7 Ways to Check and Improve Your Email Reputation

Are your emails landing in spam folders instead of inboxes? Frustrating, right? Your email reputation might be the reason. A solid reputation with mailbox providers like Google and Microsoft is the key to reliable inbox placement, but it’s not as mysterious as it sounds.

In this blog post, you'll find ways for checking your sender reputation, spotting any issues with your IP address, and improving deliverability. Know how you can increase your reputation and be out of spam. So, let’s get your emails where they belong—in front of your readers!

What is Email Reputation?

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Email reputation is how mailbox providers, like Google and Microsoft, view your emails. Think of it as your “credit score” for email. It’s a score that shows how trustworthy your email account is to providers.

If your email reputation is high, your messages are more likely to go to subscribers' inboxes rather than spam folders.

But if it’s low, your emails may end up ignored or even blocked. Email reputation depends on several things: how many people mark your emails as spam, your IP reputation score, address reputation, and your sender reputation score.

Your domain reputation score is a critical metric that shows how much email providers trust emails from your domain.

Why is Email Sender Reputation Important?

• Your email sender reputation is vital because it directly affects how mailbox providers handle your emails.
• If you have a high sender reputation, your emails are more likely to avoid spam filters and get delivered to inboxes.
• A low sender reputation, however, means providers may block your emails entirely.
• Maintaining a strong sender reputation helps you communicate reliably with your audience, keeps complaints low, and makes sure your emails are trusted and visible to recipients.

How to Check Your Sender Reputation Score

1. Use Email Reputation Tools

There are tools specifically designed to check your email reputation score. Tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score can give you a clear picture of how mailbox providers view your emails.

• Google Postmaster Tools: This tool is free and gives detailed information on your domain reputation, IP address reputation, and email deliverability. It shows how many of your emails reach inboxes and how often they go to spam folders.
• Sender Score: This tool calculates your sender reputation score by analyzing how mailbox providers see your email-sending behavior.
• It rates your reputation on a scale of 0 to 100. A score above 80 is considered a good sender reputation. The better your reputation score, the higher your chances of avoiding spam filters.

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2. Check Blacklist Databases Regularly

Your IP address or domain might be blacklisted if you’re unknowingly sending emails that trigger spam filters.

Blacklist databases keep records of IP addresses or domains known for sending spammy emails. Regularly checking these databases can help you fix issues before they affect your email reputation.

• Use sites like Barracuda Reputation System, Spamhaus, or MXToolbox to see if your IP address or domain is on any blacklists. If it is, these services can also give you steps to resolve the problem.
• When your email account or IP address appears on a blacklist, mailbox providers and internet service providers (ISPs) may automatically block your emails.
• This can damage your email deliverability and reduce inbox placement. By staying off blacklists, you protect your sending reputation and maintain trust with major providers and subscribers.

3. Monitor Bounce Rates and Spam Complaints

Bounce rates and spam complaints can seriously harm your email reputation. Here’s why each of these matters and how you can track them:

A “bounce” happens when your email can’t be delivered to an address. There are two kinds of bounces: "soft bounces," which are temporary problems like a full inbox, and "hard bounces," which occur when an email address is invalid or no longer exists.

High bounce rates may signal to mailbox providers that you’re sending emails to incorrect addresses, which can lower your reputation score.

How to Monitor:

• Most email service providers, like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, have tracking tools.
• They show you your bounce rate, helping you find and remove invalid email addresses from your list.

Spam complaints or spam reports are when recipients mark your email as spam. Each spam complaint damages your sender score and can send future emails straight to spam folders.

How to Track:

• Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools or Sender Score to see if recipients are marking your emails as spam.
• If you notice high spam complaints, try improving the content of your emails to make them more engaging and relevant to your audience.

Accidentally sending spam emails, even if unintentional, can impact your reputation for a long time.

4. Verify Email Authentication

Email authentication is like showing proof that you are a real sender. It’s a way for mailbox providers and internet service providers to confirm that emails from your domain are legitimate and not spammy behavior.

There are three main types of email authentication:

SPF (Sender Policy Framework): SPF checks if the email is sent from an IP address that’s authorized to send mail for your domain. Think of it as a list of approved senders for your own domain name system.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): DKIM is a digital signature that’s added to your emails. It helps mailbox providers verify that the email is genuinely from you and hasn’t been altered.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): DMARC tells mailbox providers what to do if SPF and DKIM checks fail. It also provides data reports so you can monitor any suspicious email activity using your domain.

