Why are emails to Bigpond bouncing or being marked as spam?

Summary

Emails to Bigpond are bouncing or being marked as spam due to a combination of factors related to sender reputation, content, technical configuration, and Bigpond's infrastructure. Key issues include Bigpond's strict spam filters and sending limits, potential server overload, poor sender reputation stemming from spam complaints or blocklisting, content triggering spam filters (e.g., URLs flagged as spam, spam trigger words), and incorrect or missing email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Additionally, neglecting list hygiene, failing to warm up IP addresses, and a potentially worsening sender reputation over time (even without changes to the sending strategy) contribute to deliverability problems. Contacting Bigpond directly, reviewing bounce codes, and monitoring feedback loops are recommended actions.

Key findings

  • Bigpond's Infrastructure: Bigpond's servers may have limited capacity or be nearing end-of-life, and are generally known to be strict. Their overload could lead to rejections.
  • Spam Filters: Bigpond's spam filters are very sensitive, marking emails as spam for various reasons.
  • Sending Limits: Exceeding Bigpond's sending limits (e.g., over 7500/h) triggers bounces.
  • Poor Sender Reputation: Spam complaints, blocklistings, and sudden volume spikes negatively impact reputation.
  • Content Issues: URLs flagged as spam, spam trigger words, and poor formatting trigger filters.
  • Authentication Problems: Incorrect or missing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC lead to failed authentication.
  • Declining Reputation: Reputation can decline even without changes to the sending strategy.

Key considerations

  • Contact Bigpond: Reach out to Bigpond support for specific bounce reasons and filter sensitivities.
  • Adjust Volume: Stay under Bigpond's sending limits, potentially lower than other providers.
  • Monitor Bounces: Track and analyze bounce codes for insights into rejection causes.
  • Implement Authentication: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly to authenticate emails.
  • Improve Content: Avoid spam trigger words, excessive links, and ensure clean HTML.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly remove inactive or invalid addresses from your email list.
  • IP Warm-Up: Gradually increase email volume from new IP addresses.
  • Feedback Loops: Monitor and address feedback loops to handle complaints.
  • Pre-Send Testing: Test your emails before sending with spam checkers and other testing tools.
  • Compliance: Adhere to email marketing best practices and CAN-SPAM regulations.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Emails to Bigpond are bouncing or being marked as spam due to several factors. These include strict spam filters and smaller sending limits, potential server volume issues, and the importance of maintaining good sender reputation. Specific actions recommended involve checking transient bounces, adjusting sending volume, contacting Bigpond support, practicing list hygiene, implementing email authentication, addressing content issues, conducting pre-send testing, personalizing emails, and monitoring reputation metrics.

Key opinions

  • Sending Volume: Bigpond may have strict sending limits (e.g., under 7500/h) that, if exceeded, can cause bounces.
  • Server Issues: Bigpond's servers may struggle with volume, leading to delivery problems.
  • Strict Spam Filters: Bigpond's spam filters are often oversensitive and may mark legitimate emails as spam.
  • Sender Reputation: A positive sender reputation is critical; factors include volume, bounce rates, spam complaints, and authentication.
  • Content Issues: Spam trigger words, excessive links, and poor HTML formatting can trigger spam filters.

Key considerations

  • Monitor Bounces: Regularly check transient bounces and adjust volume thresholds on mail servers.
  • Contact Support: Contact Bigpond support directly to inquire about the cause of bounces and filter sensitivities.
  • List Hygiene: Remove inactive or invalid email addresses to improve deliverability.
  • Email Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate emails and prove legitimacy.
  • Pre-Send Testing: Test email content with spam checkers and email testing tools before sending.
  • Personalization: Personalize emails to increase engagement and reduce the chance of being marked as spam.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sender.net highlights that implementing email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) helps to prove that you are a legitimate sender, increasing deliverability and reducing the likelihood of being marked as spam.

March 2022 - Sender.net
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet emphasizes the importance of list hygiene for deliverability. Regularly remove inactive or invalid email addresses, as sending to these addresses can increase bounce rates and negatively impact sender reputation.

April 2021 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Whirlpool Forums recommends directly contacting Bigpond support to inquire about the reason for the bounces. They suggest that Bigpond's filters can be oversensitive and direct communication might resolve the issue.

June 2023 - Whirlpool Forums
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow mentions content issues that trigger spam filters, including using spam trigger words, excessive links, or poor HTML formatting. Suggests testing your email content with spam checkers before sending.

October 2023 - StackOverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from MailerLite mentions that a positive sender reputation is critical for deliverability. Factors influencing reputation include email volume, bounce rates, spam complaints, and authentication practices.

December 2023 - MailerLite
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that Bigpond is an inbox provider that's essentially 'on the way out' and their servers can't handle the volume.

