HubSpot Email Verification: Complete Integration Guide

HubSpot is one of the most powerful CRM and marketing automation platforms available. But there is one thing it cannot do on its own: verify that your contact email addresses actually exist.

This becomes a serious problem when you try to send marketing emails. HubSpot monitors your bounce rates closely. Exceed their limits, and your email sending gets suspended. No warnings, no second chances.

According to HubSpot’s official documentation, the hard bounce limit is 5%. But here is the catch: most ISPs prefer bounce rates under 1%. If you are hitting 5%, your sender reputation is already in trouble.

The solution is to verify your HubSpot contacts before you send. In this guide, you will learn multiple methods to clean your HubSpot database and keep it clean going forward.

Why HubSpot Users Need Email Verification

HubSpot has built-in deliverability protection. It automatically suppresses contacts that hard bounce, unsubscribe, or report spam. It also has an email health dashboard that shows your performance metrics.

But these features only help after something goes wrong. By then, the damage is done.

Here is why proactive verification is essential for HubSpot users:

HubSpot Will Suspend Your Account

If your hard bounce rate exceeds 5%, spam complaints exceed 0.1%, or unsubscribe rate exceeds 3%, HubSpot will suspend your marketing email sending. You will need to go through an appeal process to restore access.

You Pay Per Contact

HubSpot pricing is based on your contact count. Invalid email addresses still count toward your total. You are paying for contacts that will never receive your emails.

Workflows Depend on Valid Emails

HubSpot’s power comes from its automation. Lead nurturing sequences, onboarding flows, and sales follow-ups. All of these fail if the email address is invalid. Your carefully designed workflows become worthless.

Harmful Data Compounds Over Time

Contacts enter HubSpot from forms, imports, integrations, and manual entry. Each source can introduce insufficient data. Without regular cleaning, your database quality degrades month after month.

The HubSpot email health dashboard gives you a health score out of 10. To maintain a high score, you need clean data from the start.

Understanding HubSpot’s Email Limits

Before diving into verification methods, you need to understand precisely what HubSpot monitors and what triggers problems.

Hard Bounce Limit: 5%

Hard bounces occur when an email cannot be delivered permanently. The address does not exist, the domain is invalid, or the server rejects the message outright. HubSpot’s limit is 5%, but ISPs prefer under 1%.

Spam Complaint Limit: 0.1%

This is extremely strict. Only 1 in 1,000 recipients can mark your email as spam before you risk suspension. Clean lists with engaged subscribers are the only way to stay under this threshold.

Unsubscribe Limit: 3%

While unsubscribes are better than spam complaints, too many still signal problems. A healthy unsubscribe rate is under 1%.

What Happens When You Exceed Limits

HubSpot will suspend your marketing email sending. All scheduled campaigns stop. All workflow emails stop. You cannot send until you appeal and the Email Deliverability Team reviews your account.

The appeal process requires you to identify problematic contacts, remove them, and prove you have permission to email the remaining contacts. This can take days to resolve.

Method 1: Bulk Verification of Existing Contacts

If you already have contacts in HubSpot, start by cleaning your existing database. Here is the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Export Your Contacts

In HubSpot, go to Contacts. Select the contacts you want to verify or choose All Contacts for a complete clean. Click Export and download as CSV.

For large databases, consider exporting specific lists or segments first. This lets you prioritise high-value contacts.

Step 2: Upload to myEmailVerifier

Go to myEmailVerifier and upload your exported CSV file. The system automatically detects the email column from your HubSpot export.

Step 3: Run Verification

Click Start Verification. MyEmailVerifier checks each email for:

• Syntax validity
• Domain and MX record existence
• Mailbox existence
• Disposable email detection
• Role-based email identification

Step 4: Download and Process Results

Once verification is complete, download your results. Each email will be tagged:

• Valid – Safe to keep and email
• Invalid – Remove from email marketing
• Catch all – Monitor carefully
• Disposable – Remove from database

Step 5: Update HubSpot Contacts

For invalid contacts, you have several options in HubSpot:

1. Unsubscribe from marketing: Go to the contact record and update their marketing status to “Non-marketing contact”
2. Create a suppression list: Import invalid emails as a static list and exclude it from all sends
3. Delete contacts: For contacts with no other value, consider deleting them entirely

Method 2: Verify New Contacts with Forms

Prevention is better than cleanup. Verifying emails as they enter HubSpot stops insufficient data at the source.

JavaScript Widget for HubSpot Forms

You can add a JavaScript verification widget to your HubSpot forms. When a visitor enters their email, the widget checks it in real time before form submission.

This catches:

• Typos like “gmial.com” or “hotmal.com”
• Fake emails are entered by people who do not want to give their real address
• Disposable addresses from temporary email services

Implementation Steps

1. Get your API key from myEmailVerifier
2. Add the JavaScript widget code to your HubSpot form page
3. Configure validation settings for your use case
4. Test to ensure proper integration

This requires some technical knowledge or developer assistance. The result is worth it: every new contact entering HubSpot through that form will have a verified email.

