What exactly are SRD votes?

SRD (Sender Reputation Data) is a unique feedback system used by Microsoft where a sample of email recipients are invited to vote on whether a particular sender's mail is wanted or unwanted. This helps Microsoft gauge user sentiment beyond just explicit spam complaints, contributing to a sender's overall reputation score for consumer domains.

Which Microsoft domains use SRD votes?

SRD votes primarily apply to Microsoft's free, consumer-facing domains such as Outlook.com , Hotmail.com , Live.com , and MSN.com . They typically do not apply to corporate domains like Microsoft.com or those hosted on Microsoft 365.

What factors influence deliverability to Microsoft 365 and corporate domains?

For Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and corporate domains, email deliverability is primarily influenced by factors such as strong email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), overall sender reputation (IP and domain), low spam complaint rates from corporate users, and compliance with enterprise security policies.

How do low SRD votes affect my email deliverability?

A low SRD score indicates that a significant number of sampled recipients perceive your emails as unwanted, even if they don't explicitly mark them as spam. This negatively impacts your sender reputation with Microsoft's consumer services, leading to increased junk folder placement or outright blocking for emails sent to those domains.

Can Microsoft's SNDS help me monitor SRD votes for my domain?

While Microsoft's SNDS (Sender Network Data Services) can provide some insights into your reputation with Microsoft, it's more focused on consumer-facing services and does not offer a complete picture for Microsoft 365 hosted domains. Comprehensive deliverability monitoring requires a broader approach encompassing authentication, engagement, and blocklist (or blacklist) checks.

Do Microsoft domains like Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, and others use SRD votes for email reputation? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

Microsoft's approach to email reputation is complex, often relying on a multifaceted system to determine whether an email reaches the inbox or the junk folder. One unique aspect of this system is Sender Reputation Data (SRD), which involves a user voting mechanism. Many senders wonder if this system applies universally across all Microsoft-affiliated domains.

Specifically, there's a common question about whether consumer domains like Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, , and MSN.com, utilize SRD votes, versus corporate or business-oriented domains such as Microsoft.com and those hosted on Office 365 (now Microsoft 365). Understanding this distinction is crucial for optimizing your email deliverability strategy.

The role of Sender Reputation Data (SRD)

Sender Reputation Data (SRD) is Microsoft's unique feedback loop system for their consumer email services. Unlike traditional feedback loops that primarily report spam complaints, SRD actively invites a small sample of recipients to vote on whether a sender's mail is spam. This voting mechanism provides a more nuanced signal than just a direct spam complaint, as it captures user perception about unsolicited or unwanted mail.

The purpose of SRD is to gather broad sentiment about a sender's practices, helping Microsoft's filters to identify unwanted mail even if it doesn't fit the typical definition of malicious spam. A high volume of negative votes through SRD can significantly degrade a sender's reputation, leading to increased inbox placement issues across Microsoft's consumer properties.

This data directly influences the SmartScreen filter, which is a core component of Microsoft's anti-spam technology. SmartScreen aggregates various signals, including SRD votes, to assign a Spam Confidence Level (SCL) to incoming emails. Understanding this system is vital, as it's a key differentiator in Microsoft's email deliverability ecosystem.

SRD for consumer domains (Outlook, Hotmail, Live, MSN)

Yes, Microsoft extensively uses SRD votes for its free, webmail-based consumer domains. This includes prominent services such as Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com, and MSN.com. If you're sending to recipients using these email addresses, their collective feedback via SRD plays a significant role in your sender reputation.

This means that even if your emails aren't generating explicit spam complaints, a low SRD score can still lead to deliverability issues. The SRD system aims to capture a broader range of negative user experiences, such as users simply deleting emails without opening them, or moving them to junk without formally reporting spam. This makes it challenging to pinpoint the exact reason for poor inbox placement without granular data.

Therefore, for marketers and businesses targeting consumers on these platforms, focusing on user engagement, list hygiene, and sending relevant content is paramount. A positive user experience encourages recipients to keep your emails in their inbox, which in turn contributes positively to your SRD score and overall sender reputation. Managing Microsoft Outlook.com deliverability requires a proactive approach.

SRD considerations

User voting: Microsoft invites a sample of users to vote on whether an email is wanted or unwanted, affecting sender reputation.
Engagement focus: Positive engagement (opens, clicks) is crucial to offset potential negative SRD votes.
Direct impact: SRD significantly influences deliverability to consumer inboxes, even without explicit spam complaints.

Typical deliverability factors

Spam complaints: Users explicitly mark emails as spam, a direct negative signal.
List hygiene: Maintaining a clean list reduces bounces and spam trap hits.
Engagement metrics: Open rates and click-through rates are general indicators of email quality.

