What actions can be taken to fix a low IP and domain reputation with a high spam rate?
Summary
What email marketers say19Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that a high spam rate coupled with a bad domain reputation indicates issues such as a list that is not opted-in or bought lists. He recommends tightening the segment and asking about purchased lists.
Email marketer from Litmus recommends avoiding spam trigger words and phrases in your email content. Use a spam checker tool to identify and remove potential triggers before sending to avoid spam filters.
Email marketer from SendPulse advises segmenting your email list based on engagement, using double opt-in to confirm subscriptions, avoiding spam trigger words, and testing your emails before sending to a large audience to improve sender reputation and avoid spam filters.
Marketer from Email Geeks mentions that if DMARC is not set up, there is a risk of domain spoofing and spamming.
Email marketer from Gmass emphasises the importance of having SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records set up correctly. This helps mail servers verify that your emails are legitimate and reduces the likelihood of being marked as spam.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign recommends cleaning your email list regularly to remove unengaged subscribers. This will help improve your engagement metrics and overall sender reputation.
Email marketer from SparkPost advises segmenting your email list based on subscriber activity and preferences. Send targeted content to each segment to increase engagement and reduce the chances of being marked as spam.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests warming up your IP by gradually increasing the volume of emails sent. Start with small batches to highly engaged users, then expand over time. This helps establish a positive sending history and reputation.
Email marketer from Email Hippo suggests focusing on improving email engagement by sending relevant and personalized content. Higher engagement rates (opens, clicks) signal to ISPs that your emails are valuable and can improve your reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks points out that a spam rate of 2.3% is significantly higher than Google's guideline of 0.1% and considers 0.3% as bad.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that there are no instant fixes to repair domain (and IP) reputation, but there are proven strategies that require consistent action over time. He suggests focusing on the domain reputation as the core concern, as it likely influences IP issues.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum recommends analyzing your spam complaints to understand the reasons behind them. Are users not recognizing your brand? Is your content misleading? Addressing these issues can reduce future spam complaints.
Marketer from Email Geeks recommends whitelisting campaigns with a CTA to manually 'add to contacts' or a reply-to campaign, sending these weekly, as helpful.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests the issue can be a variety of things: 1. compliance not setup 2. bought lists 3. bad sending practices (that have been going on for a while) 4. malicious folks signing up their botnet then marking emails as spam, or something to that effect 5. spoofing He recommends to cover all your bases, double check for bought emails, and just rebuild from scratch.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests improving domain reputation through authentication, alignment, and DMARC setup.
Email marketer from Mailjet recommends several actions: authenticate your emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers, warm up your IP address gradually, and monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
Email marketer from ZeroBounce mentions using email verification services to remove invalid or risky email addresses from your list. This reduces bounce rates and spam complaints, leading to a better sender reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that sending engagement campaigns is best done when you don't have a reputation issue, since the higher reputation results in more emails landing in inboxes.
Email marketer from GlockApps explains that monitoring your sender reputation is crucial. Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS to track your IP and domain reputation, identify issues early, and take corrective actions.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource recommends cleaning your email list regularly to remove inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses. Good list hygiene helps maintain high deliverability rates and avoids sending to potentially harmful or inactive accounts.
Expert from Word to the Wise Staff advises that fixing a low domain reputation involves addressing the root causes of the problem, such as poor list hygiene, lack of authentication, or sending unwanted content. They recommend implementing best practices and continuously monitoring your sending metrics to improve your reputation over time.
Expert from Word to the Wise, Dennis Dayman, explains that reducing spam complaints is essential for improving sender reputation. He advises implementing a clear and easy unsubscribe process and ensuring that your emails are relevant and valuable to your subscribers to minimize spam complaints.
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, suggests focusing on engagement metrics. Aim to increase opens, clicks, and positive interactions by sending relevant and wanted content. Good engagement improves your reputation with mailbox providers.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that botnet activity and malicious signups can significantly impact spam rates and IP reputation. Implementing measures like CAPTCHAs and email verification can help reduce bot-driven spam and improve sender metrics.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft suggests monitoring your sending IP and domain reputation using tools like Sender Reputation Data (SRD). They also advise implementing best practices for email authentication, list hygiene, and feedback loops to improve deliverability and sender reputation.
Documentation from RFC Editor explains that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) helps prevent email abuse by allowing domain owners to specify how email receivers should handle messages that fail authentication checks (SPF and DKIM). It also provides reporting mechanisms to monitor authentication results.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that to fix low sender reputation, you should ensure that you're authenticating your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They recommend using TLS encryption and keeping spam rates below 0.1%. Also, maintain consistent sending volumes.