What is Return Path certification?

Return Path, now part of Validity, offers a certification program that, historically, aimed to improve email deliverability by having a third party vouch for a sender's good practices. Certified IPs would theoretically receive preferential treatment from participating mailbox providers, leading to better inbox placement and faster email delivery.

Does certification still guarantee inbox placement?

While Return Path certification can still offer some benefits, particularly with Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS), its impact on overall inbox placement, especially with major providers like Gmail , is less significant than it once was. Modern deliverability prioritizes sender reputation, engagement, and authentication over third-party certifications.

What is the main benefit of pursuing Return Path certification today?

The primary benefit is often the rigorous audit process itself. To become certified, you must adhere to strict email sending best practices, which can uncover and help you fix underlying deliverability issues in your email program. This leads to lasting improvements in your email practices, which positively impacts your sender reputation and deliverability across all providers .

Are there alternatives to Return Path for improving deliverability?

While Return Path is a well-known option, several alternatives for deliverability certification and monitoring exist. Many companies choose to focus on internal email best practices, robust authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and actively managing their sender reputation through continuous monitoring and list hygiene. Investing in these areas often yields a better return on investment for most businesses.

Is Return Path certification worth it for email deliverability? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

For years, Return Path (now part of Validity) was a prominent name in email deliverability, offering a certification program that promised improved inbox placement and a smoother sending experience. The idea was simple: if a trusted third party vouched for your sending practices, mailbox providers would be more likely to accept your emails without filtering them to the spam folder. It was a gold standard for many email marketers.

However, the email landscape has evolved significantly. Mailbox providers, such as

Gmail and

Outlook, now heavily rely on engagement metrics, sender reputation, and authentication protocols like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. This shift makes us wonder if Return Path certification still holds the same weight it once did. Is it still worth the considerable investment?

We often get asked about this, and the answer isn't a simple yes or no. The value proposition of Return Path certification has become more nuanced. It depends on your specific sending needs, target audience, and existing deliverability challenges. Let's explore the various aspects to help you decide.

Understanding Return Path certification

Return Path (now Validity) certification is a program designed to help commercial email senders achieve higher inbox placement rates. To become certified, senders undergo a rigorous audit process that evaluates their sending infrastructure, list acquisition methods, and overall email practices. If approved, their IP addresses are added to a whitelist, theoretically granting them preferential treatment at participating mailbox providers and reducing the likelihood of their emails being filtered to spam or blocked.

Historically, this certification offered significant advantages, particularly with larger ISPs. It was seen as a stamp of approval, signaling to receiving servers that the sender was legitimate and followed best practices. The program aimed to reduce spam and improve the overall email ecosystem by promoting responsible sending behavior.

The certification isn't a magic bullet that guarantees 100% inbox delivery, but it can provide some benefits, especially for senders with high volume and strict adherence to email best practices. It's more about demonstrating a commitment to responsible sending, which can lead to better relationships with ISPs and fewer blocklist (or blacklist) issues.

Impact on deliverability: then versus now

The landscape of email deliverability has changed dramatically over the past few years. What worked yesterday might not work today, and that holds true for certifications as well. While Return Path certification once offered a clear competitive edge, its impact is now more selective.

Today, mailbox providers are far more sophisticated in how they filter email. They prioritize user engagement, sender reputation, and robust authentication over third-party certifications. This means even if you're certified, poor sending practices or low engagement can still land your emails in the spam folder.

Historical value

Widespread recognition: Many major ISPs (Internet Service Providers) actively considered the certification for filtering decisions.
Significant inbox boost: Senders often saw a noticeable improvement in inbox placement rates, especially for bulk mail.
Faster throughput: Certified IPs experienced fewer rate limits and faster delivery speeds.

Current landscape

Engagement focused: Inbox providers like Gmail prioritize user engagement (opens, clicks, replies) above all else. Certification alone won't compensate for low engagement. You can learn more about how email deliverability is increasingly a matter of engagement.
Microsoft SRD: While some providers may not heavily weigh the certification, it can still be beneficial for Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) and general outlook.com deliverability.
Diminished Gmail impact: Gmail, arguably the largest mailbox provider, has largely moved away from relying on third-party certifications. They focus on sender reputation and engagement signals. For more, see the truth about Return Path Certification and Gmail.

Despite these changes, the certification can still be a positive signal, especially for smaller or niche ISPs that may still rely on such programs. However, for the major players, the direct impact on inbox placement is less pronounced than it once was.

For many, the real value of Return Path certification has shifted from its direct whitelisting benefits to the rigorous process of getting certified. The audit itself forces senders to clean up their acts, which often leads to significant, lasting improvements in deliverability, regardless of the certification badge.

The certification process and its intrinsic value

One often overlooked benefit of Return Path certification is the internal review process it requires. To qualify, you must demonstrate adherence to a strict set of email sending best practices. This involves examining everything from how you acquire subscribers to your bounce management and complaint handling procedures. This comprehensive review can uncover underlying issues that hinder your deliverability, even if you never fully complete the certification or choose not to renew it.

