How to Build and Maintain a High-Quality Email List
Tyler Goddard • December 12, 2024
Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience, but its success hinges on one crucial factor: the quality of your email list. Building a high-quality list and maintaining it over time is key to ensuring your emails are delivered, opened, and acted upon. In this article, we’ll explore strategies for growing your subscriber base ethically, keeping your list clean, and maximizing the ROI of your email marketing campaigns.
Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity
Having a large email list might sound appealing, but if that list is filled with disengaged or uninterested recipients, it can hurt your campaign performance. Here’s why focusing on quality is essential:
- Higher Engagement Rates: A smaller, targeted list of engaged subscribers will yield better open and click-through rates compared to a massive, unengaged list.
- Improved Deliverability: Email providers monitor engagement metrics to determine whether your emails should land in the inbox or the spam folder. A clean, engaged list improves your sender's reputation.
- Better ROI: Every email sent to a disengaged recipient is wasted time and money. A high-quality list ensures you’re targeting people who are more likely to convert.
Strategies to Build a High-Quality Email List
1. Use Ethical and Transparent List-Building Practices
Avoid purchasing email lists, as these often contain outdated or irrelevant contacts who never opted in. Instead, focus on organic growth methods:
- Create Valuable Lead Magnets: Offer free resources like eBooks, checklists, or exclusive content in exchange for an email address.
- Optimize Signup Forms: Place forms on high-traffic pages, like your homepage, blog posts, and landing pages. Keep forms short and simple to encourage signups.
- Host Webinars or Events: Use webinars, online events, or exclusive access to live Q&A sessions to attract high-quality subscribers genuinely interested in your niche.
2. Segment Your List From the Start
Segmenting your list ensures that your subscribers receive content relevant to their interests. Use signup forms that capture basic preferences, such as topics they’re interested in or the type of content they’d like to receive.
Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Email List
1. Regularly Clean Your List
Over time, some subscribers may lose interest or stop engaging. Regular list cleaning ensures you’re not sending emails to inactive addresses:
- Remove Inactive Subscribers: If someone hasn’t opened your emails in 6-12 months, consider sending a re-engagement email. If they remain inactive, remove them from your list.
- Monitor Hard Bounces: Emails that cannot be delivered due to invalid addresses should be removed immediately to protect your sender reputation.
2. Use Double Opt-In
Double opt-in requires subscribers to confirm their email address before being added to your list. While this adds an extra step, it ensures that your list only includes valid, interested recipients.
3. Respect Unsubscribes
Make it easy for subscribers to opt-out if they’re no longer interested. A clear unsubscribe option not only complies with regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM but also ensures that your list remains engaged.
Key Metrics to Monitor
To maintain a high-quality email list, track these metrics regularly:
- Open Rates: Low open rates may indicate a misaligned audience or weak subject lines.
- Click-Through Rates (CTR): This metric shows how engaged your audience is with your content.
- Bounce Rates: A high bounce rate could signal issues with invalid email addresses.
- Spam Complaints: Keep complaints minimal by sending relevant, valuable content and honouring unsubscribe requests promptly.
Long-Term Benefits of a High-Quality Email List
Investing time in building and maintaining a high-quality email list yields lasting rewards:
- Stronger Relationships: By sending targeted, valuable content, you build trust and loyalty with your subscribers.
- Better ROI: Engaged subscribers are more likely to take action, leading to higher conversions and revenue.
- Compliance and Reputation: A clean, ethical email list ensures compliance with privacy laws and protects your sender reputation.
Quality Over Quantity
A high-quality email list is the foundation of a successful email marketing strategy. By focusing on ethical growth, regular maintenance, and audience engagement, you can maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns and drive meaningful results.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you grow and maintain a high-quality email list that drives results!
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Once you have created your Google Business Profile, you will need to complete the verification process before it can be shown publicly. Verification methods are automatically determined by Google, are based on your business type, public information, region, or business hours, and can’t be changed. In some cases, you may need to verify your business with more than one method. Methods include: Video Recording Record a 30+ second, unedited video proving you are the owner of the business and it is located at the address indicated in the profile. Phone or Text When you select this method, you will get a call or text with a code Email This method will have you receive an email with verification steps Live Video Call Similar to the video recording, you will join a live video call and show the support representative key details proving your business ownership and locations Mail A postcard will be sent to the address associated with your profile within approximately 14 days. On the postcard will be a secure verification code. What's Next After you complete the verification steps, Google reviews the info you provided. To help maintain the integrity of your Business Profile, verification review can take up to 5 business days. Once the review process is complete, you will receive a notification email. If your verification was approved, your profile will be visible to the public. If your verification was not approved, you will have one of these three options to proceed: Re-Verification When the “Get verified” button appears on your Business Profile again, it means Google couldn’t completely verify your business. To fix this issue, try to re-verify your business. Review Issues When you verify through a video recording and get a “Review issues” notification, it means your video wasn’t accepted. To fix this issue: Select Review issues . Follow the on-screen instructions. Give Additional Information If you’re asked to provide additional info to re-verify your profile, it’s likely because some of your business details were recently updated.
