How Email Validation Works: Syntax Validation and Email Correction

Programmers, developers and IT professionals are all well-versed in the world of syntax errors. Often, we see them in the form of a pesky dialog box after inputting a piece of invalid code. Unfortunately, when these little typos take place while entering email addresses into your CRM, they can wreak havoc on your email marketing lists and upset your analytics.

Something as simple as entering a comma in place of a period can turn an otherwise accurate email into an invalid reject and drive up your bounce rate. Even worse, because there are so many ways in which an email address can be erroneously entered, it’s not always easy to spot mistakes with the naked eye.

This is precisely why syntax validation was created-to help you both catch and correct these common errors and clean up your marketing lists.

What is Syntax Validation?

Think of email syntax validation as your marketing list’s own TSA agent. Utilizing a real-time API, this service thoroughly scans each and every email address in your list much like an airport employee reviewing IDs. Syntax validation identifies faulty email addresses and holds them back for additional scrutiny while clean addresses pass through. Because this is done in real-time, you don’t have to worry about unintentionally sending messages to erroneous addresses and tanking your bounce rate.

Plus, unlike many free email validation tools you might come across on the web, TowerData validation catches errors in domain-specific syntax rules. The system knows, for example, that AOL doesn’t recognize ‘+’ as a character in an email address but Gmail does. In other words, it won’t hold back addresses unnecessarily. This sort of intelligent software prevents you from losing authentic contacts over a tiny blunder.

How Does Email Validation Correct Errors?

Email validation can help lower your bounce rate and improve inbox delivery, but you’re probably wondering what happens to all of those flagged email addresses. It’s not enough to know that an address is invalid. You need to know how to repair broken contacts in order to recover lost leads and maximize your subscriber list. There’s a solution for that as well, and it’s called email correction.

If syntax validation is a TSA agent, then email correction is the passport office. That is, it provides formerly incorrect email addresses with the credentials necessary for the accompanying messages to make it to your customers. For additional accuracy, TowerData goes a step further. Our detailed status codes tell you exactly what we believe is wrong with an email address as well as a scored correction that tells you just how likely this lead will be to open your messages based on past behaviors.

The bottom line is that syntax validation and correction is a one-two punch that helps improve deliverability, increases email address retention and save you time. Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts on advanced validation features such as domain and mailbox validation and spam trap detection. With TowerData by your side, you don’t have to waste time on bad data and can focus on delivering a great experience to your customers!

Want to find and correct your invalid email addresses, and clean up your marketing lists? Get a free email validation report from TowerData!