Sender reputation
Sender reputation
Email Marketing
Sender reputation is the trust score inbox providers give your sending domain and IP, based on bounces, complaints and how people engage.
What is Sender reputation?
Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook don't publish their formulas, but the inputs are well known: spam complaints, bounces, spam traps, sending consistency and engagement (opens, clicks, replies, and people moving you out of spam).
Reputation follows the domain. Changing ESPs doesn't reset it, and a bad month takes weeks of good sending to repair.
Tools to watch it: Google Postmaster Tools shows your domain reputation and spam rate at Gmail. In SmartyTap, Email Analytics shows delivery, bounce and complaint rates per domain.
Example
After a store emails an old, unengaged list, its Gmail reputation drops from High to Low, and even its order emails start landing in spam.
Why Sender reputation Matters
Reputation decides inbox placement for every email you send, marketing and transactional alike.
Sender reputation FAQ
How do I check my sender reputation?
Use Google Postmaster Tools for Gmail and watch your bounce and complaint rates in your ESP.
How do I fix a bad reputation?
Send only to your most engaged contacts for a while, remove bounces and inactive addresses, and grow volume slowly again.
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