Why does SNDS show blocked IPs with good acceptance rates and engagement?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from EmailonAcid Blog shares that SNDS flags could be the result of a recent spike in spam complaints or a sudden shift in sending patterns. Even if engagement remains high, these factors can trigger a temporary block.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that they continued sending volume from IPs flagged as blocked in SNDS because the mail was still being accepted for delivery and others reported similar behaviour.
Email marketer from Mailgun Community Forum responds that SNDS data isn't real-time. It's a delayed reflection of spam complaints and blocklist hits. Your recent efforts to clean your list might not be fully reflected yet.
Email marketer from Reddit responds that SNDS showing blocked IPs with high engagement could mean Microsoft is A/B testing different filtering rules. The IP might be flagged for a specific segment while performing well overall.
Email marketer from Email Geeks states Microsoft has been wildly unpredictable over the last couple of weeks and echoes other reports of very odd behavior on their end.
Email marketer from Email Geeks notes seeing similar issues with SNDS displaying IPs as blocked despite 100% inboxing rates with Microsoft, raising a question about possible connections to new data arriving in the SNDS "comments" field.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares a similar experience where a client IP showed as blocked in SNDS, but Microsoft support indicated no delivery issues, suggesting a possible glitch.
Email marketer from EmailGeek Forums shares that SNDS blocked IPs can sometimes result from temporary spam complaints or anomalies detected by Microsoft's filters. High acceptance rates and engagement may reflect overall good sending practices, but the SNDS flag may indicate a specific issue needing investigation.
Email marketer from EmailDeliverNow Blog explains that conflicting signals can happen when your sending infrastructure has both good and bad elements. Your main IP might have good reputation but some older or less-used IPs might be causing issues picked up by SNDS.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they've observed IPs marked as blocked in SNDS despite maintaining high acceptance rates and strong engagement, indicating potential inconsistencies within the SNDS data.
Email marketer from Mailfence Support Forums shares that sometimes, SNDS flags are delayed or inaccurate. They advise checking other reputation metrics and bounce rates to get a holistic view of deliverability.
Email marketer from StackOverflow answers that the algorithm might be considering factors beyond the normal factors such as the content, the time of day it's been sent or even other recipients on the email. These factors may be impacting the overall reputation.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that Microsoft's SNDS data is based on their internal filtering systems. Even with good acceptance rates, the IP might still be flagged due to spam traps hit or unusual sending patterns detected by Microsoft’s proprietary algorithms.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that SNDS color codes reflect SmartScreen content filters' assessment, not a definitive indicator of email delivery status, noting that a red indicator can coexist with good inboxing, and a green indicator can lead to bulk folder delivery.
Expert from WordtotheWise.com (Laura Atkins) shares that Microsoft filters are notoriously complex, and SNDS data reflects only a small piece of the picture. Blocked status with good engagement may indicate a problem with content or list hygiene triggering specific filters.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft explains that SNDS data reflects only a subset of Microsoft's filtering systems and may not correlate directly with inbox placement or overall deliverability. Blocked status can indicate issues identified by specific filters, even if other factors suggest good performance.
Documentation from Gmail Postmaster Tools Help explains that high engagement rates signal positive sender reputation. If SNDS shows blocks but engagement is high, the issue might be specific to Microsoft's filters and not a universal deliverability problem.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that SNDS provides a limited view and senders should use multiple monitoring tools to get a comprehensive understanding of their IP reputation and deliverability performance. Discrepancies can arise from different filtering algorithms.