Email Bounce Rates: Reduce Them Now

Email lists are the lifeblood of email marketing. But what happens when those lists are filled with old, invalid, or simply incorrect email addresses? The answer is high email bounce rates—a situation that can damage your sender reputation, diminish your deliverability, and ultimately hurt your marketing efforts. In this article, we’ll discuss what email bounce rates are, why they happen, and what you can do to reduce them. We will also take a look at various solutions and best practices to help maintain a healthy email list, as well as get your email marketing campaigns back on track.

Understanding Email Bounce Rates

Email bounce rate is a term that refers to the percentage of emails sent that are not delivered to the intended recipient’s inbox. When an email “bounces,” it means that the mail server failed to deliver the message. These bounces are split into two main types: hard bounces and soft bounces, each with its own set of causes and implications.

Hard Bounces

Hard bounces happen when an email is sent to an invalid, non-existent, or closed address. Some of the reasons include:

• Incorrect email addresses: A typo in the email address is one of the most common causes.
• Non-existent email addresses: The address may be completely invalid, or was deleted.
• Closed accounts: The recipient’s email account may have been terminated or deactivated.
• Blocked domains: The recipient’s email server may block the sender due to previous problems or spam flags.
• Domain name errors: The domain part of the email may not exist.

Hard bounces are permanent delivery issues, and these addresses should be immediately removed from your email list to maintain list hygiene. Keeping hard bounce addresses on your list can negatively impact your sender reputation.

Soft Bounces

Soft bounces happen when an email cannot be delivered temporarily. These are usually caused by issues with the recipient’s server or mailbox, and the reasons may include:

• Full inbox: The recipient’s inbox might be full, unable to accept new messages.
• Server issues: There could be temporary problems with the recipient’s mail server, or it is temporarily down.
• Oversized messages: The email could be too big (due to large attachments) for the recipient’s server to accept.
• Temporary block: The recipient’s server might be temporarily blocking the sender due to a high volume of messages.

Soft bounces are temporary, and while you may try to send to these addresses again a few times, consistently failing to deliver to soft bounce addresses should ultimately lead to removing them as well.

Why High Bounce Rates Matter

High email bounce rates aren’t just an inconvenience; they have serious implications for your email marketing efforts:

• Damaged sender reputation: ISPs (Internet Service Providers) track bounce rates. If your rate is high, they may mark your emails as spam and send them straight to the junk folder.
• Decreased deliverability: When your emails get filtered into spam folders, they are not seen by your subscribers. Low engagement leads to even worse deliverability.
• Wasted resources: Sending emails to addresses that are not working means that your efforts are wasted, and you lose out on time and money.
• Inaccurate campaign data: Inflated bounce rates can skew your engagement metrics, making it hard to know what’s working and what’s not.
• Blocked accounts: In severe cases, your account may be temporarily suspended or even permanently blocked by your ESP (Email Service Provider).
• Reduced ROI: Poor deliverability reduces the reach of your email marketing, which in turn reduces the return on investment.

It’s essential to keep your bounce rates low to ensure your email marketing campaigns reach the intended audience.

Key Causes of High Bounce Rates

A high email bounce rate is a sign that there are underlying issues with your email lists and your sending practices. Let’s dig deeper into what some of these reasons are:

Poor List Quality

A large part of the problem often lies in the quality of your email list:

• Old Lists: Addresses get outdated over time. People change jobs, get new email addresses, or stop using old ones. Sending emails to old lists is a quick way to get high bounce rates.
• Purchased Lists: Buying email lists is not a good idea. Many of the addresses may be inactive or invalid and you don’t have permission to email them. This can lead to both high bounce rates and spam complaints.
• Typos: Simple typos in email addresses during sign up will create a high amount of hard bounces.
• Lack of opt-in: When people are added to an email list without their permission, they tend to not engage. In fact, they are more likely to mark your email as spam or even report your emails to their provider.
• Inconsistent data entry: If data entry is not standardized, addresses can be entered in the wrong way, causing hard bounces.

Sending Practices

How you send emails also impacts your bounce rates:

• High email volume: Sending large volumes of emails too quickly can trigger spam filters, leading to soft bounces.
• Lack of authentication: Not setting up proper authentication protocols, such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), can make it hard for email providers to trust that emails from your domain are legitimate.
• Spammy content: Using spam trigger words, too many images, or broken links in emails increases the chance of messages being filtered as spam and soft bounces.
• Missing unsubscribe option: If you do not give an easy way for users to opt out of emails, people may mark your emails as spam instead.
• No preference options: Not letting your subscribers choose what types of emails to receive might lead to less interest and engagement, as well as increase the chances that they may unsubscribe or report your emails as spam.

