High-Deliverability SMTP Server Setup
Budget: $250 – $750 USD
I need a self-hosted SMTP environment that can reliably push up to 10,000 messages a day straight into Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo inboxes. The core objective is a rock-solid sender reputation, minimal spam-folder drift, and the flexibility to scale further once the infrastructure proves itself.
The server must be fully authenticated:
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
• SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)
Beyond those records, I expect proper rDNS, custom HELO, feedback loop registration where available, and a clear IP-warm-up plan. Please outline the MTA stack you believe is best suited—Postfix, Exim, or any other you trust for deliverability—and how you will harden it against blacklisting and throttling. Include details on queue management, bounce processing, and monitoring dashboards you will wire up so I can watch delivery and reputation metrics in real time.
Once the system is live, I’ll test with small batches across multiple seed accounts; the engagement and inbox placement data from these tests will be our acceptance criteria. Let me know the timeline you need for provisioning, DNS propagation, and warm-up, as well as any VPS specs or additional IPs I should secure in advance. Looking forward to your game plan.
The server must be fully authenticated:
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
• SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)
Beyond those records, I expect proper rDNS, custom HELO, feedback loop registration where available, and a clear IP-warm-up plan. Please outline the MTA stack you believe is best suited—Postfix, Exim, or any other you trust for deliverability—and how you will harden it against blacklisting and throttling. Include details on queue management, bounce processing, and monitoring dashboards you will wire up so I can watch delivery and reputation metrics in real time.
Once the system is live, I’ll test with small batches across multiple seed accounts; the engagement and inbox placement data from these tests will be our acceptance criteria. Let me know the timeline you need for provisioning, DNS propagation, and warm-up, as well as any VPS specs or additional IPs I should secure in advance. Looking forward to your game plan.