Email validation
In the world of email marketing, the delivery of messages via email is one of the key aspects. However, even the highest-quality mailing list can encounter delivery problems if it contains unreachable email addresses. In this article, we’ll see how email address validation can improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns and take a look at UniOne’s validation methods and proper ways to use this functionality.
What is email validation
Email address validation is the process of checking email addresses for correct syntax and functionality. The purpose of this process is to get rid of addresses that are either invalid or could negatively impact the sender's reputation. Through validation, you can ensure that recipients' addresses actually exist and are capable of receiving messages.
Why validation is necessary
Maintaining a high level of deliverability enhances the sender's domain reputation. This, in turn, significantly reduces the likelihood of your emails ending up in spam or being blocked. Additionally, in mailing services, pricing is usually based on the number of emails sent – by sending messages to invalid addresses, you are just wasting your money.
When should you use email validation
If your subscription forms use single opt-in, i.e., subscription without confirmation, you’ll inevitably get a certain number of invalid email addresses. A user may make a typo, enter a one-time disposable address or even someone else's email. To avoid such cases, it's better to use a double opt-in procedure with confirmation. If, for some reason, this is not possible, consider integrating the email validation process into the registration form of your website. This way, you’ll be able to instantly inform users that the address they entered is invalid or unreachable.
Another common scenario is when a mailing list has not been used for mailing for a long time. Address owners may have deleted their mail or forgotten about you. Such a base needs to be checked for relevance, otherwise mailing services may block you due to a large number of returns, unsubscribes, and spam complaints.
Contact collection at offline events or through paper surveys may also lead to problems due to customer errors in addresses, illegible handwriting, or poor data collection organization. In this case, validation will also be extremely useful.
How address validation works
In response to the email-validation/single method call, you will receive: the status of the checked address; the reason it was set; the probability of using the address for mailings; and several other fields with useful information. You can read more about this in our documentation.
Since the email-validation/single method is intended for single checks, it has certain limitations. A maximum of two simultaneous requests are allowed, and if exceeded, an error will be returned. The check must be quick, so we limit the checking time: if a recipient’s mail server does not respond in 5 seconds, the validation result may be undefined.
Email address validation is an important way to improve deliverability and enhance the sender's reputation. By using UniOne’s validation, you can ensure the high efficiency of your email campaigns.
