What are the risks of using newer TLDs like .clinic or .vet for email sending domains?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 5 Jun 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
7 min read
When choosing a domain for email sending, many factors come into play beyond just branding. While newer generic top-level domains (gTLDs) like .clinic or .vet might seem appealing for their specificity and availability, they often carry inherent risks that can significantly impact your email deliverability. It's crucial to understand these potential pitfalls before committing to a non-traditional TLD for your email operations.
My experience has shown that these newer extensions, despite their niche appeal, frequently face an uphill battle in establishing a trustworthy sender reputation. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and spam filters often view them with more skepticism compared to long-standing TLDs like .com or .org, primarily due to past abuse patterns. This initial distrust can lead to your legitimate emails being flagged as spam, quarantined, or even outright rejected.
The challenge lies in overcoming the pre-existing reputation baggage associated with certain newer gTLDs. Unlike established domains that have built trust over years, a fresh domain on a less common TLD starts from a deficit. This makes the crucial process of IP and domain warming considerably more difficult, requiring extra vigilance and a very careful sending strategy to prove your legitimacy to mail servers.
Initial sender reputation and trust factors
A core principle of email deliverability is sender reputation. Every domain carries a reputation score, which ISPs use to decide whether to accept your emails and where to place them (inbox, spam, or blocked). When you use a newer TLD, it often inherits a lower baseline reputation. This happens because these TLDs have, in some instances, been historically associated with higher volumes of spam and malicious activity.
The inherent reputation challenge
Newer gTLDs often begin with a disadvantage in terms of sender reputation. ISPs and spam filters may assign a lower baseline trust score to domains using these extensions. This is not a reflection of your content or sending behavior initially, but rather a pre-emptive measure based on historical abuse patterns associated with the TLD. It means your emails might face tougher scrutiny and a higher likelihood of landing in spam folders or being blocked, even if you are sending legitimate mail.
ISPs are cautious. They observe registration patterns, domain age, and content trends associated with various TLDs. If a specific TLD has a high proportion of domains used for phishing, malware distribution, or unsolicited commercial email, then all new domains on that TLD may be treated with suspicion from the outset. This isn't a judgment on your specific domain, but rather a collective assessment of the TLD itself. For more information on how domains impact deliverability, you can read our guide on how top-level domains (TLDs) impact email deliverability and spam filtering.
This lower starting point means that domains on newer gTLDs face a higher bar for achieving good inbox placement. Building a positive sender reputation requires consistent engagement, low complaint rates, and adherence to email best practices. With a newer TLD, you're not just building your own reputation, you're also working against the TLD's general perception. This can make the process of warming up a new domain considerably slower and more challenging than with a traditional TLD.
Spam prevalence and blocklisting
One of the most significant risks of using newer TLDs is their often-higher prevalence in spam and malicious campaigns. Many cybercriminals gravitate towards these domains because they can be cheaper, easier to register in bulk, and sometimes less rigorously monitored by registrars initially. This unfortunate association means that email filters are often configured to be more aggressive towards emails originating from these TLDs.
Data from organizations like Spamhaus often highlights specific newer gTLDs as having a high percentage of domains involved in spam. For example, Spamhaus publishes statistics on top-level domains by spam activity, which can be a stark indicator of risk. If a specific TLD has a high proportion of domains used for phishing, malware distribution, or unsolicited commercial email, then all new domains on that TLD may be treated with suspicion from the outset.
Even if your sending practices are impeccable, the TLD itself can act as a trigger for spam filters. This means you might find your emails frequently ending up on email blocklists (or blacklists), or at least being heavily scrutinized, simply because of the domain extension you chose. It’s a challenge to distinguish legitimate traffic from abusive patterns when the TLD itself has a tainted reputation.
Moreover, the low cost and ease of bulk registration for some newer TLDs attract spammers, creating a feedback loop where the TLD's reputation declines further. This cycle can be incredibly difficult for legitimate senders to break free from, as mail servers often default to suspicion for domains residing on these frequently abused extensions.
