November 20, 2018
High bounce rates: causes and prevention
This article explains when and why bounces occur, and provides strategies to prevent them.
Old or stale recipient email addresses. Email addresses have a short lifespan and can become invalid over time.
Fake or non-existent email addresses. Invalid addresses often enter lists through manual entry errors or malicious bots.
Use of unconfirmed or single opt-in lists. Without a subscription confirmation requirement, lists remain vulnerable to typos and the inclusion of fake or inactive addresses.
Preventing Bounces
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Regular List Hygiene
- Removal of inactive recipients: recipients who have not opened or clicked emails for several months should be removed. This ensures high engagement and reduces the risk of hitting "stale" or abandoned addresses.
- Automated List Cleaning: validate lists before launching a campaign to maintain high deliverability. Wooxy provides a built-in email validator to identify and remove invalid or risky addresses during import or before manual send.
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Source and Acquisition Control
- Double Opt-In (DOI) implementation: a confirmed-subscription process must be used to ensure only valid, interested recipients are added. This prevents fake or non-existent addresses from entering the database.
- Contest and promotion monitoring: incentivized sign-ups often lead to fraudulent data submissions. Verification and validation must be required before rewards or incentives are granted.
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Technical Validation at Entry
- Real-time syntax verification: Online forms should include validation logic to ensure email addresses are syntactically valid (e.g., correct placement of the "@" symbol and valid domain components).
- Double-entry fields: Requiring users to enter their email address twice helps prevent typos during registration.
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Deliverability and ISP Reputation
- Engagement-based filtering: Maintaining a high-quality list improves sender reputation. Most ISPs use engagement metrics (opens and clicks) to determine whether emails should be delivered to the Inbox or the Spam folder.
