Summary
It can be perplexing to find a widely used domain like AOL.com on an internal email exclusion list or blocklist. While AOL was once a dominant internet service provider, its presence on an exclusion list today often points to historical deliverability challenges, rather than current widespread issues. This section summarizes the primary reasons for such exclusions and offers key considerations for email marketers and deliverability professionals.
Key findings
- Historical issues: AOL has historically presented challenges for email deliverability, leading some senders to temporarily or permanently exclude the domain.
- User behavior: AOL users were (and sometimes still are) known for using the spam complaint button frequently due to its prominent placement and ease of access, sometimes even over the unsubscribe link.
- Legacy lists: Exclusion lists might contain AOL simply because an older policy or team member (who is no longer available to explain the reason) implemented it years ago.
- Engagement concerns: Some marketers believe AOL users are less engaged or represent older, less active segments of a list. For more on this, see why AOL contacts unsubscribe en-masse.
Key considerations
- Review current deliverability: AOL, now part of Oath (Verizon Media), is managed by Yahoo. Their policies have evolved. Understand why AOL and Yahoo emails bounce and how to fix it.
- List hygiene: Before removing the exclusion, ensure your AOL contacts are genuinely opted-in and active. Many old addresses may no longer be valid.
- Spam complaints: Implement clear unsubscribe options. Placing unsubscribe links prominently can reduce spam complaints, especially for providers where the complaint button is highly visible.
- Risk assessment: Removing a long-standing exclusion could risk deliverability if underlying issues (like list quality) are not addressed. Consider the current status of AOL in the email ecosystem.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often debate the inclusion of common domains like AOL on exclusion lists. Opinions generally lean towards avoiding blanket exclusions, especially for opted-in contacts, but acknowledge historical reasons and the importance of list health. The perceived value and engagement of AOL addresses are recurring themes in these discussions.
Key opinions
- Unnecessary exclusion: Most marketers agree that there is no current reason to exclude the entire AOL domain if contacts are opted-in.
- Historical workarounds: Some exclusions likely originated from past periods of severe throttling or blocks where excluding the domain was a simple, albeit drastic, workaround.
- Legacy data: Marketers frequently encounter old lists with exclusions put in place by previous team members, making the original intent unclear.
- Spam button prevalence: One theory suggests AOL users historically favored the spam complaint button over the unsubscribe option due to its visibility. Learn more about why AOL and Yahoo flag emails as spam.
Key considerations
- Review acquisition methods: Before removing the exclusion, carefully examine how AOL addresses were acquired. Poor acquisition could lead to similar problems.
- List age and activity: Consider the age of the AOL contacts on your list and when they were last sent to. Many older addresses may be defunct or unmonitored, impacting deliverability in reactivation campaigns.
- Gradual reintroduction: If you decide to reintroduce AOL addresses, do so gradually and monitor engagement and bounce rates closely.
- Free email domains: Some companies exclude all free email domains from booking meetings or lead forms, which would include AOL.
Marketer view
An email marketer from Email Geeks notes that their coworker audited a domain exclusion list and found AOL as one of the restricted domains. They usually use domain exclusions for firms they cannot send to and are scratching their heads for insight on why they would not send to an AOL email address.
Marketer view
An email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that an AOL exclusion might have been a temporary restriction due to past blocking issues. They assume the original person who set the restriction is no longer available to explain the reason behind it.
What the experts say
Email deliverability experts highlight that while old AOL exclusion lists may have had legitimate reasons, current best practices suggest re-evaluating such blanket blocklists. They emphasize the importance of list quality, engagement, and understanding the nuances of how users interact with email, particularly on older platforms like AOL.
Key opinions
- Outdated policies: Exclusions are often remnants of past deliverability challenges that may no longer be relevant today.
- User experience: The prominence of the spam complaint button on AOL could lead to higher complaint rates, even for legitimate mail. This is a common issue that impacts email domain reputation.
- Opt-in status: Sending to opted-in contacts on AOL should not be an issue, assuming proper list management. Review what domains marketers should avoid.
- List decay: Many old AOL addresses might no longer be active or monitored, leading to bounces or spam traps if sent to.
Key considerations
- Examine acquisition and age: Thoroughly investigate how AOL addresses were acquired and how old they are. This helps prevent future deliverability issues.
- Monitor performance: If you remove the exclusion, closely monitor key metrics like bounce rates and spam complaints specifically for AOL domains. For more on this, see why unknown user bounces occur.
- Unsubscribe placement: Ensure unsubscribe links are easy to find and use, preferably at the top of your email, to mitigate spam complaints.
- AOL's current status: AOL as a standalone ISP is no longer a separate entity. It's now part of Verizon Media, alongside Yahoo Mail. Refer to Spamresource on AOL’s status for more details.
Expert view
An expert from Email Geeks, who used to work at an ESP, theorizes that AOL users frequently utilized the spam complaint button. This was often because it was more prominent and easier to locate than the unsubscribe link, leading to higher complaint rates for senders.
Expert view
An expert from Email Geeks suggests that placing the unsubscribe link at the top of emails consistently reduced AOL spam complaints by 30% to 70%. This indicates that it might not be a lack of opt-in, but rather user convenience influencing complaint behavior.
What the documentation says
Official documentation and technical guides often address domain exclusions in the context of list management and compliance. These resources highlight that exclusions are typically used to refine send lists, reduce unwanted traffic, or comply with specific regulations, rather than to avoid entire legitimate email providers without a specific, current reason.
Key findings
- List refinement: Domain exclusion lists are primarily used to refine send lists by removing addresses from domains that are known for issues or are irrelevant to the sender's objectives.
- Impact on send lists: Enabling domain exclusions, particularly for popular domains, can significantly impact the size and reach of a sender's list, as noted in platforms like Higher Logic's documentation on domain exclusions.
- Compliance: Exclusions can also be implemented for compliance reasons, such as adhering to regulations like COPPA, which might restrict data collection from certain domains or user types.
- Bot mitigation: Some practices, like email address obfuscation, aim to hide addresses from bots, which can be part of a broader strategy to prevent unwanted email traffic, including from spam or malicious domains.
Key considerations
- Purpose of exclusion: Clearly define the purpose of any domain exclusion. Is it for deliverability, lead quality, or compliance? Understanding the 'why' is crucial for effective list management.
- Dynamic lists: Regularly review and update exclusion lists. What was necessary years ago may no longer apply. This is key to avoiding being on an email blacklist.
- Technical implementation: If implementing domain exclusions via regex or other technical means, ensure precision to avoid unintended impacts on legitimate recipients.
- Holistic view: Domain exclusions should be part of a broader email strategy that includes strong authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and consistent list hygiene to prevent your email address ending up on a blacklist.
Technical article
Documentation from Higher Logic explains that if the Domain Exclusions feature is enabled and popular domains like gmail.com or yahoo.com are specified, the sender's list could be significantly impacted. This illustrates how exclusions directly affect email reach and targeting.
Technical article
Cloudflare Docs on Email Address Obfuscation explains that by enabling this feature, email addresses on a webpage are hidden from bots while remaining visible to humans. This tool aims to protect email addresses from being harvested by spammers and adds a layer of security for domain owners.
Related resources
9 resources
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Why would AOL contacts unsubscribe en-masse from an email list?
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