Where does email go when it’s not delivered? Part 2

A sender’s reputation can track not only an IP address, but also a sending brand and domain. A holistic approach is necessary when considering a sender’s reputation, as no one factor alone determines what that reputation is. Reputation can be broadly defined as the opinion of a community towards an object. Knowing what the community is looking for when determining a reputation will allow you to maximize your delivery rates.

spam traps

We first avoid spam traps when discussing paid subscriber lists. A spam trap is an email address that appears to be valid but is in fact used by ISPs to catch spammers. You will sometimes hear them referred to as “honey pots.” Spammers use harvesting programs that scan millions of web pages for email addresses. These email addresses may come from old email addresses that ISPs recycle to catch business email senders using old, rented, or paid subscriber lists. Some sites bury email addresses in their source code for harvesting programs to collect. The company where the email originated is then alerted about any incoming email going to that address, at which point they contact their web server and file a spam complaint. Spam traps are bad news. It has been reported that your delivery rate can drop by as much as 20 points with a spam trap. Spam traps are one of many factors that ISPs look at when calculating sender reputation. Not only is your deliriousness affected, but temporary or long-term blocks can result.

Good list maintenance is necessary to avoid spam traps. Here are some things to avoid:

• Poor List Sources – This includes avoiding paid subscriber lists as mentioned above
• List Poisoning – Using subscription confirmation emails will reduce the chances of you receiving invalid email addresses.
• List Aging – Because spam traps are often used to recycle old email addresses, use bounce management to remove old email addresses and also remove inactive addresses from your list.

Sender Authentication

This is used to prevent domain spoofing and spoofing and provides a framework to help ISPs distinguish between legitimate email senders and spammers. ISP Identifying and verifying a claimed domain name has been authenticated or authorized to send from an MTA makes it possible to treat suspected spoofs as suspect, reject known spoofs, and block email addresses from known spam domains.

• Sender Policy Framework (SPF): A record that allows you to determine which computers can send email on behalf of your domain. Adding an SPF record to your domain name’s TXT entry, while not required, can help improve email deliverability rates by reducing the chance that emails you send will be considered spam. It can also help prevent others from spamming and using your domain name. It is used by Bellsouth, AOL, Gmail and MSN/Hotmail.
• Sender ID: This is very similar to the SPF record, except that it extends the verification process to include the supposed responsible address included in the header. Used by MSN/Hotmail
• Domain Keys: An authentication standard designed to verify the DNS domain of the email sender and the integrity of the message. All outgoing email is digitally signed with a private encryption key to match a public key that is published in the sender’s DNS record. Used by Gmail, Yahoo, SBC Global, British Telecom, Rogers Cable, Rocket Mail, etc.
• DKIM – An enhanced authentication standard that allows a person to verify that a message comes from the domain it claims to come from.

Technical obtaining

Your system administrator should be able to help you ensure that the following technical settings are in line, as they can make or break your reputation as a sender.

• IP Address – Because email originates from this address, you need to establish a low history of spam complaints, spam traps, and low bounce rates in order to have a positive reputation that will affect your long-term deliverability. If you want to qualify for whitelisting, feedback loops, and reputation services, your IP address must have low spam complaints, unsubscribe management, and proper settings for the domain associated with it.
• Subdomain or domain submission: Domain registration and domain age are two factors in establishing a positive reputation. Newly registered domains are viewed with suspicion, as spammers often jump from one domain to another. If a shipping domain has a poor reputation online, delivery rates will be low.
• RFC Compliance – These are information documents used as governance standards for Internet traffic. RFC 2821: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and RFC 282: Internet Message Format relate to email reputation.
• Reverse DNS – Used to identify the domain name associated with an IP address. The IP address is the only piece of data that cannot be spoofed and not having this enabled is a violation of RFC standards and a requirement for many ISPs. If this is not enabled or is configured incorrectly, you should immediately contact your server administrator.
• Bounce Management: An email address is considered dead and should be removed from your list if it bounces 3 times in a row or if the time between the most recent consecutive bounce exceeds 15 days.

where to go from here

The final way to improve your deliverability is to obtain certification or accreditation from an accredited organization. There are three different types of ways to get certified! The first causes your emails to be automatically whitelisted or delivered to ISPs and companies that work with the corresponding program. Another audits your email practices so you can display a stamp of approval next to your signup form. Another allows you to display an icon next to your email in your inbox indicating that your email passed a quality test. We will focus on the whitelisted programs here:

• Goodmail Systems: ISPs that support this program guarantee delivery with a “certified” icon attached. This accreditation is supported by Yahoo and AOL.
• Sender Score Certified – Acceptance into this program puts you on a white list that includes 240 email addresses as well as MSN/Hotmail and Roadrunner.
• Habeas: Requires business processes and email practices. Your safe list is compatible with many email receivers, including AOL, Earthlink, Google, and MSN.
• SuretyMail – Although not technically whitelisted, a large number of ISPs, spam filters, and mail servers take this accreditation into account when making delivery decisions. Senders with this accreditation will see improved delivery.

If you are worried about whether you have already been blacklisted, you can go here.