al is to ensure that your emails successfully reach your subscribers' inboxes. However, achieving this goal is becoming increasingly challenging due to the growing number of email filters and spam detectors used by email providers. One of the crucial factors that determine the success of your email campaigns is your email deliverability score. In this comprehensive guide, we will explain everything you need to know about email deliverability score, including what it is, how to measure it, and how to improve it.
What is Email Deliverability Score?
Simply put, email deliverability score is a metric that measures the likelihood of your emails reaching your subscribers' inboxes. It reflects the reputation of your email sending domain and IP address, as perceived by email providers. A high email deliverability score means that your emails are more likely to be delivered to the inbox, while a low score increases the chance of your emails being filtered to the spam folder or blocked altogether.
How is Email Deliverability Score Calculated?
Email deliverability score is calculated based on various factors that impact your email sending reputation. The most critical factors include:
- Bounce rate: The percentage of emails that are returned to the sender due to invalid email addresses or other technical issues. A high bounce rate can negatively impact your email deliverability score.
- Spam complaints: The number of recipients who mark your emails as spam or junk. Spam complaints can significantly damage your email sending reputation and decrease your email deliverability score.
- Unsubscribe rate: The percentage of subscribers who opt-out of your email list. A high unsubscribe rate can indicate that your emails are not relevant or engaging enough.
- Engagement rate: The percentage of subscribers who open, click, or interact with your emails. A high engagement rate can signal to email providers that your emails are valuable and should be delivered to the inbox.
Other factors that may affect your email deliverability score include email authentication, content quality, and sending frequency.
How to Measure Email Deliverability Score?
There are several tools and services that can help you measure your email deliverability score, including:
- Sender Score: A free tool provided by Return Path that analyzes your email sending reputation and provides a score from 0 to 100.
- Mail Tester: A free tool that tests the spamminess of your emails and provides a spam score.
- Google Postmaster Tools: A free tool provided by Google that gives you insights into your email sending reputation and delivery performance for Gmail users.
- Email Service Providers: Many email service providers, such as Mailchimp, Sendinblue, and SendGrid, provide email deliverability reports that show your email deliverability score, bounce rate, spam complaints, and other metrics.
It's essential to regularly monitor your email deliverability score and take action to improve it if necessary.
How to Improve Email Deliverability Score?
If your email deliverability score is low, there are several steps you can take to improve it, including:
- Clean your email list: Remove inactive, invalid, or unengaged subscribers from your email list to reduce your bounce rate and spam complaints.
- Use double opt-in: Require new subscribers to confirm their email address before adding them to your list to ensure that they are genuinely interested in your content.
- Authenticate your emails: Use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication protocols to prove that your emails are legitimate and prevent spoofing or phishing attempts.
- Segment your list: Group your subscribers based on their interests, preferences, or behavior and send targeted and relevant emails to improve engagement rate.
- Personalize your emails: Use the recipient's name, location, or other personal information to make your emails more appealing and engaging.
- Avoid spam triggers: Use a spam checker tool to test your emails for spammy content, such as excessive capitalization, exclamation marks, or aggressive sales language.
By implementing these best practices, you can increase your email deliverability score and ensure that your emails reach your subscribers' inboxes.
Conclusion
Email deliverability score is a crucial metric that determines the success of your email campaigns. By understanding what it is, how it's calculated, and how to improve it, you can ensure that your emails are delivered to the inbox and not lost in the spam folder. Remember, maintaining a high email deliverability score requires ongoing effort and attention to best practices. Regularly monitoring your email deliverability score and taking action to improve it can help you achieve your email marketing goals and drive business growth.