What Is a Good Email Bounce Rate? And How to Lower Yours

·2 min read

You've sent a campaign and your report shows a bounce rate. Is it fine, or a problem? Here's how to tell.

What is a bounce rate?

It's the share of the emails you sent that couldn't be delivered. In plain terms, it's how many hit a dead end. If you send 1,000 emails and 20 can't be delivered, your bounce rate is 2%.

So what's a good email bounce rate?

There's no single number that's right for everyone. What counts as healthy depends on your industry, where your list came from and how often you send, so the most useful benchmark is the one your own email tool publishes for accounts like yours.

What matters more than any one figure is the direction yours is moving. A bounce rate that creeps up from one campaign to the next, especially on a list you haven't mailed in a while, is a clear sign that your mailing list has decayed and needs cleaning.

The simple goal is as low as possible.

What counts as a bounce?

  • Permanent dead ends: the address doesn't exist or the domain is wrong.
  • Temporary problems: a full inbox or a server that's down for a while.

Permanent ones matter most, since they will never go away on their own.

Why a high rate is a problem

  • You waste effort on people you'll never reach.
  • Your reports look worse than reality.
  • Inbox providers may trust your future emails less.

How to lower your bounce rate

  1. Verify your mailing list. Upload it to VerifyFlow, a flat £20 per list, up to 1,000,000 rows, in one CSV or Excel file.
  2. Remove invalid addresses straight away.
  3. Handle catch-all addresses with care. VerifyFlow flags these because they can't be confirmed. Test them with a small send.
  4. Stop typos at sign-up. Ask people to confirm their address.
  5. Re-check regularly, especially before big campaigns and for older lists.

How often should you check?

Small, active lists: a couple of times a year. Large or older lists: before every major campaign.

Final thoughts

A good email bounce rate is a low one, and the fastest way to get there is a cleaner mailing list. Verify with VerifyFlow, remove the dead ends, and your email marketing numbers will start to reflect real people.

Find out who's real before your next send

Verify up to 1,000,000 addresses in one CSV or Excel file for a flat £20. No subscription, no account.

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