Understanding email reputation can be similar to understanding your credit score. Just as your credit history determines your financial trustworthiness, your email trustworthiness is judged by your email reputation. Your email reputation is built over time based on how you use and handle emails. Good email habits lead to a strong reputation, while bad practices can hurt it.
In this guide, we'll explore how email reputation works, how it is related to IP reputation and domain reputation, what a sender score is, the factors that affect your email reputation, and how to monitor and audit it.
What is email reputation?
Email reputation measures the trustworthiness of an email sender based on IP and domain reputation. It reflects sender behavior, email quality, and engagement metrics, which are crucial for inbox deliverability and avoiding spam filters.
Importance of IP reputation
Your IP reputation is critical because it is the first thing that email service providers (ESPs) check when deciding whether to deliver your email to the inbox or the spam folder or block your email altogether. If your IP address has a history of sending spammy emails, your IP reputation will be low, and your emails might not reach their destination.
Importance of domain reputation
Similarly, domain reputation plays a significant role. A poor domain reputation can still affect your email deliverability even if you change your IP address. This is because ESPs look at the overall history of your domain to assess whether your emails are trustworthy.
These three elements are interconnected. High IP and domain reputations are essential for ensuring high email deliverability demonstrating a positive email sender reputation. Below is the outcome table based on different IP and domain reputation scenarios.
| IP reputation | Domain reputation | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| High IP reputation | High domain reputation | Excellent email deliverability, strong email sender reputation |
| High IP reputation | Low domain reputation | Moderate email deliverability, mixed email sender reputation |
| Low IP reputation | High domain reputation | Poor email deliverability, weak email sender reputation |
| Low IP reputation | Low domain reputation | Very poor email deliverability, very weak email sender reputation. |
How to check email reputation
If you're looking to determine your email reputation, there's a significant catch: you can't calculate it directly. Instead, you can gauge whether your email reputation is high or low by examining your sender score.
What is a sender score?
The sender score is a number that indicates how trustworthy your emails are and how likely they are to be delivered successfully. It ranges from 0 to 100. The higher your score, the better your reputation.
Here’s a simple way to understand it:
| Sender score range | Reputation | Email deliverability |
|---|---|---|
| 80-100 | Excellent | Emails are very likely to be delivered successfully. |
| 70-79 | Good | Emails are generally delivered, but there is some room for improvement. |
| 50-69 | Fair | Some emails might be filtered or marked as spam. |
| Below 50 | Poor | Many emails may end up in spam folders. |
Factors affecting email reputation
Various factors influence email reputation. Understanding these can help you maintain a high sender score and ensure your emails reach their intended recipients. Here are the key factors that affect email reputation:
1. Spam complaints rate
When recipients mark your email as spam, it negatively impacts your sender score. High complaint rates signal to email service providers (ESPs) that your emails are unwanted, damaging your reputation.
2. Bounce rate
A high bounce rate indicates the number of emails sent to invalid addresses. This can happen due to outdated email lists or incorrect email addresses. High bounce rates suggest poor list management practices, which can hurt your email reputation.
3. Email volume
Consistency in your email sending volume is crucial. Sudden spikes in email volume can be suspicious to ESPs and may signal that your account is compromised. That's why brands warm up their domains to gradually increase their email volume over time, establishing a trustworthy sending pattern.
4. Engagement rates
High engagement rates, such as open and click-through rates, indicate that recipients find your emails valuable. ESPs use engagement metrics to determine if your emails should be delivered to the inbox or the spam folder.
5. Blacklist status
Being listed on email blacklists can drastically reduce your email reputation. Regularly monitor blacklists and take immediate action if you find your IP or domain listed.
6. Sending reputation
This includes the overall history of your email sending practices, such as frequency, consistency, and compliance with best practices.
7. Spam trap hits
Spam traps are email addresses created to identify spammers. Hitting a spam trap indicates poor list hygiene and can damage your sender score. To avoid spam traps, regularly clean your email list.
8. Authentication
Implementing email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps verify that your emails are legitimate. Proper authentication can enhance your sender score and increase email deliverability.
9. Content quality
The content of your emails plays a significant role in your reputation. Avoid using spammy language, excessive images, and misleading subject lines. High-quality, relevant content can improve your engagement rates and, consequently, your email reputation.
By monitoring these factors, you can improve your email reputation and ensure your messages reach your audience effectively.
