How do I deal with a SORBS listing affecting email deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from NeilPatel.com shares that regularly monitoring your IP reputation using tools like Sender Score or Talos is crucial to identify SORBS listings early. Addressing issues promptly can prevent severe deliverability problems.
Marketer from Email Geeks mentions that SORBS listing can impact deliverability at Proofpoint hosted domains and offers to provide more details about the delisting process.
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that practicing good list hygiene is vital for avoiding SORBS listings. Regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses reduces the risk of spam complaints and improves sender reputation.
Email marketer from GlockApps recommends using inbox placement monitoring tools to actively track where your emails land (inbox, spam, or missing). This helps identify deliverability issues, including those potentially related to SORBS listings, before they significantly impact your campaigns.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that improving deliverability involves implementing email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify the sender's identity. This can help prevent listings on SORBS and improve inbox placement.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum responds that checking the IP address and domain against multiple blacklists is a good first step. Tools exist to do this quickly and identify if SORBS or other lists are causing issues. This enables quicker identification of any listing issues.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that performing email testing can help identify potential issues before sending. Testing tools can flag potential problems that may cause spam filters to trigger and result in being listed on SORBS, as well as test deliverability.
Email marketer from StackExchange shares that ensuring your server has a valid PTR (Reverse DNS) record that matches your sending domain can help avoid SORBS listings. A mismatched or missing PTR record is a common red flag for spam filters.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that using shared IPs can increase the risk of SORBS listing if other users on the same IP engage in spammy behavior. Consider switching to a dedicated IP address for more control over your sending reputation.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that SORBS is an older blocklist that primarily targeted dynamic IP addresses. John Levine suggests checking where the block is occurring, as SORBS may not be the cause of your specific delivery issues if major providers are involved. He also notes SORBS has been broken for many years.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that if your mail is being blocked based on IP reputation, it is due to sending mail like spammers. She explains cleaning up practices and requesting removal is required as well as investigating what caused the listing in the first place.
Expert from Email Geeks advises to measure existing metrics, implement changes with a specific goal, and avoid fixing problems that don't exist. Maintaining good list acquisition processes is beneficial, but avoid intrusive measures unless problems are evident. While a SORBS listing might be a minor data point during issue investigation, it shouldn't be considered a problem in itself.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that SORBS isn’t widely used. If you're experiencing blocks at major providers like Yahoo, Gmail, or Microsoft, it's unlikely SORBS is the primary cause. Addressing the underlying behavior that led to the SORBS listing is more crucial than just delisting.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that you should follow the directions on the SORBS website for delisting. If you aren't seeing rejection messages specifically mentioning SORBS, it might not be the issue, and you should investigate other potential causes of blocking.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft states that dealing with block lists, including SORBS, requires understanding the reason for listing and addressing the underlying issues. Microsoft also provides guidance on how to request delisting once the issues are resolved.
Documentation from Spamhaus clarifies that while they are not SORBS, understanding how major blocklists operate provides insight. If your IP is listed due to spam activity, identify the source of the spam, stop it immediately, and then follow the specific removal process for the relevant blocklist (including SORBS).
Documentation from AWS details understanding your sending limits and reputation is important. Sending large volumes of email suddenly from a new IP can trigger filters, including SORBS. Gradually increase sending volume and monitor reputation.
Documentation from DigitalOcean advises that preventing blacklisting involves maintaining good email practices, such as using confirmed opt-in for subscriptions, honoring unsubscribe requests promptly, and segmenting email lists to send relevant content. This reduces the likelihood of being listed by SORBS.
Documentation from SORBS explains the delisting process typically involves visiting the SORBS website, identifying the listed IP address, and following the specific delisting instructions provided. This might involve proving control over the IP address and ensuring the issues that led to the listing have been resolved.