Method 3: Workflow-Based Verification

HubSpot workflows can trigger external actions when contacts are created or updated. You can use this to verify new contacts automatically.

How Workflow Verification Works

1. A new contact is created in HubSpot
2. The workflow triggers an API call to verify the email
3. Verification results are written back to a custom HubSpot property
4. Another workflow action routes the contact based on verification status

Setting Up Custom Properties

Create custom contact properties in HubSpot to store verification results:

• Email Verification Status – Valid, Invalid, Catch All, Unknown
• Safe to Send – Yes or No
• Verification Date – When the email was last verified

These properties let you segment contacts by verification status and exclude unverified or invalid contacts from campaigns.

Handling Different Email Types in HubSpot

Not all verification results require the same action. Here is how to handle each type:

Valid Emails

These are confirmed deliverables. Please include them in your marketing emails, workflows, and sales sequences without concern.

Invalid Emails

These will hard bounce. Remove them from all email marketing immediately. In HubSpot, you can:

• Set them as non-marketing contacts
• Add them to a suppression list
• Delete if they have no sales value

Catch All Emails

Catch all domains, accept all emails regardless of whether specific mailboxes exist. Many B2B companies use catch-all configurations.

For HubSpot: Create a segment for catch-all contacts. Monitor their bounce rates separately. If they perform well, treat them as valid. If bounces are high, suppress them.

Role-Based Emails

Teams, not individuals, manage addresses like info@, sales@, support@. They often have higher spam complaint rates because multiple people see the emails.

Consider segmenting role-based emails and sending only essential communications. Avoid promotional content to these addresses.

Disposable Emails

These are temporary addresses that expire within hours or days. The person who submitted them has no intention of reading your emails.

Remove disposable emails from your database entirely. They provide no value and will eventually bounce.

Best Practices for HubSpot Email Health

Beyond verification, follow these practices to maintain a healthy HubSpot email program:

Authenticate Your Sending Domain

Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in HubSpot. Google and Microsoft now require authentication for bulk senders. Emails that fail authentication will bounce with a DMARC policy error.

Use Double Opt In

Require new subscribers to confirm their email address. This eliminates typos and ensures people actually want your emails. Yes, it reduces signups. But the signups you get are higher quality.

Monitor Your Email Health Dashboard

Check the HubSpot email health dashboard weekly. Look for drops in your health score or spikes in bounces and complaints. Address issues before they trigger suspension.

Segment by Engagement

Create lists based on recent activity. Send to contacts who have opened or clicked emails in the last 30, 60, or 90 days. Stop sending to people who never engage.

Verify Before Major Campaigns

Before any large send, verify the target list. Email lists decay 22% to 30% annually. A list that was clean six months ago needs verification again.

Common Mistakes That Get HubSpot Accounts Suspended

Importing Old Lists Without Verification

This is the number one cause of HubSpot email suspension. A company migrates from another CRM, imports its entire contact database, and sends its first campaign—bounce rates spike. Account suspended.

Always verify imported lists before adding them to HubSpot.

Emailing Contacts Who Never Opted In

Just because someone is in your CRM does not mean they want marketing emails. Contacts from purchased lists, trade shows, or old databases often mark emails as spam.

Ignoring the Health Dashboard

HubSpot gives you warnings before suspension. Many users ignore the email health dashboard until it is too late. Check it regularly and act on recommendations.

Sending to Unengaged Contacts

Continuing to email contacts who never open hurts your deliverability. Create sunset workflows to remove unengaged contacts from active campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does HubSpot have built-in email verification?

HubSpot does not verify if email addresses exist. It has basic syntax checking and domain validation, but cannot confirm mailbox existence. HubSpot recommends using third-party verification tools.

What is a reasonable bounce rate for HubSpot?

HubSpot’s limit is 5%, but ISPs prefer under 1%. Aim for below 2% to be safe. Below 0.5% is excellent.

How do I recover from a HubSpot email suspension?

You must go through an appeal process. This requires identifying and removing problematic contacts, proving opt-in permission for remaining contacts, and committing to better practices. The process can take several days.

How often should I verify my HubSpot contacts?

Verify before any major campaign. For ongoing hygiene, quarterly verification is recommended. If you have high-volume lead generation, consider monthly verification or real-time validation on forms.

Can I verify emails automatically in HubSpot workflows?

Yes, through API integrations. You can set up workflows that trigger verification when contacts are created or updated, then route contacts based on the results.

Protect Your HubSpot Investment

HubSpot is a powerful platform, but its value depends on the quality of your data. Invalid email addresses waste your contact fees, break your workflows, and risk your email sending privileges.

Email verification is the foundation of a healthy HubSpot email program. Clean data leads to better deliverability, higher engagement, and ultimately, more revenue from your marketing efforts.

Ready to clean your HubSpot contacts? Try myEmailVerifier free with 100 daily email verifications. Export your contacts and see the verification results for yourself.

Your HubSpot account is too valuable to risk. Start verifying today.