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How to improve email IP and domain reputation and what to audit for deliverability?

Summary

Email IP and domain reputation are crucial for successful email delivery. A poor reputation can lead to messages being blocked, sent to spam folders, or experiencing significant delays, impacting critical business communications. This page explores how to improve and maintain a healthy email reputation, outlining key audit points for deliverability.

What email marketers say

Email marketers often face the challenge of managing sender reputation, especially when past practices have inadvertently harmed their deliverability. Their experiences highlight the practical impact of technical configurations and the importance of clear segmentation between different email streams. They frequently grapple with diagnosing issues when direct error messages are not readily available and seek actionable advice to restore a healthy sending reputation.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks reports that their corporate email IP reputation is currently ranked as low on Google Postmaster Tools. This is despite the IP being used primarily for internal company communications, suggesting a significant historical issue. While the domain's reputation is showing signs of improvement, moving from low to medium, the persistent low IP score remains a concern. They also note a lack of specific bounce messages or error codes, making diagnosis challenging.

01 Oct 2019 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks questions the reason for continued low reputation, stating that two months after correcting email sending practices, their IP reputation has not improved. This highlights the prolonged challenge of rehabilitating a damaged IP reputation. They are seeking standard methods to improve IP reputation, indicating a need for clear, actionable strategies beyond simply stopping the problematic sending.

01 Oct 2019 - Email Geeks

What the experts say

Email deliverability experts highlight the intricate interplay between IP and domain reputation, stressing the importance of proper authentication and careful management of sending infrastructure. They emphasize that while technical fixes are crucial, a holistic audit of sending practices, list hygiene, and compliance is equally vital. Their insights often involve dissecting email headers for diagnostic purposes and understanding the nuances of shared versus dedicated IPs.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that getting DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) working correctly is absolutely essential for building and maintaining domain reputation. This authentication method proves that an email was authorized by the domain owner, significantly increasing trust with mailbox providers. Without a valid DKIM signature, emails are more likely to be flagged as suspicious or spam, regardless of other sending practices, making it a critical component for deliverability.

01 Oct 2019 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks advises that cold emails are inherently problematic for sender reputation, and any IP used for operational email should strictly avoid such practices. Unsolicited bulk email sending can quickly lead to blocklistings and a severely damaged IP reputation, affecting all legitimate traffic from that IP. They suggest that a thorough audit is needed to identify exactly what types of emails are being sent from each IP address and to whom, ensuring that no unauthorized or detrimental sending activities are occurring.

01 Oct 2019 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says

Official documentation and research often underscore the foundational role of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) in establishing sender credibility. They detail the mechanisms by which mailbox providers assess IP and domain reputation, emphasizing adherence to established protocols and best practices to ensure messages are not flagged as spam. Documentation typically provides guidelines for proper configuration, data interpretation from postmaster tools, and strategies for maintaining a healthy sending ecosystem.

Technical article

Documentation from Mailgun states that regularly verifying your email list is a critical step to improve and protect sender reputation. This process involves purging invalid addresses, spam traps, and disengaged subscribers from your lists. The direct benefit of this practice is a significant reduction in bounce rates, which are a key indicator of list quality and a major factor influencing how ISPs perceive your sending practices. Lowering your bounce rate directly contributes to a higher sender reputation.

22 Jun 2024 - Mailgun Blog

Technical article

Documentation from Twilio highlights that email sender reputation directly influences email deliverability. A strong reputation ensures that emails are consistently delivered to the inbox, while a poor one can result in messages being diverted to spam folders or blocked entirely. They emphasize the importance of using various tools and tips to check and monitor sender reputation, as understanding these metrics is the first step toward improving overall email deliverability and ensuring your communications reach their intended audience.

10 Aug 2024 - Twilio Blog

11 resources

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