February 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests looking at transient bounces and adjusting volume thresholds on the mail servers. They also provide more specific sending rate rules via DM, mentioning a rate under 7500/h for all mail to bigpond domains.

December 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares information about email testing and pre-send testing, including tools and resources that help you identify potential issues that might cause your emails to be marked as spam.

January 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares their experience that Bigpond often has strict spam filters and smaller sending limits. Suggests checking your sender reputation and ensuring your email content isn't triggering spam filters.

August 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from SuperOffice explains that personalization increases engagement and reduces the chances of recipients marking your emails as spam. Tailoring content to individual preferences and needs demonstrates value.

September 2024 - SuperOffice

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Emails to Bigpond bounce or are marked as spam primarily due to poor sender reputation, triggering spam filters with URL content, and technical authentication issues. Maintaining a good sender reputation through monitoring feedback loops, addressing complaints, and adhering to email best practices are also crucial. It's also important to remember that reputation may worsen even if your email strategy remains constant.

Key opinions

  • URL Content: URLs in emails might be flagged as 'seen frequently in spam,' triggering filters.
  • Sender Reputation Decline: Sender reputation can worsen over time, even without changes to email strategy.
  • Technical Issues: Incorrect authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) can lead to bounces and spam filtering.
  • Content Triggers: Email content itself can trigger spam filters.
  • Sender Reputation Importance: Maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial.

Key considerations

  • Review Bounce Codes: Analyze bounce codes to understand the specific reasons for email rejection.
  • Improve Email Content: Refine email content to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Authentication Setup: Ensure proper implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
  • Monitor Feedback Loops: Actively monitor feedback loops to identify and address complaints.
  • Proactive Complaint Handling: Proactively address complaints to maintain sender reputation.
  • Email Best Practices & Regulations: Adhere to email best practices and comply with regulations such as CAN-SPAM.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that 'suspected spam content' could mean that the URLs are flagged as 'seen frequently in spam'. Also, just because the strategy hasn’t changed doesn’t mean the reputation hasn’t been getting worse over time.

March 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that bounces and spam filtering often stem from poor sender reputation, content triggers, or technical issues like incorrect authentication. They advise reviewing bounce codes, improving email content, and ensuring proper authentication setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).

July 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Atkins) emphasizes that maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial for avoiding bounces and spam filters. They recommend monitoring feedback loops, proactively addressing complaints, and ensuring compliance with email best practices and CAN-SPAM regulations.

May 2021 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Emails to Bigpond may bounce or be marked as spam due to several documented reasons: exceeding sending limits or triggering content-based spam filters (Telstra), poor IP reputation from spam complaints and blocklisting (Spamhaus), SMTP error codes indicating permanent policy failures (RFC), lack of DMARC policy to manage SPF/DKIM failures (Google), and failure to properly warm up IP addresses, leading to a negative sending reputation (Microsoft). These combined factors contribute to deliverability issues.

Key findings

  • Sending Limits & Content: Exceeding sending limits or triggering content filters on Bigpond leads to bounces.
  • Server Overload: Bigpond servers experience overload, especially during peak periods, causing temporary rejections.
  • Poor IP Reputation: Spam complaints, blocklist listings, and volume spikes degrade IP reputation.
  • SMTP Errors: SMTP error codes (e.g., 550) indicate policy-related or spam filtering failures.
  • Lack of DMARC: Missing DMARC policy fails to instruct recipient servers on how to handle authentication failures.
  • No IP Warming: Failure to gradually warm up IP addresses hurts sending reputation.

Key considerations

  • Adhere to Sending Limits: Ensure email volume stays within Bigpond's defined limits.
  • Optimize Content: Refine email content to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Monitor IP Reputation: Actively monitor IP reputation to detect and address issues.
  • Implement DMARC: Set up a DMARC policy to manage emails failing SPF or DKIM checks.
  • IP Warm-Up: Gradually increase email volume when using a new IP address.
  • Review Error Codes: Analyze SMTP error codes to pinpoint specific reasons for rejection.
Technical article

Documentation from Telstra Support Website explains that Bigpond email bounces or spam issues can arise from exceeding sending limits or triggering spam filters due to content. Highlighting server overload issues during peak periods, potentially leading to temporary rejections.

February 2024 - Telstra Support Website
Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that poor IP reputation leads to email blocking and spam marking. Contributing factors include spam complaints, blocklist listings, and sudden spikes in email volume.

December 2022 - Spamhaus
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that setting up a DMARC policy allows you to instruct recipient mail servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. This helps protect your domain from spoofing and phishing attacks.

September 2024 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from RFC Standards explains that SMTP error codes provide clues about why an email was rejected. '550' codes often indicate permanent failures due to policy reasons or spam filtering.

January 2023 - RFC Standards
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains the importance of IP warming - gradually increasing email volume from a new IP address to establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs.

October 2024 - Microsoft


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