The sender's reputation plays a fundamental role in the success of your email deliverability. It is the assessment of the level of trust that email service providers place in your identity as a sender. To establish this reputation, email services use sophisticated algorithms that analyze various positive and negative signals. The sender's reputation determines whether your emails will be delivered to the recipient's inbox, considered as spam, or simply blocked.
Your sending IP address, which is assigned to your email sending server, plays a crucial role in the assessment of your reputation. The main indicators taken into account are:
Presence on blacklists: Certain organizations maintain blacklists that record IP addresses associated with spam or suspicious activities. If your IP address appears on one of these lists, it will have a negative impact on your reputation.
Email services review your deliverability history to assess the quality of your past sends, such as bounce rates, complaints, and recipient behavior.
In addition to the IP address, the reputation of your domain name, used in the sender's address, is also evaluated. Reputation indicators for the domain name include:
Email services verify whether your domain name is correctly configured with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. These records help prove the authenticity of your emails and prevent identity spoofing.
Email services examine the history of your domain name to detect frequent ownership changes or suspicious practices associated with it.
The fingerprint of your emails refers to technical characteristics such as the structure of the HTML code, links, and headers. The criteria influencing your email fingerprint reputation include:
Email services assess the open rate, click-through rate, and level of interaction with your emails to determine their relevance and level of engagement for recipients.
Complaints flagging your emails as spam or unwanted will negatively impact your sender reputation. A high complaint rate indicates a lack of interest or consent on the part of recipients.
Email services analyze the characteristics of your emails to detect signs of spam, such as suspicious keywords or deceptive links.
Your sender’s compliance with authentication standards, such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, is also essential. These authentication protocols help prove the authenticity of your emails and prevent identity spoofing. The absence or incorrect configuration of these records can damage your reputation.
The quality of your subscriber list plays a critical role in maintaining a good sender reputation. Below are some important points to consider:
Ensure that your list contains only individuals who have explicitly consented to receive your emails. Avoid purchasing or renting lists, as this can damage your reputation. Prioritize safe practices such as collecting contacts via a form on your website and implementing a double opt-in system.
Invalid or inactive email addresses result in hard bounces, which can have a negative impact on your reputation.
Spam traps, also called spam traps, are email addresses used specifically to detect senders who do not comply with best practices. Sending emails to these addresses leads to a decrease in your sender reputation.
Behavioral indicators measure how recipients interact with your emails. These interactions can have a positive or negative impact on your sender reputation and email deliverability. Here are the main indicators:
Measures the number of recipients who opened your email. A good open rate indicates that your recipients find your content relevant.
Measures the number of recipients who clicked on a link in your email. A high click-through rate indicates strong engagement.
Some email service providers allow users to classify or tag your emails. Positive classifications or tags can positively influence your reputation.
When a recipient forwards your email to other people, this can increase your reputation and your reach.
Measures the number of recipients who reply to your email. A positive interaction indicates a high level of engagement and an interactive relationship with your recipients.
This is the number of recipients who unsubscribe from your mailing list. An easy and transparent unsubscription process is important to maintain a good reputation.
This is the number of recipients who delete your email without opening it. A high deletion rate may indicate that your emails are not perceived as relevant.
Sender reputation is a key factor in ensuring that your emails reach your recipients’ inboxes. By following best practices and maintaining good hygiene of your lists, you can improve your sender reputation and ensure successful deliverability of your email campaigns.
