What to do if your IP is blacklisted on SORBS?

Summary

If your IP is blacklisted on SORBS, the general consensus is that it might not significantly impact your email deliverability. Experts and email marketers suggest verifying the listing first. If you aren't experiencing delivery issues, there may be no need to worry. Officially, SORBS provides a delisting request form, but it's more important to ensure list hygiene, proactively monitor your IP reputation, identify and address the root cause of any deliverability problems (which might not be SORBS), and focus on your overall sender reputation. Use tools provided by Spamhaus, Google, and Microsoft to monitor your sender reputation. If the IP is new, warm it up gradually. Consider using a dedicated IP and ensure your sending practices comply with industry standards. Given that SORBS may have limited impact compared to other blacklists, prioritize addressing more critical issues.

Key findings

  • Limited Impact: SORBS listing often has minimal impact on email deliverability.
  • Verify Listing: Confirm the listing before taking action.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining strict email list hygiene practices is crucial.
  • Proactive Monitoring: Actively monitor your IP reputation.
  • Root Cause Analysis: Identify and address the underlying cause of deliverability problems.

Key considerations

  • Delisting Process: If needed, use the official SORBS delisting form.
  • Prioritize Issues: Focus on more critical blacklists and sender reputation metrics.
  • IP Warm-up: Warm up new IP addresses gradually.
  • Dedicated IP: Consider using a dedicated IP for better reputation control.
  • Sending Practices: Comply with industry standards for sending emails.
  • Monitoring Tools: Utilize tools from Spamhaus, Google, and Microsoft.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

If your IP is blacklisted on SORBS, the initial step is to verify the listing using online tools. It's generally understood that SORBS listings don't always significantly impact email deliverability. When requesting delisting, provide accurate details about your IP and any steps taken to rectify the issue. Maintaining strict email list hygiene by verifying addresses and removing inactive users is crucial to prevent future listings. Proactive monitoring of your IP reputation, contacting SORBS support if needed, identifying the root cause of blacklisting, and warming up new IPs are important actions. Using a dedicated IP, checking sending practices, and acknowledging that SORBS may have limited impact are also key considerations.

Key opinions

  • Verify Listing: Confirm if your IP is actually listed on SORBS using online tools before taking action.
  • Limited Impact: SORBS listings may not always significantly affect email deliverability compared to other blacklists.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean email list is critical for preventing future SORBS listings.
  • Proactive Monitoring: Regularly monitor your IP reputation to identify and address blacklisting issues early.
  • Address Root Cause: Identify and fix the underlying cause of blacklisting, such as spam complaints or compromised accounts.

Key considerations

  • Delisting Details: Provide accurate and complete information when requesting delisting from SORBS.
  • SORBS Impact: Be aware that SORBS may have limited impact, and focus on more critical blacklists and sender reputation metrics.
  • IP Warm-up: Gradually warm up new IP addresses to build a positive sender reputation.
  • Dedicated IP: Consider using a dedicated IP for better control over your sender reputation.
  • Sending Practices: Ensure your email sending practices comply with industry standards and best practices.
  • Contact Support: If the delisting process is slow, contact SORBS support for assistance.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that being listed on SORBS doesn't have much impact and usually delists on its own after some time.

April 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that when submitting a delisting request, provide all necessary details such as your IP address, the reason for the listing (if known), and steps taken to prevent future issues.

April 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains the importance of identifying the root cause of the blacklisting (spam complaints, compromised accounts, etc.) and fixing it to prevent future listings. <https://www.mailjet.com/blog/>

April 2024 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailGeeks Community says to actively monitor your IP reputation using various online tools and services to catch and address blacklisting issues early on.

September 2023 - EmailGeeks Community
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog shares that if you are using a new IP address, gradually warm it up by sending emails in increasing volumes to build a positive sender reputation.

January 2022 - Email Deliverability Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that the first step is to check if your IP is actually blacklisted on SORBS. Use online tools to verify the blacklist status before taking action.

May 2021 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from MXToolbox Forum explains that implement strict email list hygiene practices, such as verifying email addresses and removing inactive subscribers, to avoid future SORBS listings.

