Reputation is the dominant factor in inbox placement. Content matters far less than the trust a provider has in your domain.
How to implement sender reputation#
- Register in Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS to see your domain and IP reputation directly.
- Keep spam complaints below 0.1% (Gmail's threshold is 0.3% for enforcement) and hard bounces below 2%.
- Segment by engagement and stop sending to contacts inactive for 90+ days.
- Authenticate with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC so reputation accrues to your domain rather than a shared IP.
- Ramp volume gradually after any pause longer than two weeks.
How to verify it worked#
Send a test message to seed mailboxes at Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, then inspect the Authentication-Results and delivery headers. Repeat after any DNS or sending-platform change.
Common mistakes#
- Buying or scraping lists, which seed spam traps into your database.
- Blasting an entire list after months of silence.
- Ignoring Postmaster Tools until placement has already collapsed.
Frequently asked questions#
Domain reputation vs IP reputation: which matters more?
Domain reputation now dominates at Gmail and Yahoo. IP still matters for Microsoft and for dedicated-IP senders.
How long does it take to repair a bad reputation?
Four to eight weeks of clean, low-volume sending to engaged recipients is typical.