Email deliverability: What you need to know

Mastering Email Deliverability: Essential Insights You Shouldn’t Miss

This email deliverability guide has been revamped with fresh insights suggesting that Google might be developing an email alias system to reduce spam.

While email deliverability might not be the most captivating aspect of email marketing, it holds paramount importance. Regardless of the allure of your designs or promotions, they are of no use if they fail to reach the intended recipient’s inbox.

Accessing the inbox is becoming increasingly challenging. Earlier this year, Google and Yahoo implemented new guidelines for bulk email senders. Thankfully, these guidelines aim to help legitimate email marketers by enforcing best practices.

This guide outlines the rationale behind the new requirements, the repercussions and expenses tied to deliverability issues, and strategies to guarantee your emails successfully reach their destination.

Why are email deliverability regulations becoming stricter?

“Providers like Google and Yahoo are increasingly frustrated with dealing with spam,” stated Al Iverson, industry research lead at Valimail, in an interview with MarTech. “Thus, the rules are tightening to hinder the sending of unsolicited emails.”

So, just how severe is the spam issue?

“Recently, I came across a statistic claiming around 347 billion emails are sent daily,” shared Cynthia Price, SVP of Marketing at Litmus with Martech. “More than half of these emails, based on various metrics, are believed to be spam.” That’s approximately 173 billion spam emails generated each day!

“ISPs, including giants like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, are working tirelessly to maintain order in our inboxes,” added Price.

What are the latest requirements for bulk email senders?

The updated requirements turn well-established email marketing best practices into clearly defined rules.

“Best practices are evolving into codified guidelines that key providers like Gmail and Yahoo are publishing online, clearly stating what senders need to comply with,” explained Iverson, a long-time publisher of The Spam Resource newsletter.

Primarily, these requirements emphasize three key areas: the authentication of outgoing emails, managing reported spam rates, and facilitating easy unsubscribe options.

Authentication

Bulk email senders, typically those firing off messages to at least 5,000 addresses per day, are required to implement:

  • Sender Policy Framework (SPF), which helps counteract domain spoofing by permitting domain owners to specify which mail servers are authorized to send emails on their behalf.
  • DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) that applies a digital signature to outgoing emails, ensuring they are sent by authorized senders without any alterations during transit.
  • Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) that allows domain owners to define actions for messages failing authentication and enables reporting on email authentication outcomes.

Explore further: Gmail spam updates are in effect: What now?

Spam rates

According to Google, bulk senders must keep their reported spam rate (the percentage of messages marked as spam by users) under 0.1% in Google Postmaster Tools and must “aim to avoid even hitting 0.3% or above.”

In contrast, Yahoo stipulates that spam rates must remain below 0.3% for compliance.

Unsubscribe

Both Yahoo and Google require businesses to provide users with an easy way to unsubscribe.

This entails:

  • Utilizing a functional list-unsubscribe header that supports one-click unsubscribing for marketing and subscription messages.
  • Incorporating a prominent unsubscribe link within the email itself.
  • Processing unsubscribe requests within a two-day timeframe.

“Avoid masking the unsubscribe link or redirecting users to a landing page with a phone number,” stated Price. “Many continue to do this, which must stop. Subscribers should have the ability to effortlessly opt out of your list because forcing them to remain only frustrates them and increases the chances they will flag your emails as spam.”

The financial implications of email deliverability failure

According to Mailtrap, the economic impact of undelivered emails for U.S. businesses is as follows:

  • $164 million+ per day.
  • $1.1 billion+ weekly.
  • $4.9 billion+ monthly.
  • $59.5 billion+ annually.

Deliverability complications can cost over $15,000 for every million emails distributed, as indicated by a report from Validity.

“Many fail to recognize deliverability issues until it’s too late,” noted Price. “Similar to a credit score, repairing it takes time and effort to regain status as a trusted sender.”

Email deliverability success rates are improving

  • In the past three years, the average deliverability rate has risen from 94.26% in 2020 to 96.43% in 2023.
  • The bounce rate averaged at 1.98%.
  • Over the last four years, the eCommerce sector witnessed the most substantial improvements in deliverability rates, seeing a 10.28% increase and a drop in bounce rates of 0.7%.
  • The general unsubscribe rate has decreased by 26.32% over the past four years.
  • Spam complaints have declined by 44.4% in 2023 versus 2020.

Source: Selzy Email Marketing Performance by Industry, 2024 Benchmarks

Learn more: New requirements for bulk email senders from Google and Yahoo: Key takeaways.

Consumers are also frustrated by email deliverability issues

Businesses aren’t the only ones affected when emails fail to deliver. Consumers expect to receive emails that pique their interest, and are dissatisfied when they don’t.

Insights from a Mailgun report revealed:

  • 52.7% of consumers express feelings of frustration, distrust, or opting out when brand emails consistently land in spam.
  • Over 70% of consumers frequently check their spam folders for overlooked important emails, with nearly a third finding it irritating to discover brand messages in their spam folders.
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Source: Mailgun’s Email and the Customer Experience 2024 report

Best practices for ensuring email deliverability

Stricter regulations pave the way for clearer expectations. Yahoo and Google have made the guidelines explicit for all senders.

