Terms

Email Deliverability

Email deliverability is the measure of an email's ability to successfully arrive in a recipient's inbox. It goes beyond simple delivery rates to consider inbox placement—whether an email lands in the primary inbox, a promotions tab, or the spam folder. This is ultimately determined by factors like sender reputation, authentication, and recipient engagement, which internet service providers use to gauge an email's legitimacy.

Factors Affecting Email Deliverability

A variety of factors influence whether your emails reach the inbox. These elements range from technical configurations that prove your identity to the quality of your contact list and how your audience interacts with your messages. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) analyze these signals to determine if you're a trustworthy sender.

  • Reputation: A score based on your sending domain and IP address history that signals trustworthiness to ISPs.
  • Authentication: Technical standards like SPF and DKIM that verify you are who you say you are, preventing spoofing.
  • Engagement: Recipient actions such as opens, clicks, and spam complaints that directly influence your sender score.
  • Hygiene: Maintaining a clean email list by removing inactive or invalid addresses to reduce bounce rates.
  • Content: The quality and relevance of your message, as poor content can lead to low engagement and spam reports.

Best Practices for Improving Email Deliverability

Improving email deliverability requires a proactive approach combining technical diligence with thoughtful audience management. By implementing key strategies, you can significantly boost your sender reputation and ensure your messages consistently reach the inbox. These practices signal to ISPs that you are a legitimate sender.

  • Authentication: Implement SPF and DKIM records to verify your domain and prevent spoofing.
  • Hygiene: Regularly clean your email lists by removing inactive subscribers and invalid addresses.
  • Consent: Use a double opt-in process to confirm subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails.
  • Content: Send relevant, high-quality content that encourages engagement and reduces spam complaints.

Email Deliverability vs. Email Delivery

While often used interchangeably, email deliverability and delivery represent two distinct stages of an email's journey to the recipient.

  • Email Deliverability: This measures if an email successfully reaches the recipient's inbox, avoiding spam or promotion folders. It is vital for marketing campaigns where engagement and ROI are key. Enterprises and mid-market companies prioritize high deliverability to ensure messages are seen, protecting sender reputation and maximizing campaign impact.
  • Email Delivery: This simply confirms that an email was accepted by the recipient's server without bouncing. A high delivery rate is a good technical sign but doesn't guarantee inbox placement. It is best used as a baseline metric for troubleshooting or for transactional emails where simple receipt is sufficient.

Common Challenges in Email Deliverability

Navigating the path to the inbox is fraught with potential pitfalls that can derail even the most well-crafted campaigns. Senders often grapple with technical rejections and recipient-driven issues that damage their reputation. These challenges can prevent messages from being seen by their intended audience.

  • Bounces: Emails failing to reach an address due to permanent (hard) or temporary (soft) issues.
  • Spam Traps: Hitting email addresses designed to catch spammers, which can lead to being blacklisted.
  • Low Engagement: Poor open and click rates signaling to ISPs that your content is unwanted.

Tools and Resources for Monitoring Email Deliverability

Various tools help you monitor your sender reputation and diagnose issues. Many email service platforms offer built-in analytics to track delivery, bounce, and open rates. Third-party services can also check your domain against blacklists and validate your authentication setup.

Beyond software, numerous online resources provide guidance on deliverability best practices. Educational blogs and in-depth guides offer actionable tips for improving list hygiene and engagement. These materials help you stay current with evolving ISP standards and maintain a strong sender score.

Frequently Asked Questions about Email Deliverability

How does sender reputation affect deliverability?

Sender reputation is your domain's credit score for ISPs. A high score, earned through positive engagement and authentication, tells providers you're trustworthy, leading to better inbox placement. A low score often sends your emails directly to spam.

Why do my emails land in the promotions tab?

Major email clients like Gmail automatically categorize incoming mail. If your email's content, links, or sender history suggest a commercial or marketing purpose, it will likely be filtered into the promotions tab to keep the primary inbox clear.

Can I fix my deliverability after being blacklisted?

Yes, recovery is possible. You must first identify and fix the root cause, like poor list hygiene or spam complaints. Then, you can request delisting from the blacklist operator. Rebuilding your sender reputation requires consistent adherence to best practices.

Other terms

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Consideration Buying Stage

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Sales Automation

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Buying Criteria

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Product Recommendations

Product recommendations are a marketing strategy that uses customer data to suggest relevant products, boosting sales and customer engagement.

