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Why Your Email Sending Domain Matters
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to nurture leads and drive conversions, but if your domain has a poor reputation or deliverability issues, your emails might end up in spam—or worse, get blocked entirely.
To maximise inbox placement, improve engagement rates, and maintain sender credibility, you need to monitor and optimise your email domain authority, reputation, and sending health.
This step-by-step guide will help you assess and fix email deliverability issues, blacklists, IP health, and authentication problems—ensuring your marketing emails reach the right audience.
Jump to a section:
1. Check Your Email Domain’s Reputation
What is Email Reputation?
Your email reputation determines how email providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo treat your messages. A high sender reputation increases deliverability, while a poor reputation results in emails being marked as spam or rejected.
How to Check Your Domain Reputation
Use these free tools to check your email reputation:
Google Postmaster Tools – Tracks Gmail reputation, spam rates, and authentication.
Talos Intelligence (Cisco) – Provides IP/domain reputation insights.
MXToolbox Blacklist Check – Checks if your IP/domain is blacklisted.
SenderScore by Validity – Assigns a score (0-100) based on your email-sending history.
💡 Pro Tip: If your reputation is low, improve engagement rates by removing inactive subscribers and ensuring your email content is relevant and valuable.
2. Authenticate Your Domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Why Authentication Matters
Email authentication prevents spoofing, phishing, and spam filtering issues. Without it, your emails may be rejected or flagged as suspicious.
How to Check Your Email Authentication
Verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC with these tools:
MXToolbox SPF, DKIM, DMARC Check – Ensures proper email authentication.
DMARC Analyzer – Monitors DMARC policies and reports suspicious activity.
Run a DNS lookup: Use nslookup -type=txt yourdomain.com to check authentication records.
💡 Pro Tip: Set DMARC to “p=reject” to prevent email spoofing and improve domain security.
3. Check If Your Email Sending Domain or IP Is Blacklisted
What Happens if You're Blacklisted?
If your email-sending domain or IP is blacklisted, your emails won’t reach inboxes. This usually happens if your email campaigns have high spam complaints or you’re using a shared IP with a bad sender.
How to Check if You’re Blacklisted
Use these tools to check blacklist status:
Spamhaus Blacklist Check – Checks if your IP is flagged by major spam databases.
MultiRBL Blacklist Lookup – Scans multiple blacklist databases.
Barracuda Reputation Check – Reviews domain/IP reputation issues.
💡 Pro Tip: If blacklisted, contact the blacklist provider, improve email engagement, and authenticate your domain to avoid future issues.
4. Test Email Deliverability & Spam Score
Why Deliverability Matters
Even if your domain isn’t blacklisted, poor deliverability can result in emails landing in spam. Testing before sending helps identify potential issues.
Best Free Tools for Email Deliverability Testing
Use these platforms to test spam score & inbox placement:
Mail-Tester – Assigns a spam score based on your email content and domain health.
GlockApps – Tests inbox placement across Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and more.
MXToolbox Email Header Analyzer – Diagnoses email routing and spam filtering issues.
💡 Pro Tip: Avoid spam trigger words like “free,” “act now,” and “guarantee” to improve inbox placement.
5. Monitor Your Email Performance & Reputation Over Time
Why Continuous Monitoring is Essential
Your email domain reputation changes over time, depending on your sending patterns, complaint rates, and engagement levels.
Best Tools for Ongoing Monitoring
Track sender reputation & spam complaints:
Google Postmaster Tools – Monitors Gmail spam complaint rates.
Microsoft SNDS – Tracks reputation for Outlook & Hotmail.
Validity SenderScore – Assigns a 0-100 reputation score based on your email history.
💡 Pro Tip: Keep your Sender Score above 80 for better inbox placement.
6. Check Your Domain’s DNS & Mail Server Configuration
Why Proper DNS Setup Matters
If your DNS and mail server settings are incorrect, email providers may block or delay your emails.
How to Check Your DNS & MX Records
Use these tools to check mail server health:
MXToolbox DNS & MX Lookup – Ensures mail server setup is correct.
IntoDNS – Checks DNS health & recommends improvements.
💡 Pro Tip: If using an email marketing platform (like Mailchimp or HubSpot), ensure your domain is verified and records are updated.
Final Thoughts: How to Maintain a Healthy Email Domain
Email Health Checklist
✔ Regularly monitor your sender reputation
✔ Authenticate your emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
✔ Check & remove blacklist listings if flagged
✔ Test spam scores and inbox placement before sending campaigns
✔ Track complaint rates and engagement metrics
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