How long does it take to fix a bad Gmail sender reputation and improve IP/domain rating?

Summary

Improving a bad Gmail sender reputation is generally a long-term process, often taking weeks or months, influenced by several factors. Experts advise against committing to specific timelines, emphasizing instead continuous improvement and monitoring. Critical factors include the extent of initial damage, sending volume, list quality, and subscriber engagement. Strategies include focusing on highly engaged subscribers, consistent adherence to Gmail's guidelines, and potentially pausing sending to allow a reputation reset. IP warming for new IPs and maintaining excellent list hygiene are also key. Several sources emphasize that building a good reputation is a marathon, not a sprint.

Key findings

  • No Set Timeline: Experts and documentation generally avoid specifying a definitive timeline for improving sender reputation.
  • Multiple Factors Influence Time: Recovery time is influenced by damage severity, sending volume, list quality, and subscriber engagement.
  • Engagement is Crucial: Focusing on engaged subscribers and delivering valuable content is essential for reputation recovery.
  • Consistent Best Practices: Adhering to Gmail's guidelines and implementing email marketing best practices is necessary for improvement.
  • Long-Term Effort: Building and maintaining a good sender reputation is a long-term commitment requiring continuous effort.

Key considerations

  • Focus on Improvement, Not Dates: Prioritize improving sender practices and monitor results rather than setting fixed timelines.
  • Assess Damage and Adjust: Evaluate the extent of damage and adjust strategies accordingly.
  • Clean and Segment Lists: Maintain clean email lists and segment based on engagement to improve deliverability.
  • Warm Up New IPs: If using a new IP, implement a gradual IP warming strategy.
  • Consider a Pause: If the reputation is severely damaged, consider temporarily halting sending to allow for a reset.

What email marketers say
13Marketer opinions

Fixing a bad Gmail sender reputation and improving IP/domain rating is a gradual process that doesn't have a fixed timeline. It can take weeks or months, or even longer, depending on several factors. These include the severity of the reputation damage, sending volume, list quality, subscriber engagement, and consistency in following Gmail's guidelines. Some experts advise against committing to specific timeframes and instead focus on measuring progress through improving results. Concentrating on sending to highly engaged users, maintaining excellent list hygiene, and consistently proving you're a trustworthy sender are crucial for recovery. Some also recommend warming up an IP address and grabbing a new one as possible solutions. Long-term commitment and continuous monitoring of sending practices are key to regaining a good reputation.

Key opinions

  • No Fixed Timeline: Improving sender reputation lacks a specific timeline; it's a gradual process.
  • Key Factors: Several factors influence the timeframe: severity of damage, sending volume, list quality, and engagement.
  • Engaged Users: Focusing on sending to highly engaged users is crucial for recovery.
  • Consistency: Consistency in following Gmail's guidelines and best practices is essential.
  • Long-term Commitment: Regaining a good reputation requires a long-term commitment and sustained effort.

Key considerations

  • Measure Progress: Instead of committing to a specific timeframe, measure progress through improving results and engagement metrics.
  • Monitor Practices: Continuously monitor sending practices and adjust strategies based on deliverability tests.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining excellent list hygiene and removing unengaged subscribers is vital.
  • IP Warmup: Consider IP warming strategies to gradually build trust with ISPs.
  • New IP: In extreme cases of a poisoned well, consider switching to a new IP address to start fresh.
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks states the only "secret" sauce for Gmail is to focus on very actives for some time to show Gmail good data.

August 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum responds that domain reputation improvement is a marathon, not a sprint. It's about consistently proving you're a trustworthy sender by sending valuable emails to engaged users over the long term.

January 2024 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks states he's seen changes and progress with Gmail in as little as 3 weeks, as much as 3 months, but that is with frequent sending to *exclusively* engaged leads. If they are sending only twice per month, expect a longer time frame, but never commit to a time frame with Gmail. Google remembers, and as soon as they see the same contacts that never once interacted with their previous emails, they'll drop back down.

March 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that since the well has been poisoned for so long, the user might be better off grabbing a new IP address and starting fresh with the engaged customers.

March 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that improving deliverability after being blocked by Gmail may take 1-3 months with consistent effort to only send to engaged users, improve list hygiene, and authenticate your emails.

February 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that rebuilding a sender reputation takes time and depends on several factors such as the extent of damage, your sending volume, list quality, and engagement rates. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to see significant improvements.

August 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel Digital responds that improving your sender reputation doesn't happen overnight. It will take time and consistent effort to build a solid reputation with ISPs like Gmail. Focus on providing value, engaging subscribers, and maintaining consistent sending habits.

January 2025 - Neil Patel Digital
Marketer view

Email marketer from Kickbox mentions, like with any relationship, trust is earned, not given. Once you've damaged your sender reputation, it takes time to rebuild trust with mailbox providers and subscribers. They don't provide a time frame, as every sender and circumstance is unique.

July 2021 - Kickbox
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit says to expect at least 6 weeks to improve reputation, maybe longer if your previous activity has been really bad. Focus on small sending volumes to only engaged users.

June 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps shares that improving email deliverability and sender reputation is an ongoing process that can take weeks or months. They recommend consistent monitoring and adjustments to your sending practices based on deliverability tests.

June 2024 - GlockApps
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says he would not commit to a timeframe in any way. It has to be measured by the improving results.