“The positive takeaway is their transparency about algorithm functions, bad practices, and their evaluation criteria,” said Price. “It’s essential to remain informed about these criteria and understand what actions you should be implementing.”

These best practices can essentially be boiled down to: “DO NOT SPAM.” Always send relevant content to individuals who have expressly opted to receive communications from you.

Monitor your inbox placement rates. This informs you about the effectiveness of your email program and flags when providers block your messages.

Maintain a clean email list. Ensure that your lists are free from spam traps, unknown recipients, and inactive subscribers. Utilize a double opt-in strategy to minimize inactive and spam-related addresses on your list. Employ contact verification methods for your current list, and verify all new entries as they’re added.

Send emails consistently. Spammers send messages erratically and in varying volumes. It’s crucial to keep your email campaigns consistent in size and frequency. Ensure you implement a preferences center, allowing subscribers to decide how often they wish to hear from you. “Some may prefer just one email a month while others want every single update,” Price stated. “Treating all subscribers identically is where many encounter issues.”

Track your sender reputation. Sender reputation reflects both your IP reputation—trust based on past email sending behavior—and domain reputation—trust influenced by engagement metrics, spam reports, bounce rates, and more. It plays a critical role in determining if your emails land in inboxes, spam folders, or are blocked outright. You can check your Sender Score for free at SenderScore.org.

Employ BIMI to enhance credibility

Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) showcases your brand logo on emails, demonstrating that your messages come from a verified and trustworthy source.

“There are fundamental aspects to keep in mind, the foremost being that your content must be pertinent and valuable to your audience,” advised Price. “While challenging, this is key to preventing recipients from labeling your emails as spam.”

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UPDATE: Google has further emphasized the importance of BIMI by enhancing verification for Android and iOS. Recently, Gmail introduced a checkmark icon for senders adopting BIMI, assisting users in distinguishing legitimate messages from impostors. Initially, this feature wasn’t available on mobile platforms but has now been rolled out.

“BIMI verified check marks will now appear on Android and iOS,” stated the company in a blog post. “Currently, Gmail on desktop displays a verified checkmark for approved senders with a registered trademark (VMC). Soon, users will also spot these verified checkmark icons in the Gmail app on both Android and iOS (note: Apple Mail or other applications are not included).”

Is it necessary to warm up my IP address?

Warming up an IP address refers to the gradual increase in the number of emails sent from a dedicated IP over a period of four to six weeks. Is it crucial for deliverability? Absolutely.

“If you have a dedicated IP, warming it certainly is a must,” asserted Price. “One of the primary indicators for ISPs analyzing email behavior is when they observe a new IP sending large volumes of emails.”

Establishing a trustworthy sender history with ISPs is vital. Sending large batches of emails from a new IP is a significant red flag to providers, as this is a common method used for distributing fraudulent emails—like phishing and spam.

“Start by sending a small volume of desired emails at first, gradually increasing that number,” advised Iverson. “You need to take it slow, allowing the system to recognize it as safe.”

Could sales engagement tools negatively impact deliverability?

Sales engagement platforms such as Salesloft, Clari, and Outreach could potentially lower deliverability rates. However, it’s not the tools themselves that cause issues, but rather how the sales teams utilize them.

“There’s a vast array of sales assistant tools, with some being more effective than others,” noted Iverson. “These tools are excellent for discovering leads and gathering insights. If used correctly to target individuals directly, they won’t trigger spam filters.”

However, issues arise when sales teams leverage these tools to blast out large volumes of emails, disregarding best practices.

“There’s nothing about these tools that automatically harms deliverability,” asserted Price. “Often the challenge is educating sales teams that the same best practices are applicable here. It’s important to consider the relevancy of who you’re emailing, how you obtained their contacts, and integrating them into your system. Cold emails are acceptable if they are genuinely tailored to the recipient.”

However, the actions of sales teams can impact your email reputation significantly and are often beyond your control.

For instance, excessive reliance on templates can lead to insufficient personalization, which results in recipients being more inclined to mark emails as spam. This practice can severely damage your reputation and fail to yield positive sales responses.

This key aspect needs to be communicated to sales, as they may not grasp fully how deliverability protocols have changed. The relevance of content is critical for both parties involved.

Moreover, improper setups of email authentication protocols (like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) can also be problematic. Many tools automate configurations, but it’s essential to remain vigilant when evaluating deliverability metrics.

The optimal way to safeguard your brand’s reputation is to assign a separate IP address for sales activities. This way, you eliminate risks posed by the actions of others.

10 words to avoid in your emails

Email marketers are skilled at utilizing words that capture readers’ attention, but unfortunately, so are spam artists.

A recent analysis by ZeroBounce investigated spam emails to identify the 10 most problematic words. This assessment applied machine learning on extensive datasets to assign importance based on frequency, click-through rates, and degrees of harm. Keep these in mind while crafting your email campaigns and troubleshooting for potential spam issues.

Interestingly, all the identified words are money-related, which stands out as a particularly sensitive topic. Fortunately, unless your business revolves around finance, you likely won’t need to frequently incorporate these words.

