Email Deliverability: Why it Matters & How to Improve It

Email statistics reveal a startling fact - 1 in 6 emails never makes it to the inbox. This means more than 15% of all emails vanish into the digital world.

Most marketers know the frustration. You spend hours creating the perfect email campaign and then find that your messages never reached their target audience. Poor email deliverability reduces your open rates, hurts your sender reputation and ends up affecting your revenue.

Here's the silver lining - email deliverability isn't complicated. The right combination of approach and tools can substantially improve your inbox placement rates. Your messages will reach your audience consistently.

This piece offers a detailed look at email deliverability in 2025. We'll show you everything from simple fundamentals to advanced best practices that will help you achieve email marketing success. Let's head over to the details!

What is email deliverability?

What does email deliverability really mean? It's knowing how to get your email messages into your recipients' primary inboxes. This might sound simple at first glance, but landing in someone's email account needs more work than you might think.

People often mix up email delivery and email deliverability. Email delivery means the recipient's mail server accepts your email, whatever folder it ends up in. Email deliverability means your email lands right in the primary inbox instead of getting stuck in spam or other tabs.

Email deliverability consists of these key elements:

• Inbox placement (primary inbox vs. promotional/spam folders)
• Acceptance rate by Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
• Knowing how to bypass spam filters
• Successful authentication and sender reputation

Industry standards suggest your email deliverability rate should hit at least 85%. The ideal target sits between 98-99%. The reality looks different though - only 79.6% of legitimate emails reach their destination. This means 200 or more emails might never reach your subscribers' primary inboxes from every 1,000 you send.

This matters more than you think. A 98% delivery rate to 1,000 subscribers means 20 people never see your message. When you consider that only 20-40% of delivered emails get opened, you'll see why better deliverability is vital to your email marketing success.

Email deliverability works like your digital postal service reputation. A reliable postal carrier makes sure physical mail reaches the right mailbox. Good email deliverability will give your digital messages the best chance to land where they should - right in your recipients' primary inbox, ready for action.

Email Delivery vs. Email Deliverability comparison

The difference between email delivery and email deliverability plays a significant role in email marketing for small business success. Let's explore these commonly confused terms with a clear comparison.

Email Delivery shows the simple acceptance of your email by the recipient's server. Picture it as getting your foot in the door - your email reaches its destination but could end up in any folder. Recent data indicates that email delivery measures whether your message bounced back or not.

Email Deliverability determines where your email lands in the recipient's inbox. Your message needs to arrive exactly where you want it - the primary inbox, not the spam or promotional folders.

Here's a clear comparison of these significant metrics:

Numbers make this difference even more apparent. Recent research shows that spam folders trap up to 20% of email marketing efforts instead of reaching primary inboxes. A high delivery rate might still face deliverability challenges.

Major differences that impact our marketing success:

• Delivered emails might land in spam, while good deliverability ensures inbox placement
• Delivery rates reveal bounce data, while deliverability shows actual visibility
• An email can succeed in delivery but fail in deliverability

Email service providers (ESPs) maintain an average deliverability rate between 83% and 89%. This statistic can mislead if we focus only on delivery rates. Our emails might never reach the inbox despite excellent delivery rates showing few bounces.

This difference matters more because 69% of recipients mark emails as spam based on the subject line alone. High delivery rates won't save our email marketing strategy if poor deliverability sends our messages to spam.

Why does email deliverability matter so much?

Email deliverability serves as the foundation of our digital communication strategy that affects our business success and customer relationships. We found that high email deliverability is a vital factor because it directly boosts our chances of higher customer involvement and helps build a good sender reputation over time.

👉Marketing emails deliverability rate

Marketing emails present us with our most important challenge. Our marketing messages might never reach the inbox despite a healthy-looking delivery rate. The average email campaign needs about two weeks to produce, and 46% of email marketers work on up to five emails simultaneously. We can't risk deliverability problems with such investment in content creation.

Marketing email deliverability matters because:

• Poor deliverability starts a downward spiral that affects engagement rates
• A 98% delivery rate means 20 people miss your message
• Each delivered email counts with typical open rates of 20-40%

👉Transactional emails deliverability rate

Our deliverability strategy needs extra focus on transactional emails. These messages get much better engagement - showing an average open rate of 47.1% compared to marketing emails at 14.7%.

Transactional emails prove vital because:

• 74% of consumers want email for transactional messages
• They work as key business communications (order confirmations, password resets)
• 71% of consumers look for missing transactional emails in spam folders

The stakes rise higher for transactional emails due to their time-sensitive nature and connection to specific customer actions. The overall spam rate reached 28.5% in 2019, which means more than a quarter of worldwide emails landed in spam folders. This creates problems for transactional emails that recipients predict, expect, and need.

