Why a new domain won’t fix a blacklisted domain

Why a new domain won’t fix a blacklisted domain



The user manual of every email marketing software solution says, “We don’t recommend sending emails from multiple domains.” Though a simple statement, given the subject’s abstractness, we wanted to give you a detailed explainer why this is true.
 
Let’s face it, nobody likes their email-sending domain getting blacklisted. It brings marketing activities to a screeching halt and affects other business operations that use the same domain. If you’ve heard someone saying, “Just replace your blacklisted domain with a new one,” you’re not alone. It’s a misconception that many have, and we’re going to debunk it here.

First things first: What are email blacklists?   

Email blacklists are online registries of blocked domains and IP addresses that were used to send spam. Created and maintained by anti-spam services, ISPs (Internet Service Providers), and ESPs (Email Service Providers), blacklists prevent spam from reaching mailboxes.

How does a domain get blacklisted?   

Each organization we just mentioned uses certain techniques to identify and blacklist a malicious (or dubious) domain. Let’s discuss them one by one.

Email Service Providers    

Gmail, Yahoo, Zoho Mail, and more gauge an email based on its sender’s domain reputation. Put simply, if the reputation is good, it means the email-sending practices are healthy; if it’s bad, the contrary.
 
This good-bad demarcation is done using a scoring system. On the one hand, recipient responses like opens, clicks, and multiple link clicks improve your domain reputation score. On the other hand, recipient responses like unsubscribes, spam and abuse complaints, and more decrease your score. Thus, if the score goes below the cut-off limit, the domain gets blacklisted. You can read more on domain reputation here.
 
Side note: ESPs also maintain spam traps using fake and inactive email addresses to get hold of spammers. If you hit a spam trap (mostly because of purchasing mailing lists), the domain’s reputation greatly declines. Here’s a detailed guide on what spam traps are and how you can avoid them.

Internet Service Providers   

ISPs likely use spam filters to scan every bit of an email: subject line, preheader, body content, images, URLs, and more. They also likely scrutinize text for the presence of keywords or phrases that can trigger spam filters. Above all, images are checked against a registry of previously reported images.
 
When it comes to including URLs, they shouldn’t be connected with a blacklisted domain. Ultimately, all these data points are used to score an email, thus forming their own reputation system.

Anti-spam services   

Spamhaus, Barracuda, SpamCop, and other services deliberately create and circulate fake email addresses to create spam traps. This is because spammers collect publicly available email addresses and use or sell them on the black market.
 
Since only spammers and dishonest email marketers will have access to these non-opt-in, fake email IDs, the benefit of the doubt goes to the anti-spam services once a spam trap is hit.
 
Along with spam traps, these services also use the marked-as-spam history and abuse complaints of a sender’s domain for their assessment. (The previously-discussed technique of the ISPs is used as well.)

So why shouldn’t I use a new domain?   

The domino effect 


Let’s think through this: If a domain gets blacklisted due to the bad hygiene of mailing lists, spam content, or other reasons, why would a new domain ensure smooth sailing if the initial problem is related to email practices?
 
If the root cause of the problem is not rectified, chances are that the same mistakes will occur again. This, in turn, puts the new domain at risk, leaving you at square one.

Unnecessary confusion 

From an audience’s perspective, they might feel that the new emails are from an unknown source. Imagine receiving emails from xyz@zylker.com for two months after subscribing only to then start receiving emails from xyz@abc.com. This can lead to increased unsubscribe rates and spam complaints, affecting the domain reputation.

Domain warmup and reputation 

Adding a new domain doesn’t mean you can continue from where you left off. For example, if you sent 20,000 emails from a blacklisted domain as part of a recent campaign, you can’t just send such high-volume emails from day one from your new domain.
 
You need to adhere to the concept of domain warmup: building a positive reputation from scratch while slowly amping up the volume of emails. This is because the mailbox providers—in order to safeguard their users from spammers—reject high-volume emails from a sender domain that has zero reputation.

How do I fix a blacklisted domain? 

Delist your domain 

As soon as blacklisting happens, you can use lookup tools like MXToolbox, MultiBRL, and more to learn the reason(s). Next, contact the service(s) that has blacklisted your domain and submit a delist request.
 
By now, you’ll have a clear idea about what went wrong, so go back to the drawing board and analyze your email-sending practices while your delist request is being processed. (Sending further emails before getting unblacklisted can aggravate the situation.)
 
Quick tip: As domain reputation is directly linked to engagement rates, here’s a how-to on improving trustworthiness among your audience.

Use subdomains 

When you use your primary domain for multiple purposes, the margin for error is very small. A non-email-marketing problem affecting your domain’s reputation has an effect over your email marketing and vice versa. This is where subdomains can come in handy.
 
Subdomains are mighty helpful in reputation management, as they can function as a separate domain while still being linked to the primary or parent domain. This way, you can easily narrow down email-deliverability-based issues (if any) and protect your reputation.

