Your domain or IP is on a blacklist: how to check and how to get off it

E-mail·· 6 views· 3 min read

The short answer: a blacklist is a list, kept by third parties, of IP addresses and domains seen sending spam. Many mail servers consult them and refuse messages from whoever is on them. We do not decide who gets in or out: the way is to find the cause, fix it and ask the list itself to remove you.

How to tell it is this

1 Read the bounce. The error message you get when an e-mail does not arrive usually gives the reason and often the name of the list and a link to its page. Words like “blocked”, “blacklisted”, “listed” or “reputation” point here. Other codes are in Bounce message 550.
2 Find the IP your e-mails go out from (in the message header or in the bounce). If you send through your hosting, see What your hosting IP address is.
3 Look it up on a site that checks an IP against many lists at once (search for “blacklist check”). If it appears on any, note the name.

What to do, in order

1 Stop the cause first. Asking for removal without fixing what caused the listing only gets you listed again. The usual causes: an e-mail account with a stolen password (see Your e-mail account has been hacked), a website form being used to send spam, or an infected program.
2 Check the domain’s authentication: SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up properly help a lot. See SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
3 Ask the list to remove you. Each list has its own page and process. Some drop the address by themselves after a while if the spam stops; others want a form. We cannot tell you how long it takes: it depends on each one.
4 If the IP is shared, the problem may come from another account on the same server, not yours. Open a ticket with the full bounce and the list’s name: on our side we can see what is going out.
What you see What it usually is
Only some recipients refuse (one big provider, say) The IP or domain is on a list that provider consults.
Everyone refuses, naming a list A direct listing. Follow the steps above.
It goes to the junk folder, not refused Usually reputation or authentication, not a blacklist. See How to write an e-mail that does not land in spam.
Distrust anyone who charges to get you off a list. Removal on the serious lists is free. And if you send newsletters, write only to people who consented: see Building an e-mail list legally.

Are your e-mails being refused? Open a ticket with the whole bounce message, uncut.

Open a support ticket

SEE ALSO

Why your e-mail is not sending or receiving

Bounce message 550: user unknown, relay denied and rejected, what each one means

SPF, DKIM and DMARC: why your e-mail lands in spam

Your e-mail account has been hacked: what to do in the first hour

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