Most deliverability problems have specific, diagnosable causes. A structured audit identifies whether the problem is your infrastructure, your authentication, your list quality, your sending behavior — or a combination — before you spend time or budget on the wrong fix.
Deliverability problems are almost always multi-causal. An audit that only checks authentication misses list quality problems. An audit that only checks IP reputation misses DMARC misalignment. Each layer produces independent findings that may or may not be connected to the presenting problem.
MTA configuration analysis: virtual-MTA pool architecture, domain block throttle settings, retry configuration, per-ISP routing, spool and queue configuration.
Full SPF, DKIM, and DMARC verification. Alignment testing across all active sending paths. PTR record verification. BIMI readiness assessment where applicable.
All sending IPs checked against Spamhaus (SBL, XBL, PBL), Barracuda, SpamCop, SURBL, and major ISP-specific blocklists. SNDS enrollment status for Microsoft IPs.
Accounting log analysis for deferral rate by destination ISP. Google Postmaster Tools domain and IP reputation review. Yahoo/AOL postmaster data where accessible.
Hard bounce rate analysis by list segment and acquisition source. Complaint rate distribution. Inactive subscriber analysis. Unsubscribe rate trends and suppression system integrity.
Header analysis from sent messages. HTML structure evaluation for spam filter triggers. Tracking domain reputation check. List-Unsubscribe compliance verification.
The audit produces a written report structured as: (1) critical findings requiring immediate action, (2) significant findings affecting deliverability, (3) optimisation recommendations, and (4) infrastructure improvement roadmap. Each finding includes the specific evidence, the technical explanation, and the recommended resolution.
We request access to: Google Postmaster Tools data export, SMTP accounting logs, sample message headers (10–20 messages), current MTA/ESP configuration, and sending domain DNS records. No production system access required.
Review of all configuration and DNS data against production best practices. Identification of misconfiguration, misalignment, and missing controls.
Per-ISP deferral rate analysis. Blacklist status across all IPs. Postmaster Tools reputation tier assessment. SNDS data review where available.
Bounce category distribution analysis. Complaint rate patterns by segment or campaign type. Frequency and recency analysis of engagement data.
Written report delivered within 5 business days of receiving all data. Optional 60-minute technical walkthrough to discuss findings and prioritise next steps.
Data collection takes 1–3 business days depending on how quickly access to Postmaster Tools and accounting logs can be arranged. Analysis and report writing takes 2–3 business days. Total elapsed time is typically 5–7 business days from engagement start to report delivery.
No. The audit is conducted entirely from externally accessible data: DNS records, blacklist queries, Postmaster Tools exports, and log files you provide. We do not require SSH access, API credentials, or any production system access.
Yes. The audit is entirely passive — it does not affect your current sending operations. Some senders prefer to continue sending during the audit period so we can observe live delivery pattern data.
The audit produces findings and recommendations. Implementation is a separate engagement. Many clients use the audit report to prioritise what to fix internally; others engage us to implement the recommended changes as a managed infrastructure project.
Contact us with a brief description of the symptoms you are observing. We will confirm whether an audit is the appropriate starting point or whether the situation indicates a more targeted assessment.
