If you’re an email marketer, you know that getting your emails delivered to the inbox is the first step towards getting your subscribers to open and engage with your content. But did you know that your sender score reputation plays a critical role in your email deliverability?
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about sender score reputation, including what it is, how it’s calculated, and why it matters for email marketers. We’ll also share some tips on how to improve your sender score reputation and maintain good email deliverability.
What is Sender Score Reputation?
Sender Score reputation is a measure of your email sending reputation, based on your email sending practices and performance. It’s calculated by Return Path, an email data solutions provider that helps businesses improve their email deliverability.
Your Sender Score ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 being the worst possible score and 100 being the best possible score. A higher Sender Score indicates that your emails are more likely to be delivered to the inbox, while a lower Sender Score indicates that your emails are more likely to be filtered as spam or blocked altogether.
How is Sender Score Reputation Calculated?
Your Sender Score is calculated based on a variety of factors, including:
- Complaints: The number of recipients who mark your emails as spam or junk.
- Bounces: The number of emails that are returned as undeliverable.
- Spam traps: The number of emails that are sent to inactive or fake email addresses.
- Sending history: Your email sending practices and performance over time.
Return Path uses a proprietary algorithm to weigh these factors and calculate your Sender Score. They also take into account other factors, such as the reputation of the IP address you’re sending from and the domain you’re sending from.
Why Does Sender Score Reputation Matter?
Your Sender Score reputation matters because it directly affects your email deliverability. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use Sender Score reputation to decide whether to deliver your emails to the inbox or filter them as spam.
If your Sender Score is low, your emails are more likely to be filtered as spam or blocked altogether. This can hurt your email marketing results and damage your brand reputation.
On the other hand, if your Sender Score is high, your emails are more likely to be delivered to the inbox, which can improve your email marketing results and strengthen your brand reputation.
How Can You Improve Your Sender Score Reputation?
If your Sender Score is low, there are several things you can do to improve it:
- Reduce complaints: Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe from your emails and avoid sending emails to people who have complained in the past.
- Clean your email list: Remove inactive or fake email addresses from your list to avoid spam traps.
- Monitor your sending practices: Regularly check your email sending practices and performance to identify and fix issues that may be hurting your Sender Score.
- Use a dedicated IP address: If you’re sending a large volume of emails, consider using a dedicated IP address instead of a shared IP address, which can be negatively impacted by other senders’ poor practices.
Conclusion
Your Sender Score reputation is a critical factor in your email deliverability. By understanding what Sender Score is, how it’s calculated, and why it matters, you can take steps to improve your email sending practices and maintain good email deliverability. So, make sure to monitor your Sender Score regularly and take action to improve it if necessary.
FAQs
What is a good Sender Score?
A good Sender Score is typically above 80. However, it’s important to keep in mind that different ISPs may have different thresholds for what they consider to be a good Sender Score.
How often does Sender Score reputation change?
Your Sender Score reputation can change at any time, based on changes in your email sending practices and performance. However, it typically takes several weeks or months for significant changes to occur.
What is a spam trap?
A spam trap is an email address that is used to identify senders who are sending unsolicited or spammy emails. Spam traps can be created by ISPs or anti-spam organizations to catch spammers.
Can you improve your Sender Score overnight?
No, it’s not possible to improve your Sender Score overnight. Improving your Sender Score requires a sustained effort to improve your email sending practices and performance over time.
What is the difference between hard bounces and soft bounces?
A hard bounce is an email that is returned as undeliverable due to a permanent error, such as an invalid email address. A soft bounce is an email that is returned as undeliverable due to a temporary error, such as a full mailbox or a server outage.