September 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost responds that warming up an IP address, which is a key aspect of building sender reputation, can take several weeks to months, depending on your sending volume and the responsiveness of your recipients.

September 2023 - SparkPost
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sender answers that repairing a sender reputation isn’t an overnight fix. It takes constant effort in the right direction. It’s not about how fast you go, but how far you go.

April 2021 - Sender

What the experts say
6Expert opinions

Recovering a bad Gmail sender reputation and improving IP/domain rating is a complex and lengthy process, typically spanning several weeks to months, or even longer. Factors influencing the timeline include the severity of the initial damage, sending volume, list quality, and subscriber engagement. It's crucial to avoid committing to specific dates and instead focus on sustained good behavior, consistent engagement, and valuable content for subscribers. Strategies include ceasing mailings to unengaged leads, allowing the reputation to reset, and then focusing on re-engaging active users. Overestimating the timeline can provide realistic expectations. Repairing your email reputation is a long-term game, not a quick fix.

Key opinions

  • No Fixed Timeline: Experts generally advise against committing to specific timelines for reputation recovery.
  • Multiple Factors: Recovery time depends on factors like damage severity, sending volume, list quality, and engagement.
  • Long-Term Process: Building a good reputation with Gmail is a marathon, not a sprint; sustained good behavior is critical.
  • Importance of Engagement: Focusing on engaged users and valuable content is essential for improvement.
  • Initial Reset: For severely damaged reputations, an initial period of no sending may be required to allow for a reset.

Key considerations

  • Adjust Expectations: Overestimate the recovery timeline to set realistic expectations.
  • Assess Damage: Accurately assess the severity of the reputation damage to guide recovery strategies.
  • Target Engaged Users: Prioritize sending to engaged users and incentivize interaction to improve engagement metrics.
  • Clean Email Lists: Remove unengaged leads and non-responsive subscribers to enhance list quality.
  • Monitor Performance: Continuously monitor sending performance and adjust strategies based on results.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says to do something grossly over estimated. Like “if you focus on sending to engaged users consistently over the course of 6 months, I would expect to see that reflected in your reputation going from bad to poor. Another 6 months, and we can expect it to go to low”.

May 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says there’s no way to fix anything at Gmail sending 2 campaigns per month to unengaged leads. She suggests stopping mailing for a period of time to let the really bad reputation reset, and then focus on people who will go look in their spam folder and pull the mail out.

February 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that repairing your email sending reputation with Gmail is a long-term game. The focus should be on sustained good behavior and high subscriber engagement, rather than a quick fix. Building a good reputation is a process that can take many months, however, maintaining a healthy email program can ensure the sender remains in good standing.

March 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks states that she never commits to dates, especially with Gmail.

November 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that recovery time from a bad Gmail sender reputation depends on factors such as the severity of the initial damage, the volume of email being sent, the quality of the email list, and the level of engagement from subscribers. It can range from several weeks to months.

February 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks recommends stopping mailing for at least 3-4 days, sometimes longer depending on how long they’ve been spamming. It takes at least as long to rebuild a reputation as it did to create it in the first place.

September 2021 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Official documentation from Gmail, SendGrid, and Microsoft emphasizes that improving sender reputation for Gmail is a gradual process built on consistent adherence to email best practices, positive engagement metrics, and long-term commitment. None of these sources provide a specific timeframe for improvement. Postmark mentions that IP warming requires at least 30 days, focusing on volume over speed.

Key findings

  • No Specific Timeframe: Official documentation refrains from providing a specific timeframe for sender reputation improvement.
  • Consistent Adherence: Consistent adherence to email sending guidelines from Gmail, SendGrid and Microsoft is paramount.
  • Engagement Metrics: Positive engagement metrics (opens, clicks, etc.) are key to signaling a good sender reputation.
  • Long-Term Commitment: Improving sender reputation is a long-term commitment to consistent best practices.
  • IP Warmup Minimum: Postmark indicates IP warming takes at least 30 days.

Key considerations

  • Adhere to Guidelines: Thoroughly understand and consistently adhere to Gmail's, SendGrid and Microsoft's sender guidelines.
  • Monitor Engagement: Regularly monitor email engagement metrics to identify areas for improvement.
  • Focus on Best Practices: Prioritize email deliverability best practices (authentication, list hygiene, etc.) for long-term success.
  • Implement IP Warmup: If using a new IP address, implement a gradual IP warmup strategy over at least 30 days.
  • Patience and Persistence: Be patient and persistent in implementing best practices as improving sender reputation takes time and consistent effort.
Technical article

Documentation from Gmail Help shares that consistent adherence to Gmail's sender guidelines is crucial for maintaining a good reputation. Google does not provide an exact timeframe, but continued compliance and positive engagement metrics are key to improvement.

September 2024 - Gmail Help
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that sender reputation is a key factor in determining whether your emails reach the inbox. Microsoft details how to check your reputation but does not provide a specific timeframe for improvement, focusing instead on consistent best practices.

June 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from Postmark answers that a proper IP warmup strategy takes 30 days at a minimum. Volume is more important that speed.

December 2023 - Postmark
Technical article

Documentation from SendGrid explains that sender reputation is built over time through consistent sending habits and positive engagement. They do not offer a specific timeline, but focus on best practices for email deliverability.

December 2021 - SendGrid