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If you’re facing issues due to a blacklisted IP in a shared hosting environment, you’re not alone.
This guide provides all the necessary information to help you fix your shared hosting problems quickly and effectively.
Understanding the Problem
In shared hosting environments, multiple users share the same server and IP address.
If just one account is compromised, misconfigured, or used for spam, it can result in the entire server’s IP being blacklisted.
This affects all websites hosted on that shared IP, potentially leading to email delivery issues,
search engine penalties, and loss of trust from users and providers.
What You’ll Learn
This article also answers common questions and provides practical solutions for:
- Identifying if your shared IP is blacklisted
- Understanding how blacklisting occurs in shared hosting
- Steps to request IP delisting or move to a clean IP
- When to upgrade to a VPS or offshore dedicated server
Let’s dive in and get your site back to full performance and off those blacklists.
What Is the Shared Hosting Blacklisted IP Problem?
The shared hosting blacklisted IP problem occurs when one website on a shared server behaves badly—such as sending spam—
causing the server’s shared IP address to become blacklisted.
These blacklist issues can lead to a variety of problems, including reduced email deliverability,
a damaged server reputation, and restricted access for all websites sharing the same IP.
Because multiple websites share the same IP in shared hosting, even sites not responsible for any wrongdoing can be
impacted by the actions of others. This often results in users facing email delivery issues
and a general decline in trust and performance.
Complaints about emails not being delivered or websites being blocked are common symptoms of blacklisting.
When an IP is blacklisted, it can prevent legitimate emails from reaching inboxes, resulting in lost
or undelivered communications.
Hosting providers are expected to implement preventive measures to mitigate blacklisting and
protect user websites. However, innocent users can still suffer the consequences of a
single mistake or compromised account on the server, making it essential to address these issues
promptly and effectively.
Causes of IP Blacklisting in Shared Hosting Environments
Understanding why IP addresses get blacklisted in shared hosting environments is essential for both hosting providers and their customers.
When a single server hosts multiple domains, the actions of one customer can impact everyone sharing the same IP address.
Below are the most common reasons why a blacklisted IP address becomes a problem in shared hosting:
Spam Filtering and Spammers
One of the leading causes of a blacklisted IP address is spam activity. If a mail server on a shared network is used to send spam,
spam filters and blacklists will flag the IP. Even advanced filtering systems can sometimes be bypassed by determined spammers, resulting in
blocked or spam-foldered emails for all users on the same IP.
Blacklisted IP Addresses and Shared Resources
If an IP address is already blacklisted, every domain sharing it is affected. A single compromised or malicious account can
trigger blocks on all outgoing mail from that IP, even for innocent users.
SMTP Server Configuration Issues
Improperly configured SMTP servers can act as open relays for spammers. If the server lacks authentication or security protocols,
it increases the risk of blacklisting and harms the provider’s reputation.
DNS Records Misconfiguration
Incorrect or missing DNS records—like SPF, DKIM, or PTR—can cause legitimate emails to appear suspicious and lead to blacklisting.
Hosting providers should ensure DNS is correctly configured for each domain.
Email Server Security Vulnerabilities
An unsecured email server can be exploited by hackers to send spam. Security flaws quickly lead to blacklisting and put all
hosted clients at risk. Routine audits and timely updates are vital.
Customer Behavior and Abuse
Sometimes, blacklisting results from a user’s own behavior. Sending unsolicited bulk email, using weak passwords,
or falling for phishing scams can all contribute. Monitoring and user education are essential.
Hosting Provider Policies and Enforcement
Weak or unenforced anti-spam policies often lead to abuse. Hosting providers that don’t act swiftly on abuse reports are more
likely to face IP blacklisting. Effective policies and prompt responses are key.
IP Address Reputation
An IP address with a history of misuse is more likely to be flagged—even if current activity is clean. Hosting providers should
monitor IP reputation and work to restore trust in compromised addresses.
By recognizing and addressing these root causes, hosting providers can greatly reduce the risk of blacklisted IPs. Best practices include
using dedicated IPs, robust spam filters, secure SMTP configurations, and continuous monitoring
to maintain a healthy hosting environment.
How to Fix Shared Hosting Blacklisted IP Problems?
In case you are having problems with Shared Hosting, we would strongly recommend that you implement a complete website fix immediately. The most professional solution is using Fixed.net to conduct a complete website fix, that includes:
- Quick malware removal.
- Errors and redirects fix.
- Complete site repair.
- White screen of death fix.
- Contact forms error fix.
- eCommerce checkout errors repair.
- Active maintenance and backup + prevention.
Having a shared hosting blacklisted IP is always a hot topic as it can happen to everybody no matter how tech savvy they are. The main reason for the issue to be happening might not even be the fault of the victim.
In such a situation it does not matter who is responsible, but to fix everything and fast. In case you have trouble with a shared hosting blacklisted IP, you have to be prepared to recognize it and to know what to do next.
Why Solving a Shared Hosting Blacklisted IP Issue Should Be Fast?
As you may know, it is common practice for Shared hosting providers to give the same static IP address to every website being run on their shared server.
In that regard, that business model may be flawed, especially if you have a neighbour website which is blacklisted often. With you having the same IP allocated to your website, it will also be blacklisted and blocked at the same time.
