Summary
Even after implementing robust email validation, marketers often wonder what an acceptable bounce rate truly is. While email validation significantly reduces the number of invalid addresses, a small percentage of bounces are still to be expected. These typically consist of hard bounces from truly defunct addresses that slipped through, or transient soft bounces due to temporary issues. Understanding these residual bounces is key to maintaining good sender reputation and optimizing your email campaigns. This page delves into what typical bounce rates look like post-validation, drawing insights from industry marketers, deliverability experts, and official documentation.
Key findings
- Initial bounce rates: Even with thorough validation, expect an initial hard bounce rate of 1-3% for brand-new addresses on their first send. This is because no validation service is 100% accurate.
- Sustained low bounces: After the initial send, a well-managed list should see delivery failures drop to below 0.5%.
- Local suppression focus: The primary concern post-validation is often about addresses that your ESP (Email Service Provider) will suppress locally after a history of 5xx rejections, rather than public blacklists.
- Industry benchmarks: Generally, a bounce rate below 2% is considered good, while rates between 2% and 5% warrant investigation. Rates above 5% are critical and signal underlying issues. Referencing industry analysis can provide context.
Key considerations
- ESP classification: Understand how your ESP classifies bounces and when they decide to suppress addresses, as this process can vary widely.
- Distinguish bounce types: It is crucial to know the difference between hard and soft bounces, as they require different handling.
- Continuous monitoring: Regularly monitor your bounce rates to identify any increases or trends that could indicate issues with your list quality or sending practices.
- Impact on deliverability: High bounce rates negatively affect your sender reputation and email deliverability. Learning how to minimize them is essential.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often find that the effectiveness of email validation directly correlates with their resulting bounce rates. They acknowledge that while validation tools are powerful, they aren't foolproof, meaning some level of delivery failure is always a possibility. The consensus among marketers is that specific benchmarks for bounce rates can be hard to apply universally, as they heavily depend on the initial quality of the email list and the continuous effort put into maintaining list hygiene. Instead, many prefer to focus on internal suppression metrics driven by 5xx rejections, rather than broad public blocklist data, when assessing post-validation performance.
Key opinions
- Validation effort impact: The percentage of bounces is often seen as a direct reflection of the thoroughness of your email validation efforts.
- Benchmark limitations: General bounce rate benchmarks might not be fully applicable, as the principle of 'garbage in, garbage out' heavily dictates outcomes.
- Population specific: The type of email population being sent to significantly influences expected bounce rates.
- Focus on suppression: Marketers often look at local recipient suppression based on 5xx rejections as a more relevant metric than public blocklist additions after validation.
Key considerations
- Clarify delivery issues: When discussing 'delivery issues,' it is important to specify whether the focus is on bounces or public blacklistings.
- ESP classification transparency: Many ESPs are not transparent about their internal bounce classification and suppression processes, which can make analysis challenging.
- Ongoing validation: Even with an initial validation, continuous email list hygiene is necessary to keep bounce rates low.
- Soft bounce tolerance: Having a reasonable soft bounce tolerance is important, as these are temporary failures that might resolve themselves.. Additionally, as a good rule of thumb, aiming for a bounce rate of 2% or less is typically recommended.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that the bounce percentage is directly correlated to the effort invested in email validation. If minimal validation is done, higher bounces are expected.
Marketer view
Marketer from Quora suggests that a 2% bounce rate is average, with anything above 10% indicating a problem with contact list quality and cleaning processes.
What the experts say
Deliverability experts acknowledge that even with the best email validation tools, a completely zero bounce rate is unrealistic. They provide more granular insights into expected bounce rates, particularly for initial sends to new email addresses. Experts emphasize that the variability in ESPs' (Email Service Providers') internal bounce classification and suppression processes is a significant factor to consider. Their collective advice points towards a proactive approach to list hygiene and a deep understanding of how specific bounce types impact sender reputation and overall deliverability.
Key opinions
- No 100% accuracy: Even with effective validation services, some invalid addresses will inevitably lead to bounces.
- Initial hard bounce rates: For the first mailings to new, validated addresses, an expert suggests an expected hard bounce rate of 1-3% due to addresses that simply do not exist.
- Post-first send reduction: After the initial email campaign, delivery failures are anticipated to drop below 0.5% for subsequent sends to the same list.
- ESP process variability: The way ESPs classify bounces and decide to suppress addresses is crucial, and their methods are often proprietary.
Key considerations
- Transparency issues: A lack of transparency from ESPs regarding their bounce classification processes can hinder effective troubleshooting and optimization.
- Root cause analysis: Focus on identifying and addressing the underlying reasons for bounces, whether they are invalid addresses or other deliverability challenges. Understanding what bounce rate percentage causes deliverability problems is key.
- Continuous list hygiene: Even after initial validation, regular list cleaning is vital to remove newly invalid or unengaged addresses.
- Domain reputation: High bounce rates, particularly hard bounces, can severely damage your domain reputation, as noted by experts in the field.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks states that while email validation services like Kickbox are effective, they cannot achieve 100% accuracy, meaning some invalid addresses will still cause bounces.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource.com points out that maintaining a low bounce rate is crucial for good sender reputation, as ISPs closely monitor this metric for signs of list quality.
What the documentation says
Official documentation and industry guides provide clear benchmarks for what constitutes an acceptable email bounce rate, emphasizing its importance for sender reputation. They universally advocate for proactive list management, including regular email validation and prompt removal of hard-bounced addresses. These sources differentiate between hard and soft bounces, detailing their distinct implications for deliverability and list hygiene. The overarching message is that while some bounces are inevitable, maintaining rates below a certain threshold is critical for successful email marketing and avoiding issues like being placed on a blocklist or blacklist.
Key findings
- Acceptable rate: A bounce rate of 2% or less is widely considered acceptable across various industries.
- Warning threshold: Bounce rates between 2% and 5% are generally seen as warning signs, indicating that investigation is needed.
- Critical level: Anything above 5% (and certainly above 10%) is considered critical and suggests significant problems with list quality or sending practices.
- Hard vs. soft: Documentation consistently differentiates between hard bounces (permanent failure) and soft bounces (temporary failure), with hard bounces requiring immediate removal.
Key considerations
- List cleaning: Implement regular list cleaning processes to remove invalid addresses detected after validation, even if they initially passed.
- Immediate removal: Hard-bounced addresses should be promptly suppressed from future mailings to protect your sender reputation.
- Continuous monitoring: Regularly track and analyze your bounce data to ensure it stays within healthy limits and to troubleshoot any spikes. Understanding how bounce rates are calculated is essential.
- Impact on deliverability: Documentation from major email service providers, like Mailchimp, stresses the importance of addressing bounce issues to avoid deliverability problems.
Technical article
Documentation from Umbrex suggests that a bounce rate under 2% is normal, while rates from 2% to 5% are warning signs, and anything over 5% is critical for email marketing performance.
Technical article
Documentation from Biscred defines a good email bounce rate as typically less than 2%, considering it a key indicator of campaign success and list hygiene.
Related resources
14 resources
Related pages
What is an acceptable email bounce rate, and how do hard and soft bounces differ?
How are email bounce rates calculated and what is considered a good bounce rate?
What bounce rate percentage causes deliverability problems?
What are the best practices for email verification and reducing bounces?
How do bounces impact email deliverability and how can I minimize them?
What is a reasonable soft bounce tolerance in email marketing?
Should I send emails to a list with a high hard bounce rate and how to prevent them?
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