How do spam complaints and user interaction affect domain reputation?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog shares that positive user engagement (opens, clicks, etc.) improves sender reputation, while negative engagement (spam complaints, deletions without opening) damages it. Consistent positive engagement signals a trustworthy sender.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that they've seen it take 6+ weeks to recover reputation after sustained high spam rates.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid Blog mentions that email list hygiene affects deliverability. Regularly cleaning your email list by removing inactive or invalid addresses reduces bounce rates and spam complaints, leading to improved sender reputation and better inbox placement.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow states that IP reputation is important for email delivery. A bad IP reputation causes the emails to go into spam. Monitor your IP reputation and if it is bad, then you need to figure out how to fix the source and also work with the Email service providers to get it removed from the blacklists.
Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailMarketingGuru explains that a high spam complaint rate is a major red flag for mailbox providers. Senders should actively monitor and address the reasons behind spam complaints to avoid long-term reputation damage.
Email marketer from Litmus Blog explains that monitor engagement metrics, like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, and helps understand how recipients are interacting with your emails. High engagement signals positive sender reputation, while low engagement might indicate issues with content or targeting, potentially affecting deliverability.
Email marketer from GlockApps Blog suggests that you monitor feedback loops (FBLs) to track spam complaints. Setting up FBLs with major mailbox providers allows you to receive notifications when recipients mark your emails as spam, enabling you to identify and address potential issues affecting your sender reputation.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog shares that domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) helps establish trust with mailbox providers, improving deliverability. Authenticating your domain signals that you are a legitimate sender and reduces the likelihood of being flagged as spam.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that domain reputation is crucial for email deliverability, influencing whether emails reach the inbox or spam folder. Sender reputation, based on factors like spam complaints and email engagement, directly impacts domain reputation.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that spam complaints will cause your reputation to drop.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that reputation is heavily driven by user interaction at google and that given the data it looks like the complaints track closely with reputation.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that sender reputation is significantly affected by spam complaints, blocklist inclusions, and overall engagement metrics. High spam complaint rates can quickly damage a sender's reputation, leading to deliverability issues. Positive engagement, on the other hand, contributes to a healthy reputation.
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that, while not directly about spam complaints, bounces are a key issue too; too many undeliverable messages indicates poor list hygiene, which affects reputation and ISP blocking decisions.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools Help explains that high spam rates negatively impact sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues. Google's algorithms closely monitor user complaints to assess sender quality.
Documentation from DMARC.org states that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide domain owners with control over how email receivers handle unauthenticated emails. DMARC policies can instruct receivers to reject or quarantine messages that fail authentication, helping to protect against phishing and spoofing attacks and improve domain reputation.
Documentation from RFC 4871 details that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Sender Policy Framework (SPF) are email authentication standards that allow domain owners to authorize specific mail servers to send email on their behalf. This helps to improve email reputation and deliverability by preventing email spoofing and phishing.
Documentation from Microsoft 365 documentation explains that user complaints and engagement signals significantly influence email deliverability within their ecosystem. Low complaint rates and high engagement scores are essential for reaching the inbox.