Links that hurt deliverability

What it means

Spam filters read every link in your email. They do not just look at the text you see, but at the real address behind it, and at the reputation of every domain it points to. Three habits cause most problems:

• URL shorteners (bit.ly and similar) hide where the link really goes. Spammers love them, so filters distrust them, and some shortener domains appear on blacklists.
• Mismatched link text: the visible text shows one address, for example www.yourbank.com, while the link goes somewhere else. This is a classic phishing trick.
• Links to blacklisted domains: if a domain you link to is listed on a URI blacklist such as Spamhaus DBL, SURBL or URIBL, your email is treated as spam, even if your own domain is clean.

Why it matters

One bad link can send a perfect email to spam. Link checks happen on every message, so a single listed tracking domain or image host can hurt a whole campaign.

How to check

Delivmail checks this for you in two ways:

• Send a test email: on the home page (/), copy your unique test address, send it a normal email from the mailbox you want to check, then open the report. The blacklist section checks the domains found in your links, and the SpamAssassin section lists rules triggered by suspicious links.
• Check a domain directly: type a linked domain at /blacklists to see if it is listed.

How to fix it

1. Use full links to your own domain. Write https://yourdomain.com/offer instead of a shortened link. If you need short links, use a branded short domain that you own.
2. Make link text match the destination. Use words like "See the offer" or "Read the guide" rather than a web address. If you show an address, it must be the real one.
3. Check tracking domains. Newsletter tools rewrite links to count clicks, often through a shared domain. Most tools let you use a custom tracking domain, such as click.yourdomain.com. Set it up.
4. Check every domain you link to, including image hosts, file sharing links and partner sites, at /blacklists. Remove or replace any listed link.
5. Keep the number of links reasonable. An email that is mostly links looks like spam. A few clear calls to action work better.
6. Avoid raw IP addresses in links, such as http://203.0.113.10/page. Always use a domain name and HTTPS.
7. Make sure your website is not hacked. If your own domain is listed, it may host malware or phishing pages without you knowing. Ask your host or developer to scan it, then request removal from the list.

Check that it is fixed

Send the final version of your email to a new Delivmail test address. The report should show no listed link domains and no SpamAssassin rules about links. If a domain was listed and you requested removal, check again at /blacklists after a few days. In the paid dashboard, Delivmail blacklist removal can guide you through the removal requests.