Higher Logic can perform list validations, upon request, using our trusted third-party tool. This process helps identify invalid, risky, and non-engaged email addresses, ensuring you're sending to a clean and engaged audience, improving both deliverability and engagement.
NOTE: A fee may be associated with this service.
To inquire about this service, email us at:
When 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 address 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.
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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, such as 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. Refer to Understand 'Accept-All' and 'Unknown' email addresses, below.
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. Refer to Understand 'Accept-All' and 'Unknown' email addresses, below.
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:
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- Account Invalid
- Address Invalid
- Domain Invalid
- Risky Disposable
- Your organization has 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 email addresses in detail below.
Understand 'Accept-All' and 'Unknown' email addresses
Accept-All email addresses
Accept-All email addresses 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 that is 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 message lands in a sea of spam messages, the likelihood of any recipient action is extremely low.
- Old-fashioned configuration: The server accepts email messages 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, and
- marketers should avoid targeting these addresses because they are uncertain and risky.
Unknown email addresses
Unknown email addresses 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 email addresses are risky, it’s wise to proceed with caution based on your specific situation.
- If you are experiencing deliverability issues:
- Avoid mailing to Accept-All and Unknown email addresses to manage bounce rates and regain mail-sending capabilities.
- Routine list cleaning:
- If you follow best practices by removing bounced email addresses from your list, it is safer to mail to Accept-All and Unknown email addresses, although you should still proceed with caution.
Consider a high number of Accept-All and Unknown email addresses a warning regarding the quality of your data. In this situation, we recommend careful consideration and possible data review.