How do URLs in newsletters affect email deliverability and what tools can assess URL reputation?

Summary

URLs in newsletters significantly influence email deliverability. Mailbox providers determine URL reputation, which directly impacts whether emails are accepted, filtered, or blocked. Key factors influencing URL reputation include association with bad actors, affiliate programs, URL history, content quality, blacklisting status, and the use of redirects. Tools like VirusTotal, URLscan.io, Sucuri SiteCheck, and Redirect Detective can assess URL reputation. Best practices include regularly monitoring URL reputation, scanning for malware, using custom tracking domains instead of generic URL shorteners, sending valuable content, and ensuring brand alignment. Statistical analysis can help identify problematic domains and their impact on deliverability. Owning the redirect domain mitigates some reputation risks, but content quality remains crucial.

Key findings

  • Provider Dominance: Mailbox providers have primary control over URL reputation and deliverability.
  • Reputation Factors: URL reputation is affected by various elements like bad actors, blacklists and redirects.
  • Security Scanners: Scanning tools identify malicious content and insecure redirects.
  • Redirect Impact: URL redirects affect deliverability depending on intermediate destinations.
  • Content is King: Good content ensures URLs remain off blacklists for better deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Audit Links: Audit and assess likelihood of domains associating with bad actors.
  • Custom Trackers: Switch to custom domain for tracking instead of generic shortening services.
  • Valuable Content: Content always needs to be valuable.
  • Statistical Modeling: Use data to model issues for the email blasts.
  • Redirect Strategy: Use reputable URL shortening services or custom domains for redirects.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

URLs within newsletters significantly impact email deliverability. A poor URL reputation, influenced by factors like history, content, blacklisting, and redirects, can trigger spam filters and harm sender reputation. Conversely, reputable URLs build trust with ISPs and improve deliverability. Monitoring URL reputation, checking for blacklisting, validating SSL certificates, and scanning for malware using tools like VirusTotal, Sucuri SiteCheck, and Redirect Detective are crucial. Statistical analysis can identify problematic domains. Using custom tracking domains instead of generic URL shorteners and maintaining a positive brand reputation further enhance deliverability.

Key opinions

  • URL Reputation: Poor URL reputation triggers spam filters, negatively impacting deliverability.
  • Sender Reputation: URLs influence sender reputation; reputable URLs build trust with ISPs.
  • Blacklisting: URL blacklisting causes emails to be flagged as spam or blocked.
  • Statistical Analysis: Statistical tools can identify problematic domains affecting deliverability.
  • Shortened URLs: Generic URL shorteners can harm deliverability; custom tracking domains are preferred.

Key considerations

  • Monitoring: Regularly monitor URL reputation and check for blacklisting.
  • Scanning: Scan URLs for malware and security issues before including them in email campaigns.
  • Redirects: Check URL redirect chains for unexpected or malicious redirects.
  • Brand Alignment: Ensure URLs align with brand reputation and avoid suspicious content.
  • Statistical Modeling: Consider using statistical models to identify problematic domains and their impact on deliverability.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit recommends using VirusTotal and Sucuri SiteCheck to scan URLs for malware and security issues before including them in email campaigns, ensuring a safe user experience.

April 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that maintaining a positive brand reputation is critical for email deliverability. It involves using URLs that align with the brand and not linking to suspicious content.

July 2023 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks encourages the use of statistical tools to analyze the impact of domains on bounce/click rates. Suggests modeling the effect of specific domains appearing in newsletters to identify problematic ones and recommends consulting a data scientist for suitable approaches like Media Mix Modeling or multiple regression.

April 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps says URL blacklisting directly affects deliverability by causing emails to be flagged as spam or blocked entirely. Regular monitoring for URL blacklisting is essential.

September 2023 - GlockApps
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog explains that a poor URL reputation can negatively impact email deliverability by triggering spam filters. Factors like the URL's history, content, and association with blacklisted domains contribute to its reputation.

November 2021 - Neil Patel Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Warrior Forum suggests using tools like Redirect Detective to check the full redirect chain of a URL, ensuring that there are no unexpected or malicious redirects that could harm deliverability.

August 2022 - Warrior Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendPulse shares that assessing URL reputation involves checking if the URL is blacklisted, if it redirects to suspicious sites, and if it has a valid SSL certificate. Tools like VirusTotal and URLVoid can help with this assessment.

June 2022 - SendPulse
Marketer view

Email marketer from ZeroBounce mentions monitoring domain reputation to help with deliverability as it's a metric for assessing the trustworthiness of your email sending practices, including the URLs you use.

