Improving Email Deliverability

Deliverability — the ability to reach the inbox rather than spam — depends on multiple factors. Email verification is a critical piece, but here's the full picture.

1. Clean Your List (Verification)

This is step one. Remove invalid, risky, and unknown addresses before sending. Mailthentic handles this for you. A clean list dramatically reduces bounces, which is the single biggest factor in sender reputation.

2. Authenticate Your Domain

Set up all three DNS authentication records:

• SPF — Tells receiving servers which IPs are authorized to send for your domain.
• DKIM — Signs your emails cryptographically to prove they haven't been tampered with.
• DMARC — Specifies what to do when SPF/DKIM fail. Start with p=none for monitoring, then move to p=quarantine or p=reject.

3. Warm Up New IPs/Domains

If you're sending from a new IP address or domain, gradually increase your sending volume over 2–4 weeks. Sudden high-volume sends from unknown senders trigger spam filters.

4. Maintain Low Bounce Rates

Target these thresholds:

• Hard bounces: Below 0.5%
• Soft bounces: Below 2%
• Spam complaints: Below 0.1%

5. Send Relevant Content

Engagement metrics (opens, clicks, replies) directly affect your sender reputation with major providers like Gmail and Microsoft. Relevant, wanted emails get opened; unwanted emails get marked as spam.

6. Use a Consistent Sending Pattern

Avoid erratic sending volumes. ISPs trust senders with predictable, consistent patterns. If you normally send 10,000 emails per week, suddenly sending 100,000 will raise flags.

7. Report Bounces Back to Mailthentic

Report bounces back to Mailthentic. This creates a feedback loop that improves future verification accuracy and helps you catch addresses that went bad after verification.

8. Monitor Your Sender Reputation

Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS to monitor how mailbox providers view your sending domain and IP. Address issues promptly.