Solutions to Reduce Email Bounce Rates

Keeping your email bounce rate low needs a combination of list hygiene, smart sending strategies, and ongoing maintenance. Here is how you can do it:

List Management Strategies

The key to low bounce rates is maintaining a healthy and active email list:

• Use double opt-in: Double opt-in requires users to confirm their email address before they are added to your list. This double confirmation prevents typo errors and also ensures that users are actually interested in your emails.
• Regularly clean your list: Periodically review your list and remove inactive addresses. Most ESPs have tools to identify users who don’t open or click your emails.
• Use list validation tools: These tools help to detect invalid or risky email addresses before sending out emails. They can catch typos and detect inactive or role-based addresses.
• Avoid purchased lists: Only use email lists that were built organically with the express permission of the subscribers.
• Use email segmentation: Segment your email lists based on engagement, demographics, or other metrics. Send targeted content to each segment to increase engagement and lower the risk of bounces.
• Implement a preference center: Allow users to choose the types of emails that they want to receive. This can help to improve engagement and lower the risk of unsubscriptions and spam complaints.

Sending Best Practices

Following good sending practices can greatly improve email deliverability and minimize bounce rates:

• Warm up your IP address: If you’re starting out with a new IP address, gradually increase the volume of emails that you send over a few weeks. This shows email providers that you are not a spammer.
• Authenticate your emails: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols on your domain to confirm to providers that you are a legitimate sender.
• Use a reputable ESP: Use a reliable email service provider to send emails, as they usually have protocols in place to handle bounce management and prevent spam.
• Manage your sending frequency: Sending emails too frequently can lead to subscribers losing interest. Send emails on a consistent schedule and only when you have a message to share.
• Create engaging content: Design emails that are relevant, valuable, and visually appealing. Provide your readers with reasons to read your messages and click on links.
• Use clear subject lines: Make your email subject lines easy to understand. Avoid using spam trigger words.
• Include an easy to find unsubscribe option: Make it easy for subscribers to unsubscribe from your list. This will help prevent spam complaints and keep your list engaged.
• Monitor email performance: Regularly check your email campaign performance and adjust as necessary. Pay attention to bounce rates and also identify and remove invalid addresses.

Technical Solutions for Bounce Reduction

In addition to the best practices above, some specific technical solutions can help reduce bounces:

• Implement a bounce processing system: Use your ESP’s bounce management system to separate hard and soft bounces, and to remove them from your list or to handle resends as appropriate.
• Set up feedback loops: Feedback loops (FBLs) notify you when subscribers mark your emails as spam. You can use this data to promptly remove those users from your list.
• Use custom tracking domains: Tracking domains allow you to track click through and open rates without using shared tracking links. This may improve deliverability and brand recognition.
• Use email verification tools: These tools can check the validity of email addresses in real time, helping prevent bounces in your list before you even send emails. They can flag addresses with typos, non-existent domains, and other issues.
• Manage sender reputation: Tools like Google Postmaster can be used to monitor your sending reputation with different ISPs. This can provide insights that can help improve your delivery rates.
• Use suppression lists: Keep a separate list of addresses that have hard bounced or unsubscribed. Suppress these users when sending future campaigns to keep your bounce rate low.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Reducing email bounce rates is a continuous effort, not a one-time fix. Here’s how to stay on top of things:

• Regularly monitor your bounce rate: Pay attention to your bounce rate metrics in your ESP’s reporting tools. If you see a spike, look for the cause.
• Analyze bounce reasons: Review the reasons for email bounces. This gives more insight on the quality of your list and your sending practices.
• Adjust as needed: Based on your monitoring and analysis, update your list management and sending practices to keep your bounce rate low.
• Keep your data up to date: Regularly review your data. Check for old or invalid email addresses, and remove them from your list as needed.
• Stay updated with email best practices: The email landscape is always changing. Stay informed with current email delivery best practices and update your strategy as needed.

