Getting blacklisted by Google is every website owner’s nightmare. You're probably feeling anxious if you’ve found yourself in this situation. You might even be frozen in place, unsure what to do next. The good news is that you can remove your website from Google’s blacklist. This article will explain how to approach Google blacklist removal, fix email reputation, so you can quickly get your website back on track and rebuild your reputation.

Inframail's email infrastructure can help you get back to business quickly. In addition to speeding up the Google blacklist removal process, our solution can help you restore lost visibility and rebuild trust with your audience.

Table of Contents

• What is Google Blacklist and What Does It Mean for Your IP and Business?

• Step-by-Step Guide for Efficient Google Blacklist Removal & Restoring Trust

• Key Strategies to Avoid Ending Up on Gmail Blacklists

• Start Buying Domains Now and Set Up Your Email Infrastructure Today

What is Google Blacklist and What Does It Mean for Your IP and Business?

When an IP address or domain is added to Gmail's blacklist, it means that emails originating from that source are considered suspicious or unwanted, potentially due to spamming or other policy violations.

How Gmail Blacklists Emails

As Google collects essential information from Gmail users, it starts creating several rules that eventually filter out troublesome emails or those with some kind of issues. Google then flags such servers' IP addresses, which are added to the Gmail IP blacklist, preventing such ids from sending emails. Gmail gathers or collects information from several other public blacklists besides its data repository. It can thus prevent more unwanted emails or messages from landing in users' inboxes. This is mainly a preventive measure that Google undertakes to keep the chances of spam to a minimum.

What Causes an IP Address or Domain to Be Blacklisted?

As soon as you realize that your IP is blocked or blacklisted, the first thing you need to do is to understand the reason why it happened. Once the cause is identified, you can take corrective measures so you won't encounter such IP or domain blacklist issues anymore. While there is no standard list of reasons why google can block your IP address, here are a few factors that can put your IP on Google's blacklist:

• High bounce rate or your latest emails were sent to unknown users

• Multiple spam reports from Gmail users. This means that several Gmail users you emailed have marked your mail message as spam

• The high volume of outgoing emails – the volume of your sent emails or the ones going out from your inbox suddenly increased

• IP listings in public blacklists or you are suddenly part of one of the email blacklists that Google monitors

• The emails you have sent land in spam traps or nonfunctional email addresses designed to catch malicious intent or spammers

• You are using either a new IP address or multiple IP addresses at the same time

• You are not following the protocols set for email authentication or have been unable to pass one of their authentication checks

• You have either incomplete DNS records or the same has been incorrectly configured

The Impact of Being Blacklisted on Gmail

If your IP is on Gmail's Blacklist, it means that any email you send will not get delivered to the intended recipient. Email delivery issues are the only immediate problem. Here are a few more challenges you could face:

Reputation Damage

A blacklisted IP damages its reputation. This means that Gmail and other email providers could block your IP address.

Loss of Recipient Trust

If your recipients, who are your customers or potential customers, constantly receive emails with cautionary security alerts, they could lose trust in your business.

Negative Impact on Business

This impact on business communication and marketing campaigns could reduce leads, conversions, and brand image, leading to potential financial losses. Additionally, having your IP address blacklisted can result in operational disruptions and increased efforts to resolve the issue. It can impact your email deliverability across different email providers, not just Gmail. When your IP address is blacklisted, it signals to email providers that there may be issues with the sender's reputation or the content being sent.

Related Reading

• Blacklist Removal
• IP Address Reputation
• Blacklisted Email

Step-by-Step Guide for Efficient Google Blacklist Removal & Restoring Trust

When it comes to email deliverability issues, receiving a notification that your emails have been blacklisted can be alarming. The first step is to remain calm and understand that it is possible to resolve the issue. The first step in the delisting process is to check if an IP or domain is blacklisted. There are several blacklists that you can check manually, but the easiest way to check if your IP or domain is blacklisted is by using a blacklist checker tool. These tools scan multiple blacklists and return the results all in one place.

