How long does it realistically take to resolve email deliverability issues?

Summary

Resolving email deliverability issues is a multifaceted process with timelines ranging from a few hours to several months, heavily dependent on the underlying cause and the remedies applied. Initial assessment can take a few hours to days. Fixing sender reputation, data quality, IP warming, and blacklist removal can take weeks to months. Experts emphasize setting realistic expectations, ongoing monitoring, proper authentication setup, consistent adherence to best practices, and the importance of identifying the root cause. Deliverability is an ongoing effort, not a one-time fix.

Key findings

  • Variable Timeframe: Resolution times range from a few hours to several months, depending on the issue.
  • Initial Assessment: Initial analysis can take a few hours to a few days.
  • Sender Reputation: Recovering from a poor sender reputation can take weeks or months.
  • IP Warming: Warming up a new IP address takes several weeks to months.
  • Blacklist Removal: Removing an IP address from a blacklist can take days or weeks.
  • Ongoing Process: Deliverability is not a one-time fix but an ongoing process.

Key considerations

  • Root Cause: Identifying the root cause is the critical first step.
  • Realistic Expectations: Setting realistic expectations is crucial.
  • Data Quality: Maintaining clean email lists is essential.
  • Authentication: Properly setting up authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial.
  • Best Practices: Adhering to best practices and consistent sending volumes are important.
  • Ongoing Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of bounce rates and sender reputation is necessary.
  • Initial Understanding: Gaining a solid understanding of the current landscape is a key first step.

What email marketers say
11Marketer opinions

Resolving email deliverability issues is not a quick fix and can take anywhere from a few days to several months, depending on various factors. These factors include the severity of the problem, the sender's reputation, email content, authentication setup, list hygiene, IP warming, and ongoing monitoring. Setting realistic expectations and continuous effort are essential.

Key opinions

  • Variable Timeframe: The resolution time varies widely, from a few days to several months, depending on the underlying issues.
  • Sender Reputation: Recovering from a poor sender reputation is a lengthy process that requires rebuilding trust with ISPs over weeks or months.
  • Root Cause Identification: Identifying the specific cause of deliverability problems (e.g., blacklisting, list hygiene) is critical and can take variable amounts of time.
  • IP Warming: Warming up a new IP address gradually takes weeks or months to achieve reliable delivery.
  • Ongoing Process: Deliverability is not a one-time fix but an ongoing process requiring continuous monitoring, testing, and adjustments.

Key considerations

  • Realistic Expectations: Setting realistic expectations with clients about the time required to resolve deliverability issues is crucial.
  • Data Quality: Maintaining clean email lists and verifying email addresses are essential for preventing deliverability problems.
  • Authentication: Implementing and maintaining proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial.
  • Content Testing: Thoroughly testing email content across different clients and devices helps avoid rendering issues that impact deliverability.
  • Continuous Monitoring: Regular monitoring of bounce rates, sender reputation, and blacklist status is necessary for maintaining good deliverability.
  • List Segmentation: Targeting specific customers by segmenting the list improves engagement.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sender Score shares that the time to recover from a poor sender reputation can vary significantly depending on the severity of the issue and the steps taken to improve it. It could take weeks or months to rebuild trust with ISPs.

April 2023 - Sender Score
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass shares that if you're using a new IP address, it's important to warm it up slowly by gradually increasing the volume of emails you send. This process can take several weeks or even months to get your emails delivered reliably.

January 2022 - GMass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that list segmentation to target specific customers is crucial for deliverability as it improves engagement. This requires time to do properly and get the desired effect.

May 2023 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus Blog shares that testing email content across different email clients and devices is essential to avoid rendering issues that can impact deliverability. Proper testing and troubleshooting can add time to campaign deployment.

May 2021 - Litmus Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that the time it takes to resolve deliverability issues depends on factors like the sender's reputation, email content, and authentication setup. It can range from a few days to several weeks.

September 2023 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that they always set realistic expectations prior to any given commitment, to avoid similar issues that would waste their time and the client's.

June 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that resolving deliverability issues depends heavily on identifying the root cause, which could be anything from IP blacklisting to poor list hygiene. The investigation and remediation process can take variable amounts of time.

