Domain Reputation

What is Domain Reputation?

Domain reputation is the score that mailbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) assign to your sending domain based on your sending history and recipient engagement. It's like a credit score for email—higher scores mean better treatment.

Reputation Factors:

Factor	Weight	How It's Measured
Bounce Rate	High	% of emails that fail to deliver
Spam Complaints	Critical	Users marking emails as spam
Engagement	High	Opens, clicks, replies
Sending Volume	Medium	Consistency and patterns
Authentication	Required	SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup
Age of Domain	Medium	New domains start with zero reputation

Each mailbox provider calculates reputation differently, but they all track similar signals. Good reputation = inbox placement. Bad reputation = spam folder.

Why Domain Reputation Matters

Your domain reputation is the single biggest factor in email deliverability. Even perfect emails will go to spam if sent from a domain with poor reputation.

Reputation Impact:

• Inbox Placement: 90%+ for excellent reputation, below 50% for poor
• Sending Limits: Poor reputation = aggressive volume restrictions
• Filter Sensitivity: Low reputation = every email scrutinized
• Recovery Time: Damaged reputation takes 1-6 months to rebuild
• Domain Replacement: Severely damaged domains must be abandoned

The Algorithm's View: Email providers want to protect users from spam. They track every send, every bounce, every complaint. Your reputation is your track record.

Benchmarks

Reputation Score	Status	Inbox Placement
90-100	Excellent	90%+
80-89	Good	85-90%
70-79	Fair	70-85%
60-69	Poor	50-70%
Below 60	Critical	<50%

Critical Thresholds:

• Spam complaints above 0.3%: Rapid reputation decline
• Bounce rate above 2%: Reputation damage accelerates
• Low engagement: Even if bounces are low, no engagement = poor reputation
• New domain: Starts at zero, must build over 14-21 days

Best Practices

1. Warm Up Gradually: Build reputation slowly with new domains
2. Keep Bounces Below 2%: Remove hard bounces immediately
3. Monitor Complaints: Stay below 0.1% spam complaint rate
4. Maintain Engagement: Remove consistently non-engaging subscribers
5. Send Consistently: Regular patterns build trust
6. Authenticate Fully: SPF, DKIM, DMARC are required
7. Check Regularly: Use Google Postmaster Tools and other monitoring
8. Protect Your Reputation: One mistake can undo months of work

Common Mistakes

• Sending high volume from new domains without warmup
• Ignoring spam complaints until reputation is destroyed
• Not removing hard bounces immediately
• Buying email lists (reputation suicide)
• Sending to inactive subscribers repeatedly
• Not checking reputation scores regularly
• Assuming reputation is the same across all providers
• Trying to "game" the system (providers catch on)

Key Takeaways

• Domain reputation is your email sending credit score (0-100)
• 85+ is good, 90+ is excellent for deliverability
• Reputation determines inbox placement more than any other factor
• Bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement drive reputation
• New domains start at zero and need 14-21 days warmup
• Damaged reputation takes 1-6 months to recover
• Check reputation weekly using Google Postmaster Tools
• Protect your reputation—it's harder to rebuild than to maintain

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Sources:

• Email Domain Reputation Mistakes - Instantly.ai
• Hidden Factors Hurting Email Sender Reputation 2025 - GrowLeads