Product Recommendations

Persona

A persona is a semi-fictional profile of your ideal customer, based on market research and real data about your existing customers.

Persona

API

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API

Lead Generation Funnel

A lead generation funnel is a systematic process that guides potential customers from initial awareness of your brand to becoming qualified leads.

Lead Generation Funnel

Git

Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in code, allowing developers to collaborate and manage project history effectively.

Git

Quarterly Business Review

A Quarterly Business Review (QBR) is a recurring meeting to assess performance against goals and align on strategy for the next quarter.

Quarterly Business Review

Event Tracking

Event tracking is the method of collecting data on specific user actions, or 'events,' on a website or app, such as clicks or downloads.

Event Tracking

Inside Sales

Inside sales is a remote sales process where reps sell products or services via phone, email, and other digital tools instead of in person.

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Docker

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Consumer Relationship Management

Consumer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategy for managing all of a company's relationships and interactions with its customers.

Consumer Relationship Management

Personalization in Sales

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Compounded Annual Growth Rate

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Compounded Annual Growth Rate

Time on Site

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Private Labeling

Private labeling is when a company rebrands a product made by a third-party manufacturer and sells it as their own.

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Positioning Statement

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Positioning Statement

B2B Marketing Attribution

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B2B Marketing Attribution

Lead Generation Tactics

Lead generation tactics are the strategies and methods used to attract potential customers and convert them into leads for your sales team.

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Application Performance Management

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Application Performance Management

Predictive Lead Generation

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Predictive Lead Generation

Geo-Fencing

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Geo-Fencing

Gated Content

Gated content is premium online material, like an ebook or webinar, that users can only access after providing their contact information.

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Customer Centricity

Customer centricity is a business approach that puts the customer at the heart of every decision, aiming to build loyalty and long-term value.

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Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to their organization, motivating them to contribute to the company's success.

Employee Engagement

Cold Calling

Cold calling is a sales tactic where reps contact potential customers by phone who haven't previously expressed interest in their product or service.

Cold Calling

Average Revenue per Account

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Average Revenue per Account

Marketing Analytics

Marketing analytics involves measuring and analyzing marketing data to understand campaign performance and improve return on investment (ROI).

Marketing Analytics

Objection Handling in Sales

Objection handling in sales is the process of responding to a prospect's concerns about a product or service to move the deal forward.

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Vertical Market

A vertical market is a niche where businesses cater to a specific industry or group of customers with specialized needs, not the mass market.

Vertical Market

Key Accounts

Key accounts are a company's most valuable customers, vital due to their significant revenue contribution and strategic importance for growth.

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Logo Retention

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Logo Retention

Lead Magnet

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Customer Acquisition Cost

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the total cost a business spends to gain a new customer. It includes all sales and marketing expenses.

Customer Acquisition Cost

Enterprise Resource Planning

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Enterprise Resource Planning

Employee Advocacy

Employee advocacy is the promotion of an organization by its staff members, who share positive messages and content through their personal networks.

Employee Advocacy

Search Engine Results Page

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Trademarks

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Trademarks

Microservices

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Microservices

Marketing Budget Breakdown

A marketing budget breakdown is a detailed plan that allocates your total marketing funds across various channels, campaigns, and activities.

Marketing Budget Breakdown

Funnel Analysis

Funnel analysis is a method for understanding the steps users take to complete a goal, revealing where they drop off in the conversion process.

Funnel Analysis

Sales Pitch

A sales pitch is a persuasive presentation of a product or service, aimed at convincing a potential customer to make a purchase.

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Master Service Agreement

A Master Service Agreement (MSA) is a foundational contract that sets the general terms for an ongoing business relationship between two parties.

Master Service Agreement

Sales Partnerships

Sales partnerships are strategic alliances where two companies co-sell products to expand their reach, generate new leads, and increase revenue.

Sales Partnerships

Scalability

Scalability is a company's ability to handle increased workloads or market demands without a drop in performance or a spike in costs.

Scalability

BANT Framework

Learn about BANT framework, including implementing BANT in sales strategy, advantages of the BANT methodology, & BANT vs. other qualification models.

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Rapport Building

Rapport building is the process of establishing a connection and mutual understanding with someone, creating a foundation of trust and affinity.

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Sales Enablement Platform

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Ballpark

Learn about ballpark, including estimating with ballpark figures, understanding ballpark estimates in sales, & ballpark estimates vs. precise quotes.