The 411 on Email Blacklisting

Before we get into the delisting process, here’s a little background on blacklists. Blacklists are databases that track IP addresses and domains that engage in spammy behavior. When you send an email, the receiving server checks these lists to see if your emails are coming from a blacklisted source. ... If your emails are blacklisted, they will likely go straight to the spam folder, if they are delivered at all.

Understand the Reason for Blacklisting

The next step to getting off a blacklist is understanding why you were blacklisted in the first place. Most blacklists won’t tell you why you were blacklisted, but you can make an educated guess by looking at the symptoms.

Remove Your IP from Gmail's Blacklist

For example, if you’re receiving bounce notifications when sending emails to Gmail users, there’s a good chance Google blacklisted you. Here’s how to remove Google’s blacklist from your IP address or domain. When Gmail blacklists your IP or email, you will get a bounce back with the error codes 421 or 550 while sending emails to Gmail accounts. In this case, you must contact Google directly to submit a removal request.

Requesting Removal from Google

If you’re sending bulk emails and still getting bounce notifications with the error code ‘400, you must first go through Google’s Bulk Sender Guidelines. Then, as shown below, you should submit a removal request with Google using the Bulk Sender Contact Form. Before submitting a request to Google’s contact forms, you also need to ensure the following in the Bulk Sender Guidelines:

• Authentication: It is essential to ensure you only send authenticated emails via your Gmail account. 

• Email Formatting: Attention to all formatting guidelines to improve your email deliverability. 

• Subscription and Unsubscription of emails: You must ensure that you follow all the email list management best practices correctly here.

Steps to Fill Out the Google Removal Request Form

Once you are sure that you are following all the mentioned best practices, you need to fill out a Bulk Sender Contact Form, where you will have to follow the below steps: Fill out your contact details, including your full name, email address, and the reason you’re filling out the contact form, which could be because:

• Your email or message was incorrectly classified as spam

• SMTP Temp Fails or Rejects

• Any other issue

In addition, you need to add the headers of the messages you sent to the Gmail account marked as spam/phishing (the messages should not be older than 12 days). This is the stage where you can submit the form.

What Happens Next?

Note: Gmail does not usually reply to your submission. Even so, they typically process your submitted form within 10-15 days.

How to Remove Google Blacklist on My Domain

Since your domain can be blacklisted for different reasons, you need to diagnose the cause so that you can take the proper steps to fix it.

SSL Issues

If your SSL is not configured correctly, you may see warnings like “This site is not secure.” You must check your SSL settings and ensure your SSL certificate is valid. If it has expired, you must get a new SSL certificate and install it on your site. You may also be using third-party images loading from a non-SSL website. In this case, you’ll want to use different images. You could upload them to your website to solve this problem.

Harmful Programs

If you’re sharing software that doesn’t meet Google’s standards, you’ll likely get blacklisted. We recommend reading Google’s Unwanted Software Policy to understand this better. Google doesn’t allow websites to trick users into installing harmful or deceptive programs. Your site also shouldn’t piggyback on the installation of another program. Also, you must make it easy for users to install and remove any software they may download from your site. Similarly, you must be transparent if you collect or transmit private information without the user’s knowledge.

Malware

This is the most common reason why websites get blacklisted. If a hacker has hijacked your site, it could be infected with malicious code. This could be harmful to anyone who tries to access it. They could be redirected to fraudulent websites or tricked into downloading malware. There’s a lot that could go wrong. We’ll show you how to scan your website and remove any malware.

1. Scan Your Site For Malware

If you suspect your site is infected with malware, use a robust security scanner. There are plenty of free online web scanners that you can use, but most hackers know how to bypass these tools. So you may see that your website is clean when it’s hacked.

2. Submit Your Site for Google Review

Now that you’re sure your site is back to normal, you can ask Google to review it. First, you’ll need to have a Google Search Console account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up now on Google Search Central. Inside the Google Search Console dashboard, go to the Security Issues tab from the menu on the left. You’ll see if Google has flagged security issues on your site. Simply click on the Request Review button. Now, you must add details about the measures you will take to clean your site.

