About this video

This video uses sample data. File verification needs a paid account.

Video transcript

1. 00:00The results table

   Here's how to read every part of a verification result. This is the live results table from a file job. Every row has an address, a status, a score and a reason. Read it in this order. Status tells you what happened. Reason tells you why. Score comes last.

2. 00:21Status and reason

   The counters group results by status. You'll also see a risky card. New results no longer use it. It only remains on older rows. Reason is the evidence. Mailbox not found means the server said this user doesn't exist. smtp_blocked means it refused us, so we learned nothing about the mailbox. Two unknowns can mean different things. Mailbox full means it exists, but can't take mail now. smtp_greylisted means try later. smtp_unverifiable means no reliable answer. So the reason tells you if a retry makes sense. Greylisting, timeouts and rate limits can clear up. The others usually won't. File jobs retry greylisting by themselves, like this one. There's no charge while it waits, only once for a definite result.

3. 01:05Then the score

   Score runs from zero to one. Invalid rows show zero. These blocked rows show 0.30. Each status has its own range. Catch-all and unknown depend on why. Role keeps the score of the evidence under it, so it can reach 1.0. Without proof that its domain isn't catch-all, a valid address stops at 0.85. The status is still valid. These values come from fixed rules. Don't read them as a chance of delivery. Scores don't compare across statuses. An unknown can score 0.6, and a catch-all 0.55. But only the catch-all was accepted. So read the status first. Tables, the API and CSV files use zero to one. The Quick Verify card calls it Reputation Score, from zero to 100.

4. 01:49Technical details

   On that card, technical details list the domain, MX records, SMTP verification, catch-all, disposable and role. There's no reason line. SMTP Verification has four values. Passed means the server accepted this recipient. Failed means it rejected it. Unknown Status means no clear answer. Not Checked means SMTP didn't run, and that isn't a failure. And Passed doesn't always mean valid. Catch-all and role can show it too.

5. 02:18CSV columns

   For a whole file, go to Result breakdown, pick your statuses, and click Export Results. Your original columns stay. The verification columns are added at the end, and each one starts with ev_. The console download adds 13. Status, score and reason. Five flags. The domain and a spelling suggestion. The server's reply and any error text. And the time. The API export adds four more. Three details matter in this file. Catch-all has no hyphen. ev_is_deliverable is also true for catch-all, so filter on ev_status. And the server reply can contain line breaks, so use a real CSV parser.

6. 03:01What it costs

   Every job shows a credits breakdown. Unknown results aren't charged, and neither are addresses you verified in the past 24 hours. Bad syntax and disposable are free too. Every other result uses one credit. So start with the status. Check the reason when you need to know why. And treat the score as a detail, not a verdict.

7. 03:21Get started free

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

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