Notably, “Free”—the quintessential promotional buzzword—ranked highest in occurrences (2,266) but had the lowest click-through rate (0.56%). Perhaps we’re all becoming more discerning.

Enhancing engagement via Gmail’s new summary cards

Gmail is launching new interactive summary cards to elevate user experience by simplifying information access. These cards can additionally improve deliverability.

Initially rolled out on Android and iOS, the cards will provide users with quick, actionable information from messages—such as delivery dates, flight schedules, bill due dates, and ticket information. Users can also take steps like tracking packages, viewing orders, getting directions, setting reminders, and managing bookings directly from the summary card.

Deliverability advantage: Offering dynamic content and immediate value in your emails enhances the chances of them being opened and engaged with. Additionally, summary cards may reduce spam complaints. By delivering timely and relevant content through these cards, senders lower the risk of their emails being flagged as spam. Valuable content leads to fewer complaints and strengthens one’s standing as a sender.

An enhanced sender reputation arises from improved engagement rates—something Gmail highly prioritizes. Effectively employing summary cards should elevate open rates, click-through rates, and overall email performance, resulting in better deliverability and improved inbox placement.

Read Google’s announcement here.

Apple Mail Rollout of Brand Verification

Apple is introducing a feature enabling verified businesses to incorporate brand names and logos into emails through its new Branded Mail functionality.

To utilize this, companies must engage with Apple’s Business Connect tool and provide verifiable location and contact data, drawing parallels to BIMI. Apple’s initiative mirrors Gmail’s recently launched blue checkmark capability and will be compatible with the Mail app across all devices.

This feature is expected to be available later this year, with businesses able to register interest now. Apple notes that companies will eventually have the option to display their logos and brand names in iPhone applications utilized for calls and payments. For more details, visit this link.

Optimal times for email dispatch

Understanding the timing of your email sends can heavily influence whether they are read. Here are the ideal timing guidelines for the year, week, and day for email utilization.

  • Post-New Year and autumn are the prime seasons for reaching individuals in an office, according to ZoomInfo’s research on out-of-office responses.
  • The time period from mid-January to mid-March shows the lowest out-of-office (OOO) reply rate at 1.8%.
  • Mid-September to mid-November exhibits the next lowest OOO rate at 2.4%.
  • Christmas week registers the highest OOO rate for workplace emailing with a rate of 6.8%.
  • The week of the Fourth of July ranks second-highest for out-of-office responses at 4.1%.
  • June through August records the worst seasonal performance for open rates, displaying a 3% OOO rate.
  • The median OOO rate is 2.7% annually.

Typically, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday during the morning are prime for achieving higher open and response rates, according to Constant Contact. Mondays can be hectic and Fridays often lead to winding down, making early or mid-morning probably the best time for send-outs, when individuals are either beginning their day or have completed initial email reviews.

While these timings are generalized, if targeting a specific audience segment, consider these additional variables:

  • Time zones: Assess where your audience resides and when they’re likely to be online.
  • B2B versus B2C: Business-to-business communications may be better suited for weekdays, while business-to-consumer interactions might yield better results on weekends.
  • Industry differences: Distinct sectors, like retail and professional services, may present various peak times for email interactions.

The best approach for establishing the ideal time to send emails is to have as comprehensive a knowledge of your target group as possible, alongside conducting A/B testing to validate your findings.

Survey Uncovers Significant Shortcomings in Deliverability Practices

Nearly 80% of email senders in a recent examination conducted by Sinch recognized the fundamental significance of email deliverability, but the findings revealed critical gaps in deliverability strategies.

For instance, the survey indicated that 70% of senders do not leverage resources like Google Postmaster Tools to track their sender reputation with key mailbox operators.

The 2025 State of Email Deliverability report, initiated by Sinch and its email platform Mailgun, encompassed feedback from over 1,100 email senders from diverse industries globally.

Additional discoveries from the survey revealed:

  • 53% of participants are not actively observing email blocklists for their domains or sending IPs.
  • 39% of senders admitted they seldom or never perform list cleanliness checks.
  • Nearly 10% acknowledged to having procured email lists or scraped web contacts within the last two years.
  • 63% of senders were at least somewhat familiar with the new sender requirements from Google and Yahoo.

Among those who adjusted their email operations to align with the expectations set by Google and Yahoo, 79% improved their email authentication practices. The survey noted an 11% rise in DMARC adoption compared to previous surveys carried out by Mailgun.

Is Google developing a system for email forwarding to combat spam?

Speculation is circulating that Google is working on a system enabling users to generate email aliases for use with various applications and websites, without divulging their actual email addresses. If users decide they no longer wish to receive communications from a particular source, they could simply disable the alias.

This information comes from the Android Authority website, which identified a setting within the Autofill Settings menu labeled “Shielded Email.”

According to the Android Authority report:

…it seems that Shielded Email consists of a system to create one-time or limited-use email aliases that will redirect messages to your main account. While this could potentially serve useful in Chrome, it appears Google is specifically tailoring it for applications requesting your email address.

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