Engaging in this process, either with Return Path or a qualified consultant, can be incredibly valuable. It helps identify and rectify fundamental deliverability problems, such as poor list hygiene, high spam complaint rates, or inadequate authentication setups. Addressing these issues will improve your sender reputation and inbox placement across the board, not just with certified-friendly providers.

Focus on the process

The true long-term value may lie in the operational changes you implement to achieve and maintain the certification standards. This includes:

List quality: Ensuring you only send to engaged, opt-in subscribers.
Complaint management: Promptly removing users who mark your emails as spam. This is crucial, as high complaint rates are a major deliverability killer.
Bounce handling: Effectively managing both hard and soft bounces to keep your list clean.
Authentication: Proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.

The rigorous audit process can highlight areas where your email program falls short, prompting improvements that benefit your deliverability regardless of the certification itself.

Therefore, even if the certification doesn't guarantee top-tier inboxing at every provider, the discipline instilled by the application process can yield significant, long-lasting improvements to your overall email deliverability strategy.

Cost-benefit analysis and alternatives

Return Path certification comes with a significant cost, which can be a barrier for many businesses, especially those not generating millions in revenue directly from email. When considering the investment, it's crucial to weigh the potential benefits against the price tag.

For some enterprise-level senders, where even a slight improvement in deliverability can translate into millions of dollars in revenue, the cost might be justified. However, for most senders, investing in strong internal practices and other tools might offer a better return on investment. You might find better value exploring alternatives to Return Path and other IP certification services.

Feature	Return Path Certification	Self-Managed Improvements
Throughput	Improved at some ISPs (notably Outlook.com)	Consistent throughput across all providers with good reputation
Inbox placement	Beneficial for specific ISPs like Microsoft Smart Network Data Services (SNDS)	Influenced by engagement, authentication, and content
SpamAssassin scoring	Can receive favorable scores on rules like HABEAS_ACCREDITED_SOI	Depends on content, sender reputation, and authentication
Cost	High annual fee	Investment in internal resources, tools, or consultants

Ultimately, if you're a high-volume sender and already have excellent sending practices, the certification might offer a marginal improvement in certain areas. However, for most businesses, focusing on core deliverability principles, like maintaining a clean list, sending relevant content, and ensuring proper email authentication, will yield more significant and cost-effective results. This foundation is essential for improving your overall domain reputation.

Even with certification, it is not a set-it-and-forget-it solution. Continuous monitoring of your metrics, adapting to new ISP requirements, and addressing any deliverability issues proactively are critical for long-term success. These foundational elements are often more impactful than any certification alone.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Regularly monitor your email metrics, including open rates, click-through rates, and complaint rates, to gauge engagement and sender reputation.

Implement strong authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prove your legitimacy to mailbox providers and protect against spoofing.

Maintain a clean and engaged email list by regularly removing inactive subscribers and hard bounces.

Segment your audience and personalize content to increase relevance and improve engagement metrics.

Common pitfalls

Relying solely on certification for deliverability without addressing underlying sending practices and engagement issues.

Ignoring feedback loops from major ISPs, which provide crucial data on spam complaints.

Failing to regularly clean your email list, leading to high bounce rates and low engagement.

Sending inconsistent email volumes or sudden spikes, which can negatively impact sender reputation.

Expert tips

For larger enterprises, Return Path can still be a worthwhile investment, especially for gaining insights into specific ISP performance and for easier internal discussions with upper management.

Focus on optimizing your internal sending processes. A strong internal process is often more beneficial than the certification itself, leading to deliverability improvements across all providers.

Certification can provide a framework for improving your email program, but it's the adherence to best practices, not the badge, that truly moves the needle.

Even if a certification provides some whitelisting benefits, modern email deliverability is primarily about maintaining a good sender reputation and positive recipient engagement.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says that while Return Path certification is expensive, the value for their specific company in their country is questionable, as only one provider aside from Microsoft Outlook recognizes the certification.

2017-09-06 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks notes that Gmail seems to ignore Return Path accreditation, suggesting its relevance for the largest mailbox provider is diminished.

2017-09-06 - Email Geeks

Final thoughts on certification value

The question of whether Return Path (Validity) certification is worth it for email deliverability today depends heavily on your specific context. While its direct impact on inbox placement, particularly with major mailbox providers like Gmail, has lessened, it still offers benefits in other areas, especially with

Microsoft services.

The most significant enduring value of the certification process often lies in the forced introspection and improvement of your email sending practices. By going through the rigorous audit, organizations are compelled to adhere to best practices, which in turn leads to better deliverability metrics regardless of the certification itself.

For many, the substantial cost of certification may be better allocated to strengthening core deliverability fundamentals: building an engaged list, implementing robust authentication, and consistently sending valuable content. These foundational elements are the true drivers of email success in the modern digital landscape.