May 2021 - MXToolbox Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost Blog explains that consider using a dedicated IP address for sending emails to better manage your sender reputation and prevent blacklisting issues. <https://www.sparkpost.com/blog/>

September 2022 - SparkPost Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendgrid Blog suggests checking your email sending practices to ensure they are compliant with industry standards and best practices to prevent being blacklisted. <https://sendgrid.com/blog/>

February 2022 - Sendgrid Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailgun Blog explains that other third party blacklists exist but SORBS often has less impact. <https://www.mailgun.com/blog/>

May 2022 - Mailgun Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests that if the delisting process takes too long, contact SORBS support directly to inquire about the status of your request.

August 2023 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that she views SORBS as an indicator of a list hygiene issue, fwiw.

October 2022 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Experts generally agree that being blacklisted on SORBS has minimal impact on email deliverability. If deliverability issues arise, they are likely due to factors other than SORBS. Focusing on overall sender reputation and monitoring more impactful blacklists is more critical than addressing a SORBS listing. Unless experiencing delivery problems, a SORBS listing may not warrant immediate concern.

Key opinions

  • Minimal Impact: SORBS blacklistings typically do not significantly affect email deliverability.
  • Other Factors: Delivery problems are likely caused by issues other than being listed on SORBS.
  • Useless Blacklist: SORBS is considered mostly useless.

Key considerations

  • Sender Reputation: Focus on building and maintaining a good overall sender reputation.
  • Monitor Other Blacklists: Prioritize monitoring more impactful blacklists than SORBS.
  • Delivery Problems: Only address SORBS if you're experiencing actual delivery problems.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise answers that SORBS rarely impacts email delivery. You need to monitor other blacklists and focus on overall sender reputation, rather than solely focusing on SORBS.

April 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks responds that if you’re seeing delivery problems they’re likely not the result of SORBS, so you may need to address them directly.

July 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that conversely, if you’re not having delivery problems there’s no real need to care, and being listed on some web-based blacklist checker is not a delivery problem.

February 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that generally a SORBS listing doesn’t have any delivery impact.

February 2025 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that SORBS is mostly useless these days and if you're listed on it, it probably won't affect your deliverability.

October 2024 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

If your IP is blacklisted on SORBS, the official guidance is to complete the delisting request form on the SORBS website. However, it's also noted that SORBS listings often don't cause significant deliverability issues, suggesting prioritizing other potential causes. Utilize tools like Spamhaus Blocklist Removal Center to investigate the reason for blacklisting. Additionally, use Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS to monitor sender reputation and troubleshoot delivery problems.

Key findings

  • Delisting Process: Official guidance is to use the SORBS delisting request form.
  • Limited Impact: SORBS listings may not be a primary cause of deliverability problems.
  • Investigate Cause: Use Spamhaus Blocklist Removal Center to understand the reason for blacklisting.
  • Monitor Reputation: Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS help monitor sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • Prioritize Issues: Address other potential deliverability issues before focusing on the SORBS listing.
  • Use Monitoring Tools: Actively use tools provided by Google and Microsoft to monitor your sending reputation.
  • Accurate Form Completion: Ensure the delisting request form is filled out accurately for a successful review.
Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus shares that use tools like Spamhaus Blocklist Removal Center to understand the reason for blacklisting and initiate the removal process. <https://www.spamhaus.org/>

July 2022 - Spamhaus
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft SNDS advises using the Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) program to monitor your IP reputation with Microsoft and troubleshoot delivery issues. <https://sendersupport.olc.protection.outlook.com/snds/>

August 2021 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from SORBS explains that to delist, you should visit the SORBS website and locate the delisting request form. Fill it out accurately and submit it for review.

December 2021 - SORBS
Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools suggests to utilize Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your sender reputation and identify any issues affecting your email deliverability. <https://gmail.com/postmaster/>

June 2024 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from Validity responds that SORBS listings don't typically cause major deliverability issues. Focus on addressing other potential causes first. <https://knowledge.validity.com/hc/en-us/articles/226457028-Spam-and-Open-Relay-Blocking-System-SORBS-Spam-blocklist>

June 2022 - Validity