What is my IA Reputation and how does it affect deliverability?

Reports & Metrics
IA Reputation score, email sender reputation, domain reputation email, InboxAlly reputation rating, how mailbox providers rate senders, improve email reputation
Quick Answer
IA Reputation (IAR) is InboxAlly’s proprietary score that predicts how email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook view your sending domain — like a credit score for email. It ranges from HIGH (providers trust you) to BAD (emails likely going to spam). A higher IAR means better inbox placement and more emails reaching subscribers.

Your IA Reputation tells you how email providers (like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook) view your sending domain. A higher reputation means better inbox placement and more of your emails reaching your subscribers.

What is IA Reputation?

IA Reputation (IAR) is InboxAlly’s proprietary algorithm that predicts your domain’s email reputation. Think of it as a “credit score” for your email sending—it tells you how trustworthy email providers think you are.

The Four Reputation Levels

IARWhat It Means
🟢 HIGHExcellent! Email providers trust your domain
🟡 MEDIUMGood, but there’s room for improvement
🟠 LOWWarning: you may be experiencing deliverability issues
🔴 BADCritical: your emails are likely going to spam

Where Do I Find My IAR?

Your IA Reputation appears on the Domain Reports page:

  1. Log in to your InboxAlly account
  2. Go to Domain Reports
  3. Select the domain you want to check
  4. View your IA Reputation score along with other domain metrics

What Affects My IAR?

Your IA Reputation is based on several factors:

✅ Things That Help Your IAR

  • Consistent sending patterns — Sending similar volumes regularly
  • Good authentication — Proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup
  • High engagement — Subscribers opening and clicking your emails
  • Clean lists — Removing bounces and inactive subscribers
  • Gradual warm-up — Slowly increasing volume on new domains

❌ Things That Hurt Your IAR

  • Sudden volume spikes — Sending 10x your normal volume overnight
  • High spam complaints — Subscribers marking you as spam
  • Authentication failures — Missing or broken SPF/DKIM
  • Blacklist appearances — Your IPs listed on spam blacklists
  • Poor engagement — Low open rates, high bounce rates

How to Improve Your IAR

If Your IAR is LOW or BAD

  1. Check your authentication — Make sure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are properly configured
  2. Review your sending patterns — Look for sudden changes in volume or frequency
  3. Clean your email list — Remove hard bounces, spam traps, and inactive subscribers
  4. Reduce volume temporarily — Send to your most engaged subscribers first
  5. Use InboxAlly’s warm-up tools — Gradually rebuild trust with email providers

If Your IAR is MEDIUM

  1. Focus on engagement — Send to subscribers who actually want your emails
  2. Improve your content — Write subject lines that encourage opens (not spam triggers)
  3. Segment your list — Send more relevant content to different groups
  4. Monitor regularly — Catch problems before they become serious

If Your IAR is HIGH

Great job! Keep doing what you’re doing:

  • Maintain consistent sending patterns
  • Keep authentication healthy
  • Monitor for any changes

Frequently Asked Questions

How often is my IAR updated?

Your IAR is updated daily. Check back regularly to spot trends.

Why did my IAR drop?

Common reasons include:

  • A spike in spam complaints
  • Authentication issues (SPF/DKIM failures)
  • Sending to a purchased or old email list
  • Being listed on a blacklist
  • Sudden increase in sending volume

How long does it take to improve my IAR?

It depends on how severe the issue is and how consistently you follow best practices. Generally, the lower your IAR, the longer it takes to recover. Email providers need to see sustained good behavior over time before trusting your domain again—there are no quick fixes.

Is this the same as Google Postmaster Tools?

No. IA Reputation is InboxAlly’s own algorithm that uses multiple data sources to give you a more complete picture of your domain’s reputation.

Does everyone see the same IAR for my domain?

Your IA Reputation is unique to InboxAlly and based on data we collect. Email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) have their own internal metrics that aren’t public.

Need Help?

If your IAR is LOW or BAD and you’re not sure why:

  1. Contact support — We can review your specific situation
  2. Book a deliverability consultation — Our experts can help you recover

IA Reputation is updated daily and reflects InboxAlly’s best prediction of how email providers view your domain. Individual provider experiences may vary.