Bounce rate

Email bounce rate

Email Marketing

Email bounce rate is the share of sent emails that couldn't be delivered, counting hard and soft bounces.

What is Bounce rate?

Bounce rate is a list-quality signal. A low, steady rate means your list is clean; a jump usually means an old segment, a bad import or a broken signup form. Read hard and soft separately. Hard bounces mean bad addresses; soft bounces may be temporary. In SmartyTap, Email Analytics shows bounce rate on the Deliverability tab, and a domain whose bounces pass 5% over 24 hours has its marketing paused automatically.

Formula

Bounce rate = Bounced emails ÷ Emails sent × 100

Example

A store sends 10,000 emails and 150 bounce: a 1.5% bounce rate, mostly from a list imported from an old tool.

Why Bounce rate Matters

High bounce rates tell inbox providers you don't look after your list, which hurts delivery for everyone on it.

Bounce rate FAQ

Is email bounce rate the same as website bounce rate?

No. Website bounce rate is visitors who leave after one page; email bounce rate is undeliverable messages.

How do I lower my bounce rate?

Use confirmed signups, fix typos at entry, suppress hard bounces and remove contacts who haven't engaged in a long time.

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