How to Check If Your Domain Is Blacklisted (And What to Do Next)

Your email campaign is running, but something feels off. Open rates have dropped, messages are bouncing, or customers say they never received your emails. You check your content and sending settings, but nothing obvious explains the problem.

One possible reason is that your sending domain or IP address has been blacklisted. To check if your domain is blacklisted, start by checking your sending domain and IP address, then verify any reported listings with the blacklist provider. It’s also worth reviewing your sender reputation with Gmail, since a clean blacklist report doesn’t guarantee your emails will reach the inbox.

What Does It Mean When Your Domain Is Blacklisted?

A domain blacklist, also called a blocklist, identifies domains associated with unwanted emails, phishing, malware, or other suspicious activity. Email providers and security systems use these lists to help decide whether to accept, reject, or filter incoming messages.

But there’s an important detail: there isn’t one global block list that determines whether your domain is safe. Different organizations maintain their own lists, and each may track something different.

Blacklist type	What it checks
Domain blacklist	Domains associated with spam or suspicious activity
IP blacklist	Sending IP addresses linked to unwanted email or abuse
URL blacklist	Domains or links associated with malicious or suspicious content

For example, your domain might have a clean reputation while the IP address used to send your emails appears on an IP blacklist. That’s why checking only your website domain may not give you the full picture.

How to Check If Your Domain Is Blacklisted

You don’t need advanced technical knowledge to run a domain blacklist check. Most tools are free for basic lookups, and the process takes only a few minutes.

The important part is knowing what to check and how to interpret the results.

Step 1. Identify Your Sending Domain and IP Address

Start with the domain in your email address. For example, if you send emails from [email protected], your sending domain is yourbusiness.com.

You’ll also want to identify your outgoing mail server’s IP address.If you use an email service provider, you may find this information in its settings or in the technical headers of a sent email.

Keep in mind that your website server and email server may use different IP addresses. An MX record generally identifies the server receiving your mail, not necessarily the one sending it.

If your emails contain links to another domain, note that domain too. Its reputation can affect how recipients’ email systems evaluate your messages.

Step 2. Run a Blacklist Check With MxToolbox or VitaMail

One of the easiest places to start is MxToolbox Blacklist Check. Enter your domain or sending IP address to check for potential listings across more than 100 DNS-based email blacklists.

You can also use VitaMail’s Domain Health Checker, which checks against 42 blacklist providers. To try it on the Free plan, sign up for VitaMail, open Domain Health → Health Checker inside the dashboard, and enter your domain. Each check costs 10 credits, which you can cover with the 1,000 free signup credits. The report also shows SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and other domain health results.

If either tool reports a listing, note which blacklist provider flagged your domain or IP. A clean result is encouraging, but it doesn’t guarantee that every email provider considers your sender reputation healthy.

Step 3. Verify Your Results With Spamhaus and Other Tools

If MxToolbox reports a listing, check it directly with the organization maintaining that list.

Spamhaus Reputation Checker is a good next stop. It allows you to investigate both domain and IP reputation.

Spamhaus maintains separate systems for different types of reputation issues:

• Spamhaus DBL: Checks domains associated with spam, phishing, malware, and other abuse.
• Spamhaus ZEN: Combines several IP-based blocklists.

You can also use MultiRBL for additional IP blacklist checks or SURBL to investigate domains associated with suspicious links.

These tools serve different purposes. A URL blacklist check, for instance, won’t tell you whether your outgoing email IP is blocked.

Step 4. Check Your Reputation With Google

What if your blacklist checker shows no problems, but Gmail keeps sending your emails to spam? That’s where Google Postmaster Tools can help.

Once you’ve verified ownership of your sending domain, you can review available information about spam complaints, authentication, delivery errors, and sender reputation.

Google Postmaster Tools isn’t a public Gmail blacklist checker. It helps you understand how Gmail evaluates your own sending activity.

If you’re concerned that your website or links have been flagged as unsafe, use Google Safe Browsing. That’s a separate check from email sender reputation.

Why Does a Domain Get Blacklisted?

A domain can develop reputation problems for several reasons. Sometimes the cause is obvious, such as sending a large campaign to an outdated contact list. Other times, the business doesn’t realize anything is wrong until emails start bouncing.

Common causes include:

• Unwanted emails: Sending unsolicited messages can generate complaints and attract attention from spam filters.
• Poor list hygiene: Old or improperly collected email lists may contain invalid addresses or spam traps.
• Compromised accounts: Hackers can use legitimate email accounts to distribute spam without the owner’s knowledge.
• Suspicious links: Phishing pages, malware, or compromised websites can damage domain reputation.
• Repeated spam complaints: When recipients regularly mark emails as spam, mailbox providers may become less willing to trust the sender.

