Summary
Email deliverability issues with Amazon SES can arise from numerous factors relating to authentication, reputation, content, list management, sending practices, and technical configurations. Authentication problems with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC can lead to emails being flagged as spam. Poor IP reputation, due to shared IPs, lack of IP warming, or sudden volume increases, negatively impacts deliverability. Problematic content, such as spam trigger words or links to websites with poor reputations, also contributes to deliverability issues. Furthermore, sending to invalid addresses, unengaged subscribers, or failing to honor unsubscribe requests harms sender reputation. Technical configurations, such as missing or misconfigured rDNS records, and exceeding sending limits, can also cause problems. Amazon SES's global suppression list can block emails to addresses that have previously bounced or complained. Finally, temporary issues, such as problems with the receiving server, may also be responsible.
Key findings
- Authentication: Incorrect or missing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records can cause emails to be marked as spam.
- IP Reputation: Poor IP reputation from shared IPs, lack of warming, or sudden volume spikes harms deliverability.
- Content: Spam trigger words and links to low-reputation sites can lead to spam flagging.
- List Management: Sending to invalid addresses, unengaged subscribers, and failing to honor unsubscribes damages sender reputation.
- Technical Configurations: Missing or misconfigured rDNS records and exceeding sending limits can cause delivery failures.
- Suppression List: Amazon SES's global suppression list blocks emails to addresses with prior bounces or complaints.
- Temporary Issues: Problems with the receiving server can temporarily block email delivery.
Key considerations
- Authentication Setup: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your sending domain.
- IP Warming: Gradually warm up your IP address when starting with a new provider or increasing volume.
- Content Review: Avoid spam trigger words and check the reputation of linked websites.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove invalid or unengaged addresses.
- Unsubscribe Handling: Ensure timely processing of unsubscribe requests.
- Technical Configuration: Configure rDNS records correctly and stay within sending limits.
- Suppression Management: Monitor and manage bounces and complaints, and be aware of the Amazon SES suppression list.
- Monitoring: Regularly monitor sender reputation, bounce rates, and complaint rates to proactively identify and address issues.
- Troubleshooting: Be prepared to troubleshoot temporary technical issues on the recipient's side.
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
Several factors can contribute to email deliverability issues when using Amazon SES. These include authentication problems (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), poor IP reputation (due to shared IPs or lack of IP warming), spam trigger words in email content, URLs to websites with bad reputations, sending to unengaged subscribers, abrupt increases in sending volume, exceeding sending limits, not honoring unsubscribe requests, and failing to set up feedback loops. Checking reputation, bounce rates, complaint rates, and suppressions are also essential.
Key opinions
- Authentication: Incorrect or missing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records can lead to emails being flagged as spam.
- IP Reputation: A poor IP reputation, whether due to shared IPs or inadequate IP warming, can negatively impact deliverability.
- Content: Using spam trigger words or including URLs to websites with poor reputations can cause emails to be marked as spam.
- List Health: Sending emails to unengaged subscribers can harm sender reputation and deliverability.
- Sending Volume: Abruptly increasing sending volume or exceeding sending limits can trigger spam filters.
- Unsubscribes: Not honoring unsubscribe requests promptly can lead to spam complaints.
- Feedback Loops: Lack of feedback loops prevents you from receiving information about spam complaints.
Key considerations
- Authentication Setup: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are properly configured for your sending domain.
- IP Warm-up: Gradually warm up your IP address when starting with a new provider or increasing sending volume.
- Content Review: Avoid spam trigger words and check the reputation of URLs included in your emails.
- List Segmentation: Segment your email list and focus on sending to engaged subscribers.
- Sending Limits: Monitor your sending limits and adjust volume accordingly.
- Unsubscribe Handling: Ensure your system processes unsubscribe requests immediately.
- Feedback Loops: Set up feedback loops with major ISPs to receive spam complaint data.
- Monitor Reputation: Regularly monitor your sender reputation, bounce rates, and complaint rates in Amazon SES.
- Suppression List: Be aware of the Amazon SES suppression list and remove suppressed addresses from your sending list.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Gmass explains that exceeding the sending limits imposed by Amazon SES can lead to deliverability problems. Monitor your sending limits and adjust your sending volume accordingly.
19 Nov 2021 - Gmass
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks asks about the custom return-path and DKIM signing and if the SES reputation dashboard is showing any issues with bounces and complaints.
2 Feb 2025 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Email delivery issues with Amazon SES can stem from several factors. Amazon SES maintains a global suppression list of email addresses that have previously bounced or complained; if an address is on this list, delivery will fail regardless of sender reputation. Additionally, a sudden spike in email volume from a new SES account can trigger spam filters and harm deliverability, making IP warming crucial. Finally, temporary issues like the recipient server's technical difficulties or DNS problems can also prevent email delivery.
Key opinions
- Suppression List: Amazon SES's global suppression list blocks emails to addresses that previously bounced or complained.
- Volume Spike: A sudden increase in email volume from a new SES account can trigger spam filters.
- Temporary Issues: Recipient server technical difficulties or DNS problems can prevent email delivery.
Key considerations
- Suppression Management: Regularly check and manage your recipient lists against suppression lists to avoid sending to problematic addresses.
- IP Warming: Gradually increase email volume when starting with a new SES account to establish a positive sending reputation.
- Troubleshooting: Be aware that temporary issues on the recipient's end can impact delivery, and troubleshooting may require patience and communication with the recipient.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that temporary issues can arise due to the receiving server experiencing technical difficulties. A DNS issue at the recipients end can affect if they get the email, or a technical issue between hops along the way can occur.
1 Sep 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that Amazon SES has a global suppression list which includes email addresses that have previously bounced or complained. If a recipient is on this list, your emails will not be delivered, regardless of your sender reputation. This can occur because of a previous sender marking the email as spam.
23 Oct 2021 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Email deliverability issues with Amazon SES can stem from sending emails to invalid addresses, resulting in bounces. High bounce and complaint rates negatively impact sender reputation. A missing or misconfigured reverse DNS (rDNS) record can also cause deliverability problems, as some email providers use rDNS to verify sending server legitimacy.
Key findings
- Invalid Addresses: Sending to invalid email addresses leads to bounces and damages sender reputation.
- Bounce Rate: High bounce rates negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability.
- Complaint Rate: High complaint rates severely damage sender reputation and result in deliverability problems.
- Reverse DNS: Missing or misconfigured reverse DNS (rDNS) records can cause deliverability issues.
Key considerations
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove invalid addresses.
- Bounce Handling: Promptly remove hard bounces from your sending list.
- Content Relevance: Send relevant content and provide easy unsubscribe options to minimize complaints.
- Reverse DNS Setup: Configure a reverse DNS (rDNS) record for your sending IP address and ensure it matches your domain name.
Technical article
Documentation from Amazon Web Services explains that high bounce rates can negatively impact your sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues. Hard bounces, in particular, should be addressed promptly by removing the invalid email addresses from your sending list. Amazon SES provides mechanisms for automatically handling bounces, such as using Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) to receive bounce notifications.
23 Oct 2022 - Amazon Web Services
Technical article
Documentation from DigitalOcean explains that not having a reverse DNS (rDNS) record set up for your sending IP address can cause deliverability issues. Some email providers use rDNS to verify the legitimacy of the sending server. The reverse DNS must also match the domain name used in your email.
4 Jun 2022 - DigitalOcean
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