September 2023 - ZeroBounce
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that URLs can influence sender reputation if they lead to malicious or low-quality content. Consistent use of reputable URLs builds trust with ISPs, improving deliverability.

July 2022 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass explains URL shortening services can negatively affect deliverability if the shortened URLs are associated with spam or lead to untrustworthy content. Using custom tracking domains is a better solution.

June 2023 - Gmass

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

URL reputation significantly affects email deliverability, with mailbox providers playing a crucial role in assessing it. Factors such as association with bad actors, affiliate programs, and the use of redirects influence this reputation. If you own the redirect domain, it mitigates some reputation issues. Maintaining a consistent practice of sending valuable content from reputable URLs is essential for avoiding filtering or blocking.

Key opinions

  • Mailbox Provider Influence: Mailbox providers primarily determine URL reputation and, consequently, email deliverability.
  • Domain Ownership: Owning the redirect domain mitigates some URL reputation issues.
  • Content Quality: Sending valuable content consistently improves domain and URL reputation.
  • Redirect Impact: URL redirects influence reputation, with mailbox providers considering both the final destination and intermediate hops.

Key considerations

  • Monitor Domains: Assess the likelihood of domains in the email body being associated with bad actors.
  • Redirect Strategy: Consider using reputable URL shortening services or custom domains for redirects.
  • Content Strategy: Prioritize sending valuable content to maintain a good domain and URL reputation.
  • Troubleshooting: If deliverability issues persist after implementing best practices for redirects, investigate other factors.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if you own the domain in the email and it redirects to the final destination (like generic click tracking), it avoids most of the URL reputation issue. If already implemented, other factors should be investigated first if deliverability issues persist.

November 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that URL redirects can impact reputation because some mailbox providers look at the final destination and some consider the intermediate hops. Using a reputable URL shortening service or a custom domain for redirects is advisable.

September 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that a domain's reputation directly impacts deliverability, as mailbox providers use it to determine whether to accept, filter, or block emails. Consistently sending valuable content from URLs with good reputation is crucial.

May 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that URL reputation is primarily known by the mailbox provider. He suggests looking for domains in the email body that are used by others and assessing the likelihood of their association with bad actors, especially within affiliate programs.

October 2021 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Several tools and services, including Google Safe Browsing, Spamhaus DBL, Microsoft Safe Links, URLscan.io, and VirusTotal, actively identify and flag malicious or unsafe URLs. These flagged URLs can significantly impact email deliverability, potentially leading to emails being blocked or marked as spam. Utilizing these resources to scan URLs before including them in email campaigns is crucial for protecting recipients and maintaining a positive sender reputation.

Key findings

  • Safe Browsing: Google Safe Browsing flags unsafe websites, directly impacting email deliverability.
  • Domain Block Lists: Spamhaus DBL identifies domains with poor reputations due to spam or malware, affecting deliverability.
  • Safe Links: Microsoft Safe Links scans URLs to prevent users from accessing malicious websites, improving email security and sender deliverability.
  • URL Scanning Services: URLscan.io scans URLs for malicious content, redirection chains, and security risks.
  • Aggregated Analysis: VirusTotal aggregates multiple antivirus engines and website scanners to analyze URLs for threats.

Key considerations

  • Proactive Scanning: Scan all URLs before including them in email campaigns to identify potential threats.
  • Utilize Multiple Tools: Leverage a combination of tools (e.g., Google Safe Browsing, Spamhaus DBL, VirusTotal) for comprehensive URL analysis.
  • Monitor for Blacklisting: Regularly monitor URLs for blacklisting to promptly address any issues affecting deliverability.
  • Security Awareness: Educate users about Safe Links and other security measures to enhance overall email security and protect against phishing.
Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that their Domain Block List (DBL) identifies domains with poor reputation due to spam or malware activity. Checking URLs against the DBL can help determine their impact on deliverability.

May 2024 - Spamhaus
Technical article

Documentation from URLscan.io details its service, allowing users to scan URLs for malicious content, redirection chains, and other security risks, helping to identify potentially harmful URLs before including them in email campaigns.

February 2024 - URLscan.io
Technical article

Documentation from VirusTotal states it aggregates multiple antivirus engines and website scanners to analyze files and URLs for malware and other security threats. Using VirusTotal helps identify potentially harmful URLs for improved email deliverability.

August 2021 - VirusTotal
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft details how Safe Links in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 protects users by scanning URLs in emails and Office apps. This helps ensure that users don't access malicious websites, improving overall email security and deliverability for the sender.

May 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from Google Search Central details how the Safe Browsing tool helps protect users by identifying and flagging unsafe websites. This directly impacts email deliverability when URLs in emails are flagged as unsafe.

February 2023 - Google Search Central