About this video

Numbers in this video are samples unless stated. File verification needs a paid account.

Video transcript

1. 00:00What the number measures

   30 bounces on 1,000 sends is 3%. Here's what that number means, and why a checked list can still produce it. First, check which bounce you mean. A website bounce is a visit that didn't engage. In Google Analytics 4, that's an unengaged session. An email bounce is a message that wasn't accepted for delivery. Same word, two different jobs. If the problem is a page, look at the page. Does it match the click that brought people there? Is the offer visible on the first screen? Does it load quickly, and do the links work? None of that changes your email number. The rest of this video is about email. The sum is simple. Bounced messages divided by messages sent. Keep the bottom number consistent, because platforms don't all count the same way, and two reports can disagree.

2. 00:50Two kinds of bounce

   Bounces come in two kinds. A hard bounce is permanent. The address is invalid, closed or doesn't exist, so suppress it straight away. A soft bounce is temporary. A full mailbox, a timeout, a server having a bad moment. Watch it before you remove anyone. One soft bounce proves very little. The same address failing again and again is different. Check the server's reply and the timing, then pause it.

3. 01:15Reading the rate

   Now read your rate. Under 2% is healthy. Two to five percent needs attention. Five to ten percent is dangerous. Over 10%, it's urgent. A good total can hide a bad source. One old import or one weak signup form can sit inside a healthy average. So split the number. New signups, imported contacts, dormant subscribers. Compare each one with its own history. And a low rate doesn't mean you're safe. A provider can accept your message, then put it in spam. That isn't a bounce. Bounce rate only tells you how many messages failed to be accepted.

4. 01:49Why verified lists still bounce

   So you verified the list, and some addresses still bounced. That's normal. A check tells you what a mail server said at that moment. Sending happens later, and a few things can change or stay uncertain in between. Reason one is time. People change jobs and companies change domains. Lists decay by about 22.5% a year. An address that passed in spring can be gone by autumn. Reason two is catch-all. These domains accept mail for any address, so the server's yes can't prove one mailbox exists. If you send to them, some may still come back. Reason three is unknown. The server gave no reliable answer. That isn't a pass. If you put unknown results in the campaign, you're sending without an answer. Reason four is the soft bounce. A mailbox can fill up. A server can time out on the day you send. A clean address can still fail for a while. Reason five has nothing to do with the address. A receiving system can refuse the message because of your sender identity. Authentication failures can show up at one mailbox provider. Fix that in your sending setup, not in your list.

5. 02:56What to do next

   So start with the replies, not the percentage. Export the failures. Group them by reply. Is it permanent, temporary or tied to one domain? Then trace each group back to its form, import or campaign. Then make it routine. Verify the newest and oldest segments before each big campaign. Suppress what's invalid. Keep catch-all and role addresses in their own groups. And check new addresses at the form. BillionVerify can do those checks. Unknown results are free. Our bounce rate calculator is free too, and single checks work with your daily credits. Verifying a file needs a paid account. Verification lowers bounces. It doesn't freeze time. Check close to the send, and read what comes back.

6. 03:39Get started free

   20 free credits every day you use your account, up to 600 a month. No credit card required. Start at billionverify.com.

Featured in this video

• Email Bounce Rate Benchmark: What Is Healthy in 2026