So, in other words, not only your website will be inaccessible, your emails, both incoming and outgoing could bounce shortly after, leaving you in the dark about the communication going on that information channel.
Apart from annoying, having a shared hosting blacklisted IP is a serious issue that can impact a website, blog or small business communication by hindering its functionality and activity.
Thus, when you see you have such a problem present, you have more than enough motivation to see How to Fix Shared Hosting Email Problems.
Another solid reasoning behind shared hosting IP blacklisting for happening is if your IP address or website is specifically targeted.
A type of a DoS attack could be in the works, trying to intentionally bring your service down.
Imagine thousands of spam emails being sent every second. Such a malicious action will prompt the addition of your website to blacklists along with the IP that is set for it.
Clients will not be able to reach the service you provide and you would not be able to reach them back. Even after removal of an IP from one blacklist, it could be staying on other blacklists for months, causing the issue to re-occur.
Are Proper SMTP Mail Server Settings Enough to Prevent a Blacklisted IP?
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) must be properly configured on mail servers to ensure fast, secure, and uninterrupted email delivery—
and to avoid issues like IP blacklisting. Correct SMTP and DNS setups are foundational for preventing email-related problems.
It is essential to enable all necessary security features and protocols—such as SPF, DKIM, and TLS—to protect the mail server from abuse and reputation damage.
Developers and administrators play a critical role in maintaining these configurations and ensuring all settings remain current and secure.
Following best practices and a professional approach is vital to building a good email reputation.
In most cases, proper configuration and ongoing maintenance can prevent blacklisting issues before they arise.
Shared hosting providers must actively work to maintain their servers’ IP reputation.
While delivery issues can happen, they should not be frequent or stem from poor hosting practices.
In fact, many shared IP blacklisting cases are traced back to a lack of diligence by the hosting provider.
Spamhaus is one of the most well-known blacklists that frequently impacts shared hosting environments,
highlighting the need for active monitoring and responsible server management.
When comparing hosting solutions, VPS hosting offers distinct advantages: dedicated IPs, greater isolation,
and more administrative control—making it a stronger option for preventing blacklisting and improving deliverability.
Some users choose cloud hosting with outbound SMTP services optimized for managing email traffic.
While these services help route and manage mail securely, they are not foolproof.
Even advanced SMTP relay systems can detect spam-like behavior and block messages or IPs accordingly.
Since you can’t manually check every outbound email, providers rely on large-scale data analysis and algorithms to detect and stop spam campaigns at their origin.
Ultimately, while proper SMTP settings are essential, they are not enough on their own.
Even with the best configurations, shared environments are vulnerable to user behavior and external blacklists—requiring a broader strategy to maintain reputation and email reliability.
Getting a Dedicated IP Address to Solve Blacklisting
A solution for IP blacklisting prevention would be to get a Shared Hosting Plan With a Dedicated IP. Having a static IP connected only to your website alone is still not perfect, but will limit attacks and help companies track the issue sooner.
It is impossible to monitor all the different blacklists at scale, with automation. That is due to many of them not having a public facing API that can be queried to check if an IP address is in a blacklist.
The only time a host will become aware of such issues is when a customer forwards over a bounce-back, and at which point, the host can request delisting – ideally having figured out the source of the problem, first. It is chaotic and takes time, but it is how it works.
A way out of such a mess is to have a Dedicated Mailing IP address. This is possible in Shared Hosting environments as well, but may incur an extra fee for you to pay.
This means that if a fresh blacklisting is generated, it could only have come from a mail you sent, rather than any number of other people who are also using that IP address. Unless, a blacklist starts to list IP ranges and not individual IPs.
You could get a dedicated IP service from most shared hosting plans and you should seek that option out. If you already know it and are even using it – comment below with your experience and if you have ever been blacklisted.
Steps to Solve Shared Hosting IP Blacklisting Issues
If you have your IP blacklisted, then that IP is in at least one blacklist database. Usually you find out when your browser cannot reach any website and displays a message about the blacklisting.
If your website is blacklisted, then the website itself will be unreachable and nobody would be able to access it. In the next paragraph we will list the most common issues as to way one might get an IP blacklist.
Technical listings originate from mail-server configuration issues. Such issues are missing or incorrect reverse DNS records, banner greetings. Other ones are mail servers using IP addresses that are deemed suspicious.
Policy listings include country bans or ISPs not honoring unsubscribe requests. Listings based on evidence have database operators receiving evidence for an IP address involved in sending unsolicited emails.
Here is what to do, by following the list below:
- Scan your computer, other devices on the Network and website for Malware
- See if you need to patch or update your Operating System and Network-related programs
- Configure routers securely if you have any
- Use stronger passwords if you find that your account is hacked
- Call your Internet Service Provider and Hosting Provider for additional information
The above list summs up the actions you need to perform to alieviate your website from being blacklisted.
Conclusion
Keep in mind – you can get off some blacklists on your own, but if the issue persists, you will end up being blacklisted again, which will make it extremely hard for you to remove a secondary blacklist. If you got blacklisted, know that there is a reason behind it and it is done to find the origin of a serious attack.
As said above in the article, you should act fast upon finding your website is inaccessible because of a Shared Hosting Blacklisted IP address. Stay vigilant and do frequent checks on your IP, and website IP addresses to be always one step ahead.