Can I request to change the blacklisted IP?
No, our upstream (IP/Network provider) does not allow us to change the blacklisted. IP to another smooth IP until the blacklisted IP has been fixed / de-listed.
For 1st time IP blacklist, our upstream provider may assists us with de-listing the blacklisted. IP from the respective anti-spam organization on the best afford basis.
Resolution of such issues may take up to 3 days.
*NOTE*
Kindly be informed that spamming within our network is strictly NOT allowed.
What is an IP Blacklist?
Cybersecurity companies compile the databases of IP addresses that send spam. They share these databases with email service providers. They aim to protect users from unwanted emails. Here are several ways these companies figure out who makes it to their list of blacklisted IP addresses:
- Unusual send volumes – A sudden, large increase in the outgoing email is a red flag. Internet service providers (ISP) work with cybersecurity companies to flag IP addresses that are guilty of this abnormal activity.
- User reports – Recipients of unwanted email can report spam within their email applications and on spam database websites.
- Spam traps – These are unpublished email addresses you would either find through website scraping or bulk email harvesting. There are also specific email addresses set up to test a company’s unsubscribe process. If you don’t honor an unsubscribe request within a specific time, your IP address will be added to the list.
Email service providers such as Gmail and Microsoft use these blacklists to decide what to deliver to an inbox, what to send to a spam or junk folder, and what to completely block.
Some blacklists are more important than others. Here are the most popular and credible blacklists that will affect your deliverability.
How to Check Your IP Address
To check your blacklist status, the first thing you need is your email server’s IP address. This is different from your public IP address. The easiest way to find your mail exchange (MX) server IP address is by using MxToolbox, where you can look up your address with just your website’s domain name. This will scan your website for your email server and give you an 8-11 digit address. If you have more than one email server, you might see something like this:
Once you have your IP address, you can enter it into the IP blacklist websites. These will check your IP address against several blacklist databases.
A few sites you can use to check if you’re on any blacklists:
Why is My IP Address Blacklisted?
Even if you’ve never sent a single unsolicited email from your IP address, there are several ways you could still end up on a blacklist.
- You’re not maintaining your mailing list properly. If you’re not scrubbing your contact lists frequently, you may have a lot of incorrect email addresses or you may be behind on honoring unsubscribe requests.
- Someone hacked your email account. Hackers use viruses to get into your email account and take over. You may only find out after it’s too late, potentially from bounce notifications for emails you don’t remember sending.
- You’ve purchased a bad email list. While it may be tempting to buy email addresses from a third party, these lists can contain spam trap email addresses. Even one of these bad addresses could land you on a blacklist and torch your email marketing efforts.
- Too many people marked your emails as spam. Many people find it easier to just mark an email as spam than to go through an unsubscribe process. Engaging and relevant emails should minimize this issue.
