Is a neutral Talos reputation always a concern?

Not necessarily. For transactional IPs or new IPs, a neutral rating in Talos often means there isn't enough positive or negative data to assign a good or poor score. If your deliverability is otherwise good, and other reputation tools show positive scores, it might just be a temporary phase.

How long does it typically take for a transactional IP to move from neutral to good?

The time varies. With consistent, low-complaint transactional sending, it can shift to good as Talos gathers more positive data. If it remains neutral for many weeks and you start seeing deliverability issues, investigate further.

What's the impact of a neutral Talos reputation on deliverability?

A neutral Talos reputation generally has minimal direct impact on deliverability as long as your spam complaint rates are low and other reputation metrics are healthy. Mailbox providers might treat mail from neutral IPs with slightly more caution, but it's not typically a blocklisting offense. However, if it dips to poor , deliverability will suffer.

Can small spikes in spam rate cause a neutral rating?

Yes, even small, temporary spikes in spam complaints, possibly from users forgetting they signed up for something or requested a password reset, can cause reputation systems like Talos to re-evaluate your IP, potentially leading to a temporary neutral rating.

How does using a dedicated subdomain help with transactional IP reputation?

Using a dedicated subdomain for transactional mail helps separate its reputation from your marketing emails. This means if your marketing IP experiences an issue, your critical transactional emails are less likely to be affected, and vice-versa.

Why is my transactional IP reputation neutral in Talos? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

When managing email deliverability, seeing your transactional IP reputation listed as neutral in Talos Intelligence can be a bit unsettling, especially if your other metrics look good. You might have excellent scores in Google Postmaster Tools Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) and Sender Score, leading you to wonder why Talos shows a different picture. This situation is more common than you might think for transactional sending.

Talos, run by Cisco, is a widely used threat intelligence platform that assesses the reputation of IP addresses, domains, and URLs. It categorizes sender IP reputation into good, neutral, or poor. A neutral reputation typically means that Talos has not observed significant malicious activity, but also lacks sufficient positive evidence to classify it as good. This is particularly true for newly warmed IPs or those with specific sending patterns, like transactional email.

Understanding why your transactional IP might be sitting in the neutral zone, even after a successful IP warming period, requires a closer look at how these systems evaluate email traffic and the unique characteristics of transactional sending.

Understanding Talos IP reputation

Talos, like other reputation services, relies heavily on data volume and consistency to build an accurate picture of an IP's sending behavior. For transactional email, which often has lower and less predictable volumes compared to marketing emails, it can take longer to accumulate enough positive data points. If an IP doesn't have a large enough traffic footprint or enough positive email reports, Talos may default to a neutral status due to insufficient information.

Even after a standard IP warming period, a dedicated transactional IP might remain neutral. This is often because transactional emails, by their nature, are sent in response to user actions (e.g., password resets, order confirmations, sign-up verifications). While these emails are highly anticipated and have low spam rates, their volume fluctuates based on user activity, unlike the more consistent daily sends of a marketing IP.

For an IP to achieve a good reputation in Talos, it needs substantial and consistent positive evidence over time. Since transactional IPs often have bursts of activity followed by quieter periods, they may not generate the consistent positive signals that Talos needs to shift them from a neutral stance to a good one as quickly as a marketing IP might.

Why transactional IPs often start neutral

The distinction between transactional and marketing email sending is crucial here. Marketing IPs are designed for higher, more regular volumes, and their reputation builds faster with consistent positive engagement. Transactional IPs, while sending critical emails, typically have lower overall volume and more variable sending patterns.

Transactional IP behavior

Transactional emails include password resets, order confirmations, shipping updates, and account alerts. Their sending volume is typically lower and fluctuates greatly based on user activity, not scheduled campaigns. This can result in less consistent data for reputation systems like Talos to analyze. Even with a newly warmed IP, the lack of sustained, high-volume sending might keep it in a neutral state for longer than anticipated.

Marketing IP behavior

Marketing emails, like newsletters and promotional offers, often have predictable, high-volume sending schedules. This consistent flow of mail provides reputation systems with a steady stream of data to build a positive reputation quickly. As long as engagement is good and spam complaints are low, marketing IPs often achieve a good reputation faster due to this regular activity.

It's not uncommon for transactional IPs to wobble between good and neutral simply due to the inherent nature of their sending patterns. As long as it doesn't dip to poor, a neutral rating is often just a reflection of varying data availability rather than a sign of an underlying problem.

Factors influencing transactional IP reputation

While transactional emails generally have higher engagement rates and lower spam complaints compared to marketing emails, they are not immune to reputation issues. Even a small number of complaints, particularly from users who might have forgotten they initiated an action (e.g., a password reset they didn't complete), can impact reputation.

