***** ⚠️ Already a ListDefender Client?
If you’ve previously run scans and now find yourself out of compliance with Keap, do not follow the steps below.
Instead, click the in-app chat 💬 and connect with our team. We’ll guide you through the proper process to get your account back in good standing.*****
If Keap’s Compliance Department has restricted your ability to send emails, don’t panic, you can fix it.
This article is for users who’ve been instructed by Keap to clean their contact list. You’ll learn how to connect your Keap account to ListDefender, configure essential validation and engagement settings, and use the results to opt out risky contacts.
By following these steps, you’ll demonstrate to Keap that your list is healthy and your sending practices are compliant — paving the way to reinstatement.
Step 1: Connect Keap to ListDefender
Log in to your ListDefender account and connect your Keap account.
This allows ListDefender to scan your database and provide accurate insights on contact quality and engagement.
Step 2: Name Your Connection
Once connected, name your Keap connection and click Continue.
You’ll then arrive on the Email Validation Settings page.
Step 3: Run Quality Checks
Go to Email Detection → Quality Checks and ensure the following options are selected:
✅ Disposable Email Addresses
✅ Vulgar or Inappropriate Content
✅ Suspicious Patterns
These checks help identify invalid or high-risk contacts that may have contributed to compliance issues.
Step 4: Enable Tagging in Advanced Options
Scroll down to Advanced Options and make sure these boxes are checked:
✅ Apply tags for Validity Checks
✅ Apply tags for Quality Checks
Tagging helps you easily locate and take action on problematic contacts inside Keap.
Step 5: Apply the Emergency Deliverability Fix
Under Engagement Profiles, select the Emergency Deliverability Fix (Red Option).
This profile is designed specifically for accounts facing deliverability or compliance issues. It applies strict engagement rules to help restore your sender reputation.
Scroll down to Advanced Engagement Tracking Options at the bottom of the page.
Find Last Engaged box and create a NEW custom field inside your Keap account.
Hit the + button on the field named Number of days since last engagement
Name the field
Select Number as Field Type
Step 6: Review & Launch
You’ll see the total number of Keap contacts and your monthly investment.
Once you’ve entered your billing information, the scan will begin automatically.
Step 7: Scan In Progress
While ListDefender runs the scan, you can safely navigate away or begin setting up FormDefender.
You’ll receive an email when your scan begins and another when it’s finished.
Scan duration varies depending on the size of your Keap database.
Step 8: Clean Up Your Keap Database
Once your scan is complete, it’s time to act on the data. You’ll use ListDefender’s tags and fields to clean your contacts. Log in to your Keap account, and navigate to the contact search.
Let's first opt out contacts that were tagged with high risk tags. To do that, search for contacts that have any of the following
These are customers you need to filter through utilizing Quality & Validity tags
ListDefender: Quality Check = Is Disposable
ListDefender: Quality Check = Is Vulgar
ListDefender: Quality Check = Is Suspicious
ListDefender: Valid Check = Not Found
ListDefender: Valid Check = Invalid MX
ListDefender: Valid Check = Missing MX
ListDefender: Valid Check = Missing DNS
ListDefender: Valid Check = Mailbox Full
ListDefender: Valid Check = Invalid Structure
Once these contacts are pulled up, filter through and OPT-OUT these contacts.
To opt-out in bulk, check the box at the top of the contact search next to the number of results and then selection the Action dropdown, and scroll to the bottom and select Update Opt-in/Opt-out Status
** Be sure to record the number of contacts you opted out so you can report that to Keap. **
2. Now let's opt out contacts that haven't engaged in very long time. Review the custom field applied to each contact within Keap.
These are customers you need to filter through utilizing engagement information
Search for contacts who have your custom field Number of Days Since Last Engagement is greater or equal to 365
These contacts are marked RED due to engagement. You will want to OPT-OUT these contacts.
** Be sure to record the number of contacts you opted out so you can report that to Keap **
Step 9: Send your updates to Keap
Once cleanup is complete, send Keap’s compliance team a summary of your actions and any supporting information (such as how many contacts were removed or opted-out).
After you’ve communicated with Keap’s team, they will review your updates and, once approved, reinstate your sending access.
Step 10: Stay In Compliance & Additional recommendations
Deliverability isn’t a one-time fix — it’s an ongoing process. Consistent list hygiene ensures your emails continue landing in inboxes, not spam folders.
To stay in compliance and protect your sender reputation:
Finish setting up ListDefender by installing FormDefender. See step 11 for more details.
ListDefender will run in the background to scan new contacts and perform routine validation and engagement scans. Make sure to only send to contacts that are marked green or yellow.
Practice good email sending habits:
send emails routinely and write content that encourages contacts to engage.
If you don't have one yet, we recommend implementing a re-engagement campaign so that contacts marked as yellow can decide to stop or continue receiving your content.
Do not send emails to contacts that are marked red. If you followed the instructions in this article, you are marking contacts red after they haven't engaged for a certain amount of time.
You can tweak this setting later, but we recommend that you do so slowly (in small increments) and only after you've successfully re-established your good email sending habits.
Step 11: Install FormDefender on Your Pages
To prevent bad contacts and bot signups, install FormDefender on your website or landing pages. This ensures ListDefender can scan and protect your forms from fake or malicious signups.
FormDefender is included with your ListDefender subscription and helps keep your Keap database clean automatically.
👉 Click here for setup instructions or visit our FormDefender Help Article for troubleshooting guidance.
Need Help?
If you have any questions or need assistance at any point, our support team is available via the in-app chat.
We’re here to help you get back on track and keep your Keap email deliverability strong.