Most email marketers have been there before: you send out a carefully crafted email to your subscribers, only to be met with disappointing engagement rates. What went wrong? While many factors could explain your email’s lack of performance, one possible reason is that your emails aren’t making it to the inbox. Instead, they could be getting stopped by the spam folder, or worse: a blacklist. This is where a tool to check if the email is on the blacklist comes in handy. This article will show you how to avoid blacklists, fix email reputation, ensure your emails reliably reach inboxes and maintain a strong sender reputation to maximize engagement and conversions.

One way to support your email deliverability is to use Inframail’s email infrastructure. Email infrastructure is your server’s setup and organization. A well-structured email server helps you send emails smoothly so they reach their intended destination: your subscribers’ inboxes. 

Table of Contents

• Why You Must Avoid Getting Blacklisted

• 5 Reliable Ways to Check if Email Is on Blacklist

• What to Do if Your IP or Domain Name Is on an Email Blacklist

• Start Buying Domains Now and Setup Your Email Infrastructure Today

Why You Must Avoid Getting Blacklisted

Understanding Email Blacklists: The Basics

Email blacklists are databases with lists of domains, IPs, email addresses, or even email servers that are suspected of spammy or other suspicious behavior. Receiving email servers check these lists when receiving emails. If the sending domain, IP, or email address appears on a blacklist, the receiving server may block the message or send it to the spam folder. Email blacklists help make email a safer communication channel. Without security measures like blacklists, email outreach would have already been a thing of the past.

Common Reasons for Getting Blacklisted

If you got blacklisted, you may think it was just bad luck. Getting blacklisted isn't some random event that happens without a cause. If you dig deeper, you’ll probably find why you’re on those dreaded lists.

Maybe:

• You got many spam complaints. What does a spammer do? They blast out hundreds, if not thousands, of generic, unsolicited emails to recipients with no interest in the content. The result? Many spam complaints. The solution? Personalize all your emails and offer the recipients value in every email. Add a clear unsubscribe link to every email. Make it easier to hit unsubscribe than to click spam.

• Your emails bounced more frequently than a bouncy ball. You will have many bounces if you send to low-quality email addresses. And a bounce doesn’t just mean a lost prospect. Instead, a high bounce rate can hurt your sender’s reputation, which can lead to even more bounces, which… can eventually lead you to get blacklisted.

• You didn’t care about email authentication. Taking care of your technical setup is essential to tending to your sender’s reputation. Email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC make your emails more secure and prove they come from your domain without any email spoofing.

• You sent an email from a domain with a poor sender reputation. If you purchased an existing domain with a bad reputation, you may be blacklisted without ever sending a single email. Note: If you share IP addresses or servers with other blacklisted senders, that IP may be blacklisted too.

• You included many spam trigger words in your emails. Even the most well-intended emails can trigger spam filters and ultimately lead to you getting blacklisted if they contain spam-trigger words.

• You sent unverified emails. If you don’t verify each email before using it, you get less engagement and risk many bounces. As you know now, a high bounce rate can hurt your deliverability and get you in trouble with blacklists.

Why You Must Avoid Getting Blacklisted

Being on a blacklist, and especially being on blacklistS (multiple blacklists), will hurt your sender’s reputation. With your sender reputation in tatters, your email deliverability will tank. When that happens, even the best email campaign won’t save you. If your carefully crafted emails don't reach your prospects, they're worthless.

Related Reading

• Blacklist Removal
• IP Address Reputation
• Blacklisted Email

5 Reliable Ways to Check if Email Is on Blacklist

1. Use Online Blacklist Check Tools

Blacklisting can happen for various reasons, such as: 

• Receiving too many spam reports

• Sending bulk emails without verifying email lists

• Accidental reputation issues

Online blacklist check tools make it easy to see if your domain or IP is flagged on any significant blacklists. These tools are typically free and scan a range of databases to determine if any blocking lists include your domain. 