Maintaining a steady volume is critical for any IP, even transactional ones. While transactional volume naturally fluctuates, dramatic spikes or drops can be seen as anomalies by reputation systems. If your volume history shows significant deviation, it might trigger a temporary downgrade to neutral as Talos attempts to re-evaluate your IP's behavior. Aim for consistency where possible, even within the variable nature of transactional sends.

Another factor to consider is the content of your transactional emails. While they should be purely functional, ensure there are no unintended promotional elements. Even subtle links to social media or calls to action that could be perceived as marketing can influence how mailbox providers and reputation services categorize your mail, potentially contributing to a neutral (or even poorer) rating if not managed carefully.

Monitoring and improving your Talos reputation

Continuously monitoring your IP reputation across various platforms is essential. While Talos provides valuable insights, also keep an eye on Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft SNDS, and other major blocklists (or blacklists) to get a comprehensive view. A temporary neutral rating in one system, especially Talos for transactional IPs, may not necessarily indicate a widespread problem if other indicators remain positive. Regularly checking your IP address on blacklists can help identify issues early.

If your transactional IP remains neutral for an extended period, or if you start experiencing deliverability issues such as increased bounces or emails landing in spam folders, then it's time to investigate further. Look into your spam complaint rates directly from your email service provider, check for any sudden spikes in volume, and review your email content for anything that might be causing flags.

Implementing a dedicated subdomain for your transactional mail can also help isolate its reputation from your marketing efforts. This ensures that any fluctuations in one don't directly affect the other. Make sure your email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are correctly configured for this subdomain.

Getting back to good: what to do

Maintaining a positive IP reputation is an ongoing process, and a neutral rating in Talos for a transactional IP is often just a temporary state. It's crucial not to panic and to continue focusing on sending wanted, legitimate emails. If you find your transactional IP stuck in the neutral zone, consider these actions:

Volume consistency: Even for transactional sends, try to maintain as steady a volume as possible. Avoid drastic changes in daily sending unless absolutely necessary.
Monitor complaints: Actively track complaint rates in all available postmaster tools. Even for transactional mail, addressing any increases is vital. For Hotmail, monitor transactional IP reputation carefully.
Content review: Regularly audit your transactional email content to ensure it's strictly functional and not inadvertently marketing-oriented. Eliminate unnecessary links.
DNS records: Verify your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and aligned, especially for your dedicated sending domain.
Patience: In many cases, a neutral rating is a temporary blip that resolves itself as more data is collected. If other metrics are good, give it some time.

While it's unsettling to see a neutral rating, especially after working to warm your IPs, it's often a sign that the system needs more time or more consistent data. Focus on maintaining excellent sending practices, and your transactional IP will likely return to a good reputation.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Maintain consistent sending volumes, even for transactional emails, to provide stable data to reputation systems.

Ensure all transactional emails are purely functional, avoiding any marketing or promotional content.

Use dedicated subdomains for transactional mail to separate its reputation from marketing sends.

Regularly monitor all available postmaster tools, including Talos and Google Postmaster Tools, for a holistic view of your IP health.

Common pitfalls

Panicking over a neutral Talos reputation without checking other deliverability metrics.

Including non-transactional links (e.g., social media, marketing offers) in transactional emails.

Drastic fluctuations in transactional email volume that can trigger reputation re-evaluations.

Neglecting to monitor spam complaints, even for highly anticipated transactional emails.

Expert tips

A neutral Talos score for transactional IPs is often a temporary state, especially for new or low-volume senders. It typically resolves itself with continued good sending practices.

Even password reset emails can sometimes generate spam complaints, which can temporarily impact your IP's reputation.

Ensure your transactional emails originate from a dedicated subdomain to better manage reputation and prevent cross-contamination.

If your IP reputation doesn't improve from neutral, check for any underlying issues like sudden spikes in spam complaints or unexpected volume changes.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says that transactional reputation can indeed fluctuate, so seeing a temporary wobble is not entirely surprising.

2022-03-22 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that while it's frustrating, high complaint rates are sometimes observed even on transactional mail, such as password resets, which can be annoying since the user initiated the request.

2022-03-23 - Email Geeks

Summary

A neutral IP reputation in Talos for your transactional email IP is often a temporary state, especially for newly warmed or low-volume sending IPs. It doesn't automatically signal a problem with your email deliverability, particularly if your other reputation metrics are strong. By maintaining consistent sending practices, ensuring your content is strictly transactional, and continuously monitoring your reputation across various tools, you can expect your IP to settle into a good standing over time.