 
Name-wise, they’re relevant to your primary domain, thus covering the brand recognition aspect. For example, xyz@email.zylker.com.

    Access your files securely from anywhere

      Zoho CRM Training Programs

      Learn how to use the best tools for sales force automation and better customer engagement from Zoho's implementation specialists.

      Zoho CRM Training
        Redefine the way you work
        with Zoho Workplace

          Zoho DataPrep Personalized Demo

          If you'd like a personalized walk-through of our data preparation tool, please request a demo and we'll be happy to show you how to get the best out of Zoho DataPrep.

          Zoho CRM Training

            Create, share, and deliver

            beautiful slides from anywhere.

            Get Started Now


              Zoho Sign now offers specialized one-on-one training for both administrators and developers.

              BOOK A SESSION





                          Quick LinksWorkflow AutomationData Collection
                          Web FormsEnterpriseBegin Data Collection
                          Interactive FormsWorkplaceData Collection App
                          CRM FormsCustomer ServiceAccessible Forms
                          Digital FormsMarketingForms for Small Business
                          HTML FormsEducationForms for Enterprise
                          Contact FormsE-commerceForms for any business
                          Lead Generation FormsHealthcareForms for Startups
                          Wordpress FormsCustomer onboardingOrder Forms for Small Business
                          No Code FormsConstructionRSVP tool for holidays
                          Free FormsTravel
                          Prefill FormsNon-Profit

                          Intake FormsLegal
                          Mobile App
                          Form DesignerHR
                          Mobile Forms
                          Card FormsFoodOffline Forms
                          Assign FormsPhotography
                          Mobile Forms Features
                          Translate FormsReal EstateKiosk in Mobile Forms
                          Electronic Forms

                          Notification Emails for FormsAlternativesSecurity & Compliance
                          Holiday FormsGoogle Forms alternative GDPR
                          Form to PDFJotform alternativeHIPAA Forms
                          Email Forms
                          Encrypted Forms
                          Embeddable Forms
                          Secure Forms
                          Drag & drop form builder
                          WCAG



                                            You are currently viewing the help pages of Qntrl’s earlier version. Click here to view our latest version—Qntrl 3.0's help articles.




                                                Manage your brands on social media


                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts


                                                    Zoho Marketing Automation

                                                      Zoho Sheet Resources

                                                       

                                                          Zoho Forms Resources


                                                            Secure your business
                                                            communication with Zoho Mail


                                                            Mail on the move with
                                                            Zoho Mail mobile application

                                                              Stay on top of your schedule
                                                              at all times


                                                              Carry your calendar with you
                                                              Anytime, anywhere




                                                                    Zoho Sign Resources

                                                                      Sign, Paperless!

                                                                      Sign and send business documents on the go!

                                                                      Get Started Now




                                                                              Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                                      Zoho DataPrep Resources



                                                                                        Zoho DataPrep Demo

                                                                                        Get a personalized demo or POC

                                                                                        REGISTER NOW


                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now









                                                                                                              • Related Articles

                                                                                                              • How to handle a blacklisted sender domain/IP address

                                                                                                                Blacklists are lists of email senders who are known to send spam. These lists are maintained by internet service providers, anti-spam services, and mailbox providers. When it comes to offering inbox placement, mailbox providers give preference to ...
                                                                                                              • How to warm up a sender domain

                                                                                                                We know that as marketers, you want to send large volumes of emails and achieve inbox placement. When mailbox providers receive emails, they consider the reputation of a sender domain to make inbox decisions. So, how is the reputation of a sender ...
                                                                                                              • Getting started with email deliverability

                                                                                                                Identifying the needs and interests of contacts and conceptualizing email campaigns around those are part and parcel of a marketer's daily routine. Sometimes marketers may assume that crafting a compelling campaign alone will help them hit their ...
                                                                                                              • How a public domain sender address affects email deliverability

                                                                                                                Whenever you send campaigns, they will be delivered to the receiving server of the respective mailbox provider. The receiving server will offer inbox placement after carefully scrutinizing the email. If the emails are from a source that the mailbox ...
                                                                                                              • Why you should warm up a new sender domain

                                                                                                                Marketers often use a new sender domain under the following circumstances: They purchase a secondary sender domain to send more emails Their company is completely new to email marketing They've planned to use a sender domain that was used sparsely ...
                                                                                                                Wherever you are is as good as
                                                                                                                your workplace

                                                                                                                  Resources

                                                                                                                  Videos

                                                                                                                  Watch comprehensive videos on features and other important topics that will help you master Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  eBooks

                                                                                                                  Download free eBooks and access a range of topics to get deeper insight on successfully using Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  Webinars

                                                                                                                  Sign up for our webinars and learn the Zoho CRM basics, from customization to sales force automation and more.



                                                                                                                  CRM Tips

                                                                                                                  Make the most of Zoho CRM with these useful tips.



                                                                                                                    Zoho Show Resources