The scale of malicious domain activity explains why these checks matter.

According to Spamhaus’s April 2026 domain reputation report, the organization identified approximately 2.15 million malicious or suspicious domains between October 2025 and March 2026.

That doesn’t mean ordinary business domains are routinely blacklisted. It shows why reputation systems actively monitor suspicious behavior.

How to Remove Your Domain From a Blacklist

Finding your domain or sending IP on a blacklist can be frustrating, especially when you have campaigns scheduled. Fortunately, removal is often possible. The process depends on the blacklist involved and the reason for the listing.

Step 1. Find Out Why Your Domain Was Listed

Start by identifying the exact blacklist that flagged your domain or IP. Visit its official website and look for information about the listing.

Then review your recent email activity. Did you send to an old contact list? Have bounce rates or complaints increased? Has anyone accessed your sending account unexpectedly?

Understanding what triggered the listing matters more than submitting a removal request immediately.

Step 2. Fix the Problem Before Requesting Removal

Once you’ve identified a likely cause, address it. For example, if a campaign generated unusually high complaints, pause it and review the recipients and messaging.

If you’re using outdated contacts, remove invalid addresses and investigate how the list was collected.For compromised accounts, change credentials, secure access, and check for unauthorized sending.

Also review SPF, DKIM, and DMARC settings to ensure your domain is properly authenticated.

These changes won’t automatically remove a blacklist entry, but they help address the problems that may have caused it.

Step 3. Submit a Delisting Request

Each blacklist operator has its own removal process.

For example:

• Spamhaus: Use its Reputation Checker to review listing details and follow the relevant removal instructions.
• Barracuda: Submit an applicable IP removal request through Barracuda Central.
• SURBL: Start with its lookup page and follow the instructions for requesting removal.

Remember that tools such as MxToolbox display information from other lists. They generally cannot remove listings on your behalf.

After the operator processes your request, run another check and continue monitoring your sending activity.

How to Prevent Your Domain From Getting Blacklisted Again

Getting removed from a blacklist solves the immediate problem. Keeping your domain in good standing takes regular attention.

A few habits can make a meaningful difference.

Keep your email lists accurate. Verify addresses before sending, remove invalid contacts, and review inactive subscribers. Remember that a valid email address doesn’t automatically mean someone has agreed to receive your messages.

Authenticate your domain. Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly. These records help receiving servers confirm authorized domain use, although authentication alone doesn’t guarantee inbox placement.

Watch your spam complaints. Google recommends keeping user-reported spam rates below 0.10% and avoiding 0.30% or higher.

Increase sending volume gradually. A new sending domain shouldn’t jump from a handful of emails to thousands overnight. Build a consistent sending history and pay attention to engagement.

Check your domain reputation regularly. A clean blacklist report today doesn’t mean your domain will stay that way. Regular checks can help you spot changes before they affect your campaigns. Tools like VitaMail offer domain monitoring alongside blacklist checks, making it easier to keep an eye on your sending domain over time.

The goal isn’t to keep running blacklist checks every day. It’s to notice warning signs before they turn into larger problems.

What If Your Domain Isn’t Blacklisted but Emails Still Go to Spam?

This is more common than many senders expect. A clean blacklist report only tells you that the public lists checked didn’t flag your domain or IP. Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft also use their own reputation systems to evaluate incoming mail.

Factors such as spam complaints, authentication failures, sudden sending-volume changes, and shared IP reputation can still affect delivery.

According to Validity’s 2026 Email Deliverability Benchmark, the global inbox placement rate across its measurement network was 87.2%. Another 6.1% of messages landed in spam, while 6.6% were classified as missing.

So, if your public blacklist checks are clean, investigate your sender reputation, email authentication, and delivery error messages before assuming everything is working properly.

FAQ

Is my domain blacklisted by Google?

Google doesn’t offer a public blacklist lookup for Gmail sender reputation. Use Google Postmaster Tools to review available reputation information for a verified sending domain. Google Safe Browsing can help check whether your website or URLs are considered unsafe.

How long does it take to remove a domain from a blacklist?

It depends on the operator. Spamhaus says approved DBL removals are normally processed within minutes, although cached results can take longer to update. Other services have different procedures and timelines.

Can a domain get blacklisted again after removal?

Yes. If the original problem continues, your domain or sending IP may be listed again. That’s why fixing the underlying issue and monitoring future sending activity are just as important as getting removed.