.

When Does a Subdomain Make Sense?

While proactive strategies are generally the best approach, there are situations where a subdomain might be beneficial:

• Reputation Repair: If your main domain's reputation has already been damaged due to poor sending practices, using a subdomain can provide a clean slate.
• Transactional vs. Marketing Emails: Some companies choose to separate transactional emails (e.g., order confirmations, password resets) from marketing emails by using different subdomains. This helps ensure that critical transactional emails are delivered reliably.
• Different Brands: If you operate multiple distinct brands under a single main domain, using separate subdomains for each brand's email marketing can help maintain a clear separation and improve deliverability.

Google Workspace Considerations

The original poster also inquired about Google Workspace user aliases. Using a user alias domain in Google Workspace can be sufficient for receiving replies to marketing emails sent via the subdomain. You typically don't need to purchase an entirely new Google Workspace user or account.

The Verdict: Focus on Best Practices First

In conclusion, while setting up an email sending subdomain can be a useful strategy in certain situations, it's not a guaranteed fix for deliverability problems. The most effective approach is to focus on implementing email marketing best practices, such as strategic contact management, subscription type optimization, personalization, and proper email authentication. By prioritizing these strategies, you can build and maintain a healthy domain reputation and ensure that your HubSpot emails reach their intended recipients.