What is a good bounce rate percentage to aim for in email marketing?

Summary

The general consensus from experts, marketers, and documentation suggests aiming for a bounce rate below 2-3%, though some sources indicate up to 5% may be acceptable. High bounce rates negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability, signaling issues with list hygiene, sending practices, or outdated information. Regularly cleaning email lists, employing double opt-in, segmenting audiences, and using Google Postmaster Tools are crucial for maintaining a healthy bounce rate.

Key findings

  • Ideal Bounce Rate: Most sources recommend a bounce rate below 2-3%.
  • Maximum Acceptable Bounce Rate: Some sources suggest a bounce rate below 5% is acceptable but not ideal.
  • Impact on Reputation: High bounce rates negatively impact sender reputation and email deliverability.
  • List Hygiene Importance: Maintaining good list hygiene is crucial for keeping bounce rates low.
  • Google's Perspective: While not explicitly stated, Google recommends keeping bounce rates low and using Google Postmaster Tools.
  • Hard Bounce Threshold: Aiming for a hard bounce rate below 3% is preferable.

Key considerations

  • Regular List Cleaning: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
  • Double Opt-in: Use double opt-in to ensure subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving emails.
  • Audience Segmentation: Segment your audience to send more targeted content and improve engagement.
  • Google Postmaster Tools: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain's reputation and identify potential problems.
  • ESP Classification: Understand how your ESP classifies different types of bounces (hard vs. soft).
  • Monitor Bounce Rates: Regularly monitor bounce rates and investigate any sudden increases.
  • Sender Authentication: Employ strong sender authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve deliverability.

What email marketers say
8Marketer opinions

The consensus among email marketing experts is that a good bounce rate to aim for is generally below 2-3%. Exceeding this threshold can negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability. Regular email list cleaning and employing double opt-in are recommended practices to maintain a healthy bounce rate.

Key opinions

  • Target Bounce Rate: The target bounce rate should ideally be below 2-3%.
  • Impact of High Bounce Rates: High bounce rates can negatively impact sender reputation and email deliverability.
  • Causes of High Bounce Rates: High bounce rates can be caused by outdated email lists, invalid email addresses, or problems with email sending practices.

Key considerations

  • List Cleaning: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
  • Double Opt-in: Implement a double opt-in process to ensure subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving emails.
  • Sender Authentication: Employ strong sender authentication methods to improve deliverability and reduce bounce rates.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Constant Contact answers that generally, you should aim for a bounce rate below 2%. Constant Contact recommends regular list cleaning to keep your bounce rate low.

June 2021 - Constant Contact
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that keeping your bounce rate below 2% is a good practice. Bounce rates that surpass this benchmark can signal deliverability problems and damage your sender score. They recommend employing double opt-in to ensure subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving your emails.

October 2022 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot explains that a bounce rate around 2% is considered acceptable. A high bounce rate could be a sign of outdated email lists, invalid email addresses, or problems with your email sending practices.

March 2024 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailOversight explains that a good email bounce rate should be less than 3%. If you're seeing a bounce rate above this, it is an indication to start scrubbing and cleaning your email lists.

January 2025 - EmailOversight
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign says that generally, you should aim for a bounce rate of less than 2%. A high bounce rate indicates that a significant portion of your emails aren't reaching their intended recipients, which can hurt your sender reputation.

August 2021 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that a good bounce rate should be below 2%. Exceeding this indicates deliverability issues. They suggest regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses to maintain a healthy bounce rate.

August 2021 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that bounce rate is a important metric to track and bounce rates should be below 3%. Neil recommends cleaning email lists regularly, and following general authentication methods to reduce bounce rate.

September 2021 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that aiming for a bounce rate under 2% is a generally accepted best practice. High bounce rates can negatively impact your sender reputation and deliverability.

January 2024 - Litmus

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Experts generally recommend aiming for a bounce rate below 2-3%, although some tolerate up to 5% for all bounces. Bounce rates aren't explicitly defined by Google, but are a good internal metric. Good list hygiene is key and a higher hard bounce rate suggests issues. It's important to understand how your ESP classifies bounces, as blocks and hard bounces might be reported differently.

Key opinions

  • Acceptable Bounce Rate: A bounce rate below 2-3% is generally considered good, with some sources allowing up to 5% for total bounces.
  • Google's Stance: Google doesn't explicitly state a target bounce rate, but it's a valuable internal metric for assessing list hygiene.
  • Hard vs. Soft Bounces: Distinguish between hard and soft bounces, and understand how your ESP classifies them.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining good list hygiene is crucial for keeping bounce rates low.

Key considerations

  • Monitoring: Regularly monitor your bounce rates to identify and address any issues with your email list or sending practices.
  • ESP Classification: Be aware of how your Email Service Provider (ESP) classifies different types of bounces.
  • Internal Metric: Use bounce rates as an internal metric to evaluate the quality of your email list and the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.
  • Hard Bounce Target: Aim for a hard bounce rate below 3% to minimize issues.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that aiming for below 3% hard bounce rate is preferable to indicate good list hygiene, and exceeding that is likely to cause issues.

April 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks mentions using a 5% threshold for all bounces (hard + soft) on any given campaign, but it ended up being more like 2% for hard bounces and 5% overall.

September 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, shares that aiming for a bounce rate under 2% is generally a good practice. Higher bounce rates may indicate problems with list hygiene or sending practices.

November 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that hard bounces are not necessarily bad if monitored. Suggests caution above 2-3%, but senders with good list hygiene should be well below that. The classification of bounces (blocks vs hard bounces) depends on the ESP.

July 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that bounce rates are not explicitly mentioned in Google's email sender requirements and should be used internally to assess client compliance with list hygiene practices.

July 2023 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Email marketing documentation generally suggests aiming for a bounce rate below 2-5%. Higher bounce rates negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability, signaling potential problems to ISPs. Regular list cleaning, segmentation, and reviewing bounce data are recommended for maintaining a healthy bounce rate.

Key findings

  • Target Bounce Rate Range: Documentation suggests an ideal bounce rate between below 2% to below 5%.
  • Reputation Impact: Higher bounce rates can damage sender reputation and lead to deliverability issues.
  • Suspicious Sending: ISPs may view high bounce rates as suspicious, impacting deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Regular List Cleaning: Clean your email lists regularly to remove problematic or inactive email addresses.
  • Audience Segmentation: Segment your audience for more targeted and relevant content.
  • Bounce Data Review: Regularly review your bounce data to identify and address potential problems.
  • Google Postmaster Tools: Use Google Postmaster Tools to assess your domain's reputation and identify areas for improvement.
Technical article

Documentation from Mailchimp shares that bounce rates should ideally be under 3%. Higher bounce rates can negatively impact sender reputation. Mailchimp recommends regularly reviewing bounce data to identify and remove problematic email addresses from your list.

July 2023 - Mailchimp
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that bounce rates should be kept as low as possible, ideally below 5%. Higher bounce rates can lead to deliverability issues, as ISPs may view your sending practices as suspicious. They advise regularly cleaning your email lists and segmenting your audience to send more targeted content.

November 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that bounce rates are an important metric and sender should aim for a bounce rate below 2%. Google suggests checking the reputation of your domain using Google Postmaster Tools and improve list hygiene to keep your bounce rate low.

May 2024 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from Postmark explains that a good target is to keep your bounce rate below 5%. If your bounce rate is higher, it is an indication to review your sending practices and list hygiene.

August 2023 - Postmark