Better deliverability does more than improve metrics - it elevates our customer communication strategy. Emails that consistently reach inboxes help us keep trust, deliver timely information, and create a smooth customer experience that keeps recipients engaged and happy.

What is a good email deliverability rate?

Getting good email delivery rates isn't simple because what counts as "ideal" changes based on your industry and the type of emails you send. Our research shows that you should expect delivery rates between 85% and 95%.

Here's what the numbers look like for different types of emails:

Numbers tell just part of the story. The average inbox placement rate stays just under 85% worldwide. This means about one in six legitimate, permission-based marketing emails never make it to the inbox. Money gets lost too - each failed email costs about $0.10 in lost revenue.

Your definition of a "good" rate depends on several things:

• Industry standards and competition
• Email type (marketing vs. transactional)
• Recipient engagement levels
• Sending volume and frequency

Most email marketing programs shoot for a delivery rate between 90-98%. We raise a red flag if rates drop below 80%. MailChimp's data backs this up - they report an average hard bounce rate of just 0.21% and a soft bounce rate of 0.79%.

Permission-based email marketing programs see combined bounce rates of about 1.5% globally. This leads to a delivery rate around 98.5%. Remember though - this only counts accepted emails, not the ones that land in spam folders.

Money matters here - sending a million emails with poor delivery could cost you more than $15,000. That's why you need both good delivery rates and consistent inbox placement.

How to improve email deliverability: Best practices for your email campaigns success

Email deliverability needs both technical expertise and best practices to succeed. We found that successful email campaigns depend on several factors that work together.

1. Building the right reputation

A sender's reputation plays a vital role in email deliverability. Research shows that high sender reputation leads to successful inbox delivery and better engagement in email marketing. ISPs need to see consistent sending patterns and engagement rates to trust us.

2. Send emails only to users who want to receive them

Sending emails to engaged subscribers makes a real difference. Our content proves its value to ISPs through consistent subscriber engagement. This helps us maintain a good sender reputation and delivers better results.

3. Make it really easy to unsubscribe

A simple unsubscribe process isn't just smart - it's vital. Hidden unsubscribe links often result in spam complaints that hurt our sender's reputation. Our unsubscribe links stay visible and we handle all requests within 24 hours.

4. Bounce Rate: hard bounce and soft bounce

Proper bounce management is a vital part of email deliverability. Remove hard bounces right away, while soft bounces (typically around 2%) don't cause much concern. The ideal bounce rate stays below 2% for the best results.

5. Follow a consistent schedule

A steady email schedule brings the best results. Sudden jumps in email volume can trigger spam filters. Regular sending builds trust with ISPs and subscribers alike.

6. Authentication and Infrastructure

Three authentication protocols matter most:

1. SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Verified emails come from authorized servers
2. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to verify email authenticity
3. DMARC: Tells receiving servers how to handle authentication failures

7. Content and Engagement

Better deliverability comes from:

• Content that matches subscriber priorities 
• Relevant messages that boost interaction
• Smart list segmentation

8. Send A Warm Welcome

Message sending your first email will be like setting a tone for how it will go with your subscribers. A warm and engaging email gives trust and enhances engagement. It matters; open rates of welcome emails are likely to be the highest and pave the way for future exchanges.

9. Avoid Spammy Titles

Titles should be clear and concise because they shouldn't have all caps or all sorts of exclamation points like "!!!." Words like "FREE" or "LIMITED TIME OFFER" could trigger the spam filter. It matters because spammy or misleading titles will get much less deliverability and more unsubscribes.

10. Segment the List

Segmentation is dividing your email list by demographics, behavior, or preferences. It matters: It will generate highly targeted campaigns with increased engagement and better deliverability rates.

11. Selecting the Right Infrastructure

The strong infrastructure stands as a backbone for successful email marketing. Email servers, IP addresses, and sending platforms which will work together to ensure reliable email delivery form part of your infrastructure. A dedicated IP will often suit best to high-volume senders for which greater control over the reputation is available, whereas a shared IP might work better for smaller senders who benefit from the pooled reputations.

Choose tools that will provide detailed analytics and monitoring, so you stay centered on email performance.

12. Authenticate with DKIM

DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) ensures that once the email passes through intermediary mail servers, it does not change the content of the email. By this method, a cryptographic signature can prove that the message was sent by a legitimate sender.

Why it matters: In a way, it helps gain credibility and recognizes you as a trusted sender from ISPs or Improve deliverability.

How to implement: Add the DKIM entry provided by your email service to the DNS settings of your domain.

13. Authenticate with SPF

SPF is another common protocol that helps ensure mail is not spoofed by others using the address of the domain owner. It allows an owner of a domain to say which mail servers have authorization to send mails on behalf of that domain.

