Does the sender-id header impact email deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit user shares that they haven't seen Sender ID impact deliverability in years. They focus solely on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and monitor their sender reputation through Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests checking that domains appearing in emails aren't listed somewhere, like Spamhaus DBL or invaluement.
Email marketer from StackOverflow user says they focus on the 'from' header alongside DKIM and SPF. The sender header is mostly ignored and does not impact deliverability
Email marketer from GlockApps mentions that their testing tools don't include checking Sender ID because it is obsolete. They primarily focus on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC when providing feedback on deliverability
Email marketer from Mailjet discusses that while Sender ID is an older authentication method, focusing on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for ensuring emails reach the inbox. Sender ID is rarely checked by modern email providers.
Email marketer from Email On Acid explains that email authentication protocols are primarily SPF, DKIM and DMARC, with no mention of Sender ID because it doesn't have an impact on email deliverability anymore.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that Sender ID is outdated and not a significant factor for modern email deliverability. The key authentication methods to implement are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, as well as ensuring a good sender reputation.
Email marketer from EmailAnalytics Blog shares that while Sender-ID was once relevant, modern email deliverability is primarily determined by factors like sender reputation (based on IP address and domain), SPF, DKIM, DMARC authentication, engagement metrics (opens, clicks, replies), and spam complaints.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks confirms that SenderID is deprecated.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that it can take a long time to repair reputation, citing examples of a client spending 3 months in restricted sending and another ESP person taking almost 6 months to see improvement with Microsoft.
Expert from SpamResource explains that Sender ID is an older, less reliable method, and focusing on modern authentication like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC has more impact on deliverability.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if you're an ESP, figure out which subset of customers are spamming and get rid of them, as the underlying problem might be spammers causing Microsoft to filter all your IPs.
Expert from Email Geeks notes that Microsoft is more likely to use IP reputation and 'smear' reputation around customer edges than others, also suggesting to look at delivery at other places (like Gmail) and see who has really low open rates as this a sign that mail is going to bulk at google.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that Sender ID is mostly obsolete. While SPF is important, it should be considered as a best practice to follow, but not a strict necessity for all senders.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests to look at content types and customers with zero complaints, also suggesting reaching out to MS support to explain changes and ask for an IP reputation reset.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft Learn explains that Sender ID is an older email authentication method that has largely been superseded by SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. While some older systems might still check for it, it's not a primary factor in deliverability for modern email systems.
Documentation from DMARC.org clarifies that Sender ID was Microsoft's attempt to create an email authentication standard, but it largely failed to gain widespread adoption compared to SPF. SPF and DMARC are the preferred methods for authentication and deliverability.
Documentation from SparkPost shares that Sender ID has been effectively replaced by SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They recommend prioritizing these modern authentication methods for optimal deliverability.
Documentation from RFC Editor provides a detailed specification of the Sender ID authentication method. However, its limited adoption means it has minimal impact on current email deliverability.