April 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks references a situation where a politician's emails were going to spam due to broken authentication, not a conspiracy.

March 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that managing bounce rates is essential for good deliverability. Reducing bounce rates involves cleaning email lists and improving email content. It can take time to reduce your bounce rates to the levels required.

October 2021 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Hippo shares that verifying email addresses before sending helps in maintaining a clean list and improving deliverability. Doing this right before each send takes time.

February 2023 - Email Hippo
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog shares that resolving deliverability is not a one-time fix but an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring, testing, and adjustments to email campaigns.

February 2023 - Email on Acid Blog

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Expert analysis suggests resolving email deliverability issues is a multi-faceted process. An initial assessment can range from a few hours to days, depending on the issue's complexity. Addressing data quality and warming up new IPs requires weeks. Understanding the current landscape is also noted as a potentially lengthy initial step.

Key opinions

  • Initial Assessment: Initial triage and analysis can take a few hours to a few days.
  • Data Quality: Fixing data quality issues and cleaning email lists requires a significant time investment.
  • IP Warming: Warming up a new IP address should be spread over several weeks.
  • Understanding Landscape: Gaining a solid understanding of the current deliverability landscape can be a time-consuming first step.

Key considerations

  • Root Cause: Identifying the root cause of the deliverability problem is the critical first step.
  • Data Hygiene: Prioritize cleaning your email list as an initial measure.
  • Gradual IP Warm-up: Allow ample time for gradually warming up new IP addresses to avoid deliverability problems.
  • Complexity Assessment: The time required depends significantly on the complexity and available data of the issues.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that fixing data quality issues and removing problematic addresses can take some time, and cleaning your list should be a first step in improving email delivery.

May 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that it could take a long time just to come up with a solid understanding of the current landscape when resolving deliverability issues.

October 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the period for warming up a new IP address can vary depending on the volume and sending habits, however, it's important to spread your warm-up over several weeks.

August 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that initial triage and analysis of deliverability issues can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on the complexity and available data. Identifying the root cause is the first critical step.

January 2024 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Resolving email deliverability issues, according to technical documentation, is a process heavily reliant on consistent adherence to best practices and requires time. Implementing authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, properly configuring sending infrastructure, maintaining clean email lists, and consistently monitoring bounce rates are essential, all of which take time and technical expertise. Removal from blacklists, a significant deliverability hurdle, also involves a review process that can span days or weeks.

Key findings

  • Consistent Approach: Improving sender reputation requires a consistent approach over time.
  • Authentication Implementation: Proper implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC takes time and technical expertise.
  • Infrastructure Configuration: Ensuring correct configuration of sending infrastructure is crucial, requiring an investment of time.
  • Blacklist Removal: Removal from blacklists involves a review process spanning several days or weeks.
  • DMARC Implementation: Implementing DMARC properly requires careful configuration and continuous monitoring.

Key considerations

  • Best Practices Adherence: Consistent adherence to email sending best practices is crucial for long-term deliverability.
  • Authentication Importance: Prioritize implementing and maintaining proper email authentication methods.
  • Infrastructure Setup: Ensure sending infrastructure is correctly configured and maintained.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean and maintain email lists to minimize bounce rates and improve deliverability.
  • Monitoring: Continuously monitor bounce rates and sender reputation to identify and address issues promptly.
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org states that implementing DMARC and analyzing the reports to fix authentication issues is essential for deliverability. Implementing DMARC properly requires careful configuration and monitoring.

February 2024 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that being listed on a blacklist can severely impact deliverability. Removing your IP address from a blacklist requires a review process and adherence to their policies, which can take several days or weeks.

September 2022 - Spamhaus
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that ensuring your sending infrastructure is properly configured, maintaining clean email lists, and monitoring bounce rates are crucial for deliverability. The implementation and monitoring of these practices takes time.

February 2023 - Microsoft Documentation
Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools Help outlines that improving sender reputation and adhering to best practices, like authenticating emails and maintaining consistent sending volumes, are key steps but requires a consistent approach over time.

April 2022 - Google Postmaster Tools Help
Technical article

Documentation from RFC-Editor explains that implementing email authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are crucial for verifying sender identity and preventing spam. Implementing these properly can take time and require technical expertise.

January 2023 - RFC-Editor