Sender Score: What It Is & How to Improve It
Sender Score rates your sending reputation from 0–100, like a credit score for email. Here's what drives it and how to push it higher.
TL;DR
Sender Score (0–100) estimates your IP reputation from volume, complaints, bounces, spam-trap hits and blacklists. Aim for 90+. Improve it with list hygiene, authentication and consistent sending.
What is Sender Score?
It's a reputation rating (0–100) calculated from aggregated sending behaviour across the mail ecosystem. Think of it as a credit score for your sending IP — higher means more trusted.
What affects it
- Complaint rate — the biggest factor (see complaint rate).
- Bounce rate — high bounces hurt.
- Spam-trap hits — a major red flag.
- Blacklist appearances.
- Volume consistency.
What's a good score?
| Score | Standing |
|---|---|
| 90–100 | Excellent |
| 70–89 | Decent, room to improve |
| Below 70 | Problems — act now |
How to improve it
- Clean your list — cut bounces and inactives.
- Reduce complaints with consent and easy unsubscribe.
- Authenticate with SPF/DKIM/DMARC.
- Send consistently and warm up new IPs.
- Monitor via reputation tools.
Score is a symptom
Don't chase the number directly — fix the underlying behaviours and the score follows. It's a lagging indicator of good practice.
AutoPMTA helps you maintain the practices that keep your sender reputation high. See pricing.
Key takeaways
- Sender Score (0–100) is a reputation rating for your IP.
- Complaints, bounces, traps and blacklists drive it down.
- Aim for 90+; below 70 means act immediately.
- Fix behaviours (hygiene, auth, consistency) and the score follows.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Sender Score?+
A Sender Score of 90 or above is excellent. 70–89 is decent with room to improve, and below 70 signals reputation problems you should address immediately.
How is Sender Score calculated?+
It's based on aggregated sending behaviour: complaint rate, bounce rate, spam-trap hits, blacklist appearances and volume consistency, combined into a 0–100 reputation rating.
How do I improve my Sender Score?+
Clean your list to cut bounces, reduce complaints with clear consent and easy unsubscribe, authenticate with SPF/DKIM/DMARC, send consistently, warm up new IPs, and monitor your reputation.