Why it matters: Reduces the risks of phishing attacks using your domain, hence building more trust with ISPs. 

How to implement: Update the DNS record with an SPF TXT entry containing authorized IP addresses.

14. Which One Should I Use – DKIM or SPF?

Both! DKIM and SPF may be contrary to each other but they pursue different goals and would be most effective when interpreted simultaneously. SPF verifies the sending server while DKIM verifies the message integrity of the email. Hence, they provide a very solid base for email authentication and security.

15. Authenticate with DMARC

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) aligns SPF and DKIM and prescribes to receiving servers how to treat unauthenticated emails.

Why: DMARC turns email into a bigger and clearer entity as it helps in reducing phishing and spoofing and has reports on activity to survey email operations.

How to implement: Add a DMARC TXT record to your DNS with policies like p=none, p=quarantine, or p=reject based on your security needs.

16. Depend on Double Opt-In

Double opt-in ensures an email subscription is verified through which the user confirms being genuinely interested.

Why: This leaves less room for spam complaints, increases better engagement rates, and builds trust with ISPs.

How to implement: Send confirmation email to a user to do a click-link activation for the subscription.

17. Making Accurate Content

Use Branding and Personalize the 'From' Field Your "From" field should be from your branded name and cultivate trust narrowed down to actual names. Generic names such as "noreply@domain.com" ought not to be used. 

Why: Personalization of messages in the e-mail should increase open rates and hence less likelihood of being flagged as spam.

These practices have helped us achieve better email deliverability rates. Note that deliverability combines technical setup with building trust through valuable, consistent communication with ISPs and subscribers.

What affects your email deliverability rate?

Email deliverability success depends on several vital factors. Understanding these elements helps you retain optimal inbox placement rates. Let's look at what determines whether our emails reach their intended destination.

1. Sender Reputation

Your sender reputation works like a digital credit score in the email world. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) calculate this score using multiple factors. The IT department manages deliverability in 31.7% of organizations. These elements affect sender reputation:

Content isn't the main driver of deliverability, but it plays a vital role. Modern inbox providers use complex analysis and machine learning to review our messages. These content elements affect deliverability:

• Link quality and reputation
• Code cleanliness and structure
• Image-to-text ratio
• URL reputation and shorteners

2. Email Infrastructure

A resilient infrastructure forms the foundations of successful delivery. Studies show that 20% of organizations know that both technical and marketing teams must support email deliverability. Strong deliverability rates need proper authentication protocols and consistent sending patterns.

3. Spike in Email Volume

ISPs flag sudden changes in sending volume. Our analysis shows that spammers often try to send huge amounts of email at once. Good deliverability needs consistent sending patterns. Volume increases should happen gradually over weeks, especially during high-frequency seasons.

Monitoring these factors and maintaining proper email hygiene leads to better delivery rates. Note that deliverability changes constantly – ISPs fine-tune their filtering algorithms based on these factors.

6 Best Email deliverability tools:

Email deliverability solutions needs reliable tools that help us monitor, test, and improve our performance. Let's look at some of the best email deliverability tools and software you can use in 2025.

Mailtrap Email API

Mailtrap proves to work well with its impressive sending throughput of ~10,000 emails/second. The platform has these features:

• Immediate analytics dashboard that shows complete email statistics
• Extended email history tracking for up to 30 days
• Automated DNS records setup for DKIM, SPF, and DMARC authentication

CampaignHQ

CampaignHQ stands out with its AI-powered capabilities. Users get access to:

• Advanced segmentation tools for targeted delivery
• A/B testing capabilities for optimization
• Detailed analytics for tracking delivery performance
• Automated workflow creation

Brevo

Brevo, previously known as Sendinblue, takes an all-encompassing approach to email marketing. The platform's strong deliverability features support both transactional and marketing needs. Your sender reputation stays protected as the system automatically blacklists contacts who don't engage.

SendGrid

SendGrid leads the market by delivering more than 100 billion emails per month. The platform shines with:

• Automated IP warmup processes
• Detailed bounce management
• Advanced email validation tools
• Smart blacklist monitoring

Mailchimp

Mailchimp excels at campaign design and email automation. The platform combines with Mandrill for transactional emails and provides:

• Detailed engagement analytics
• Automated suppression list management
• Campaign performance tracking
• Detailed deliverability reports

Mailjet

Mailjet delivers excellent value with strong deliverability features. The system lines up the sending pace with ISP requirements. Users benefit from:

• Clean HTML code optimization
• Deep tracking of complaints and bounces
• Automated feedback loop management
• Immediate throttling adjustments

This comparison shows key deliverability features across these platforms:

These tools can improve your email deliverability rates by a lot and help maintain strong sender reputations with major ISPs.

