Higher Logic performs list validations using our trusted third-party tool upon request. This process helps identify invalid, risky, or non-engaged email addresses, ensuring you're sending to a clean and engaged audience, improving both deliverability and engagement.
To request this service, email us at:
Once your list validation is complete, Higher Logic will give you a file to review the results. Refer to the sections below to learn how to interpret your results.
Status definitions
- Valid: Valid - The email address is a valid account.
- Invalid: Address Invalid - The email address format is incorrect. Example: james0uwerwe#com is not a correct email format like inbox@domain.com.
- Invalid: Domain Invalid - The email address is associated with a domain that doesn't exist. Example: inbox@briteeeeverify.com pertains to a non-existent domain.
- Invalid: Account Invalid - The email account (the inbox) does not exist at the given domain. Example: not-an-inbox@briteverify.com results in an email account invalid status.
- Invalid: Mailbox Full - The inbox is full and cannot accept new mail, resulting in a soft bounce. TIP: Consider holding sends to this address until the status is cleared.
- Risky: Role Address - The email address is for a role, like sales@ or support@. These addresses underperform compared to individual addresses.
- Risky: Disposable - The email address is temporary and will self-destruct. Typically, these do not provide value.
- Risky: Accept-All - The domain always indicates email addresses are valid, even if they are not. This may lead to bounces later.
CAUTION: If your ESP’s bounce threshold is 5% or less: Suppress. If your ESP has given you a dedicated IP: Mail slowly.
- Risky: Unknown - The email address appears valid but the domain is not responding. This could be temporary or a sign of a failing domain.
CAUTION: If your ESP’s bounce threshold is 5% or less: Suppress. If your ESP has given you a dedicated IP: Mail slowly.
How should you proceed?
Our recommended next steps are:
- Ignore the Valid: Valid and Risky: Role Address email addresses.
- Unsubscribe the email addresses that fall into these categories:
- Account Invalid
- Address Invalid
- Domain Invalid
- Risky Disposable
- Your organization will need to decide whether to Ignore or Unsubscribe Invalid: Mailbox Full, Risky: Accept-All and Risky: Unknown addresses.
NOTE: We cover Risky: Accept-All and Risky: Unknown addresses in more detail below.
Understand "Accept All" and "Unknown" emails
Accept-All emails
Accept-All emails will accept everything sent to them – at least at first. There are two reasons an email address may be classified as Accept-All:
- Catch-all configuration: An administrator configures a domain to deliver any email addressed to it, even if the address contains typos (e.g., WrongAddressWithTypos@domain.com). Since this approach can attract a lot of spam, most administrators don’t implement this configuration for their mail servers. It’s not much better for marketers: if your legitimate email lands in a sea of spam messages, the likelihood of any recipient action is extremely low.
- Old-fashioned configuration: The server accepts emails for any address initially but then checks for validity afterward. If an email address is invalid, the server sends a "delayed bounce" message to the sender. Spammers often hide behind their own non-existent, invalid addresses, so this configuration can lead to clogged mail queues as the server makes repeated – and futile – attempts to deliver delayed bounce messages to addresses that likely don’t exist. For marketers, these delayed bounce messages negatively impact campaign metrics and overall sender reputation.
Due to these drawbacks, administrators should seek alternatives to Accept-All configurations. For marketers, targeting these addresses is uncertain and risky.
Unknown emails
Unknown emails are associated with domains that are not currently responding, potentially due to a temporary issue. This uncertainty adds risk to email deliverability.
Recommendations
Because Accept-All and Unknown emails are risky, it’s wise to proceed with caution based on your specific situation.
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If you are experiencing deliverability issues:
- Avoid mailing to "Accept All" and "Unknown" addresses to manage bounce rates and regain mail-sending capabilities.
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Routine list cleaning:
- If you follow best practices by removing bounced addresses from your list, it is safer to mail to Accept-All and Unknown addresses, although you should still proceed with caution.
Consider a high number of Accept-All and Unknown emails a warning regarding the quality of your data. In this situation, we recommend careful consideration and possible data review.