How to Set Up Authentication:

• Most email providers offer instructions to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
• You can also use tools like Barracuda Reputation System and Google Postmaster Tools to see if your email authentication is working correctly.
• Proper authentication improves your sender reputation score and reduces the chance of your emails going to spam.

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5. Evaluate Engagement Metrics

Engagement metrics show how much your recipients engage and interact with your emails. When subscribers open your emails, click links, or forward them, it signals mailbox providers that your emails are valuable and trustworthy.

• Track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates. High engagement can improve your sender score and inbox placement. However, if you see high spam complaints, it may mean your emails are irrelevant to some subscribers.
• Create email content that subscribers find helpful and interesting. Use catchy subject lines, add personalized touches, and keep your messages short. When people engage with your emails, your sender reputation gets stronger.

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6. Use a Dedicated IP for High-Volume Emails

If you send a high volume of emails, a dedicated IP address is helpful. A dedicated IP is used only by your email account, while a shared IP is used by multiple accounts.

• With a dedicated IP, you control your IP reputation and avoid being affected by others’ actions. If another account on a shared IP sends spammy emails, it could hurt your reputation score too.
• Ask your email service provider about switching to a dedicated IP address. It’s ideal if you send marketing emails often or need a high sender reputation.
• Having a dedicated IP for sending domain emails keeps your reputation secure and makes it easier to manage your email performance.

7. Review User Feedback Loops (FBLs)

Feedback loops (FBLs) let you see when people mark your emails as spam. Major providers, like Google and Microsoft, offer FBLs to show how your audience feels about your email messages.

• If FBL reports show a lot of spam complaints, consider making changes. Adjust your email content, review your email list, or send messages less frequently if needed. Feedback helps you understand why people mark emails as spam.
• Contact your email service provider to enable FBLs. When you check these reports regularly, you can identify issues early and protect your email sender reputation.

How to Improve Your Email Sender Reputation

1. Optimize Your Email List Hygiene

Keeping a clean email list is essential for a good sender reputation. Email list hygiene means managing your contacts and making sure you’re only sending emails to people who want to hear from you.

Here’s how to do it:

• Remove Inactive Contacts: Regularly remove addresses that haven’t opened or engaged with your emails for a long time. This reduces spam complaints and helps with inbox placement.
• Check for Spam Traps and Bounces: Spam traps are fake addresses used by mailbox providers to catch spammers. Sending emails to these addresses can harm your reputation score.
• Also, watch for “bounces” when an email can’t be delivered. If an address bounces, remove it to keep your email deliverability high.

Using a reliable email service provider makes it easy to manage your list hygiene. Good list hygiene keeps your email reputation strong by ensuring that you’re only reaching active and interested recipients.

2. Segment Your Audience for Relevance

Not all subscribers of email program are interested in the same content. By segmenting your audience, you can send relevant messages that are more likely to be opened and engaged with. This improves your sender reputation by reducing spam complaints and increasing positive interactions.

• Segmentation means dividing your email list into smaller groups based on interests, behavior, or demographics. For example, you can separate customers who love product updates from those who prefer promotional offers.
• How to Segment: Use data points like age, location, past purchases, or email engagement to create targeted groups. Many email service providers offer segmentation tools to make this easy.

Segmenting your audience helps ensure that your emails are relevant and interesting to each group. When recipients find your emails useful, they’re more likely to open them, which boosts your sender reputation score.

3. Warm Up New IP Addresses

When you start sending emails from a new IP address, it’s important to “warm it up.” Warming up means gradually increasing the number of emails you send over time.

This shows mailbox providers, and email servers like Google and Microsoft, that you’re a trustworthy sender and not a spammer.

Sending too many emails at once from a new IP address can trigger spam filters. By warming up the other IP addresses first, you build trust with internet service providers and improve your sender score.

How to Warm Up:

• Start with a small group of recipients, like 100 to 500 emails per day, and gradually increase the number over several weeks.
• Send to your most engaged subscribers first, as they’re more likely to open and click on your emails. This helps build a positive sender reputation right from the start.

4. Personalize Your Email Content

Personalizing emails can have a big impact on your sender reputation. When emails feel relevant and tailored to the recipient, they’re more likely to engage positively.

Personalization can go beyond simply using a name; it involves tailoring content to match each recipient’s interests and behaviors.

How to do it:

• Use Recipient Data: Start by segmenting your audience based on interests, purchase history, or engagement level. This lets you send more targeted content that resonates with each group.
• Dynamic Content: Include dynamic fields like recent product views, past purchases, or location-specific offers. Many email service providers offer tools to help with this.
• Tailored Subject Lines: Craft subject lines that are relevant to the recipient. Personalized subject lines often see higher open rates, which signals to mailbox providers that your emails are valued.

