Overview

Deliverability is where your email lands after it's accepted by the receiving mail server. Good deliverability means the primary inbox (including tabbed inboxes like Promotions), not spam. The most reliable signal of healthy deliverability is real engagement: opens, clicks, replies, forwards, and conversions.

Delivery vs. Deliverability

Delivery = accepted by the server. Deliverability = where it lands. You can have delivery without inbox placement.

Core Levers

List quality, permission, engagement, technical setup, and consistent habits drive reputation.

Import Clean Lists

Start with clean data. If you're migrating from another provider, review historical performance and remove invalid, bounced, and chronically inactive addresses before your first send. Dirty imports inflate volume and depress inbox placement.

• Audit past opens, clicks, bounces, spam complaints, and unsubscribes.
• Exclude known hard bounces and role accounts you do not explicitly need (e.g., admin@, info@).
• Quarantine stale contacts for re‑permission instead of adding them directly to marketing sends.

Send to Opt‑In Recipients Only

Consent drives trust. Use clear opt‑in and prefer double opt‑in to catch typos and prevent abuse. Customers are not subscribers unless they've asked to receive marketing emails.

• Keep customers and subscribers as separate audiences; allow either group to opt into the other.
• Use confirmed (double) opt‑in for new signups; it produces smaller but healthier lists.
• Log and honor consent source, timestamp, and method.

Conduct Regular List Cleaning

Mailbox providers track how recipients interact with your messages. Persistently sending to people who never engage harms your reputation. Remove invalid addresses and suppress contacts who show no activity over a sensible window.

• Define inactivity windows (for example: 90, 120, and 180 days, based on your cadence).
• Suppress contacts with no opens or clicks in the chosen window before broad campaigns.
• Create a periodic re‑permission series; keep only those who actively opt back in.

Create Engaged Segments

Focus your sending on people who are interacting with you. Build engagement‑based segments (recent opens, clicks, purchases, replies) and prioritize them for regular campaigns.

• Primary segment: subscribers who opened or clicked within the last 30 to 90 days.
• Secondary segment: occasional engagers (e.g., last 120 to 180 days) for lighter cadence.
• Use re‑engagement flows before suppression to give people a clear choice.

Sending Habits

Consistency beats bursts. Large, irregular spikes can look risky to filters. Aim for predictable schedules and right‑sized volumes.

• Warm new domains and IPs gradually; scale only as engagement supports it.
• Test subject lines and content, but avoid manipulative tactics that trigger complaints.
• Keep content lightweight and accessible; respect frequency preferences.

Technical Setup

Give mailbox providers the signals they expect from legitimate senders.

Authentication

• SPF covers all sending sources
• DKIM aligned and passing
• DMARC with at least p=none during observation, then move toward quarantine/reject
• Custom tracking/link domains set and aligned

Infrastructure

• Dedicated vs. shared IP chosen appropriately
• Reverse DNS and HELO match
• Consistent from domain and friendly sender name
• Bounce handling and feedback loops enabled

Monitoring and Metrics

Track leading indicators and take action early. Look beyond open rate alone.

• Investigate sudden changes by cohort (ISP, campaign, segment).
• Use seed tests and panel data for inbox placement, but validate with real engagement.
• Close the loop with conversions, not just opens.

Where Mail Ward Fits

Mail Ward's webhook‑first integration keeps your list healthy automatically. It screens every new contact the moment it enters a Klaviyo flow, auto‑suppresses risky or invalid addresses based on your preferences, and sends events you can use to score and segment contacts. The result is less waste, clearer targeting, and stronger deliverability over time.

Quick Checklist

• Import only cleaned, recent lists.
• Send to confirmed opt‑in subscribers.
• Suppress long‑term inactives and hard bounces.
• Prioritize engaged segments for regular campaigns.
• Authenticate with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
• Warm gradually and keep cadence consistent.
• Monitor complaints, bounces, and placement trends.
• Use Mail Ward's Screened and Suppressed events to keep your list clean.

FAQ