Ballpark

Click-Through Rate

Click-through rate (CTR) is a metric that measures the percentage of people who click on a specific link, ad, or call-to-action.

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Channel Partners

Channel partners are third-party firms that help market and sell a company's products or services, acting as an indirect sales force.

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GPCTBA/C&I

GPCTBA/C&I is a sales qualification framework for understanding a prospect's goals, plans, challenges, timeline, budget, and authority.

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Economic Order Quantity

Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) is the ideal order quantity a company should purchase to minimize its total inventory-related costs.

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Sales Performance Metrics

Sales performance metrics are key data points that measure a sales team's effectiveness in achieving its goals and driving revenue.

Sales Performance Metrics

Forecasting

Forecasting uses historical data to make informed predictions about future trends, helping businesses anticipate outcomes and plan accordingly.

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Account Executive

An Account Executive (AE) is a sales professional responsible for closing new business deals and managing existing client relationships to drive revenue.

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Objection Handling

Objection handling is the process of responding to a prospect's concerns or hesitations about a product or service to move a deal forward.

Objection Handling

Demand Forecasting

Demand forecasting is the process of predicting future customer demand for a product or service based on historical data and market trends.

Demand Forecasting

Pay-per-Click (PPC)

Pay-per-click (PPC) is an ad model where you pay a fee each time your ad is clicked. It's a method of buying targeted visits to your website.

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Sales Rep Training

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Lead Enrichment Tools

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Feature Flags

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Sales Champion

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Sales Workflows

Sales workflows are a set of automated actions that streamline the sales process, helping teams engage leads consistently and close deals faster.

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Performance Plan

A performance plan is a formal document outlining an employee's goals, expectations, and metrics for success over a specific period.

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No Cold Calls

No Cold Calls is a sales strategy that replaces unsolicited calls with warm outreach to prospects who have already demonstrated interest.

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Buyer

Learn about buyer, including identifying your ideal buyer, understanding buyer's journey, & evaluating buyer decision processes.

Buyer

Marketing Automation Platform

A marketing automation platform is software that automates marketing actions. It helps manage tasks like email campaigns and lead nurturing.

Marketing Automation Platform

Sales Bundle

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Sales Bundle

Compliance Testing

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No Forms

No Forms is a method for capturing lead data directly from your website visitors' profiles without requiring them to fill out any forms.

No Forms

B2B2C

Learn about B2B2C, including benefits of B2B2C model, key strategies for B2B2C success, & B2B2C vs. B2C vs. B2B: understanding the differences.

B2B2C

Dark Social

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Dark Social

Affiliate Networks

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Target Buying Stage

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Target Buying Stage

Marketing Qualified Opportunity

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Marketing Qualified Opportunity

Email Personalization

Email personalization uses subscriber data—like their name, interests, or past behavior—to create highly relevant and targeted email campaigns.

Email Personalization

Hadoop

Hadoop is an open-source framework designed for the distributed storage and processing of extremely large data sets across clusters of computers.

Hadoop

Hard Sell

A hard sell is an aggressive sales technique that uses high-pressure tactics to push a customer into making an immediate purchase decision.

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Customer Data Management (CDM)

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Customer Data Management (CDM)

Sales Pipeline

A sales pipeline is a visual representation of where prospects are in the sales process, from the first contact to the final sale.

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Outbound Leads

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PPC

Pay-per-click (PPC) is an internet advertising model where businesses pay a fee each time one of their online ads is clicked by a user.

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Day Sales Outstanding

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Day Sales Outstanding

Ideal Customer Profile

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Ideal Customer Profile

Email Engagement

Email engagement measures how your audience interacts with your emails. It includes key actions like opens, clicks, replies, and forwards.

Email Engagement

Customer Relationship Management Systems

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Demand

Demand is the economic principle describing a consumer's desire and willingness to purchase a specific good or service at a particular price.

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On Target Earnings

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Bulk Application Programming Interface

Learn about bulk API, including how it works, the advantages of using it, common use cases, and tips for optimizing it.

Bulk Application Programming Interface

Customer Success

Customer Success is a business strategy focused on proactively helping customers achieve their goals with your product or service.

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Drip Campaign

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Contact Discovery

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Contact Discovery

Digital Analytics

Digital analytics is the analysis of data from digital channels to understand user behavior and optimize online experiences for business goals.

Digital Analytics

Lookalike Audiences

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Lookalike Audiences

Target Account List

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Target Account List

SFDC

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SFDC

Average Order Value

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Average Order Value