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Creator
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Marcus
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1
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Project Name
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zfrika
Problem
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improve the bounce and block email performance
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Based on your SendGrid report and the stats you shared, your high Open and Click rates mean people love your content, but your Bounce/Block rates mean the "gatekeepers" (Gmail, Microsoft, Yahoo) are suspicious of your technical setup. Since you are sending to the diaspora, you are likely hitting a lot of Gmail and Microsoft 365 (corporate/work) addresses. Here is how to fix those negative signals: 1. The "Big Three" Authentication (Crucial) If you haven't done this, your emails look like "Spoofing" to Gmail and Microsoft. You must add these records to your domain provider (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.): SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Tells servers that SendGrid has your permission to send mail for zfrika.com. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a "digital signature" to your emails so they aren't tampered with. DMARC: A policy that tells Gmail what to do if the SPF/DKIM fails. Pro-Tip: SendGrid has a "Sender Authentication" setting. Follow their wizard to get the specific CNAME records to add to your DNS. 2. Move away from the "IP Link" Earlier you mentioned a link like http://165.232.48.178. Why it causes Blocks: Professional emails almost never use raw IP addresses. Microsoft 365 (Outlook) filters will often Block (not just spam, but totally block) any email containing a raw IP link because it is a classic sign of phishing. The Fix: Ensure every link in your HTML is https://zfrika.com/.... 3. Branded Link Tracking By default, SendGrid "wraps" your links in their own tracking domain (e.g., ct.sendgrid.net). The Problem: If a spammer uses SendGrid, that tracking domain gets a bad reputation, and your email gets "Blocked" by association. The Fix: Set up Link Branding in SendGrid. This makes your links look like link.zfrika.com instead of SendGrid's domain. This significantly lowers your "Block" rate. 4. Clean your "Bounced" List A 2.75% Bounce Rate isn't a disaster, but it means you have "Bad Data." Hard Bounces: These are emails that don't exist. Remove them immediately. If you keep trying to send to a non-existent Gmail address, Gmail will eventually block your entire domain. Soft Bounces: These are usually "Mailbox Full" or "Server Down." You can try these again later, but if they bounce twice, delete them. 5. Check your "From" Address Are you sending from a Gmail address (e.g., marcus@gmail.com) through SendGrid? The Fix: You must send from a domain-based email (e.g., marcus@zfrika.com). Sending "as" a Gmail address via SendGrid is an instant trigger for a 100% Block Rate at Yahoo and Microsoft due to DMARC policies. Summary Checklist for Marcus: [ ] SendGrid Dashboard: Go to Settings > Sender Authentication and complete "Domain Authentication." [ ] Links: Replace any 165.x.x.x links with zfrika.com. [ ] SSL: Make sure your website is https (not just http). [ ] Testing: Use a tool like Mail-Tester.com. It will give you a score out of 10 and tell you exactly which technical record is missing.
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