Some folks create a domain name (dedicated to email campaigns) linked to a non-functional, non-existent website. A good example is when an individual clicks on mynewsletter.ext and it doesn’t take you to an actual website (yet the email address noreply@mynewsletter.ext is still used as a sender address), but the user arrives at a blank page (or a 404 error page, etc).

Good news, this practice is very bad for at least 3 strong reasons:

–   a domain name without a website is a characteristic which portrays suspicious anomalous behaviour – normally used by spammers & phishers;

–   this affects the legitimacy of your email, which makes it harder to be verified by a recipient’s servers

–   anti-spam filters & the average internet user may perceive your email as phish

Solution

–   Create an easy-to-understand website with clear information that explains more about you/your entity

–   Ensure that the sending domain’s whois records are public, and identify your business. Stay away from publishing private whois information.

–   Add an extra layer of “trust” by implementing at least SPF & DKIM email authentication techniques to validate your identity. SPF curbs domain spoofing, while                 DKIM prevents spammers from forging source addresses.

Conclusion: Always distinguish yourself from spammers by ensuring that the domain name you use in your emails allows user to verify your identity. 

Photo Credit : Vagawi – Creative Commons

[ Posted Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:51:00 ]