What to do when Gsuite IP is blacklisted on SORBS?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Mailjet recommends configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain to authenticate your emails and prevent spoofing. Proper email authentication can improve your deliverability and reduce the likelihood of being blacklisted.
Email marketer from SendGrid promotes the practice of warming IP addresses over time can help you build a positive sending reputation. This involves gradually increasing your email volume and consistently sending high-quality content.
Email marketer from Reddit recommends focusing on improving your sending reputation to minimize the impact of SORBS. She suggests implementing email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining a clean email list, and ensuring a low spam complaint rate.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow suggests checking if the IP address is shared. If it's shared, it might be difficult to get it delisted due to the actions of other users. He recommends contacting SORBS to understand the reason for the listing and requesting a delisting if possible.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests checking other DNS blacklists besides SORBS to see if the IP is listed elsewhere. He also recommends contacting your email service provider (Google) for assistance in resolving the issue.
Marketer from Email Geeks advises responding to rejections and requesting a manual review. He also notes that SORBS has a lower impact and questions whether it's truly preventing emails from being delivered.
Email marketer from GlockApps suggests using deliverability testing tools to assess your email placement across different email providers and identify any deliverability issues. These tools can help you determine if your emails are being blocked or filtered as spam.
Email marketer from MXToolbox advises using monitoring tools to keep track of your domain's reputation and blacklist status across multiple DNSBLs. Regular monitoring allows you to quickly identify and address any issues that may arise.
Email marketer from ZeroBounce recommends avoiding spam traps by implementing a double opt-in process for new subscribers and regularly cleaning your email list to remove invalid or inactive addresses.
Marketer from Email Geeks states that the problems are probably not directly related to SORBS listing, but that there is a more holistic problem going on.
Email marketer from Gmass encourages regular cleaning of your email list to remove invalid or inactive email addresses. Sending emails to non-existent addresses can damage your sending reputation and increase the risk of being blacklisted.
Marketer from Email Geeks confirms that Gmail IPs are shared between accounts and not dedicated to individual users. He suggests that the blacklisting could be due to the actions of other users on the same IP.
Marketer from Email Geeks reports instances of Proofpoint pointing to SORBS listings as the cause for blocking emails.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource recommends diagnosing the reason for the block. Sometimes a block is permanent and cannot be removed if the cause of the block is too risky to the reputation of the blacklist. Often the block is temporary so wait for the block to expire.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that you need to understand why you're on the SORBS list. Determine if it is a dynamic IP listing (dial-up or residential IP), a spam trap listing or a general spam listing. Residential IPs can be harder to remove, so make sure GSuite is allowed in your SPF record to show it's a valid source. Remove yourself from the list and then monitor.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from MultiRBL clarifies that SORBS is a DNSBL (DNS-based Blackhole List) used to identify IP addresses associated with spam or other malicious activities. It explains the different SORBS zones and how to interpret the listing information. MultiRBL is a tool to check your IP in real time against multiple DNSBLs
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that Google uses shared IP addresses for sending emails, which means your email sending reputation is partially affected by other users on the same IP. Google recommends following their bulk sender guidelines to maintain a good sending reputation.
Documentation from RFC provides the official specification for Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records. It explains the syntax and usage of SPF records for email authentication.
Documentation from Mimecast Knowledge Base describes how recipients using Mimecast can be blocked by SORBS listings. They recommend checking and improving your sending reputation and contacting SORBS directly for removal.
Documentation from Spamhaus provides information on how to check if your IP address is listed on their blocklists and the steps to take for removal. It emphasizes the importance of identifying and resolving the cause of the listing before requesting delisting.