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Monitoring your email reputation
Keeping an eye on your email reputation is like maintaining your car – regular check-ups can prevent bigger problems. Here are some tools that will help you to do it effectively.
Google Postmaster
One of the best tools for monitoring your email reputation is Google Postmaster. Google offers this free tool to help you assess your domain and IP reputation and other key metrics like sender score, spam rate, and encrypted traffic.
Google Postmaster provides an IP reputation lookup for your domain, which is particularly beneficial for Gmail users. It offers detailed insights and reports to help you enhance your domain's reputation, making it invaluable if your audience primarily uses Gmail.
For beginners, navigating Google Postmaster might seem complex. But don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with a comprehensive guide. Learn more about it by reading the guide below.
Mailtrap
Mailtrap is a handy tool for testing emails before sending them live. It captures email traffic from your staging and development setups. With Mailtrap, you can automate testing processes using its flexible API. It checks your email content for spam, verifies HTML and CSS, and lets you share test emails with your team easily.
MyEmailVerifier
MyEmailVerifier is a tool that verifies email addresses to ensure they are accurate and deliverable for your marketing efforts. It checks email syntax and domains in real time and can handle bulk verifications. Integrated with APIs, it seamlessly fits into your applications, boosting email deliverability and campaign effectiveness. Detailed reports help you make informed decisions, making maintaining a clean and effective email list easier.
Talos Intelligence
Talos Intelligence, a robust IP and domain reputation tool by Cisco, is one of the most comprehensive resources for monitoring your email reputation, sender score, domain reputation, and IP reputation. By entering your IP, domain, or network owner details, this tool provides real-time threat data and generates a detailed report on your domain's performance using its extensive database.
Email reputation audit checklist
Here’s a checklist to help you audit and improve your email reputation.
1. Avoid purchased lists
Using purchased email lists is like sending invitations to strangers for a party—they're likely to ignore you or mark your invitation as spam. Hence do not prefer buying the email list. It is good to build your list organically through genuine sign-ups.
2. Clean your email list
Keep your email list clean. Remove inactive and unengaged subscribers regularly. It’s like decluttering your home—get rid of what’s no longer needed to maintain a healthy environment. In email marketing language, it is known as a sunset policy that helps you determine when to stop emailing inactive subscribers.
3. Use domain warmup
Warming up your domain is like gradually increasing your workout intensity. Start sending emails slowly to build your reputation with ISPs. Over time, you can increase your sending volume without raising red flags.
4. Immediate action on unsubscribe requests
Respect unsubscribes. Ignoring them is like neglecting customer feedback—it harms your reputation. Address issues to show you value your audience’s preferences.
5. Avoid misleading subject lines
Avoid misleading subject lines. They’re like false advertising—they disappoint and frustrate recipients. Be clear and honest to build trust with your audience.
6. Follow sender guidelines by Google and Yahoo
Adhere to the sender guidelines set by major email providers like Google and Yahoo. Following these guidelines is like obeying traffic rules—it keeps your emails on the right track and avoids penalties. Learn more about these email guidelines by reading the guide below.
You can also watch the expert discussion below to learn all about the new email sender guidelines for Google and Yahoo.
Improve email reputation with Mailmodo
Maintaining good email deliverability can be challenging, but it's achievable with the right approach.
When SBNRI, a fintech company, started sending emails from a new domain, they experienced lower deliverability, which led to a lower open rate and a drop in domain reputation.
After consulting with Mailmodo’s deliverability experts, the team identified poor list hygiene and high spam complaints. Here’s how we helped them:
Segmented active contacts from their email list
Sent daily warmup emails, managing the frequency and volume
Suppressed invalid and bounced emails
Our team also assisted with setting up email authentication and measuring campaign performance.
Read the full case study here!
With Mailmodo, you’ll have expert guidance at every step to improve your email reputation and ensure your emails land in your recipient's inbox. Don’t wait to boost your campaign’s performance!
Escape the spam folder with managed deliverability
Conclusion
Improving your email reputation involves adhering to guidelines and nurturing trust and engagement with your audience. It is essential to monitor your domain and IP reputation regularly. Understanding the factors influencing email reputation and using an audit checklist helps maintain a positive sender reputation.
High deliverability means a strong email sender reputation that indicates adherence to best practices. This results in enhanced email performance, increased revenue, and greater lead generation.
