Domain burn checker: is my cold email domain dead, or does it need a rest?
In short: Enter a sending domain and, if you have them, its bounce, reply and Gmail spam rates and warmup health. Get keep, watch, rest, retire or fix the setup first, with every reason listed. Limit: It doesn't see Gmail's or Microsoft's own reputation for the domain; only Postmaster Tools and SNDS show parts of that.
A domain burn checker combines what anyone can see about a sending domain (its age, blocklist listings and SPF, DKIM and DMARC) with your own numbers (bounce, reply and spam rates) and says whether to keep sending, rest the domain or retire it. A domain is usually burnt when several signs line up, such as a spam rate over 0.3% plus a blocklist listing.
Price: this tool is free. Checking a whole email list is from $9/mo, and the first 100 checks are free with Google, no card. See pricing
Sample result
getnorthwind.example: rest it. Bounce 6.1% and three moderate signs.
- Sending domain
- getnorthwind.example
- Bounce rate
- 6.1%
- Blocklists
- Not listed
What this means for you
Pause cold sends two to four weeks, fix the list, keep warmup on, then restart at low volume.
- Age, blocklists and records checked live
- Your bounce, reply and spam rates
- Keep, rest, retire or fix the setup
- Every reason listed
- Cold email
- Reputation
- Postmaster
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated
Bounce rate over 2%? How do I check the rest of the list?
- Export the leads still queued in the campaign as a CSV.
- Upload them on the verify page; the first checks are free.
- Re-import only the valid rows, so the next send doesn't add bounces to a domain that is already struggling.
How do I check if my cold email domain is burned?
- Enter the domain you send cold email from. Add your own server's IP if you have one; skip it on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
- Enter your numbers from the last week or two: bounce rate, reply rate, Gmail Postmaster spam rate and your warmup tool's health score. Each one is optional.
- Press Is it burnt? The domain's age, records and blocklists are checked live.
- Read the verdict and each reason under it. Rest means pause cold sends two to four weeks; retire means move campaigns to a new domain.
Example
- You enter
- Domain
getnorthwind.example, bounce rate6.1, reply rate0.4, Gmail spam rate0.12, warmup health71. - You get
- Rest it. Severe: bounce 6.1% (5% and over). Moderate: spam rate 0.12% (over Google's 0.1% target), reply rate 0.4%, warmup health 71. Not on the domain blocklists checked; SPF, DKIM and DMARC pass; registered 214 days ago.
- Limits
- Five domain checks per request and a ten-minute budget per visitor; your numbers stay in the browser.
How do you know when a cold email mailbox or domain is dead?
When several independent signs agree: a Gmail spam rate at or over 0.3%, a listing on a domain blocklist, bounce rates over 5%, and replies dropping towards zero while warmup health falls. One bad number is usually a cause you can fix, such as a bad list or a broken DKIM record. Two or three strong signs together mean receivers have learned to distrust the domain.
Google publishes the clearest line: its sender guidelines ask bulk senders to keep the user-reported spam rate below 0.1% and never reach 0.3%. Bounce lines aren't published by receivers, but most sequencers pause mailboxes around 5% and teams aim for under 2%.
Should I rest or retire a burnt domain?
Rest it when there is one strong sign or two moderate ones and you know the cause: pause cold sends for two to four weeks, keep warmup running, fix the list or the record, then restart at low volume. Retire it when two or more strong signs line up: move new campaigns to a fresh domain, keep the old one for replies, and don't move the same unverified list over, or the new domain follows.
A domain under a month old with poor numbers usually isn't burnt; it just hasn't built any history yet. Keep volume low while it does.
Can I see my domain's real reputation?
Only the receivers can, and only Gmail shows some of it, in Postmaster Tools, once you send enough mail to Gmail. This checker doesn't claim to read it; it writes down the public signs and the rules of thumb people use, so the decision is explicit.
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- Cold emailers
- Decide whether to pause, rest or replace a sending domain when replies drop, with reasons you can point to.
- Agencies
- Check every client domain the same way each week and explain a domain swap with the numbers that caused it.
- Sales ops
- Catch a domain going bad from rising bounces before Gmail starts filtering the whole team's mail.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- It doesn't see Gmail's or Microsoft's own reputation for the domain; only Postmaster Tools and SNDS show parts of that.
- The verdict is rules of thumb written down: published spam-rate lines plus common bounce and reply lines, not a measured score.
- A low reply rate can be weak copy or targeting, not spam placement; the checker can't tell them apart.
- Your numbers come from you; it doesn't connect to Instantly, Smartlead or Postmaster Tools.
Common questions
- How do you know when a domain is burned?
- When several signs line up: spam rate at or over 0.3%, a domain blocklist listing, bounce over 5% and replies near zero. One bad number is usually a fixable cause.
- How long should I rest a cold email domain?
- Two to four weeks with cold sends paused and warmup on, then restart at low volume once the cause is fixed.
- Can a burnt domain recover?
- Often, if the cause stops: reputation at receivers improves as new mail gets good engagement. Several strong signs at once usually take longer than a new domain does to warm up.
- What is a good bounce rate for cold email?
- Under 2%. Over 5% gets mailboxes paused by most sequencers and is one of the fastest ways to burn a domain.
- Does domain age matter for cold email?
- New domains need weeks of low volume before receivers trust them. Age alone doesn't burn a domain, but a young domain sending a lot looks like spam.
Sources
You audited one domain. Cold outreach means thousands.
This tool checks a domain you type in. It will not tell you which addresses at that domain are real.
- Bulk mailbox verification with real SMTP checks
- The email finder — name plus company to a verified address
- Website enrichment for emails, owner names and socials
Plans from $9 a month, cancel anytime, no contract. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. The free tools stay free either way.