5. Reduce Frequency of Unsubscribes and Complaints

High unsubscribe and spam complaint rates can hurt your email reputation. Mailbox providers track these actions and may lower your sender score if they see that recipients are often unsubscribing or marking your emails as spam.

Make sure your emails are relevant and useful to your subscribers. Only send emails to people who have opted in and want to hear from you.

Additionally, consider segmenting your email list. For example, you might send updates to free account to some subscribers and promotions to others. This ensures that each group receives emails they care about.

How to Monitor Complaints:

• Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools to track spam complaints. Most email service providers also offer analytics to monitor unsubscribe rates and spam complaints.
• If you notice a rise, look at recent emails and see if they differ from what your audience expects.

Reducing unsubscribes and complaints shows mailbox providers that your emails are valued by your recipients, which improves your email deliverability and helps keep your reputation strong.

6. Implement a Consistent Sending Schedule

Sending emails on a regular schedule helps build a strong sender reputation. Internet service providers and mailbox providers view consistent sending as a sign of a trustworthy sender.

Sending a large number of emails all at once, especially from a new IP address, can trigger spam filters. A steady, reliable sending volume over time shows providers that you’re not sending spammy behavior emails.

How to Set a Schedule:

• Decide how often you want to email your subscribers. Many companies find that weekly or bi-weekly emails work well.
• Avoid sending too many emails all at once, as high sending volume can harm your reputation. If you need to send more emails, increase the volume gradually.

Having a consistent schedule and authenticated emails can make a big difference in your sender reputation.

7. Monitor and Improve Engagement Rates

Improving engagement rates involves keeping track of how many recipients and subscribers interact with your emails. Low engagement—like few opens or clicks—can lead to a poor sender reputation.

Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools or your email service provider’s analytics to track key metrics, such as open rate, click-through rate, and how many spam complaints are. These data points provide a clear picture of how your emails are performing.

How to Improve:

• Send relevant content that interests your audience. You can do this by segmenting your list and sending specific topics to each group.
• Also, pay attention to your sending volume. Avoid sending too many emails, which can overwhelm recipients and lead to unsubscribes or spam complaints.

Increasing engagement helps to improve email deliverability and maintain a good email reputation with major providers.

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How Alore Enhances Email Reputation with Mailbox Providers

For maintaining a strong email reputation, tools like Alore make a noticeable difference. Alore offers robust features specifically designed to improve email sender reputation by facilitating effective email warm-ups, domain health monitoring, and detailed performance tracking.

Here’s how Alore supports reputation-building with mailbox providers and ensures your emails reach the inbox instead of spam:

1. Automated Email Warm-Up

Alore provides an automated email warm-up process. This means it sends emails gradually, helping your domain reputation grow without overwhelming mail server and mailbox providers. A steady start builds trust with email server providers, so your emails are more likely to reach inboxes.

2. Domain Health & Security Checks

Alore regularly checks the health and security of your email domain. By monitoring for any potential security risks, Alore protects your email ip and domain reputation. This adds an extra layer of trust with major providers like Google and Microsoft.

3. Engagement Metrics & Insights

To maintain a good sender reputation, it’s important to track engagement metrics. Alore gives you insights into how often people open, read, and click your emails. Monitoring these data points helps you see what works and improve your email deliverability.

4. Mailbox Integration for Smooth Campaigns

Alore integrates smoothly with various mailbox providers. This integration means your email campaigns can run without disruptions by mailbox provider, ensuring that your emails have a higher chance of reaching subscribers’ inboxes.

5. Customizable Email Signatures for Consistent Branding

Branding matters in email reputation too. Alore allows you to customize email signatures, so all outgoing emails look professional and on-brand. Consistent branding helps build a strong sender reputation and shows mailbox providers that your emails are legitimate.

With Alore’s support in these areas, you’re on the path to a strong email reputation and better inbox placement for your emails.

Conclusion

Keeping a strong email reputation is essential. When mailbox providers trust your sender reputation, your emails reach inboxes more reliably, helping you avoid the spam folder and grow email deliverability.

Focus on managing spam complaints, maintaining a clean list, and authenticating your domain. Monitor data points like spam scores and sender score regularly to protect your sender reputation score.

Following industry best practices, like using a dedicated IP address and tracking engagement, strengthens your reputation over time. With these steps, you can build a good sender reputation, ensuring more of your emails land in subscribers' inboxes where they belong.

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