Mitigating risks and alternative approaches
While the risks are significant, there are strategies to mitigate them if you absolutely must use a newer TLD, though it is generally not recommended for primary email sending. The key is to be hyper-vigilant about your sending practices and to prioritize building a strong individual domain reputation from day one. This involves meticulous list hygiene, segmented sending, and very careful content creation.
Alternatively, consider using a traditional TLD (.com, .org, .net) for your primary email sending domain and reserve the newer gTLD for other purposes, such as your website or specific marketing landing pages. This dual-domain strategy allows you to leverage the brand specificity of the newer TLD while safeguarding your core email deliverability. For more on this topic, you can also explore how different TLDs affect cold email deliverability.
Established TLDs (.com, .org)
These domains have a long history and are generally viewed as trustworthy by mail servers. They offer a stable foundation for building a positive sender reputation over time, benefiting from widespread recognition and lower default skepticism from ISPs.
Reputation: Benefit from a higher baseline trust and established credibility.
Warming: Easier and faster to warm up due to pre-existing trust.
Filtering: Less likely to be caught by aggressive spam filters based on TLD alone.
Newer gTLDs (.clinic, .vet)
While specific to your brand, these TLDs often carry reputation baggage from past abuse. They require significant effort to overcome initial skepticism and prove legitimacy, making email deliverability a more challenging endeavor.
Reputation: Often start with a lower baseline reputation, viewed with higher suspicion.
Warming: Requires extended and more careful warming periods.
Filtering: Higher risk of being flagged or blocklisted due to TLD association.
Another approach is to invest heavily in robust email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Implementing these correctly is crucial for any domain, but it becomes even more vital for newer TLDs as it helps ISPs verify your legitimacy. Regularly monitoring your DMARC reports can provide insights into how your emails are being treated and help you identify potential issues early on. You can also monitor your domain and IP reputation using blocklist monitoring tools.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Consider your audience's location and their ISPs' general email policies.
Stick to established TLDs like .com or .org for primary email sending for better deliverability.
Gather data on spam prevalence for specific new gTLDs to make informed decisions.
Common pitfalls
Using vanity style domain extensions for email sending is generally not recommended.
New gTLDs often start with lower reputation scores, requiring a higher threshold for good delivery.
Some new TLDs are perceived by mail filters as 'pits of spam' due to past abuse.
Expert tips
Consult public statistics on gTLD spam occurrence, like those provided by Spamhaus, to assess risk.
Be aware that filter operators at ISPs often share observations about spam trends on specific TLDs.
Understand that high spam percentages on a TLD, even for low volume, signal higher risk.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says it depends on where your audience is located.
2020-11-09 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they generally avoid vanity style domains in email as much as possible.
2020-11-09 - Email Geeks
Making informed domain choices for email success
Choosing the right top-level domain for your email sending is more than just a branding decision, it's a critical factor in your email deliverability success. While the allure of specific and memorable newer gTLDs like .clinic or .vet is understandable, the inherent risks to sender reputation and inbox placement often outweigh the perceived benefits. The journey to a strong email reputation is already challenging, and starting with a TLD that has a problematic history can make it significantly harder.
For businesses and individuals who rely on email for critical communications, opting for established, reputable TLDs is almost always the safer and more effective choice. These domains carry a legacy of trust that newer, less regulated extensions simply cannot match. Prioritizing deliverability ensures your messages reach their intended audience, fostering engagement and achieving your communication goals.
Ultimately, the decision rests on balancing branding aspirations with practical deliverability realities. If a newer TLD perfectly aligns with your brand and you understand the potential challenges, proceed with caution and a robust deliverability strategy. However, for most, the path of least resistance to the inbox lies with tried-and-true domain extensions that have proven their reliability over time.
What are the risks of using newer TLDs like .clinic or .vet for email sending domains? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base - Suped
Spamhaus often highlights specific newer gTLDs as having a high percentage of domains involved in spam. For example, Spamhaus publishes statistics on top-level domains by spam activity, which can be a stark indicator of risk. If a specific TLD has a high proportion of domains used for phishing, malware distribution, or unsolicited commercial email, then all new domains on that TLD may be treated with suspicion from the outset.
