550-JunkMail rejected - x.x.x.x is in an RBL on rbl.websitewelcome.comWhat does 550 JunkMail rejected, RBL on rbl.websitewelcome.com mean?
rbl.websitewelcome.com is the internal real-time blocklist (RBL) operated by Endurance International Group (EIG), the parent company behind HostGator, Bluehost, A Small Orange, iPage, Site5, Constant Contact, and many other shared hosting brands. When an EIG-hosted mail server returns this rejection, your sending IP is on their internal RBL. The list is fed by spam complaints from EIG customers, public DNSBL inheritance, and internal abuse detection. The list is not publicly queryable in the standard way and there is no self-service delisting form: removal requires opening a support ticket with HostGator (or whichever EIG brand the recipient uses) and providing evidence of remediation.
Is this a soft or hard bounce?
EIG operates a large share of shared US hosting infrastructure. A rbl.websitewelcome.com listing blocks delivery to HostGator, Bluehost, iPage, and related brands until removed.
Common causes
Marks-as-spam from HostGator/Bluehost/iPage mailbox users feed directly into the RBL.
EIG integrates Spamhaus, Barracuda, Abusix into its filtering. Public listings often propagate to the internal RBL.
EIG maintains spam trap addresses across its mailbox population. Hits result in immediate listing.
How to fix it
Look up your IP at Spamhaus, Barracuda, Abusix. Clearing public listings often resolves EIG automatically within 24 to 48 hours.
Submit through hostgator.com/contact or the equivalent for Bluehost / iPage. Provide your IP, sending domain, evidence of legitimate use, and remediation details.
Use email verification to remove invalid addresses. High bounce rate to EIG mailboxes is the strongest trigger for the RBL.
Provider-specific notes
| EIG brand | Notes |
|---|---|
| HostGator | Most prominent EIG brand for mail filtering. Use HostGator contact for delisting regardless of which sub-brand the recipient uses. |
| Bluehost | Same EIG infrastructure. Same RBL, same removal process. |
| iPage, A Small Orange, Site5, others | Same shared EIG infrastructure. Listing affects all EIG-hosted recipients simultaneously. |
Related error codes
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About the Author
Alaa · LinkedIn
Email infrastructure specialist with 8+ years of hands-on experience in SMTP, deliverability, and email verification. I’ve configured and troubleshot mail systems across Postfix, Exchange, and cloud relays, managed IP reputation and warmup campaigns, and built verification pipelines processing millions of addresses. My work spans DNS authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI), bounce handling, blocklist monitoring, and compliance frameworks including CAN-SPAM and GDPR. I write every article on SMTPedia to give email professionals, developers, and marketers the accurate, RFC-grounded reference they need.
About SMTPedia
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