If you ever worry that something might be wrong with your sender reputation - spam complaints, blacklist issues, or deliverability problems - there are a few quick checks you can do to confirm whether there’s actually a problem or not.
In many cases, what looks scary at first glance turns out to be completely harmless. This guide walks through the exact steps you can use to verify that.
Step 1 - Review Bounce Reasons in Plain English
Bounce messages often look technical or alarming, but they don’t always indicate a reputation issue.
If you see bounce logs or system messages you don’t understand:
Copy the full bounce message
Paste it into an AI tool (including the AI chat inside VipeCloud)
Ask for a plain-English explanation of what happened
This is especially helpful when:
The message mentions the word “spam”
The language is highly technical
It’s unclear whether the issue is on your side or the recipient’s side
In many cases, bounces that mention spam are actually just invalid email addresses or rejected mailboxes. These do not hurt your sender reputation.
Step 2 - Check Your Domain Against Email Blacklists
Being on a blacklist is one of the most serious reputation issues, but it’s also very easy to verify.
You can use MXToolbox (https://mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx) to:
Check your sending domain against major spam blacklists
Confirm whether your domain has any reputation flags
If your domain is not listed, that’s a very strong sign that your reputation is healthy.
Optional (Recommended): Enable Blacklist Monitoring
MXToolbox also lets you:
Monitor your domain for blacklist activity
Get email alerts if your domain ever appears on a blacklist
This way, you don’t have to manually check - you’ll be notified automatically. The free version is sufficient for basic monitoring, and it’s worth bookmarking the tool for future reference.
Step 3 - Review Your Sender Reputation Inside VipeCloud
VipeCloud provides built-in visibility into your sending reputation.
To check it:
Go to Communication
Open Mass Emails
Click on your reputation score in the upper right corner
Review your reputation score and issue rate
Clicking into the reputation details will show:
Total emails sent
Spam reports
Bounces
Other delivery outcomes
What Actually Signals a Reputation Problem?
Real warning signs include:
Rising spam complaint counts
A steadily dropping reputation score
Being listed on one or more major blacklists
Mass emails being disabled by the system due to reputation safeguards
If none of those are happening, you’re almost certainly fine.