Key Takeaways:

• • Email deliverability issues can significantly impact your marketing and transactional email success.
  • Common problems include spam filters, high bounce rates, blacklists, and poor sender reputation.
  • SendLayer offers advanced tools like SPF/DKIM authentication, analytics, and list hygiene features to address these challenges.
  • Regular monitoring, testing, and optimization are essential for maintaining high deliverability rates.
  • Leveraging SendLayer’s solutions ensures your emails land in inboxes, not spam folders.

Understanding Email Deliverability Issues

1. Spam Filters

Spam filters are automated tools used by email providers to detect and block unwanted emails. Unfortunately, even legitimate emails can get caught in these filters due to certain triggers.

Why It Happens:

• Spammy Content: Using words commonly associated with spam, such as “Free,” “Act Now,” or “Guaranteed,” can raise red flags with email systems.
• Unbalanced Design: Emails with too many images or too little text can appear suspicious to spam filters.
• Lack of Authentication: Missing SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records can make your emails look untrustworthy.
• Low Engagement Rates: If recipients consistently ignore or delete your emails, it signals to email providers that your messages might not be valuable.
• Misleading Subject Lines: Subject lines that don’t match the email content can cause both spam filters and users to flag your emails.

Helpful Summary:
Spam filters are designed to protect users but often misjudge legitimate emails. To avoid this, focus on creating balanced, valuable content, implementing proper authentication protocols, and maintaining high engagement rates.

2. High Bounce Rates

A high bounce rate occurs when a significant portion of your emails fails to reach the recipient’s inbox. There are two types of bounces:

• Soft Bounce: Temporary issues like a full inbox or server downtime.
• Hard Bounce: Permanent issues like invalid or non-existent email addresses.

Why It Happens:

• Outdated Email Lists: If your list hasn’t been updated, it may include invalid or inactive addresses.
• Typos in Email Addresses: Small errors in email entry (e.g., john@gnail.com instead of john@gmail.com) can cause delivery failures.
• Blocked Domains: Some email providers may block your domain if it’s flagged for spam or poor practices.
• Recipient Server Issues: Temporary issues, such as a server being down, can lead to soft bounces.

Helpful Summary:
High bounce rates result from outdated or inaccurate email lists and temporary server issues. Regularly clean your list and use tools like SendLayer to validate email addresses before sending.

3. Blacklists

Being blacklisted means your domain or IP address has been flagged as a source of spam. This can severely impact your email deliverability, as many email providers will block your messages altogether.

Why It Happens:

• Purchased Email Lists: Using lists bought from third parties often leads to sending emails to invalid or uninterested recipients.
• High Spam Complaints: If recipients frequently mark your emails as spam, it signals to email providers that your domain is problematic.
• Frequent Bounces: Consistently sending emails to invalid addresses can damage your reputation.
• Engaging with Spam Traps: Spam traps are fake email addresses designed to catch spammers. Sending emails to these addresses can get you blacklisted.

Helpful Summary:
Blacklists are a result of poor email practices, such as using purchased lists or ignoring bounce rates. To avoid this, focus on building organic lists and monitoring your sender reputation.

4. Poor Sender Reputation

Your sender reputation is like a credit score for your email campaigns. A poor reputation can lead to lower inbox placement rates and higher chances of being flagged as spam.

Why It Happens:

• Low Engagement Rates: If your emails are consistently ignored, deleted, or marked as spam, it negatively impacts your reputation.
• Inconsistent Sending Patterns: Sending large volumes of emails sporadically can appear suspicious to email providers.
• Lack of Personalization: Generic emails that don’t resonate with recipients often lead to low engagement.
• Unverified Domain: Sending emails from an unverified domain can make your messages look untrustworthy.

Helpful Summary:
A poor sender reputation is caused by low engagement, inconsistent sending patterns, and unverified domains. Build a strong reputation by sending personalized, valuable emails and maintaining consistent sending habits.