Here are some popular options: 

• MxToolbox: Enter your domain or IP, and it will scan it against over 100 blacklists. 

• Spamhaus: Known for their widely used block lists. 

• MultiRBL: Checks across multiple RBLs (Real-time Blackhole Lists). 

• Talos Intelligence: Provides insights and reputation scores for domains and IPs. 

By regularly checking these tools, you can check your domain reputation and catch potential blacklisting issues before they impact your deliverability.

Check Google Postmaster Tools

If you regularly send emails to Gmail accounts, Google Postmaster Tools can help you monitor and maintain your sender reputation. This free service provides domain reputation reports, categorizing your domain as high, medium, or low in Gmail’s system. To access these insights, you’ll need to verify domain ownership, but once set up, you can track key metrics related to Gmail-specific deliverability. Google Postmaster Tools also provide valuable data on delivery errors, spam rates, and feedback loop information, helping you identify potential issues and prevent blacklisting. Leveraging these insights ensures a strong sender reputation and improves email deliverability.

Look for Email Bounceback Messages

Bounceback messages are a valuable yet often overlooked source of information when emails fail to reach their intended recipients. Understanding the different types of bounces can help diagnose deliverability issues and take corrective action.

• Soft Bounce: A soft bounce indicates a temporary delivery issue. Common causes include a full recipient mailbox, a temporarily unavailable server, or an email that exceeds the recipient’s size limit. Soft-bounced emails may be retried for delivery after some time.

• Hard Bounce: A hard bounce signifies a permanent failure, often due to an invalid email address, a non-existent domain, or a recipient blocking your emails. These require immediate attention, as they indicate issues that will not be resolved independently.

• Technical Bounce: Technical bounces result from server-side problems, such as server overload, connection failures, or temporary technical errors. While these issues may resolve automatically, persistent occurrences should be monitored.

• Delayed Bounce: A delayed bounce occurs when an email is temporarily held and not immediately returned. This may happen if the recipient’s server is busy or experiencing issues. The email may eventually be delivered, but if it remains undelivered for too long, it could result in a soft or hard bounce.

• Spam Bounce: A spam bounce occurs when the recipient’s server blocks the email, often due to spam filtering. This may happen if your domain has a poor reputation or the email content triggers spam detection.

Many email providers include detailed reasons in bounceback messages, specifying whether an email was rejected due to blacklisting or other issues. Look for keywords such as “blocked,” “blacklist,” or “spam” to identify potential concerns. Regularly reviewing and analyzing bounceback reports allows you to address red flags and improve email deliverability proactively.

Contact Your Email Service Provider

If you use an email marketing service or a dedicated email provider like SendLayer, Brevo, or another reputable platform, contact their support team if you suspect blacklisting. Many providers offer reputation management services and proactively monitor for blacklisting issues. They may alert you to reputation concerns and, in some cases, assist with delisting your domain if it has been blacklisted. Some providers offer built-in reputation monitoring tools to help detect potential issues before they escalate. Leveraging your provider’s expertise can save time and expedite issue resolution, as they often have direct relationships with internet service providers and can offer valuable assistance.

Use WP Mail SMTP

If you use WordPress to send emails, plugins like WP Mail SMTP offer valuable diagnostics and integrate with tools to monitor your domain’s IP health. WP Mail SMTP works with various email service providers to ensure proper authentication and configuration, reducing the risk of blacklisting. Its White Glove Setup service is particularly beneficial for those seeking expert assistance in correctly setting up domain and IP configurations. By optimizing SMTP settings, you can significantly improve email deliverability and prevent common misconfigurations that may lead to blacklisting. With WP Mail SMTP, you can proactively monitor and enhance your email-sending practices, strengthening your domain reputation and minimizing blacklist risks.

Related Reading

• How to Improve IP Reputation
• Google Blacklist Removal
• Blacklist Removal Tool

What to Do if Your IP or Domain Name Is on an Email Blacklist

You Got Blacklisted. Now What? 

