How can I remove block bounces and unblock Yahoo and AOL in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 4 Jul 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
7 min read
Dealing with block bounces from major mailbox providers like Yahoo and AOL (now part of Oath) within Salesforce Marketing Cloud can be incredibly frustrating. Recent changes in email policies from Google and Yahoo have amplified these issues, leaving many senders with a significant portion of their emails failing to reach the inbox. It's not just about managing bounces, it's about understanding the underlying causes and implementing strategic solutions to restore deliverability.
When your emails get block-bounced, it typically means the recipient's server has rejected your email outright. This can be due to a poor sender reputation, an IP or domain appearing on a blocklist (or blacklist), or issues with email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) automatically suppresses addresses that hard bounce, but if these bounces occur in error, you need a clear path to resolution.
My aim here is to outline a comprehensive approach to identify, address, and ultimately remove block bounces, specifically focusing on Yahoo and AOL deliverability challenges within SFMC. We'll explore the technical steps, the importance of ongoing monitoring, and how to work with Salesforce support to get your emails flowing smoothly again.
Diagnosing the problem
The first step in addressing block bounces is to determine why they're happening. Yahoo and AOL's stricter policies often mean they're looking for clear signals of legitimate sending practices. This includes robust email authentication, consistent sending volume, and low complaint rates. If your IP address or sending domain has a poor reputation, you're likely to see increased block bounces.
SFMC provides bounce logs and tracking features that are crucial for this analysis. You need to investigate the bounce codes for Yahoo and AOL recipients. Block bounces often show specific SMTP codes like 550 5.7.1 or similar reputation-based rejections. Understanding these codes is key to diagnosing the problem. If you’re seeing widespread block bounces, it's highly probable your sender reputation (both IP and domain) is suffering.
Common causes of block bounces
Low sender reputation: This is often the primary culprit, influenced by factors like spam complaints, invalid email addresses, and poor sending practices.
Authentication failures: Missing or misconfigured SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records can lead to emails being rejected, especially by providers like Yahoo and AOL that prioritize authentication.
Content issues: Your email content might contain elements (e.g., suspicious links, spammy keywords) that trigger spam filters.
Remediation and delisting
If you've identified that Yahoo and AOL are blocking your emails due to IP or domain reputation, the next step is remediation. Salesforce Marketing Cloud has a shared IP pool for most users, meaning your sending reputation is tied to that of other SFMC users. However, dedicated IPs can also face issues if not managed properly. If your IP (or domain) is on a blacklist (or blocklist), you'll need to work towards delisting.
For IP blocks, especially on SFMC's shared IPs, you typically cannot directly request delisting. This is where engaging Salesforce support becomes critical. They are responsible for managing the shared IP reputation and engaging with ISPs like Yahoo and AOL. If you have a dedicated IP, you may be able to directly submit a delisting request to the specific blocklist or ISP, but SFMC support can still offer valuable guidance.
Direct delisting efforts
For dedicated IPs, identify the specific blocklist (e.g., Spamhaus, Barracuda) through which your IP is blocked. Visit their websites for delisting instructions. Most blocklists have a clear process, but it requires addressing the root cause of the listing first.
Ensure all email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) records are correctly configured and aligned for your sending domains. This is a prerequisite for many ISPs to even consider delisting requests.
Even after delisting, maintaining a good sending reputation is a continuous effort. Yahoo and AOL use sophisticated filtering mechanisms that look beyond just blocklist status. They consider factors like engagement, complaint rates, and spam trap hits. If you've been experiencing persistent block bounces, it's crucial to implement long-term strategies.
Reactivating suppressed subscribers
Once the IP or domain is unblocked, you need to address the suppressed addresses in Marketing Cloud. SFMC automatically marks bounced subscribers as Held or Undeliverable. If these were erroneously suppressed due to a temporary block, you'll want to reactivate them. However, SFMC does not allow direct customer reactivation of bounced addresses without careful consideration. This policy is in place for good reason, as reactivating bad addresses can quickly lead to more deliverability issues.
To unblock these email addresses and include them in future sends, you must open a support ticket with Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Provide them with the context, the reason for the original blocks, and evidence that the underlying issue (e.g., IP block) has been resolved. They will evaluate your request and, if deemed appropriate, assist with reactivating the affected subscribers.
If SFMC allows you to reactivate, consider a re-engagement campaign for these addresses. Start with low-volume sends to gauge engagement and inbox placement. Monitor your metrics closely, and be prepared to remove any addresses that continue to bounce or generate complaints. This cautious approach helps rebuild trust with mailbox providers and protects your sender reputation.
Long-term deliverability best practices
Preventing future block bounces (and blacklist issues) requires a proactive and ongoing commitment to email deliverability best practices. This is especially true with the evolving policies from major providers like Yahoo and AOL. Regularly review your sender reputation, maintain a clean subscriber list, and ensure your email authentication is impeccable.
Continuously monitor your bounce rates, particularly for Yahoo and AOL domains. Look for patterns or spikes that might indicate new issues. Also, pay attention to subscriber engagement; low open and click rates can signal a lack of interest, which mailbox providers interpret negatively. Implement a robust list hygiene strategy to regularly remove unengaged or invalid addresses.
Before and after new policies
Before the new policies from Yahoo and AOL, email senders might have gotten away with less stringent authentication and list hygiene. Blocks were typically more directly tied to explicit blacklist listings or severe spam complaints. The emphasis was often on individual IP reputation.
This ongoing vigilance, coupled with prompt action when issues arise, will significantly improve your long-term deliverability to all providers, including Yahoo and AOL. It's about building and maintaining a healthy sending ecosystem within Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Maintain a rigorous list hygiene schedule to remove inactive or bouncing addresses proactively.
Ensure all email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are correctly implemented and monitored for compliance.
Segment your audience and send targeted content to improve engagement and reduce complaint rates.
Common pitfalls
Ignoring bounce reports, especially for major providers like Yahoo and AOL, as this can worsen reputation.
Attempting to manually reactivate bounced addresses without understanding the root cause or ISP policy.
Failing to implement or properly configure DMARC, leading to authentication failures and rejections.
Expert tips
Focus on segmenting your sends based on recipient engagement. Highly engaged segments will help bolster your reputation.
Prioritize transactional emails over marketing sends if you're experiencing severe blocks.
Utilize Salesforce Marketing Cloud's built-in tools for bounce management and reporting.
Marketer view
A marketer from Email Geeks says they found that their inbox placement and hard bounces were almost exclusively from Yahoo and AOL, which was confirmed by their SFMC and Everest data.
2024-03-08 - Email Geeks
Expert view
An expert from Email Geeks says that while there are ways to remove block bounces in Marketing Cloud, it typically requires opening a ticket with SFMC support because they prefer to handle these issues themselves.
2024-03-09 - Email Geeks
Restoring and maintaining deliverability
Navigating block bounces and unblocking Yahoo and AOL in Salesforce Marketing Cloud can be a complex challenge, especially with recent changes to email policies. The key is to approach it systematically, starting with accurate diagnosis of the problem, whether it's an IP block, a domain reputation issue, or an authentication failure. Remember that SFMC support is your primary resource for resolving these deep-seated issues.
Implementing a strong email authentication framework, rigorously managing your subscriber list, and continuously monitoring your sender reputation are not just good practices, they are essential for long-term deliverability success. By focusing on these areas, you can significantly reduce block bounces and ensure your messages reach their intended recipients on Yahoo Mail and AOL, ultimately improving your campaign performance.
and AOL, ultimately improving your campaign performance.