The most commonly used verification method for Google Business Profiles as of 2025 is video verification. This process involves uploading a video that captures key details about your business and helps Google confirm that you represent the business. Before you start Take the time to plan your video. You can’t record a video offline and then upload the file for verification later. Your video will need to be at least 30 seconds long and unedited. Your video recording should not include: Any sensitive information like bank account, tax, or identification numbers. Any other private information about yourself or others. Other people’s faces. Video Requirements For Storefronts Important: If your business doesn’t have permanent on-site signage, it's not eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business. Videos must show: The location of your business: Capture the official street and number signs, nearby businesses, recognizable landmarks, or the area around your business that shows your business is at the correct Google Maps location. Evidence that your business exists: Capture the storefront, showroom, or business signage. Show your business name printed on permanent fixtures, such as a signboard, wall, or window. The business name shown in the video must match the name of your Business Profile. Demonstrate proof of management: You can show that you’re authorized to represent your business by recording employee-only items or areas. Record yourself opening a cash register, accessing a point-of-sale system, unlocking the store, staff room, kitchen, or storage room. Video Requirements For Service-Area Businesses Videos must show: The location where you offer your services: Good examples include signs in your service area that advertise your business or street signs and landmarks next to your business. A bad example is land that can be present anywhere or unmarked land. Show evidence that your business exists: Capture branded work equipment, marketing materials, services or products for sale, or tools you use to serve your customers. Good examples include recording yourself unlocking a van with your business name on it or branded t-shirts for employees or customers. Demonstrate proof of management: You can record yourself providing the service or showing business documents. For example, business registration, invoices, or utility bills that match the name on your Business Profile.
If you’re a business owner but a verified Business Profile for your business on Google Search or Maps is owned by someone else, you can request ownership from the current profile owner.
As an owner of your business's Google Business Profile (GBP), you can add users to the profile. Each user will get their own access and you won't need to share login information.
When you add and verify your Business Profile, customers can find your business on Search and Maps. To make sure your business is eligible to show up on Google, verify your Business Profile . After you successfully add or claim your profile, you can control how your business information shows up on Google. You can add or claim your business at no charge. If you have questions about profile verification, check the Business Profile community .
Your Google Business Profile may be suspended or disabled for "not following Google's guidelines ". If you believe that it should be reinstated or that you have updated it to conform to the guidelines, you may submit an appeal. Submitting an Appeal Step 1: Prepare Your Evidence Once you begin your appeal process and open the evidence form, you will have 60 minutes to submit the form, or it will not be attached to your appeal. Evidence that you may be requested to attach includes things like your official business registration, a business license, and tax certificates. These documents must match the business name and address that you have listed on the Google Business Profile. Step 2: Submit Your Appeal Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool . If you’re signed in to the Google account related to the profile you want to appeal, select Confirm. To select a different account, select Switch account. Select the Business Profile that you want to appeal > Continue. The Google Business Profile appeals tool shows: The restricted profile The reason for the moderation action A link to the violated policy At the bottom right, select Submit Appeal. Optional: A prompt to submit evidence may appear. To strengthen your appeal, we highly recommend submitting evidence. To open the evidence form, after you submit your appeal, select Add evidence. Select Submit. Google will review your appeal and send you an email with a decision. Step 3: Check the Status of Your Appeal After you submit your appeal, you can stay aware of the status by doing the following: Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool . Make sure you’re signed in to the Google Account related to your Business Profile. Select the Business Profile for the appeal that you submitted. On the right, you’ll find the status of the appeal: Submitted Approved Not Approved Can't be appealed Eligible for appeal Optional Step 4: Request an Additional Review If your reinstatement request is denied, you may be able to request an additional review to prove your eligibility. In this review, you can submit more evidence that was not added to your original appeal.
You can have only one Business Profile for each business. Multiple profiles for the same business may mislead your customers and are against Google's policies. If a profile is considered a duplicate, it won’t show on Google Search or Maps. Understand Why Profiles are Marked as Duplicates There are several reasons why a profile may be considered a duplicate: Existing verified profile: A verified profile already exists for the same business on Google. Same address: Multiple profiles have the same address. Different services: Multiple profiles exist for the same business that offer different services. You can refer to the following guidance to resolve situations with duplicate profiles.
Your Google Business Profile houses a lot of important information about your company. Keeping this information up to date will help to ensure your clients can confidently make informed buying decisions. The areas we will go into in this guide are : Address Hours Service areas Description Social media links Attributes Categories
