An IP address rating is a unique numerical identifier assigned to every device connected to the internet. Email service providers (ESPs) and spam filters rely on the reputation of each IP address to determine whether an email is delivered to a recipient’s inbox or sent straight to a spam folder. A positive reputation leads to higher email deliverability, while a poor reputation can result in emails being blocked or deleted from recipients’ inboxes altogether.

An ESP’s email reputation is determined by its overall email sending practices, content quality, and engagement rates with subscribers. Additionally, the reputation of each emailing IP address is largely based on its relationship with other websites, internet objects, and locations. If an IP has a history of sending spam or is associated with malware or phishing activities, its reputation will suffer as a result.

IP Address Rating: Assessing Trustworthiness and Risk

A poor IP reputation can also be caused by high spam complaints or a high bounce rate, both of which can cause ISPs to flag an email as potentially spammy and mark its sending IP with a low reputation score. This can hurt email sendability and lead to emails being marked as spam, blocked, or undeliverable by the ISP.

Maintaining a good email reputation is crucial for all marketers, especially those who utilize third-party IP addresses to deliver their emails. To check the reputation of your IP address, you can use a variety of free and paid tools. For example, BrightCloud’s quick IP reputation checker offers a general rating and basic information about your IP address’s trustworthiness and security. It will also tell you if your IP is listed on any notable anti-spam or blocklists (sometimes referred to as blacklists).