What data should be included in a deliverability risk score dashboard?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from StackOverflow notes that consistent sending volume and avoiding sudden spikes are important for maintaining a good sending reputation. Spikes can trigger spam filters, especially for new IPs or domains.
Email marketer from GMass shares that tracking your Sender Score (Return Path) gives you an idea of your overall sender reputation. A high Sender Score generally correlates with better inbox placement, but it's not the only factor.
Email marketer from Talos Intelligence explains how their reputation data is used by mailbox providers to filter spam. Monitoring your presence on Talos Intelligence lists is essential for maintaining good deliverability.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that key metrics to include in a deliverability dashboard are bounce rate (hard and soft bounces), spam complaint rate, engagement rate (opens, clicks), and unsubscribe rate. Tracking these metrics helps identify potential problems affecting inbox placement.
Email marketer from SendGrid explains that IP reputation, sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), engagement metrics, and content quality are crucial factors impacting deliverability. Monitoring these aspects provides a comprehensive view of your sending health.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests monitoring open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, complaint rates, and conversion rates to understand deliverability. Tracking these over time will help you identify potential issues before they become major problems.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests including elements like GPT domain and IP reputation, Microsoft SNDS, bounce rates, changes in open/click metrics, third-party reputation scores (e.g., Cisco Talos), blacklist status with context, soft bounce error patterns, and authentication compliance levels on a deliverability dashboard.
Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that it's important to preview emails across different email clients and devices to ensure proper rendering. Poor rendering can lead to lower engagement and increased spam complaints.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that it's crucial to monitor blocklist status and IP reputation, as being listed on a blocklist can severely impact deliverability. Tools like MXToolbox and Blacklistalert can help track blocklist status.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise recommends including data from various reputation monitoring tools. These tools often provide insights into blocklist status, spam trap hits, and overall sender reputation scores, which are valuable for a deliverability dashboard.
Expert from Spam Resource highlights the importance of incorporating Feedback Loops (FBLs) into a deliverability dashboard. FBLs provide data directly from mailbox providers about spam complaints, allowing senders to identify and address issues quickly.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests focusing on metrics that are easily understood by non-technical users, like a number or rate graphed over time. He emphasizes ensuring that the supporting facts are levers the client can control and align with potential areas for improvement.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) builds upon SPF and DKIM by providing a policy for handling unauthenticated email. Implementing DMARC provides feedback on authentication failures and helps protect your domain from phishing.
Documentation from Spamhaus explains how their blocklists and reputation data are used by mailbox providers to filter spam. Monitoring your presence on Spamhaus lists is essential for maintaining good deliverability.
Documentation from Google explains that Postmaster Tools provides insights into your domain and IP reputation with Gmail, spam rates, feedback loop (FBL) data, and authentication status (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). This helps monitor deliverability performance specifically to Gmail users.
Documentation from RFC explains that Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) are crucial email authentication methods. Implementing these helps verify your sending identity and improve deliverability by preventing spoofing.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that the Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) provides data about your IP address reputation, complaint rates, and spam trap hits within the Microsoft network. This data is useful for understanding deliverability issues specifically related to Microsoft's services like Outlook.com and Hotmail.