Summary
Experts, marketers, and documentation across various sources consistently suggest that new .us domains, like any new domain or IP, face deliverability challenges, particularly with Gmail. This is primarily due to a lack of established sender reputation. Gmail employs multifactorial identifiers and strict checks for new domains, emphasizing the importance of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), gradual IP/domain warmup by increasing sending volume, and engaging with recipients. Successfully setting up and gradually warming new domains is important to build a better reputation.
Key findings
- Reputation Impact: A new domain's lack of established sender reputation significantly impacts deliverability to Gmail.
- Gmail's Multifactorial Approach: Gmail uses multiple factors beyond just the domain, including IP, authentication, and engagement, to filter emails.
- Importance of Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for establishing credibility and trust with Gmail.
- Essential Domain Warming: Gradual IP/domain warmup, slowly increasing sending volume over time, is essential for building a positive reputation.
- List Engagement Matters: Sending mail to engaged recipients and avoiding spam complaints helps build a better sending reputation.
Key considerations
- Check DNS and Configuration: Validate that DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are correctly configured before initiating sending.
- Plan a Warming Schedule: Develop and execute a careful warmup schedule, starting with very low sending volumes.
- Monitor Gmail Postmaster Tools: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor domain reputation, spam rates, and other key metrics.
- Improve New Domain Search Results: Improve new domain search results to improve overall web presence.
- Improve the Signup Notice: Make it clear to the user when they sign up that they will be receiving a welcome email and who it will be from.
What email marketers say
14 marketer opinions
New .us domains often face deliverability challenges with Gmail due to a lack of established sender reputation and a higher potential for spam associations. Gmail implements stricter checks for new domains, emphasizing the importance of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and gradual IP/domain warmup by increasing sending volume. Warming up helps legitimize the sender to Gmail. Sending domains need to follow email best practices and monitor their reputation in Google Postmaster Tools, as well as hard and soft bounce rates.
Key opinions
- Reputation: New domains lack established sender reputation, making them more susceptible to filtering by Gmail.
- Stricter Rules: Gmail appears to apply stricter rules to new .us domains, possibly due to spam concerns.
- Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for establishing legitimacy.
- Warmup: Gradual IP/domain warmup is essential to build a positive sending reputation with Gmail.
- Monitoring: Monitoring deliverability metrics like bounce rates and spam complaints via Google Postmaster Tools is important.
Key considerations
- IP/Domain Configuration: Ensure proper IP/domain configuration to pass Gmail's filters.
- Gradual Volume Increase: Gradually increase sending volume to avoid triggering spam filters.
- Authentication Setup: Prioritize setting up robust email authentication to establish credibility.
- Monitor Metrics: Monitor domain reputation and deliverability metrics regularly using Google Postmaster Tools.
- List Quality: Ensure you are sending mail to engaged recipients.
Marketer view
Email marketer from GMass explains warming up a new IP address and/or new domain increases your reputation as a legitimate sender and helps you avoid the spam folder. Gmail looks at the domain age, the volume of emails, as well as your sender reputation.
27 Feb 2024 - GMass
Marketer view
Email marketer from SendPulse shares that new domains are more likely to be flagged as spam due to the absence of a track record, meaning recipient servers cannot verify sender authenticity. This is a bigger issue with Gmail than others. Recommends warming the IP and following best practices.
28 Jun 2022 - SendPulse
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
Experts agree that new domains and IPs, including .us domains, face email deliverability challenges, particularly with Gmail, due to a lack of established sending reputation. While Gmail doesn't block emails solely based on the .us domain, establishing a good reputation requires a careful and gradual warmup process. Improve signup notice, send slower and web presence.
Key opinions
- Multifactorial Identification: Gmail uses a multifactorial identifier (domain, IP, authentication), and changes can temporarily impact deliverability.
- Warming Up: It's important to establish a gradual warm-up schedule, starting with very low email volumes and gradually increasing them over 30-60 days.
- Reputation: New domains and IPs inherently lack prior reputation, making it harder to avoid the junk folder.
Key considerations
- Signup and Presence: Improve signup notice, send slower, ensure web presence and search reputation.
- Gradual Warmup: Implement a careful and gradual warmup to establish a sending reputation.
- Authentication: New domains should focus on ensuring the domain is correctly configured, authenticated and ready to begin sending emails.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource.com shares that for a new IP address, it is important to establish a proper warmup schedule. They are generally built with very low volumes on day one and slowly increase over a period of 30 to 60 days.
27 Aug 2023 - Spamresource.com
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that new domains and IPs, even with perfect setup, face deliverability challenges. They suggest a careful and gradual warmup is essential to establish a sending reputation with mailbox providers like Gmail.
6 Apr 2023 - Spamresource.com
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Documentation consistently indicates that new domains, including those ending in '.us', face deliverability challenges with Gmail. This stems from a lack of sending history and established sender reputation. Proper DNS configuration (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial, and a planned warmup period with low sending volumes to engaged recipients is highly recommended. Monitoring deliverability metrics is also essential.
Key findings
- Reputation-Based Filtering: Gmail uses domain reputation as a key factor in filtering emails.
- Lack of Sending History: New domains have no sending history, affecting deliverability.
- Importance of Authentication: Proper DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are critical for initial trust.
- Need for Warmup: A planned warmup period with low volumes is essential for new domains.
Key considerations
- Monitor Postmaster Tools: Monitor domain reputation in Google Postmaster Tools.
- Configure DNS Records: Properly configure DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Implement Warmup Strategy: Plan and execute a warmup period with gradually increasing volumes.
- Engage Recipients: Send emails to engaged recipients to maintain a positive sender reputation.
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost explains that sender reputation is crucial for email deliverability, and new domains lack an established reputation. They recommend closely monitoring deliverability metrics such as bounce rates and spam complaints, which will be essential during the domain warmup phase.
13 Dec 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Editor explains that new domains have no sending history, which can affect deliverability. Proper configuration of DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are critical to build initial trust. Poor or missing configurations will likely flag the domain as a risk.
6 Feb 2023 - RFC Editor
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