How can I salvage my email domain and IP reputation after IT deleted the subdomain and caused high spam rates?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Litmus suggests auditing your current email practices. Check authentication setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and review your email content for spam triggers. Implement list hygiene practices to remove inactive subscribers, and monitor your IP and domain reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests posting in reddit to get help and says that it is vital to stop sending emails immediately to prevent further damage. Focus on setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records correctly. Contact the email service provider to understand the impact of the subdomain deletion and ask for their remediation recommendations.
Email marketer from Mailjet advises immediately stopping all email sends upon discovering the subdomain deletion. They suggest focusing on re-establishing proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), contacting ISPs, cleaning email lists to remove bad addresses, creating valuable content, and gradually warming up your IP address while continuously monitoring deliverability rates.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they found a Gmail mitigation form on their help center and it worked, but it was done in parallel with other recovery efforts.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign explains the importance of segmentation, cleaning your lists and removing unengaged subscribers, creating valuable content and making sure the content matches the recipients expectations. Warm up your IP address and monitor results via feedback loops.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests pausing Gmail sending and reaching out to Gmail via the sender contact form as a solid plan for recovery.
Email marketer from Email on Acid recommends immediately stopping all email sends to prevent further damage to your sender reputation. Review your email lists and remove inactive subscribers to improve engagement metrics. Start warming up your IP address gradually by sending to your most engaged subscribers first.
Email marketer from Twilio SendGrid explains that you must identify and rectify the technical issues that led to the subdomain deletion and subsequent deliverability problems. It also recommends reviewing email content for spam triggers, suppress unengaged recipients, and focus on providing value to rebuild trust with mailbox providers.
Email marketer from StackOverflow says that to start by identifying all the areas you can improve. Implement a double opt-in process for new subscribers, segment your email list based on engagement, and clean out inactive users. Also, use a dedicated IP address to have more control over sender reputation.
Email marketer from DigitalMarketer recommends ensuring you have explicit consent from subscribers and that your emails provide value. Use segmentation to send relevant content to different audience groups and monitor your sending reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, emphasizes the importance of diagnosing the reasons behind the bad reputation. She explains to ensure your authentication is configured correctly, mailing lists are clean and consent-based, content is engaging, and spam traps are avoided. Then you must reach out to the ISPs to get whitelisted after fixing the problems.
Expert from Email Geeks explains there is hope to salvage the domain and IP but the client needs to fix all the issues, set up the email program properly, and then plead their case using the Google form. It is important to stop sending emails for a while to allow the bad reputation to fall off. During this pause, the client needs to ensure everything is perfect and then follow a conservative warmup program.
Expert from Spam Resource, John Levine, explains that rebuilding sender reputation involves understanding the cause of the reputation damage, implementing technical fixes like proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), improving list hygiene to reduce spam complaints, and consistently delivering valuable content. He also highlights that you must be patient in rebuilding it.
Expert from Email Geeks advises a total domain rewarm up. This includes fixing all IT and content issues, sending very few emails initially, and gradually increasing the volume over time.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft Learn advises checking IP and domain reputation with Microsoft SNDS (Smart Network Data Services) and JMRP (Junk Mail Reporting Program). It emphasizes cleaning up mailing lists, avoiding spam triggers in content, and ensuring proper unsubscribe mechanisms are in place to reduce spam complaints.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that to fix email delivery issues, admins should review Google's bulk sender guidelines, ensure proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), monitor sender reputation via Postmaster Tools, and address any spam complaints promptly.
Documentation from MessageBird (formerly SparkPost) advises using a dedicated IP to manage and improve sender reputation, setting up feedback loops to track spam complaints, and validating email addresses to reduce bounces. Regularly monitor your IP and domain reputation using available tools.
Documentation from Validity Support, recommends segmenting email lists to identify and remove inactive subscribers, implement feedback loops to monitor spam complaints, and use a warm-up strategy to gradually increase sending volume, while closely monitoring deliverability metrics.