Why you need solid email infrastructure

A reliable email infrastructure works like a secure foundation for your home - you need it to succeed in the long run. Our research shows that proper email authentication can prevent up to 99.9% of spoofing attempts. This makes it a vital component of our email marketing strategy.

👉Sender Policy Framework (SPF)

SPF serves as our first line of defense against email spoofing. This protocol helps receiving servers verify whether incoming email comes from an authorized sending host. Our SPF implementation:

• Prevents unauthorized use of our domain
• Reduces the chances of our emails being marked as spam
• Improves our domain's reputation with ISPs

The latest data shows that domains without SPF records may have their emails bounced or marked as spam, which affects deliverability rates by a lot.

👉DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)

DKIM adds another layer of security through digital signatures. DKIM implementation gives us several benefits:

Servers verify our digital signature using the public key published in DNS records.

👉Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC)

DMARC completes our authentication trinity by building on SPF and DKIM. It works especially well because it lets us:

• Specify actions for authentication failures
• Receive reports about email authentication results
• Monitor potential abuse of our domain

Our DMARC implementation has shown that it can reduce phishing attempts by a lot. Studies show that properly configured DMARC can prevent almost all domain spoofing attacks.

These three protocols create what we call a "security triangle" for our email infrastructure. The proper configuration of these protocols ensures our emails are authenticated, verified, and delivered to the intended recipients. Recent data shows that organizations using all three protocols can handle up to 10,000 emails per second. This proves how effective proper infrastructure can be.

Note that these protocols are not just technical requirements - they're essential tools in our deliverability arsenal. The correct implementation of these protocols protects our domain and builds trust with ISPs and email providers. This improves our overall email deliverability rates.

Summary

Email deliverability is a vital part of email marketing success. You can improve your inbox placement rates and protect your sender reputation by implementing authentication protocols, following consistent sending practices, and paying attention to subscriber engagement.

Getting emails delivered successfully needs an integrated approach. A reliable technical foundation with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols sets you up for success. Clean lists and engaging content ensure your messages land in primary inboxes instead of spam folders.

The process of managing email deliverability becomes easier with the right tools.  offers complete deliverability monitoring and optimization tools that help maintain high inbox placement rates. Try Now

Note that email deliverability needs constant attention. You should regularly check your authentication setup, engagement metrics, and sending practices. This ensures your messages reach intended recipients and drives better results for your email marketing campaigns.

FAQ/Customers also ask:

These are answers to the most common questions about email deliverability based on our largest longitudinal study and research.

What is meant by email deliverability?

Email deliverability means knowing how to successfully deliver emails to recipients' inboxes instead of spam folders or getting blocked. The percentage of emails that reach inboxes from your total sent emails defines deliverability. Three key components make up this process:

• Delivery: The recipient's mail server accepts your email
• Deliverability: Your email lands in the inbox (not spam folders)
• Delivery rate: The percentage of emails accepted by recipient servers

How to fix email deliverability?

Several proven techniques can improve email deliverability. A complete approach has:

Authentication Implementation

• Enable SPF and DKIM to prevent email spoofing
• Implement DMARC to protect better
• Maintain proper IP allocation for scaling

List Management

• Use active opt-in methods
• Verify all new email addresses
• Remove inactive subscribers quickly

Proper IP allocation becomes significant when you reach 25,000 daily emails. A dedicated IP address helps control your sending reputation better at this point.

What is a good deliverability rate for emails?

Industry standards show these benchmarks for email deliverability:

Global inbox placement rates average just below 85%. This means one of every six legitimate, permission-based marketing emails never reaches the inbox. Deliverability issues can cost an average email program over $15,000 for every million emails sent.

Which Strategy Will Improve Email Deliverability?

The most effective strategies to improve email deliverability come from years of testing:

Authentication and Infrastructure

Implement SPF to verify authorized sending hosts

Add DKIM signatures for email authenticity

Deploy DMARC to protect comprehensively

Engagement Optimization

Focus on permission-based sending practices

Regular audience interaction

Quick handling of abuse reports

List Hygiene

• Clean your email list regularly
• Remove bounces and opt-outs quickly
• Monitor engagement metrics consistently

Canadian email programs achieve higher inbox placement rates because they emphasize double opt-in processes and explicit consent. This approach creates healthy, engaged lists.

Recommended monitoring tools include:

• CampaignHQ and Sender Score for spam filter insights
• Litmus and Email on Acid for email preview testing
• SpamAssassin for content evaluation

High deliverability needs constant watchfulness. Regular analysis of key performance indicators (KPIs) ensures sustained email delivery success. Important metrics to track are:

• Click-through rates
• Bounce rates
• Spam complaints
• Sender score
• Inbox placement rates

Seed email addresses help assess deliverability in different mailbox providers. This method shows inbox placement and appearance across platforms consistently.