Best Practices for Different Types of Businesses

Email marketing can look different based on the type and size of the business. Here’s how different companies can implement strategies to lower their bounce rates:

Small Businesses

Small business owners may be just starting with email marketing and have a relatively smaller email list. Here are some tips:

• Start with a clean list: Focus on using opt-in methods to build your email list organically.
• Use a simple ESP: Start with an easy to use email marketing platform that offers easy to use list management tools.
• Regularly audit your list: Perform a regular audit of your list to identify and remove inactive addresses.
• Focus on engagement: Provide content that engages your subscribers. Build relationships with your subscribers by giving them high-quality, valuable information.

Medium-Sized Businesses

These businesses usually have more complex email marketing strategies, and may need to use additional tools:

• Segment your lists: Segment your audience into more relevant groups to increase the impact of your emails.
• Implement automated list cleaning: Use your ESP to automatically clean your lists.
• Monitor sending reputation: Pay attention to your sender reputation and take action to maintain a good score.
• Automate preference settings: Allow your users to choose what types of emails to receive.

Large Enterprises

Large enterprises usually handle high volumes of emails and may need more sophisticated tools and processes:

• Use advanced email validation tools: Use automated tools to validate email addresses at the time of sign up and before sending emails.
• Advanced list segmentation: Use dynamic segmentation to group subscribers based on engagement levels and behavior.
• Set up feedback loops and suppression lists: Maintain and update a list of bounced and unsubscribed addresses.
• Dedicated sender infrastructure: Use a dedicated IP address to separate out your email volume from other users on your ESP.
• Data analysis and reporting: Regularly analyze your email data, identify any trends, and take necessary action to ensure high deliverability.

Tools for Reducing Email Bounce Rates

Using the right tools can make it easier to manage email lists, improve deliverability, and reduce bounce rates. Here’s a list of some of the most common types of tools available:

Email Verification Tools

These tools check email addresses for validity, helping you remove invalid, fake, or risky addresses before sending out your campaigns. They may also check for addresses that are role based (info@, sales@, etc) or disposable (temporary) emails that can cause problems with deliverability.
Some examples include:
* ZeroBounce: Provides advanced email validation and activity tracking.
* NeverBounce: Offers real-time email verification and list cleaning.
* Mailfloss: Automates email list cleaning and management.

Email Marketing Platforms

A reliable email service provider is essential for effective email marketing. They usually include features for list management, email design, and performance reporting.
Some options include:
* Mailchimp: Widely used email marketing platform with simple and easy to use tools and automation capabilities.
* Constant Contact: Great option for small businesses, offers simple tools to manage your email marketing.
* GetResponse: Offers email marketing, marketing automation, and landing pages.

Email Authentication Tools

Email authentication protocols help verify that you are the real sender and that your messages are legitimate, helping to avoid being filtered as spam. The three main protocols are:
* SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Specifies which mail servers are permitted to send emails from your domain.
* DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to emails, which can be used by email receivers to verify that the email was sent from a trusted sender and not altered.
* DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): Specifies how email receivers should handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks.

Monitoring Tools

Monitoring tools help to keep track of your email performance, identify issues, and improve delivery rates. Some options include:
* Google Postmaster Tools: Provides insights into your sending reputation with Gmail.
* Sender Score: Provides a score on the quality of your sending IP address.
* MailMonitor: Monitors your deliverability across different email providers.

List Management Tools

These tools help automate and streamline email list cleaning, segmentation, and management:

• Hunter: Finds email addresses associated with specific domains.
• Kickbox: Email verification and list cleaning services.
• ListWise: Automated list cleaning and email verification platform.

What is a good bounce rate?

A good bounce rate depends on many different factors, such as the size of the list, the frequency of sending, and the method of collecting email addresses. Most email providers say that anything under 2% is a great benchmark, whereas anything between 2% and 5% is still considered good and is what most companies aim to achieve. Anything between 5% and 10% needs improvement and action taken to resolve the high bounce rate. Anything above 10% is a very bad bounce rate and steps should be taken immediately to reduce this number, as it can cause harm to your sender reputation and lead to your account being blocked or temporarily suspended.

The Final Word on Bounce Rates

Email bounce rates can quickly harm your marketing efforts if left unchecked. By focusing on maintaining a clean and healthy email list, following best sending practices, using the right tools, and regularly monitoring your email campaigns, you can significantly reduce bounce rates, improve deliverability, and increase the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. Remember, it’s not about sending more emails, but sending the right emails to the right people. By taking these steps, you are not only protecting your sender reputation but also nurturing your relationships with your subscribers and helping your email marketing thrive.