Blacklisted? How to delist yourself if it already happened.

Santa Claus has a special list for naughty kids. Internet service providers keep lists of naughty senders by building a database that contains IP addresses and domain names known for suspicious or harmful activity. Such a database is called a blacklist.

Blacklists come in two types:

1. Private blacklists. These are internal databases of blacklisted email addresses maintained by internet service providers. For example, Gmail has a private blacklist. So does Outlook. However, Gmail and Outlook users can’t access those lists, so they have no way of knowing if their email addresses got blacklisted. Such lists exist to help internet service providers keep users safe from spammers, not to assist you with improving your domain reputation.

2. Public blacklists. There are many accessible blacklists to help senders monitor their behavior and check their reputation. They openly display all domain names and IP addresses that have been banned for suspicious activity, letting users:
   a) take notes and steer clear of certain senders;
   b) find their domain name on the blacklist and take measures.

With public blacklists, it’s not a big deal. You can find and view major databases on the internet and scan them for your address.

• MXToolBox.
  The tools available at this online platform include a blacklist checker for searching through blacklists and checking your DNS settings.

• Barracuda Reputation Block List.
  This open database by Barracuda spam filter is available to anyone wishing to look for their domain name.

• Spamhaus.
  This blacklist contains a large number of spammy domains. All users can access this information and receive detailed insights.

When it comes to checking private blacklists, things get more complicated. You can’t really ask Gmail or Outlook to give you access to their databases, so you have to monitor your relationships with these mail services. For example, if the bounce rate of Gmail inboxes keeps growing, while your open rate drops every day, there is a high probability that Gmail doesn’t like you.

Since tracking your performance is quite time-consuming, there are services that can take it off your plate. For example, Forlderly spam tests and deliverability checks give you an in-depth analysis of your inbox and its most important metrics, such as bounce rate, open rate and deliverability rate. Moreover, Folderly tests scan public blacklists, too, providing you with as much detail as possible.

With this step covered, let’s move on to the delisting process. You have several options for removing yourself from blacklists:

Asking nicely.
Most blacklists don’t deny the probability of legitimate senders getting blacklisted by mistake. If you don’t have a rich history of violating outreach guidelines, you can contact the team behind the list and ask them to remove your domain from the list. If you know the reason why you got blacklisted, outline it in your message — the team will be more eager to respond and fulfill your request. However, make sure to fix the issue that got you into a blacklist before you contact the operators. Otherwise, you’ll end up getting blacklisted again, and this time, you won’t get away that easily.

Making amends.
Working with users is good for your domain’s health. If you know that recipients’ complaints resulted in you getting blacklisted, try fixing your relationship. Reach out to your users and ask them to remove your emails from spam. Offer apologies for disturbing them and make it clear that you never meant to inconvenience them. Once they comply with your request, thank them, remove them from your mailing list and never bother them again.

Following tips.
Tools like Folderly offer suggestions and recommendations on improving your sending reputation. The more you know about how you landed on blacklists, the easier it will be for you to work out a viable strategy for finding your way out.

Mind, however, that getting delisted is always hard. Even if you’re not an offender, it takes from one to two weeks to remove your domain name from a blacklist. Therefore, approach this matter seriously. Make your arguments as logical and compelling as possible and remember this lesson to avoid blacklists in the future.

Of course, there are some 'rules' on how to avoid getting blacklisted. Let me know if needed to share :)