Summary
A domain's reputation can be negatively impacted by various factors, including sending unwanted email, high spam complaint rates, low engagement, being blacklisted, and poor authentication practices (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Sudden changes in sending volume, sending to invalid addresses, infrastructure issues like IP addresses ending up on blocklists, and content-related issues (spam trigger words, deceptive subject lines) also contribute. Recovering domain reputation involves rewarming, identifying root causes, cleaning email lists, improving consent practices, diversifying lead sources, authenticating email, engaging subscribers with valuable content, monitoring the sender score, and avoiding spiky traffic patterns. DNSBLs can also impact your domain reputation and should be monitored.
Key findings
- Data Quality & Consent: Poor data quality, sending to invalid addresses, and lack of explicit consent significantly harm domain reputation. Assuming consent is a bad practice.
- Authentication is Crucial: Proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is vital for establishing sender credibility and trust. Alignment issues can also cause drops in reputation.
- Engagement Metrics Matter: Low engagement rates (opens/clicks), high spam complaints, and high bounce rates directly damage sender reputation.
- Sending Volume & Patterns: Sudden increases in sending volume, unusual traffic spikes, and inconsistent sending cadences are viewed as suspicious and negatively impact reputation.
- Content is King: The content of emails, including the subject line and body, needs to be engaging and free of spam triggers. Clear unsubscribe options are essential.
- Infrastructure is Critical: Infrastructure problems, like IP addresses ending up on blocklists, are a fast track to a poor reputation.
Key considerations
- Rewarming & Root Cause: Address the root cause; simply rewarming isn't enough.
- Infrastructure: System understading is essential for fixing infrastructure problems.
- Get Consents: Impliment better methods of opt-in, such as a scheduler asking for consent.
- Authentication Status: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are fully implemented.
- List Hygiene: Clean you Email lists to increase engagement and lower bounce rates.
- Email Cadence: Avoid spiky emails as it can hurt sender reputation.
- Blocklist Status: Actively use FBLs to identify and remove complainers promptly.
- Blocklist Checks: Check regularly to ensure domain or IP addresses are not blacklisted
What email marketers say
28 marketer opinions
Domain reputation can decrease due to a multitude of factors related to email sending practices, data quality, content, and technical configurations. Specifically, sending to invalid email addresses, high spam complaint rates, low engagement (opens/clicks), being blacklisted, poor authentication practices (SPF, DKIM, DMARC issues, or lack thereof), sudden changes in sending volume, and sending unwanted or unengaging content all contribute to a decline. Technical issues like compromised accounts leading to spiky sending patterns, IP addresses appearing on blocklists, and DKIM alignment problems also negatively impact reputation. Recovery involves rewarming domains, root cause analysis, cleaning email lists, improving content quality, ensuring proper domain authentication, engaging subscribers through segmentation and valuable content, actively monitoring sending reputation, and adhering to consistent sending cadences to avoid both over-mailing and under-mailing. Avoiding assumed consent and diversifying lead sources are important strategies.
Key opinions
- Data Quality: Poor data quality, including sending to invalid email addresses, using signup forms with bot activity, and acquiring subscribers without explicit consent (assumed consent) significantly harms domain reputation.
- Engagement: Low engagement rates (opens and clicks), high spam complaint rates, and unsubscribes are indicators of poor content and targeting strategies, negatively affecting domain reputation.
- Authentication: Lack of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) or misconfigurations (e.g., DKIM alignment issues) makes it difficult for inbox providers to verify sender legitimacy, thus lowering reputation.
- Sending Patterns: Sudden changes in sending volume, especially without warming up new IPs, and inconsistent sending cadences (over-mailing and under-mailing) are flagged as suspicious behavior by spam filters.
- Content Quality: Poor content quality, using spam-triggering keywords, deceptive subject lines, and failing to provide clear unsubscribe options, damage sender reputation.
- Technical Issues: Technical problems such as infrastructure problems (compromised account sending spam or IPs on blocklists) cause drops in domain reputation.
