How Snov.io's email verification works

After reading this article, you’ll understand how Snov.io verifies emails and what checks are performed on an email during verification process.

Verification checks –>

What is a valid email –>

Snov.io’s email checker helps you to accurately verify your list and clean it of outdated or incorrect emails before launching any campaigns.

How Snov.io verifies emails

To determine if the email address is valid, Snov.io runs it through a series of tests and combines different verification methods.

This approach allows us to achieve the best possible accuracy.

Here is a detailed checklist of verifications done for an email:

#1 Syntax check:

A syntax check during verification makes sure an email address is written correctly and follows the basic rules of email format. It checks for things like missing “@” symbols or extra spaces to ensure the email address is structured properly, like email@domain.com.

#2 Gibberish check:

A gibberish check helps spot emails that have been generated using random combinations of letters and symbols. These types of emails are often associated with fake, temporary, or disposable accounts.

#3 Domain name check:

This check ensures the accuracy of the domain name portion in an email address (e.g., “company.com”). It helps verify that the email address is associated with a working website.

#4 MX record check:

An MX record check involves checking a domain’s settings to find its MX record. MX records indicate which mail servers handle emails for that domain.

This process makes sure that the domain is ready to receive emails on the right email server. If an MX record is missing, the email doesn’t pass the check.

#5 Email server check:

We send a connection request to the SMTP server specified in the domain’s MX record. If the server responds promptly and positively, it indicates that the email server can accept incoming emails.

#6 Mailbox existence check:

We ping the SMTP server to inquire if an email address exists. Then, we wait for a response from the SMTP server to determine whether the email address exists.

#7 Catch-all check:

We check if the domain has a catch-all email server, which companies use to accepts all incoming emails into a special inbox, even if the intended recipient’s mailbox no longer exists.

If we confirm the presence of a catch-all server, the email address cannot be confirmed as valid.

It means that if you send an email to any address within a particular domain, even if the address is nonexistent or contains errors, the catch-all mailbox will still receive your email.

Upload your list for email verification here –>

Bonus: Greylisting bypassing

Domains with email servers that use greylisting don’t accept incoming connection requests they receive for the first time. It is a way to improve spam detection and reduce unwanted email traffic.

When dealing with greylisting, we use a workaround method to achieve better accuracy.

This ensures that potentially valid emails are not missed.

Learn more about greylisting and how Snov.io overcomes it –>

What is a valid email and why some emails cannot be verified

As a result of verification, we classify email addresses and assign statuses that indicate their validity and deliverability risk.

An email address is considered valid if it has successfully passed all verification checks and is safe for sending.

Email addresses that couldn’t be verified with 100% confidence during the verification checks receive the “Unverifiable” status.

Learn more about possible email statuses here –>

What’s next: follow email best practices

Sending campaigns to verified emails is crucial. However, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.

The most accurate email verification alone won’t solve everything. Various factors affect your email deliverability and bounce rate.

These include low sender reputation and engagement rates, recipients marking your emails as spam.

To ensure your sender domain stays healthy and boost your deliverability rates when using Snov.io to send emails, read the following helpful resources:

• Read about email deliverability best practices –>
• Learn how to avoid spam filters –>
• Deliverability checklist: how to reduce bounce rate in campaigns –>

If you still have questions, read the FAQ section and find the answers you’re looking for.

If this article does not address your question, feel free to contact our Customer Care team at help@snov.io.