SRD and Microsoft 365 (Corporate domains)

In contrast to consumer domains, SRD votes generally do not apply to Microsoft's corporate domains, such as Microsoft.com itself, or to domains hosted on Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). These environments have different filtering mechanisms designed to cater to enterprise-level security and compliance needs.

For Microsoft 365, email filtering heavily relies on administrative controls, internal reputation systems, and broader threat intelligence. Factors like valid SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication, compliance with sender best practices, and the absence of high spam complaint rates from specific corporate users are more influential than collective user votes. If you're experiencing deliverability issues with Microsoft 365, the problem often lies in these areas rather than SRD.

Microsoft's Sender Network Data Services (SNDS) provides some insight into your sending reputation with Microsoft, but it's important to understand its scope. SNDS primarily provides data for Microsoft's consumer-facing services. While helpful for consumer lists, it doesn't give a complete picture for Office 365 hosted domains, where internal filtering rules and individual tenant configurations can have a stronger impact.

Best practices for Microsoft 365 deliverability

Implement DMARC: Ensure your domain has a DMARC policy with SPF and DKIM alignment to prove sender legitimacy.
Monitor spam complaints: Pay close attention to any direct spam complaints from Microsoft 365 users and address issues promptly.
Avoid blocklists: Regularly check if your IP or domain is on any public blocklists (or blacklists), as this heavily impacts deliverability.
Manage sender reputation: Proactively manage your sender reputation beyond just technical compliance.

Key factors beyond SRD for Microsoft deliverability

Regardless of SRD, several core factors consistently influence deliverability across all Microsoft domains, consumer or corporate. Strong email authentication is fundamental. Ensuring your emails pass SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks is non-negotiable. These protocols help Microsoft verify that your emails are legitimate and sent from authorized sources.

Your overall sender reputation, encompassing both IP and domain reputation, is also crucial. This reputation is built over time through consistent sending practices, low complaint rates, and positive engagement from recipients. Being listed on a public email blacklist (or blocklist) can severely impede your ability to reach any Microsoft inbox.

Finally, the quality and relevance of your email content play a significant role. Microsoft's filters, including the SmartScreen technology, analyze email content for spammy characteristics, malicious URLs, or suspicious attachments. Maintaining a clean sending list and adhering to Outlook's new sender requirements are essential for consistent deliverability, irrespective of the specific domain or SRD influence.

Factor	Impact on consumer domains (SRD applicable)	Impact on corporate domains (SRD not applicable)
SRD votes	High influence, direct user feedback on unwanted mail.	Minimal to no direct influence from SRD votes.
Email authentication	Crucial for legitimacy, helps bypass initial filters.	Essential for security and compliance, strong factor for inboxing.
Spam complaints	Significant negative impact, combined with SRD signals.	Directly impacts sender reputation and potential blocking.
Content quality	Influences SmartScreen SCL, reducing inbox placement.	Key for avoiding internal filtering and ensuring message delivery.
Sender network data services	Provides insight into consumer domain reputation, but not fully comprehensive.	Limited insight, as corporate domains use different filtering logic.

Understanding Microsoft's diverse reputation landscape

Microsoft's use of SRD votes is primarily concentrated on its consumer-facing email domains like Outlook.com and Hotmail.com. This unique voting system allows Microsoft to gauge user sentiment beyond explicit spam complaints, directly impacting a sender's reputation for these services.

For corporate domains, including Microsoft.com and those hosted on Microsoft 365, SRD votes are not a primary factor. Deliverability to these environments relies more heavily on standard email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), overall sender reputation, and compliance with enterprise-level filtering policies. Understanding this distinction is vital for tailoring your email strategy to ensure optimal inbox placement across the entire Microsoft ecosystem.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Consistently clean your email lists to remove inactive users and reduce the likelihood of hitting spam traps.

Ensure all outgoing emails are properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to build trust with Microsoft.

Segment your audience and send relevant content to improve engagement metrics and reduce negative user feedback.

Common pitfalls

Assuming a good reputation with other ISPs translates directly to Microsoft, ignoring their unique SRD system.

Sending to unengaged or old email addresses, which can lead to low engagement votes and spam trap hits.

Overlooking the nuances of corporate email filtering (Microsoft 365), which differs from consumer domains.

Expert tips

Pay close attention to user interaction with your emails. Microsoft's SRD system for consumer domains means even silent negative signals, like deletes without opens, can hurt your reputation.

For Microsoft 365, focus on technical compliance and maintaining low spam complaint rates. These environments prioritize administrative controls and security policies.

Remember that Microsoft's filtering is dynamic. Continuous monitoring and adaptation to their evolving reputation signals are key to consistent inbox placement.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says Microsoft likely uses SRD for all their free domains, like Hotmail.com, Outlook.com, Live.com, and MSN.com.

2019-12-02 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says Microsoft.com and Office 365 hosted domains do not use SRD votes, as their filtering mechanisms are different.

2019-12-02 - Email Geeks