Blacklisting isn’t a death sentence. When you find out your emails are being blocked by a blacklist, there are three things you need to do: Understand why this happened. 

• Did you make changes to the email content? 

• Were you emailing a new set of contacts? 

• Was this part of a new email strategy? 

Request blacklist removal. Take action to prevent this from happening again. You must review your email practices and make changes where necessary.  Remember, you’re on the blacklist. You can find what went wrong and fix it. 

How to Remove an IP Address or Domain From an Email Blacklist

Most of the blacklist vendors have information available on their websites about blacklist removal. Delisting can be requested via a link or form. You must follow the steps and implement the recommended actions to improve your email marketing practices. After you manage that, it’s best to establish new rules and practices for your team so that you don’t appear on any more blacklists. 

How to Avoid Getting Blacklisted in the First Place

Prevention is undoubtedly better than cure when it comes to email blacklists. If you abide by email deliverability best practices, it will be much better for your email marketing performance and brand reputation. This way, you can minimize the blacklist risk entirely—while maximizing the impact of your email campaigns. Here are some email marketing best practices to prevent you from being blacklisted: 

Always Get Consent

Only email contacts with express permission for you to do so. We strongly recommend implementing a double opt-in signup process to confirm the subscriber’s intent and ensure the address provided is valid. Double opt-in is one sure way to protect yourself from spam traps (more on those below). 

Keep Your Contact List Up to Date

Keep in mind that engagement has an impact on deliverability. If a contact hasn’t opened your email in six months, it’s time to delete it. Unengaged contacts are more likely to mark you as spam if you keep emailing them. Remove them with any unsubscribes and inactive addresses as part of regular list cleaning. Find out more on email list management here. 

Don’t Send Mass Email From An ISP

Webmail providers (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook) are designed for personal use, so it looks suspicious when one of them sends a mass email. The best way to send and manage mass email campaigns is to use a dedicated email marketing platform like Brevo. 

Keep A Close Eye On Campaign Metrics

If you notice a sudden drop in your email open rates, you can be sure that something’s up. Tracking email metrics closely will allow you to react quickly in the event of a deliverability issue or blacklisting. 

Check Your Sender Reputation

Your sender reputation is one of the criteria ISPs use to determine if you’re a bad sender. Your sender reputation depends on how your emails have performed and whether your domain has been flagged for suspicious activity. You should check up on it regularly using tools like Senderscore. 

Avoid Spam Words In Subject Lines And Email Copy

Did you know that certain words and phrases trigger spam filters? Check out this list from Elegant Themes to know which ones to avoid. 

Never Buy Email Lists

Buying email lists is a risky and ineffective strategy that can severely damage your brand, marketing performance, and budget. Think about it—purchasing a list of randomly sourced email addresses means reaching people who have never heard of you and never opted in to receive your emails. This approach leads to low engagement and exposes you to serious risks.

The Hidden Risks of Spam Traps: How They Impact Email Deliverability and Sender Reputation

Beyond compliance concerns like GDPR, purchased lists are often riddled with spam traps, inactive email addresses intentionally placed by ISPs and blacklist vendors to catch unsolicited senders. Since these addresses don’t belong to real users, any email sent to them is automatically flagged as spam, damaging your sender’s reputation and increasing the likelihood of blacklisting. Instead of buying email lists, focus on organic list-building strategies that attract genuinely interested subscribers. This ensures better engagement, higher deliverability, and a more substantial brand reputation.

Start Buying Domains Now and Setup Your Email Infrastructure Today

Cold email campaigns get a bad rap for being spammy. But the truth is that they don’t have to be. The key to successful cold email outreach lies in the setup. With the proper infrastructure and configurations, you can increase your chances of landing your emails in the right place, your prospects’ inboxes. Inframail helps you build a solid foundation for your cold email outreach to get back to business without the technical headaches.

Related Reading

• Microsoft Blacklist
• Remove Domain from Blacklist