Recovering from a Website Hack

When you’re ready, submit your request to Google. It can take a few days for it to be verified. Once Google sees that your site is safe, they’ll whitelist it and remove the warning displayed on your site. Now we know this whole process hasn’t been easy. Recovering from a hack takes a lot of time, so the best thing to do is prevent it as much as possible.

Related Reading

• How to Improve IP Reputation
• How to Get Off Email Blacklist
• Blacklist Removal Tool

Key Strategies to Avoid Ending Up on Gmail Blacklists

Regularly cleaning your email lists helps to avoid spam complaints and maintain your sender reputation. Inactive, unknown, and unresponsive email addresses can hurt your deliverability and get you blacklisted. Only send emails to legitimate users to stay off the Gmail IP blocklist. This will enhance your email deliverability and sender reputation.

Let Users Opt in to Your Emails

One of the best ways to prevent Google from blocking your IP Address is to not send emails from your inbox to contacts who haven’t permitted you. Incorporating an email opt-in option allows users to give their consent before you send any emails. This will result in higher-quality email subscribers who have either allowed you or permitted to send them emails. These users are more willing to interact with you and engage with what you have to offer.

Avoid Purchasing Email Lists

The best way to grow your email subscribers is to organically build your email lists. Do not purchase ready-made email lists. Not only is it illegal, but it also risks compromising the quality of emails. Many of the addresses on these lists may belong to spam traps or inactive users. Instead, create enticing lead magnets or special offers to attract your target audience.

Use Strict Email Authentication Protocols

Applying email authentication protocols such as DKIM, SPF, and DMARC will help you prevent blacklisting. These configurations highlight you as a trusted email sender and show you’re taking the proper steps to ensure everyone’s safety. Following these strict email rules will increase trust in you as a sender.

Remove All Bounced Email Addresses From Your List

A high bounce rate is one of the main reasons to end up on the Gmail IP blocklist. Therefore, as soon as you find an email from your inbox has bounced, remove that email address from your primary emailing list. The best thing you can do here is to delete them entirely from the mailing list or move them to a different list you rarely use.

Minimize Typos in Contact Lists

Typing errors are common when customers enter their email addresses to subscribe to various email campaigns. Even so, the high frequency of these errors can soon result in high bounce email rates, negatively impacting email deliverability. Therefore, minimize these typos or verify them using various available tools.

Use a Secure Hosting Provider

Hackers can find a way to do this if your web host doesn’t secure its servers properly. It’s best to use a reliable host that takes security seriously, like:

• Bluehost

• Hostinger

• SiteGround

Related Reading

• Microsoft Blacklist
• Remove Domain from Blacklist
• Check if Email Is on Blacklist

Start Buying Domains Now and Set Up Your Email Infrastructure Today

Inframail revolutionizes cold email infrastructure with unlimited inboxes at a single flat rate. With Microsoft-backed deliverability and dedicated IP addresses, we help scale their outreach efficiently: 

• Agencies

• Recruiters

• SDRs 

Main benefits of using our service: 

• Automated SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup

• Dedicated email servers for each user

• 16-hour priority support daily

Gone are the days of wrestling with technical configurations and paying per inbox. With Inframail’s email infrastructure tool, you can buy domains and set up your email infrastructure today. 

Avoid Technical Headaches With Automated SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Setup

Technical configurations like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are vital to improving your email sender reputation and avoiding the dreaded blacklists. Inframail automates these processes so you can focus on using your new email infrastructure to reach more prospects. 

Enjoy Dedicated Email Servers For Each User

With Inframail’s cold email infrastructure, users enjoy a dedicated email server. This means the actions of other users won’t impact your email deliverability. If someone else on your email service has poor sending practices or gets blacklisted, it won't affect your outreach. Enjoy peace of mind as you ramp up your cold email outreach efforts. 

Rely On 16-Hour Priority Support Daily

Inframail’s email infrastructure tool includes 16-hour daily priority support to solve issues quickly as you scale your cold email outreach. If you encounter a technical problem, you won't be left in the dark without help.