By understanding the different types of bounces and their causes, you can take steps to improve email deliverability and reduce high bounce rates.
When an email "bounces," it means the message could not be successfully delivered to the recipient. High bounce rates can negatively impact overall email delivery. There are two main types of bounced emails: hard bounces and soft bounces.
Hard bounces occur when an email address is permanently rejected, either because the address is invalid or does not exist. This could happen if the email contains a typo or the recipient has left the organization.
Soft bounces, on the other hand, are caused by temporary delivery issues. These may include the recipient's mailbox being full, the receiving server being down or overloaded, or the message being too large for the inbox.
Other common reasons for bounced emails include:
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Non-existent email address - The provided address may contain a typo or the contact gave a false email.
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Undeliverable email - The receiving server could be temporarily unavailable or unreachable.
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Mailbox full - The recipient's inbox is full, preventing new messages from being delivered.
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Blocked email - The receiving server has blocked the sender's email address or IP.