Why are some emails not being delivered through Amazon SES?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Gmass explains that exceeding the sending limits imposed by Amazon SES can lead to deliverability problems. Monitor your sending limits and adjust your sending volume accordingly.
Marketer from Email Geeks asks about the custom return-path and DKIM signing and if the SES reputation dashboard is showing any issues with bounces and complaints.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that using spam trigger words in your email content can cause deliverability issues with Amazon SES. Phrases like 'free,' 'guarantee,' and excessive use of exclamation marks can flag your emails as spam.
Email marketer from MailerQ explains that not setting up feedback loops (FBLs) with major ISPs can prevent you from receiving information about spam complaints, making it difficult to improve your deliverability with Amazon SES. FBLs provide valuable data for identifying and addressing deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that abruptly increasing your sending volume can trigger spam filters and cause deliverability issues with Amazon SES. It's crucial to warm up your IP address gradually when starting to send emails through a new provider.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that a poor IP reputation can lead to deliverability problems with Amazon SES. Shared IPs used by other senders can negatively affect your email delivery. The blog suggests warming up your IP address gradually to build a positive reputation.
Email marketer from SparkPost explains that not honoring unsubscribe requests promptly can lead to recipients marking your emails as spam and negatively impact your deliverability with Amazon SES. Ensure that your system processes unsubscribe requests immediately.
Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that including URLs to websites that have a bad reputation will often result in emails being flagged as SPAM. You must check your URL reputation.
Email marketer from SendGrid Blog shares that not properly authenticating your emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC can cause deliverability issues. Incorrectly configured DNS records, or missing authentication altogether, can lead inbox providers to flag your emails as spam.
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that sending emails to unengaged subscribers can harm your sender reputation and deliverability with Amazon SES. It recommends regularly segmenting your email list and focusing on engaged recipients.
Marketer from Email Geeks asks about the volume of messages being sent, how many are not reaching recipients, if there is a pattern with the not-reached addresses, and what is connected to SES to manage the send.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that temporary issues can arise due to the receiving server experiencing technical difficulties. A DNS issue at the recipients end can affect if they get the email, or a technical issue between hops along the way can occur.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that Amazon SES has a global suppression list which includes email addresses that have previously bounced or complained. If a recipient is on this list, your emails will not be delivered, regardless of your sender reputation. This can occur because of a previous sender marking the email as spam.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that a sudden increase in email volume from a new Amazon SES account can trigger spam filters and negatively impact deliverability. It is best to warm up your IP address.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Amazon Web Services explains that high bounce rates can negatively impact your sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues. Hard bounces, in particular, should be addressed promptly by removing the invalid email addresses from your sending list. Amazon SES provides mechanisms for automatically handling bounces, such as using Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) to receive bounce notifications.
Documentation from DigitalOcean explains that not having a reverse DNS (rDNS) record set up for your sending IP address can cause deliverability issues. Some email providers use rDNS to verify the legitimacy of the sending server. The reverse DNS must also match the domain name used in your email.
Documentation from Amazon Web Services explains that high complaint rates (when recipients mark your emails as spam) can severely damage your sender reputation and result in deliverability problems. It emphasizes the importance of sending relevant and desired content to recipients and providing an easy way for them to unsubscribe from your emails. Amazon SES also provides mechanisms for handling complaints, such as using Amazon SNS to receive complaint notifications.
Documentation from Amazon Web Services explains that deliverability issues can arise from sending emails to invalid email addresses. It recommends regularly cleaning your email list to remove invalid addresses, as sending to these addresses can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to deliverability problems.