Demandbase employs a thorough, multi-check process to validate email addresses in our database and also offers email validation services to customers.
To validate the addresses, Demandbase process emails through a comprehensive series of checks, including:
- Email address syntax check: check for syntax errors, and mark addresses “invalid” if they are improperly formatted per the Internet Engineering Task Force (IEFT) standards. Examples: samsmith.insideview.com (missing the @ symbol) or jane.doe@insideview (missing a “.com” or other extensions such as “.org” or “.io.”)
- Domain/MX record check: Demandbase programmatically checks for a valid domain and the presence of a mail exchanger (MX) record entry. An MX record specifies the mail server responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of a domain name.
- Role-based account detection: This check detects role-based addresses, also known as aliases, and flags them as invalid. Examples: postmaster@, info@, sales@, admin@, and so on.
- Disposable Email Address (DEA) detection: In this check, Demandbase looks for throwaway/disposal or junk collector email addresses to mark them invalid. These addresses are often used on sign up forms or to bypass login forms that require a valid email address. Examples: Users acquire these fake addresses from disposable email services like E4ward and 10minutemail.
- Honeypot/spam trap detection: Detects spam seeds, BOTs, honeypots, blacklisted, or bogus email addresses by validating email addresses against the known list of email addresses and domains.
- Domain Name System Blacklists (DNSBLs) and Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) DNSBLs check: This step checks email addresses from specific systems that are “blacklisted” for having a history of sending spam. A URI DNSBL lists domain names that are found in clickable links within the body of spam email messages.
- Final verification check: Demandbase performs deep-level Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) verification on each address. In this check, the email addresses are pinged to verify the existence of an email domain without sending an actual email to the inbox.
Valid emails are highlighted by a green dot.
- Valid email: The mail server for the email domain has been confirmed and the email is safe to send.
Valid domains are highlighted by a gray dot.
- Valid domain: The email is deliverable to the company’s mail server, but there’s no guarantee that the email is deliverable to a specific person.