How to verify email addresses BEFORE hitting the send button

Before hitting the “send” button, it is crucial to verify the accuracy of the recipient’s email address. Sending emails to non-existent recipients can result in wasted time (emails going unnoticed in spam folders), wasted resources, potential embarrassment, and domain reputation damage/blacklisting caused by high hard-bounce rates and the disastrous effects of emailing spam traps. If you aren’t using a third party to bulk-verify your email addresses, then you must take that extra step to manually verify every time you send an email.

If you use DataJi for your B2B contact data, you don’t have to verify your email addresses. We do it for you. We source and guarantee the email addresses you need for your B2B email campaigns, and we can cleanse your existing B2B email address database and offer the same guarantee.

If you prefer to do it yourself, then here’s how you can verify your email addresses before sending the email. This of course can be challenging, as the most reliable method to confirm its validity is by sending an email and receiving a response. However, there are alternative approaches, by no means perfect and not in any way guaranteed, that you can consider performing a preliminary check on an email address:

Verify that the email address adheres to the correct syntax. Ensure it contains an “@” symbol, a domain name, and a valid domain extension (e.g., .com, .org, .edu), and has no extraneous characters. This basic check helps identify obvious errors or typos.

Check the domain of the email address to see if it exists and is active. You can perform a DNS (Domain Name System) lookup to validate the domain’s MX (Mail Exchange) records. Here’s how you can do it:

Identify the domain: Extract the domain from the email address. For example, if the email address is “example@example.com,” the domain is “example.com.”

Perform a DNS lookup: Use a command-line tool or an online DNS lookup service to perform a DNS lookup on the domain. There are several options available, including the “nslookup” command in Windows Command Prompt or using online DNS lookup tools such as MXToolbox or DNSChecker.

Check MX records: Look for the MX records in the DNS lookup results. MX records specify the mail servers responsible for accepting incoming emails for the domain.

Validate MX records: If the domain has valid MX records listed, it suggests that the email address is associated with an active mail server and is likely functional. However, if there are no MX records or the records are invalid or missing, it indicates that the email address might not be functional or the domain does not have a properly configured mail server.

Performing these steps will help you determine the validity and functionality of the email address based on the domain’s MX records. Here’s how you can do it:

SMTP verification: Connect to the email server’s Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and simulate the email-sending process without actually sending a message. This can involve initiating a handshake with the server and checking if it accepts the recipient’s address as valid. Identify the email server: Extract the domain from the email address. For example, if the email address is “example@example.com,” the domain is “example.com.” Determine the SMTP server associated with that domain.

Establish an SMTP connection: Use a programming language or a specialized library to establish an SMTP connection with the identified email server. Most programming languages provide libraries or modules that allow you to interact with SMTP servers. For example, in Python, you can use the smtplib

Send a test message: Once the connection is established, send a test message to the email address you want to verify. The message content is not important for this verification process, as you’re only interested in the server’s response.

Analyze the server response: After sending the test message, analyze the response received from the server. If the server accepts the recipient’s address as valid, it indicates that the email address is likely functional. However, if the server rejects the address or returns an error, it suggests that the email address may not be valid or the server does not accept the verification attempt.

Handle limitations and false positives: It’s important to note that some email servers may have restrictions in place to prevent this type of verification, or they may provide false positives by accepting any address during the verification process. Therefore, you should be cautious when interpreting the results and consider additional verification methods for more accurate results.

By following these steps and using programming languages or libraries that support SMTP connections, you can simulate the email-sending process and check if the email server accepts the recipient’s address as valid.

Email address API: Utilize an email verification service or API that specializes in validating email addresses. These services often have extensive databases and algorithms to check the deliverability and existence of an email address based on various factors such as bounce rates, historical data, and pattern analysis. Although not at all perfect, these paid-for services remove some of the burden from the email sender.

A very long-winded, laborious way of verifying email addresses is by manual research:

Search engines:
Type the email address within quotation marks into a search engine such as Google. This technique helps you find direct hits related to the domain name, such as web pages or listings associated with the email address. If relevant results appear, it indicates a higher likelihood of the email address being valid and accurate. Dates next to the listings will give an idea of when last the email address may have been valid.

Search on social media:
Look on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Search using the email address and look at the profiles you are interested in to see if there are publicly listed contact details.
Too much time on your hands?
If you have so much time you don’t know what to do with it then call the organizations and ask for the email addresses.

Email verification and email validation are two distinct processes that serve different purposes when it comes to assessing the accuracy and deliverability of email addresses. Let’s discuss the difference between these two terms:

Email verification is a comprehensive process that involves checking the validity and authenticity of an email address. The optimum method involves sending an email to the address in question and determining if it bounces back as undeliverable. Email verification aims to confirm that the email address structure is valid, the domain exists, and the mailbox can receive messages. It helps identify and remove invalid or non-existent email addresses.

Email validation focuses on assessing the quality and deliverability of an email address. The primary goal of email validation is to ensure that the email address is active and capable of receiving emails. This process involves various checks, including checking the syntax, domain, and mailbox existence, as well as performing spam trap and risk analysis. Email validation helps identify potential issues that could impact email deliverability, such as typos, temporary email addresses, or known risky domains.

In summary, email verification primarily confirms the structural accuracy and existence of an email address, while email validation goes a step further by assessing the deliverability and quality of the address. Both processes play vital roles in maintaining a clean and effective email list, reducing bounce rates, and improving overall B2B contact email marketing campaign performance.

The terms “email verification” and “email validation” are often used interchangeably.

So how do we verify and validate the B2B contact data that we provide to the extent that we give 200% guaranteed data (if you find any inaccurate data, then we replace those with twice the number of records)? We’re not telling! Suffice it to say that we have proprietary processes, developed over many years, which incorporate cutting-edge AI with teams of actual human beings painstakingly checking email addresses before we forward them to our clients.

Contact us for a free sample of 200% guaranteed verified and validated B2B contact data.