Summary
Improving a bad domain reputation involves a comprehensive, multi-faceted strategy. The core steps include identifying and rectifying the 'bad thing' that caused the initial damage, and then actively working to send mail that recipients want to receive. Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), regular list cleaning, engaging content, targeted segmentation, complaint feedback loop monitoring, bounce rate management, and deliverability testing are all vital. Employing double opt-in for new subscribers, providing easy unsubscribe options, personalization, and potentially utilizing a dedicated IP address for larger sending volumes are also recommended. Consistent effort, adaptation to recipient feedback, and utilization of monitoring tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS are crucial for long-term improvement.
Key findings
- Root Cause Analysis: Identifying and addressing the underlying reason for the poor domain reputation is the most crucial first step.
- Authentication: Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing.
- List Hygiene: Regular list cleaning to remove inactive, unsubscribed, and invalid addresses is crucial for deliverability.
- Engaging Content: Sending relevant and engaging content that recipients actively want to receive improves open rates and reduces complaints.
- Segmentation: Segmenting lists for targeted messaging increases relevance and engagement, further reducing complaints.
- Monitoring and Feedback: Monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools and utilizing complaint feedback loops provides essential data for improvement.
- Proactive Testing: Deliverability testing helps identify issues before campaigns are sent, minimizing negative impacts on reputation.
- Opt-In Practices: Using double opt-in ensures a higher quality subscriber base and reduces the likelihood of spam complaints.
- Unsubscribe Ease: Making it easy for recipients to unsubscribe reduces frustration and potential spam reports.
Key considerations
- Time Commitment: Improving domain reputation is a time-consuming process that requires consistent effort and patience.
- Adaptability: Be prepared to adapt your sending practices based on recipient feedback, engagement metrics, and monitoring data.
- Tool Investment: Investing in tools for monitoring, testing, and list cleaning can significantly aid in improving and maintaining domain reputation.
- Dedicated IP: Consider using a dedicated IP address, especially for high-volume sending, to isolate your reputation.
- Best Practices Adherence: Following email marketing best practices consistently is key to long-term success.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Improving a bad domain reputation for email sending requires a multifaceted approach involving consistent effort and adherence to email marketing best practices. Key strategies include authenticating emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), cleaning email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses, and sending engaging and personalized content to segmented audiences. Monitoring sending reputation with tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and proactively addressing deliverability issues through testing and feedback loops are also crucial. Furthermore, strategies such as warming up IP addresses, using double opt-in, providing easy unsubscribe options, managing bounce rates, and potentially utilizing a dedicated IP for large sending volumes contribute to building and maintaining a positive sending reputation.
Key opinions
- Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for verifying email legitimacy and preventing spoofing.
- List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning email lists by removing inactive, invalid, or unsubscribed addresses is critical.
- Engagement: Sending relevant, personalized content to engaged subscribers improves open rates and reduces spam complaints.
- Monitoring: Using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor sending reputation and identify deliverability issues is important.
- Segmentation: Segmenting email lists based on engagement and targeting specific interests increases relevance and reduces negative signals.
- Double Opt-In: Using a Double Opt-In process to confirm new subscriptions lowers the chances of spam complaints and improves sending reputation.
- Deliverability Testing: Testing emails before sending campaigns identifies potential deliverability issues and allows for proactive resolution.
Key considerations
- Consistent Effort: Improving domain reputation is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and optimization.
- Audience Relevance: Focusing on providing value to recipients is more effective than solely focusing on sending volume.
- Proactive Approach: Identifying and addressing deliverability issues early on can prevent further damage to domain reputation.
- Segmentation Strategy: Proper segmentation to increase engagement.
- Dedicated IP: Determine if you need a dedicated IP depending on volume of emails to send.
- Recovery Time: Note that recovery from a bad reputation can take months even when following all best practices.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that improving a bad domain reputation involves consistent effort. Start by authenticating your emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), cleaning your email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses, and sending engaging content that recipients want to receive. Monitor your sending reputation with tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
2 Jun 2023 - Mailjet
Marketer view
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign recommends using a dedicated IP address if you're sending a large volume of emails. This allows you to build your own sending reputation independent of other senders.
14 Oct 2023 - ActiveCampaign
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Improving a bad domain reputation for email sending involves identifying and rectifying the underlying causes of the problem. This includes understanding why recipients are not engaging with the mail and taking steps to send content they want to receive. Practical steps involve ongoing list maintenance to remove unengaged subscribers and signing up for complaint feedback loops to promptly address spam reports. Addressing the 'Bad Thing' that initially caused the issue and adapting sending practices to recipient preferences are crucial for long-term success.
Key opinions
- Identify the 'Bad Thing': Pinpointing the root cause of the poor reputation is the first step towards improvement.
- Recipient Preference: Understanding and catering to recipient preferences is crucial for increasing engagement and reducing complaints.
- List Maintenance: Regularly removing unengaged subscribers improves deliverability and overall reputation.
- Feedback Loops: Complaint feedback loops provide valuable information for identifying and removing problematic subscribers.
Key considerations
- Time Investment: Fixing domain reputation is a process that takes time and consistent effort.
- Adaptability: Be prepared to adjust sending practices based on recipient feedback and engagement metrics.
- Proactive Approach: It's important to actively monitor and address issues to prevent further damage to your reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource shares that you should sign up for complaint feedback loops. This will notify you when a user marks your emails as spam, so you can remove them from your list and reduce future complaints, thus improving your domain reputation.
16 Feb 2022 - Spamresource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that to fix a bad domain reputation, you need to stop doing the 'Bad Thing', and the first step is to identify what that 'Bad Thing' is.
3 Feb 2025 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Improving a bad domain reputation involves addressing key factors that influence sender reputation, as outlined by Google, SparkPost, Microsoft, and RFC-Editor. These factors include avoiding spam, preventing unwanted mail, reducing complaint rates, and ensuring proper email authentication using SPF. Monitoring reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS is crucial. Avoiding spam traps, managing bounce rates, and promptly removing unsubscribed recipients are also essential for maintaining a positive sending reputation.
Key findings
- Factors: Domain reputation is influenced by sending spam, unwanted mail, and high complaint rates.
- Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF) is crucial to prevent spoofing and improve domain reputation.
- Monitoring: Monitoring tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS provide insights into domain and IP reputation.
- List Hygiene: Removing unsubscribed recipients and managing bounce rates helps maintain a clean and engaged subscriber list.
- Spam Traps: Avoiding spam traps is critical for maintaining a good sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Holistic Approach: A comprehensive approach that addresses all contributing factors is necessary for improving domain reputation.
- Tool Utilization: Actively using monitoring tools to track reputation and identify issues is essential.
- Best Practices: Adhering to email marketing best practices is vital for long-term success.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft explains that maintaining a good sender reputation involves authenticating your emails, avoiding spam traps, and following best practices for email marketing. Monitor your complaint rates in the Microsoft SNDS program.
28 Oct 2023 - Microsoft
Technical article
Documentation from Google explains that several factors contribute to domain reputation, including sending spam, sending unwanted mail, and having a high complaint rate. Use the Postmaster tools to understand the IP and domain reputation.
17 Dec 2021 - Google
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