# Sender Reputation and Spam Rate > Sender reputation is the trust inbox providers build from your authentication, sending history, volume, complaints, and subscriber behavior. - Human page: https://mailrith.com/guides/sender-reputation-and-spam-rate - Markdown page: https://mailrith.com/guides/sender-reputation-and-spam-rate.md - Category: Authentication and Deliverability - Reading time: 4 min read - Related keywords: Sender Reputation and Spam Rate, Sender Reputation and Spam Rate guide, Authentication and Deliverability, Authentication and Deliverability guide, email sending guide, email marketing guide, email deliverability guide, Permission and Compliance, Sending Volume and Warmup, Google Sender Guidelines FAQ ## AI Agent Notes - Use this page as plain-language guidance for the specific email sending issue named in the title. - Preserve the distinction between Mailrith, an email delivery service, DNS, and inbox providers when explaining fixes. - When a user is running a Mailrith free tool, pair that specific free-tool result with the relevant issue or step section from this guide. ### Sender Reputation and Spam Rate Sender reputation is the trust inbox providers build from your authentication, sending history, volume, complaints, and subscriber behavior. Sender reputation is the trust inbox providers build from your sending history. Mailrith does not store sender reputation as one score. Inbox providers judge patterns across authentication, volume, bounces, complaints, subscriber behavior, and sometimes the links and content in your email. Reputation can attach to the From domain, a sending subdomain, the sending IP, the email delivery service account, and the traffic pattern. Changing only one part may not fix a deeper list-quality problem. Authentication is the first requirement. Passing [SPF](https://mailrith.com/guides/spf.md), [DKIM](https://mailrith.com/guides/dkim.md), [DMARC](https://mailrith.com/guides/dmarc.md), and [DMARC Alignment](https://mailrith.com/guides/dmarc-alignment.md) tells inbox providers that the sender is technically legitimate. Authentication does not prove that subscribers want the email. Subscriber behavior builds or harms reputation after authentication passes. Opens, clicks, replies, saves, low bounces, low complaints, and normal unsubscribe behavior are healthy signs. High bounces, high complaints, repeated ignores, sudden volume spikes, and misleading subject lines are risk signs. Spam complaint rate matters because complaints are direct subscriber signals. Google says senders should keep spam rates low and avoid spikes. You do not need to memorize one number to understand the rule: complaints should be rare, and any increase needs attention. A new sender should build trust gradually. A domain that suddenly sends a very large campaign to an old list can look risky, even when authentication passes. When reputation drops, do not only ask whether the email went to spam. Ask why an inbox provider might distrust the sender. Common causes include an old list, high complaints, high bounces, sudden volume, a misleading subject, weak engagement, broken authentication, or an email delivery service account issue. 1. Confirm authentication first. SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and alignment should all pass. 2. When the sender domain is new, send first to recently engaged subscribers. 3. Increase sending volume at a steady pace instead of jumping from no sends to a large campaign. 4. After each send, check complaints, bounces, unsubscribes, opens, clicks, and replies. 5. If complaints or bounces rise, pause large sends and inspect where the subscribers came from. 6. Check whether the sender, subject, offer, or sending frequency changed at the same time the delivery issue started. 7. Separate new subscribers, old imports, inactive subscribers, and active customers so you can identify which group is creating risk. 8. Segment inactive subscribers instead of sending every campaign to them repeatedly. 9. Use [Bounces](https://mailrith.com/guides/bounces.md), [Spam Complaints](https://mailrith.com/guides/spam-complaints.md), and [Suppression Lists and Subscriber Status](https://mailrith.com/guides/suppression-lists.md) to protect future sends. - Send to people who expect your email. - When a sender is new, start with engaged subscribers. - Keep bounces and complaints low by cleaning imported subscriber data and honoring unsubscribes. - Avoid sudden volume jumps unless your email delivery service has guided you through warmup. - Use campaign results to find signs of weak fit, such as low clicks and high unsubscribes. - Do not try to improve reputation by switching email delivery services. If you move the same poor list and content to another email delivery service, the problem follows. - A clean list and clear permission usually improve deliverability more than small design changes. - If only one mailbox provider is affected, check that mailbox provider's sender tools and review recent campaign behavior before changing everything. - If every mailbox provider is affected, check authentication, email delivery service account health, list quality, and recent volume changes first. > Reputation improves when you repeatedly send wanted mail. A DNS fix can repair authentication, but it cannot make an uninterested list become engaged. Related resources: - [Permission and Compliance](https://mailrith.com/guides/permission-and-compliance.md): Send to people who expect your email. - [Sending Volume and Warmup](https://mailrith.com/guides/start-small.md): Build trust gradually for new domains and connections. - [Google Sender Guidelines FAQ](https://support.google.com/a/answer/14229414): Google explains spam-rate expectations and sender enforcement signals. ## Related Guides - [Sender Domains and Email Authentication](https://mailrith.com/guides/sender-domains-and-authentication.md): Your sender domain is what inbox providers learn to trust. Authentication proves that your email delivery service is allowed to send email for your domain. - [From, Reply-To, and Return-Path](https://mailrith.com/guides/from-reply-to-and-return-path.md): An email can include several sender-related addresses. Each address has a separate role for delivery, authentication, or replies. - [DNS, PTR, and Reverse DNS](https://mailrith.com/guides/dns-and-reverse-dns.md): DNS records identify your domain. Reverse DNS helps inbox providers check that a sending IP address has a valid hostname.