Why is it bad to use different domains in the From: and Reply-To: headers?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that the key is building trust with your recipients and a consistent domain presence in both 'From:' and 'Reply-To:' reinforces this, while inconsistencies may raise suspicion.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that mismatched 'From:' and 'Reply-To:' domains often trigger spam filters. These filters are designed to identify potentially fraudulent emails, and a discrepancy between these domains is a red flag.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that differing domains in the 'From:' and 'Reply-To:' headers can erode brand consistency and trust. Consistent branding across all email elements builds a more professional and trustworthy image with recipients.
Email marketer from SendPulse explains that using different domains in 'From:' and 'Reply-To:' can damage sender reputation. Email providers may flag such emails as suspicious because it appears like an attempt to hide the true sender, potentially leading to deliverability issues.
Email marketer from StackExchange answers that using different domains can confuse recipients, making it harder for them to trust the email's legitimacy. This confusion can lead to recipients marking the email as spam or ignoring it altogether.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign answers that mismatches between the 'From:' and 'Reply-To:' domains can increase an email's spam score. Higher spam scores increase the likelihood of your email being filtered into the spam folder.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that aligning the 'From:' and 'Reply-To:' domains can improve deliverability rates. This alignment can positively influence how mailbox providers view the sender's authenticity and reputation.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that a mismatch between the 'From:' domain and the 'Reply-To:' domain can negatively impact your sender reputation. They state that consistent domain alignment is important for authentication protocols like SPF and DKIM to work effectively, building trust with ISPs.
Email marketer from GlockApps shares that using the same domain for both 'From:' and 'Reply-To:' improves email deliverability by strengthening sender authentication. It also reduces the risk of being flagged as spam by ISPs.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that sending from a .in domain and having the reply-to go to a different .io domain looks like phishing, especially if the websites are very different. They advise against doing this.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that using different domains in the From: and Reply-To: headers can lead to recipient confusion and decreased engagement. Consistent branding and domain usage across all email elements build trust and enhance recognition.
Expert from Spam Resource answers that the Reply-To header is defined to allow the recipient to easily reply to a different email address than the one in the From: header, using it should be a conscious decision, not an accident. Using different domains can be a flag for spam filters and cause confusion for the user.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools suggests that best practice is to align your 'From:' address domain with your sending domain for authentication purposes. This helps Google verify that you are who you claim to be, improving deliverability.
Documentation from DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) Signatures explains that domain alignment is critical for passing DKIM authentication. When the domain in the 'From:' header doesn't match the domain signing the email (DKIM), it can lead to authentication failures, negatively impacting deliverability.
Documentation from ietf.org states that for SPF (Sender Policy Framework) to validate properly, the domain in the 'From:' address needs to align with the domain authorized to send emails on its behalf. Discrepancies can cause SPF checks to fail, impacting deliverability.
Documentation from ietf.org explains that the 'From:' field specifies the author(s) of the message, while the 'Reply-To:' field designates an address where replies should be sent. Using different domains can confuse recipients and spam filters because it breaks the expected sender identity.