How to verify and clean a scraped email list before sending
By Doug Nielsen, Product Manager · Updated · first published
To clean a scraped email list, dedupe, filter, verify and segment it, in that order; any other order wastes verification credits. Skipping it is the most common way to burn a sending domain.
Addresses from our Google Maps email extractor come straight off business websites, unverified, so run them through every step below.
Key takeaways
- Chains share one inbox: one email per domain.
- Keep info@ and other role addresses.
- Mail catch-all addresses separately and slowly.
- Expect the list to shrink: a smaller clean list beats a big dirty one.
On this page6
Step 1: dedupe by domain, not by email
A chain with eleven branches is eleven rows and one inbox. Dedupe on the bare domain, keeping the highest-review row, then on phone to catch franchises using different domains from one office.
Step 2: filter before you verify
Drop addresses the business doesn't own
Platform domains (wixsite, squarespace previews, godaddysites) and the website builder's support@.Cut rows outside your ICP
A “dentist” search also picks up dental labs and supply shops; remove them before paying to verify.Set aside the no-email rows
They still have a phone and address: a call or direct-mail segment. The cold-calling guide covers working it.
Skip the site-by-site email hunt
- 100 free credits
- No card required
Step 3: verify with a real verifier
Run the survivors through a verification service; most sending platforms include one. Keep “valid”, drop “invalid”. “Catch-all” domains accept everything at the SMTP layer, so the mailbox can't be confirmed, and small-business hosting is full of them.
Tip
A catch-all policy
Step 4: segment, and expect the list to shrink
Split what's left three ways: the main stream, a slower catch-all stream and the no-email call segment.
An email turns up for about 63% of the 65,024 local businesses we checked (56% in the US to 81% in Germany): that's what's public, not a tool limit. Dedupe and verification cut more, and a smaller clean list still beats a big dirty one.
Common questions
Should I email info@ addresses at all?
How many bounces are acceptable?
Do scraped emails need warming?
Written by
Doug Nielsen, Product Manager
Doug works on Hubertino; the guides on this site are published under his name. Last updated .