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Validating Contacts

SendSquared automatically validates all email addresses in your contact database to ensure deliverability and improve your sending reputation. This guide explains how to check validation status and manage your contact verification.

Understanding Email Validation​

Email validation is an automated process that:

  • Verifies email addresses are properly formatted
  • Checks that domains exist and can receive email
  • Identifies potential delivery issues
  • Reduces bounce rates for your campaigns

SendSquared performs this validation automatically whenever contacts are added to the system.

Checking Verification Status​

To view the validation status of your contacts:

  1. Click on the profile icon in the upper right corner
  2. Select Global Settings from the dropdown menu
  3. Scroll down and select Contact Verification Status

Interpreting Verification Results​

The Contact Verification Service Overview provides three key metrics:

Percent of Contacts Verified​

  • This shows the overall percentage of your contacts that have completed the verification process
  • If this is below 100%, it means some contacts are still being verified

Percent of Contacts Valid​

  • This indicates the percentage of your contacts that are valid and able to receive emails from you
  • These are contacts with email addresses that passed verification

Percent of Contacts Invalid​

  • This shows the percentage of your contacts with email addresses that failed verification
  • These addresses are likely to bounce if you attempt to send to them

Viewing Unverified Contacts​

To see which contacts have invalid email addresses:

  1. From the Contact Verification Service Overview
  2. Click the View Unverified button
  3. Review the list of contacts with invalid email addresses

This allows you to:

  • Identify contacts that need email address updates
  • Correct typographical errors in email addresses
  • Remove or update contacts with permanent delivery issues

Waiting for Verification to Complete​

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If your percent of contacts verified is less than 100%, it means the system is still validating newly added contacts. Wait until verification is complete before scheduling email campaigns to ensure all contacts are included.

The verification process typically takes:

  • A few minutes for small imports (under 100 contacts)
  • Up to several hours for large imports (thousands of contacts)

Improving Contact Validation Rates​

To maintain a high percentage of valid contacts:

Regular Maintenance​

  • Periodically review and correct invalid email addresses
  • Remove contacts with permanent delivery issues
  • Update contacts when you receive bounce notifications

Import Practices​

  • Ensure email addresses are correctly formatted in your CSV files
  • Validate email addresses at the point of collection (web forms, etc.)
  • Use double opt-in processes when collecting new subscribers

Contact Cleanup​

  • Remove obviously invalid email addresses before importing
  • Check for common typos in domain names (gmail.con, yaho.com, etc.)
  • Look for missing @ symbols or other formatting issues

Importance of Email Validation​

Maintaining a clean, validated contact database has several benefits:

  • Improved deliverability: Fewer bounces lead to better sender reputation
  • Higher engagement: Your messages reach real, interested recipients
  • Cost efficiency: You're not paying to send to invalid addresses
  • Better analytics: Your campaign metrics reflect actual audience behavior

Next Steps​

After ensuring your contacts are properly validated:

  1. Create segments to target specific groups
  2. Design email templates for your campaigns
  3. Send email campaigns to engage with your validated contacts