Email Deliverability and Sender Reputation

Learning Objectives

• Understand why email deliverability and sender reputation matter for your campaigns
• Learn how to set up double opt-in for better list quality
• Verify your sender domain in Squarespace Email Campaigns
• Keep your email lists clean and engaged

Introduction

Your emails are only effective if they actually reach people's inboxes. This chapter covers the fundamentals of email deliverability and how to build a trustworthy sender reputation using Squarespace Email Campaigns.

Many beginners focus on creating beautiful emails but overlook the technical side that determines whether those emails get delivered. We'll show you the essential steps to avoid spam folders and build trust with email providers.

Lessons

Understanding Email Deliverability

Email deliverability is simply whether your emails reach the inbox or get filtered out. Your sender reputation acts like a credit score – email providers use it to decide if your emails are trustworthy.

When your reputation is poor, your emails end up in spam folders or get blocked entirely. When it's good, your emails land in inboxes where people actually see them.

Key factors that affect your reputation:

• Bounce rates (emails that can't be delivered)
• Spam complaints from recipients
• How often people open and click your emails
• Whether you follow proper authentication practices

Check your campaign stats in Squarespace regularly. High bounce rates or low engagement rates are warning signs that need attention.

Setting Up Double Opt-In

Double opt-in means people confirm their subscription by clicking a link in an email. This extra step improves your list quality and shows email providers that people genuinely want your emails.

How to enable double opt-in in Squarespace:

1. Go to Marketing > Email Campaigns in your Squarespace dashboard
2. Click Settings
3. Select Email Settings
4. Toggle on "Require email confirmation"
5. Customise your confirmation email message
6. Save your changes

Your confirmation email should be clear about what people are signing up for and include a prominent confirmation button. Keep the message friendly but straightforward.

Monitor your confirmation rates. If they're low, test different subject lines or make your confirmation message clearer.

Verifying Your Sender Domain

Domain verification proves you own the domain you're sending from. This builds trust with email providers and improves deliverability.

Steps to verify your domain:

1. In your Squarespace dashboard, go to Marketing > Email Campaigns
2. Click Settings
3. Select Sender Details
4. Click "Verify Domain" next to your email address
5. Follow the DNS record instructions provided
6. Wait for verification (can take up to 48 hours)

If you're using a third-party domain provider, you'll need to add the DNS records through their control panel. Squarespace provides clear instructions for each step.

Keep your domain registration details current. Outdated information can cause verification problems later.

Maintaining Clean Email Lists

Regular list maintenance keeps your sender reputation healthy by removing inactive subscribers and reducing bounce rates.

Monthly list maintenance checklist:

1. Remove hard bounces (emails that permanently failed)
2. Identify subscribers who haven't engaged in 6+ months
3. Send a re-engagement campaign to inactive subscribers
4. Remove subscribers who don't respond to re-engagement
5. Check for obvious fake email addresses

Re-engagement campaign ideas:

• "We miss you" emails with special offers
• Preference updates letting people choose email frequency
• Simple "Are you still interested?" messages

Use Squarespace's analytics to identify your least engaged segments. Sometimes a targeted campaign can win back inactive subscribers before you remove them.

Practice

Review your current email list in Squarespace Email Campaigns. Create two segments: highly engaged subscribers (opened emails in the last 30 days) and inactive subscribers (no opens in 90+ days).

Send a regular campaign to your engaged segment and a re-engagement campaign to your inactive segment. Compare the results to see the difference proper segmentation makes.

FAQs

How often should I clean my email list?
Review your list monthly and do a thorough clean every quarter. Remove hard bounces immediately when they occur.

Can I set up double opt-in myself in Squarespace?
Yes, you can enable and customise double opt-in directly in your Email Campaigns settings without any technical knowledge.

Why does domain verification matter?
Verified domains have better deliverability rates because email providers trust authenticated senders more than unverified ones.

What's a good engagement rate for email campaigns?
Industry averages vary, but aim for open rates above 20% and click rates above 2%. Squarespace provides benchmarks in your analytics.

Jargon Buster

Deliverability: The percentage of emails that successfully reach recipients' inboxes rather than being blocked or filtered to spam

Sender Reputation: A score email providers assign to your sending domain based on your email practices and recipient behaviour

Double Opt-In: A two-step subscription process where people confirm their email address by clicking a link before being added to your list

Hard Bounce: An email that permanently fails to deliver due to invalid addresses or blocked domains

Soft Bounce: A temporary delivery failure, often due to full inboxes or server issues

Wrap-up

Good deliverability starts with proper setup and consistent maintenance. Enable double opt-in, verify your domain, and keep your lists clean. These basics will give you a solid foundation for successful email campaigns.

Focus on sending relevant content to engaged subscribers rather than trying to email everyone. Quality always beats quantity in email marketing.

Ready to take your email marketing further? Join our membership for advanced strategies and ongoing support.

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