Best Practices

Operational checklist for safe sending, deliverability and reputation control.

Progress
69%
9 of 13 completed
Required open
3
Do these before serious volume.
Completed
9
Marked done and saved in DB.
Categories
7
DNS, SES, warmup, routing, reputation.
Launch Readiness Checklist69% ready

Amazon SES

SNS webhook receives delivery, bounce and complaint eventsRequired

Confirm subscription, validate topic/signature before production, and map events to provider health.

Completed 5/14/2026, 2:43:13 PM
SES configuration set is connectedRequired

Use configuration sets so sends are linked to SNS delivery, bounce and complaint events.

Completed 5/14/2026, 2:43:13 PM

Compliance

Bounce and complaint suppression is activeRequired

Never keep sending to hard bounces or complaint recipients; suppress them globally.

Completed 5/14/2026, 2:43:13 PM
Unsubscribe and subscription state are respectedRequired

Transactional emails may differ, but marketing/support style sends must respect unsubscribed users.

Completed 5/14/2026, 2:43:13 PM

DNS & Auth

SPF record is configured for every sending domainRequired

Include SES/custom provider sending hosts and avoid multiple SPF records on the same domain.

DMARC exists and is alignedRequired

Start with p=none while measuring, then move toward quarantine/reject when clean.

DKIM is verified for every sending domainRequired

Use provider DKIM, rotate keys carefully, and confirm DKIM passes in real inbox headers.

Monitoring

Alerts exist for complaint and bounce spikesImportant

Alert when complaint rate, bounce rate, queue delay or provider failures cross thresholds.

Completed 5/14/2026, 2:43:13 PM

Routing

Quota overflow stays queuedImportant

When provider or sender quota is exceeded, email should wait in queue instead of failing permanently.

Completed 5/14/2026, 2:43:13 PM
Domain-specific routing rules are configuredImportant

Treat Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft separately; exclude or cool down weak provider/domain combinations.

Completed 5/14/2026, 2:43:13 PM

Warmup

Every new sender has a warmup planImportant

Start low, increase daily, and pause or reduce volume when bounce/complaint hints appear.

Completed 5/14/2026, 2:43:13 PM

Reputation

Google Postmaster is connected for main domainsRecommended

Track Gmail spam rate, domain reputation, IP reputation and auth errors.

Completed 5/14/2026, 2:43:13 PM
Microsoft SNDS/JMRP is connectedRecommended

Track Outlook/Hotmail IP reputation and complaint feedback separately from Gmail.