What does 'rate limit exceeded' mean in email delivery, and how do I troubleshoot it?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from StackOverflow suggests that if you are encountering rate limits when using PHP mail, you may need to implement a queuing system to throttle the number of emails sent per minute. He also advises checking with your hosting provider for any sending limits they have in place.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that 'rate limit exceeded' means you've sent too many emails within a specific timeframe. To troubleshoot, they suggest monitoring your sending reputation, gradually increasing sending volume, and ensuring your email list is clean and engaged.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares keywords to look for in Gmail deferral/bounces such as `unusual rate of unsolicited mail`, `suspicious due to the very low reputation`, and `The user you are trying to contact is receiving mail at a rate`.
Email marketer from EmailOctopus explains that 'rate limit exceeded' errors typically mean you've reached the maximum number of emails your account can send within a given timeframe. Solutions include upgrading your plan, staggering your sends, and optimizing your email content to avoid spam triggers.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that rate limits are usually related to reputation-based throttling or a very unexpected spike in traffic volume that initially appears suspicious to Gmail due to previous send pattern.
Email marketer from Neil Patel shares that 'rate limit exceeded' errors can occur when you send too many emails in a short period. He suggests warming up your IP address and domain, segmenting your email list, and using a reputable email service provider (ESP) to avoid this issue.
Email marketer from Reddit states that 'rate limit exceeded' often arises due to sending practices that trigger spam filters. They recommend carefully segmenting your list, personalizing email content, and warming up your IP address gradually.
Marketer from Email Geeks recommends checking traffic, particularly for Gmail addresses, from August 10th and 11th in the ESP's bounce logs and consulting the ESP's help documentation for advice on interpreting bounce/deferral reasons. They also advised this could be ongoing, depending on which issues are occurring.
Email marketer from SparkPost says that if you get a SMTP rate limit error, this is usually because you have tripped your maximum connection settings. To resolve this, it is recommended to reduce your number of concurrent connections and/or increase your burst delay settings to 200-250ms if you are using connection pooling.
Email marketer from SendGrid shares that encountering a 'rate limit exceeded' error usually means you've surpassed your allocated API request limits. This often happens if you're making too many requests too quickly. They advise implementing exponential backoff strategies in your code to retry requests with increasing delays.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise advises to review your sending infrastructure and authentication setup, and that a good first step is to get set up for feedback loops. A lot of rate limiting and blocking from mailbox providers can be avoided when you are getting the feedback. Also maintain consistent volume and send to engaged recipients.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that a delivery time expired bounce means the ESP tried to deliver an email for somewhere between 24-72 hours but wasn't successful in the allotted time.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that exceeding rate limits could mean sending too fast to one individual or too fast for current IP/Domain reputation and one needs to read the logs to understand the exact bounce being generated for Gmail users.
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that encountering 'rate limit exceeded' errors is common when sending large email volumes, and it often indicates that the sending server is being throttled by the receiving server to protect against spam. Troubleshooting involves checking sending limits, IP reputation, and implementing proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft explains that Exchange Online has sending limits in place to prevent spam and abuse. If you exceed these limits, you may encounter 'rate limit exceeded' errors. Review your sending patterns and ensure you adhere to Microsoft's guidelines.
Documentation from Amazon SES Documentation states that Amazon SES imposes sending limits to protect its reputation and ensure high deliverability rates for all users. 'Rate limit exceeded' errors indicate that you have surpassed your allocated sending quota or rate. You can request an increase to your limits.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that Gmail has sending limits to protect its users from spam and to maintain system reliability. Exceeding these limits can result in temporary restrictions, including 'rate limit exceeded' errors. Limits vary based on account type and activity.