Setup checklist#
- ☐ 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.
Audit checklist#
- ☐ Confirm you are not: buying or scraping lists, which seed spam traps into your database.
- ☐ Confirm you are not: blasting an entire list after months of silence.
- ☐ Confirm you are not: ignoring Postmaster Tools until placement has already collapsed.
Ongoing monitoring#
- ☐ Weekly: review provider dashboards (Postmaster Tools, SNDS) and bounce logs
- ☐ Monthly: re-run the setup verification after any vendor or DNS change
- ☐ Quarterly: full audit against this checklist
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.