Why are emails still bouncing despite using BounceShield?

Mailmeteor BounceShield is a feature that verifies email addresses before they are sent. It is designed to reduce the number of bounced emails in your campaigns.

While BounceShield is highly effective in catching a large portion of invalid email addresses, there are certain scenarios where emails may still bounce, even after being verified. Here’s why this happens and what you can do about it:

1. How the BounceShield works?

Mailmeteor BounceShield works by checking the validity of an email address before sending your email. It looks for signs that the email address might be invalid, such as:

• Syntax errors in the email address.
• Incorrect or non-existent domains.
• Known invalid or disposable email addresses.
• SMTP checks

This process significantly reduces the likelihood of sending emails to addresses that will bounce.

2. Why some emails still bounce?

Despite these precautions, some emails may still bounce due to the following reasons:

• In some cases, the recipient’s email server may incorrectly indicate that an email address is valid when it actually isn’t. This can occur because some servers use techniques to spoof verification services, making it appear as though the email is deliverable (also known as catch-all email addresses). Unfortunately, these cases can only be detected by actually sending an email, which then results in a bounce.

• Sometimes, a recipient’s email server may experience temporary issues (such as being down or overloaded) that cause emails to bounce, even though the address itself is valid. These are typically soft bounces and might succeed if you try resending later.

• An email address may have been valid at the time of verification but deactivated or deleted before your campaign was sent. While these cases are rare, it can result in a bounce if the account is no longer in use.

3. What you can do to prevent bounces?

To minimize the impact of these unavoidable bounces, consider the following steps:

• Ensure that your email list is up-to-date, removing addresses that are no longer active or have repeatedly bounced in past campaigns.

• Analyze the bounced emails to see if there is a common pattern, such as outdated domains or frequent errors. This can help you refine your list and reduce future bounces.

BounceShield is a powerful tool in reducing email bounces. Understanding the limitations and reasons behind occasional bounces can help you manage your email campaigns more effectively.

If you have further questions or need assistance, our support team is here to help!