How do URL shorteners and domain reputation impact email deliverability?

Summary

URL shorteners and domain reputation significantly affect email deliverability. URL shorteners, especially those using publicly available and unpoliced hostnames, are risky due to their association with spam, causing email filters to flag messages. It's recommended to use custom domains for link tracking instead. Domain reputation directly influences deliverability: a good reputation ensures inbox placement, while a poor one results in spam folders or blocking. Building a strong reputation involves consistent sending practices, engaging content, proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining a clean email list, avoiding spam triggers, monitoring sender reputation, warming up new domains, and avoiding linking to domains you don't control. IP address reputation is also crucial. Using intermediary reporting tools with shared hostnames can be problematic. Vendors that support custom domains or subdomains for tracking and image hosting should be prioritized. Registering your own URL shortener domain provides more control. Many ESPs offer whitelabeling of tracking links. SPF records improve deliverability by authenticating the sender.

Key findings

  • URL Shorteners Hurt Deliverability: URL shorteners, especially those using publicly available, unpoliced hostnames, negatively impact deliverability due to their association with spam.
  • Domain Reputation Is Key: Domain reputation is a critical factor determining whether emails reach the inbox or are marked as spam.
  • Authentication Is Essential: Proper domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) builds trust with email providers and improves deliverability.
  • IP Reputation Matters: A sender's IP address reputation is crucial for deliverability, impacting whether messages reach the inbox or are marked as spam.
  • Shared Hostnames Are Risky: Using intermediary reporting tools with shared hostnames can negatively impact deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Use Custom Domains: Utilize custom domains for link tracking and image hosting instead of URL shorteners and shared hostnames.
  • Monitor Sender Reputation: Regularly monitor your sender and IP address reputation to identify and address deliverability issues promptly.
  • Maintain a Clean Email List: Maintain a clean email list to reduce bounce rates and spam complaints, positively impacting your domain reputation.
  • Implement Authentication Protocols: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate your domain and improve trust with email providers.
  • Warm-Up New Domains: Gradually warm up new domains to establish a positive sender reputation with ISPs.
  • Register Your Own URL Shortener: Consider registering your own URL shortener domain for greater control over link reputation.
  • Prioritize ESP Features: Prioritize ESPs that offer features like whitelabeling tracking links and custom domain support.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

The impact of URL shorteners and domain reputation on email deliverability is significant. Using URL shorteners can negatively affect sender reputation as they are often associated with spam, leading email filters to flag messages containing them. It is recommended to use custom domains for link tracking. Domain reputation directly influences deliverability; a good reputation ensures emails reach the inbox, while a bad one leads to spam folders or blocks. Building a strong reputation requires consistent sending practices, engaging content, proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining a clean email list, avoiding spam triggers, monitoring sender reputation, warming up new domains, and avoiding linking to domains you don't control.

Key opinions

  • URL Shorteners Harm Deliverability: URL shorteners often negatively impact email deliverability because they are commonly associated with spam and are flagged by email filters.
  • Domain Reputation Critical: Domain reputation is a key factor in email deliverability; a good reputation leads to inbox placement, while a bad one results in spam folders or blocks.
  • Authentication Matters: Proper domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) builds trust with email providers, improving deliverability by verifying email legitimacy.
  • Linking to Untrusted Domains is Risky: Avoid linking to hostnames/domains that you don't control as they can hurt your domain's reputation.

Key considerations

  • Use Custom Domains for Links: Employ custom domains for link tracking instead of URL shorteners to maintain better control over your reputation.
  • Maintain a Clean Email List: Regularly clean your email list to reduce bounce rates and spam complaints, contributing to a positive domain reputation.
  • Monitor Sender Reputation: Continuously monitor your sender reputation and address any issues promptly to avoid deliverability problems.
  • Warm-Up New Domains: Gradually warm up new domains to establish a positive sender reputation with ISPs.
  • Avoid Spam Triggers: Avoid spam trigger words and phrases and potentially harmful links in your emails.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that while URL shorteners can make links look cleaner, they can hurt deliverability. Many spam filters flag them due to their association with malicious content. Using a branded tracking link is a better alternative.

January 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailVendorSelection explains that monitoring your sender reputation is key to identifying and addressing deliverability issues. Regularly checking blacklists and using feedback loops can help maintain a healthy reputation.

December 2023 - EmailVendorSelection
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog shares that domain reputation directly impacts deliverability. Building a strong reputation involves consistent sending practices, engaging content, and proper authentication to avoid being flagged as spam.

December 2024 - Neil Patel's Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Woodpecker shares the concept of gradually warming up a new domain to build a positive sender reputation. Starting with low sending volumes and gradually increasing them helps establish trust with ISPs and improves deliverability.

July 2022 - Woodpecker
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass answers the question about URL shorteners and open rates by saying they can impact deliverability because many email clients flag shortened URLs. Using a custom tracking domain is preferable for better deliverability.

November 2021 - Gmass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet warns that using URL shorteners can negatively impact your sender reputation. They explain that because shorteners are often used in spam, filters may flag emails containing them. Using a custom domain for link tracking is recommended.