Key considerations
- Rewarming: If domain reputation drops, rewarming is needed.
- Root Cause Analysis: Identifying and addressing the root causes of reputation decline is critical for long-term improvement; simply rewarming the domain is not enough.
- Consent: Explicit consent is required to add subscribers.
- Traffic Analysis: Spikes in traffic need to be managed.
- Monitoring: It is important to monitor the spam complaint rate dashboard in postmaster tools and check the new compliance dashboard.
- IP Reputation: Domain Reputation is based on IP reputation.
- Email List Management: Maintaining a clean email list by removing bounced and unengaged subscribers to minimise complaints.
Marketer view
Email marketer from SendPulse answers that to improve sender reputation, you need to authenticate your email, maintain a clean email list, send engaging content, segment your audience, warm up your IP address, and monitor your sender score.
2 Jul 2024 - SendPulse
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares to have the schedulers ask when booking 'Would you like for us to send you a $time_frame newsletter with tips on keeping your system in shape?'
22 Sep 2022 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Domain reputation can decrease rapidly due to infrastructure problems that result in IP addresses being added to blocklists. Implementing all three forms of authentication (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) is critical for building sender reputation. Proactively signing up for feedback loops (FBLs) and removing complainers is a key strategy. DNSBLs or DNS Blocklists are key to ensuring your reputation is good.
Key opinions
- Infrastructure: Infrastructure problems leading to IP blocklisting are the fastest way to damage domain reputation.
- Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is a minimum requirement for establishing sender reputation and trust.
- Feedback Loops: Signing up for feedback loops (FBLs) allows for the removal of complainers from mailing lists, reducing spam reports.
- DNSBLs: DNSBLs can impact your domain reputation because they are a key factor in determining whether your emails are delivered to the inbox or filtered as spam.
Key considerations
- System Understanding: Understanding your own systems is essential for fixing infrastructure problems.
- FBL Implementation: Actively use FBLs to identify and remove complainers promptly.
- Triple Authentication: Ensure that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are fully implemented and correctly configured.
- Blocklist Monitoring: It is important to monitor DNSBL lists and ensure you aren't listed. If you are listed get removed ASAP.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that it is critical that senders implement all three forms of authentication (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) since this is the minimum requirement for inbox providers when establishing sender reputation and trust.
28 Jul 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that one of the easiest ways to protect a sender's reputation is to sign up for every Feedback Loop (FBL) that's offered to you so that you can remove complainers from your mailing lists, which helps decrease the chances of those same subscribers calling you spam.
22 Nov 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
Domain reputation can decrease when sending unwanted email, leading to spam reports. Improving deliverability involves ensuring proper authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. It is also important to monitor sender reputation, use tools like Microsoft SNDS, and adhere to list management and content creation best practices. Using SPF records verifies the server's authority to send emails on behalf of the domain, greatly improving reputation.
Key findings
- Unwanted Email: Sending unwanted email leads to spam reports and a lower sender reputation.
- Authentication: Proper domain authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for improving email deliverability.
- SPF Records: SPF records verify the sending server's authority, improving domain reputation.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring sender reputation using tools like Microsoft SNDS is essential.
Key considerations
- Email Content: Focus on sending wanted, relevant, and engaging email content to avoid spam reports.
- Technical Implementation: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly implemented and up-to-date.
- List Management: Follow best practices for list management, including obtaining consent and regularly cleaning your list.
- Proactive Monitoring: Monitor your sending reputation proactively to identify and address any issues quickly.
Technical article
Documentation from Google explains that to maintain a good sender reputation, avoid sending unwanted email. If users consider your mail unwanted, they may report it as spam, which will cause a lower sender reputation in the future.
21 Nov 2021 - Google
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft explains to improve email deliverability, ensure your domain is properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, monitor your sending reputation using tools like Microsoft SNDS, and follow best practices for list management and content creation.
18 Jun 2021 - Microsoft
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