What Is an Email Validation Checker?

Have you just started your email list and are wondering what all the best practices are? One of the common tips you may have heard of is that you should be using an email validation checker or email address verification tools. While deploying an email checker is a great practice, it causes many to wonder, “What is an email validity checker?” 

We have you covered. In this article, we’ll break down what an email validation checker is, how they’re used, and other ways you can verify the emails on your list. Keep reading for all the details. 

What Is an Email Validation?

Before we get into all the details about validation checkers, let’s first break down what email validation is in the first place. Simply put, email validation is the process of ensuring the email addresses customers use when signing up for your list are real and active. 

What Is Email Validation Used For?

Unfortunately, many email marketers can run into issues with fake emails on their lists. This can occur due to spam bots that sign up for email lists or consumers putting in fake emails to get around requirements when you request an email for them to set up an account or receive a free product offering, among other reasons. 

Ultimately, having fake emails on your email list can lead to many negative impacts. It hurts your email deliverability rates leading to more bounces and even flagging spam detectors that can lower your engagement further and further. That’s the last thing you want to happen and why email validation is so valuable. 

What Is the Standard Email Validation?

Standard validation will use an email verification tool to authenticate emails on the spot. This is usually done by sending a verification code to the customer’s listed email address that must be input into the signup form. It’s a quick and easy way to show they have access to the listed email. 

Some other verification tools may also use a button customers need to click on an initial welcome email. Either way, it’s a simple and effective way to build a healthy email list. 

What Is an Email Validation Checker?

An email validation checker is the tool that would be used for standard verification. Some people also refer to it as an email verification tool. Whatever name you call it, most of these tools are simple and easy to use. It makes it a great method to verify every customer on your list is real and active. 

Additionally, there are also bulk email checkers. These operate differently because they verify the email addresses on an already-established email list. This process can be a bit tricky to do manually, which we’ll cover later on, but a bulk checker makes it simple by automating the process in seconds or minutes to determine if all the emails on your list are real and active. 

What Programs Use Email Validation?

Many standard email marketing platforms offer options for email validation. These would be options like Mailchimp, Brevo, and Convertkit. Email validation is a standard process, so it’s an easy option to deploy if you’re building your email list on any of them. 

However, if you’re looking for bulk validation, it can be a bit trickier to find the right option since that’s a more technical process. That’s why we wanted to find the right solutions at AudiencePoint.  

What Are the Methods of Validating an Email Address?

Outside of email validation tools, you may wonder if there are any other methods to verify if an email address on your list is real and active. There are other methods, but keep in mind many of these are very technical or simply take a lot of time to do them manually, which is why validation tools are usually the best bet. 

Verify By Sending an Email

A common option that may be deployed is simply verification by emailing the listed email address and seeing if it bounces. The best practice is to do this from a separate email account, not on your main business domain. 

If your email bounces, it will say, “server couldn’t be accessed,” or a similar message. Then you would know it isn’t an active email, and you can remove it from your list. However, this is very time-consuming if you try to do it at scale for a larger email list. 

Verifying Email Address Without Sending Email

Many email marketers also wonder about how you can verify an email address without emailing at all. Typically, bulk email verifiers are the best for this when you have an established email list. However, there are some other manual options, including:

• Verify email address online: Some may try to Google an email address and see if it is attached to the account holder’s name since many people have their email listed online. However, this isn’t always an accurate method. 
• Check usernames and syntaxes: Many fake emails will have misspellings, specifically in the syntax. For instance, you’ll see “@gmaail.com” or similar fake addresses. Others may also have usernames that look like spam with long strings of random numbers and letters. 
• DNS and IP address lookups: Some tools like MXToolbox allow you to do manual DNS checks and IP address lookups from the account that signed up to your list. Once again, this is a time-consuming and technical process to perform. 
• Ping the server: You can also use tools like PuTTY for Telnet to ping the account holder’s server and see if the email address is active. However, doing this can be technical to learn and tedious to perform repeatedly. 

While some of these options can help, your ultimate best bet is going with an insight software like AudiencePoint provides to help. 

How AudiencePoint Can Help 

AudiencePoint is an email insight software that can track subscriber activity and provide actionable insights on improving your email campaigns. 

AudiencePoint’s use of second-party data and up-to-date metrics like isolating Apple MPP opens from reporting helps give an accurate and measurable way to determine if email addresses are active. You also get regular reports that show when subscribers have become inactive and need to be re-engaged or removed from your list. 

Additionally, AudiencePoint also provides you with real-time data, helps optimize send times, can accurately segment your email list, and more. 

Contact us today for all the information on how AudiencePoint can help with your needs.