July 2022 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus details the importance of domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for establishing trust with email providers. Properly authenticating your domain helps improve deliverability by verifying that your emails are legitimate and not spoofed.

August 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue emphasizes the importance of a good sender reputation for improving email deliverability. They state that maintaining a clean email list, authenticating your domain, and avoiding spam triggers are vital for building and protecting your reputation.

December 2022 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stackoverflow highlights that a domain's reputation significantly affects whether emails land in the inbox or spam folder. Factors like bounce rates, spam complaints, and blacklisting all contribute to this reputation.

March 2024 - Stackoverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks advises to avoid linking to any hostname/domain that you don't control, if possible, to maintain better control over your email's reputation.

August 2021 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
7Expert opinions

URL shorteners and domain reputation significantly impact email deliverability. Publicly available and unpoliced hostnames, especially URL shorteners, are risky as they can negatively affect deliverability. Intermediary reporting tools with shared hostnames can also cause issues. Using custom domains or subdomains for tracking and image hosting is highly recommended. Registering your own URL shortener domain provides more control. Many ESPs offer whitelabeling of tracking links. Domain reputation is critical; a good reputation ensures inbox placement, while a bad one leads to blocking or spam folders. Proper domain authentication is also essential.

Key opinions

  • Risks of Public URLS: Publicly available, unpoliced URLs, and URL shorteners negatively impact deliverability.
  • Intermediary Problems: Shared hostnames in intermediary tools can be problematic.
  • Domain Reputation is Key: Domain reputation is crucial for inbox placement.

Key considerations

  • Use Custom Domains: Prioritize custom domains and subdomains for tracking and image hosting.
  • Register Your Own URL Shortener: Consider registering your own URL shortener domain for more control.
  • Whitelabel Tracking Links: Utilize ESPs that offer whitelabeling for tracking links.
  • Proper Authentication: Ensure proper domain authentication to avoid being marked as spam.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that domain reputation is a critical factor in email deliverability. They share that a good domain reputation helps ensure messages reach the inbox, while a bad reputation can lead to emails being blocked or sent to spam folders.

September 2021 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks confirms that many ESPs offer the ability to whitelabel tracking links, allowing you to use a subdomain on your site instead of the ESP's domain.

December 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests registering your own URL shortener domain to maintain control over your link reputation.

January 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that short URLs can negatively impact deliverability. They share that many filters are more likely to block emails with short URLs, and recommends using proper domain authentication to avoid being marked as spam.

August 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that using intermediary reporting tools with shared hostnames can be problematic for email deliverability, as the reputation of these hostnames can affect whether your email is filtered as spam.

September 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks advises that in 2021, you should avoid services that require you to put their hostname in your email and prioritize vendors that support custom domains or subdomains for tracking and image hosting.

June 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that using URLs with publicly available and unpoliced hostnames in emails is risky, especially URL shorteners like bit.ly, as they can negatively impact email deliverability.

September 2023 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Email deliverability is significantly impacted by both IP and domain reputation. Google highlights that a good sender reputation is crucial for inbox placement, while a poor one results in spam marking. Microsoft emphasizes multiple factors including IP reputation, domain reputation, authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and sender history for maintaining a positive reputation and reliable delivery. The RFC-Editor clarifies that SPF records improve deliverability by authenticating the sender and preventing spoofing, thereby building domain reputation. Spamhaus confirms that domain and IP reputation are critical factors and being listed on blocklists severely impacts inbox delivery.

Key findings

  • IP Reputation is Critical: A sender's IP address reputation is a crucial determinant of email deliverability.
  • Domain Reputation Matters: Domain reputation, alongside IP reputation, significantly affects whether emails reach the inbox.
  • Authentication is Key: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for authenticating emails, preventing spoofing, and improving deliverability by establishing domain reputation.
  • Blacklisting Impacts Delivery: Listing on blocklists like Spamhaus can severely hinder the ability to deliver emails to recipients' inboxes.

Key considerations

  • Monitor IP Reputation: Regularly monitor your IP address reputation to ensure good standing with email providers.
  • Implement Authentication Protocols: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate your domain and improve trust with email providers.
  • Avoid Blacklists: Take steps to avoid being listed on email blacklists by adhering to best practices and addressing any spam complaints promptly.
  • Maintain Sender History: Establish a positive sender history by consistently sending legitimate, engaging content and avoiding sudden spikes in sending volume.
Technical article

Documentation from RFC-Editor (defining SPF) clarifies that using SPF records helps establish a domain's reputation by authenticating the sender and preventing spoofing. This authentication improves deliverability by assuring recipient servers that the email is genuinely from the claimed domain.

December 2023 - RFC-Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft details several factors impacting email deliverability, including IP address reputation, domain reputation, authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and sender history. Microsoft emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive reputation and adhering to best practices to ensure reliable delivery.

November 2022 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus answers questions about domain and IP address reputation explaining that they are critical factors in determining email deliverability. Listing on blocklists like Spamhaus can severely impact the ability to reach recipients' inboxes.

September 2021 - Spamhaus
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that a sender's IP address reputation is crucial for deliverability. A good reputation helps ensure messages are delivered to recipients' inboxes, while a poor reputation can lead to messages being marked as spam.

July 2023 - Google Workspace Admin Help