What is a Hard Bounce?
A hard bounce is a permanent failure to deliver an email. It usually happens when an email address is invalid or the recipient domain does not exist. Once an email bounces, it can never be delivered to that address, and continuing to send emails to that address can damage your email reputation.
Common causes of hard bounces
Invalid or non-existent email addresses : An incorrectly spelled or non-existent address is the main cause of hard bounces.
Blocked Email Addresses : Some email addresses may be blacklisted or marked as spam, resulting in immediate rejection.
Inactive Mailboxes : Occasionally, email addresses that have been inactive for too long may be deactivated by the email provider, resulting in hard bounces.
How to identify hard bounces ?
Hard bounces are easy to identify because they generate specific error messages or codes international mailing list from the recipient's server. These messages might say things like "Recipient address rejected," "Domain not found," or "Email address does not exist." Once you receive a message like this, you know that the email address is invalid.
Hard bounces are a serious concern for email marketers. When your emails are consistently hard bounced, email service providers (ESPs) take it as a sign of poor list management and may lower your sender reputation or even prevent your future emails from reaching inboxes. That’s why removing hard-bounce addresses from your list as soon as possible is essential to maintaining good deliverability.
What is a soft bounce?
A soft bounce occurs when an email cannot be delivered due to temporary problems. Unlike a hard bounce, soft bounces are usually fixable and the email may eventually be delivered if you try again later. Common reasons for soft bounces include server issues, full inboxes, or temporary blocks from the recipient's email system.