Diagnosing and resolving email deliverability issues requires a comprehensive strategy encompassing technical setup, sending practices, and content optimization. Key steps include verifying sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and analyzing Non-Delivery Reports (NDRs) to identify delivery failures. High spam complaint rates, especially related to cold emails, negatively impact deliverability. Mitigation strategies involve warming up IP addresses, cleaning email lists, segmenting lists for targeted messaging, and personalizing email content. Regularly checking IP addresses against blacklists, using tools like Mail-Tester to assess spam scores, and monitoring inbox placement across different email providers are also crucial. Separating infrastructure for cold emails helps protect the primary domain's reputation. Analyzing DMARC reports aids in identifying and addressing authentication failures and spoofing attempts. Determining whether emails land in spam or are blocked directs troubleshooting efforts.
15 marketer opinions
Diagnosing and resolving email deliverability issues involves a multi-faceted approach. It begins with verifying sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools. High spam complaint rates, often linked to sending cold emails, significantly impact deliverability. Strategies to mitigate this include warming up IP addresses, cleaning email lists by removing inactive subscribers, segmenting lists for targeted messaging, and personalizing email content to increase engagement. Checking IP addresses against blacklists and using tools like Mail-Tester to assess spam scores are also crucial. Finally, monitoring inbox placement across different email providers and A/B testing email content enhances deliverability and overall email performance.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares Google Postmaster Tools for monitoring sender reputation at Gmail and notes that cold emails often cause deliverability issues. They also state that the user reported spam rate is quite high and the risk threshold for spam complaints is about 0.1%, and per that graph they are averaging 0.5% to 1.5%.
28 Jan 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Sendinblue suggests warming up your IP address, cleaning your email list regularly to remove inactive subscribers, and personalizing your email content to increase engagement and avoid spam filters.
15 Oct 2022 - Sendinblue
5 expert opinions
Diagnosing and resolving email deliverability problems requires a thorough examination of factors ranging from the technical setup to sending practices. A crucial first step is determining whether emails are being delivered to the spam folder or being blocked outright, as each scenario points to different underlying issues. Properly configuring and validating email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential, as misconfigurations are a common cause of deliverability failures. Regularly checking your sending IP and domain against email blacklists is also vital for identifying potential reputation problems. Furthermore, using a separate infrastructure for cold emails can prevent deliverability issues from impacting your primary domain. Analyzing DMARC reports helps identify authentication failures and spoofing attempts, and adjusting DMARC policies to quarantine or reject suspicious emails can improve deliverability and protect against domain abuse.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise suggests reviewing DMARC reports to identify authentication failures and potential spoofing attempts, and adjusting the DMARC policy to 'quarantine' or 'reject' to improve deliverability and protect against domain abuse.
3 Mar 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks advises setting up a separate infrastructure, including a different domain, for cold emails if they are being sent on the same domain as the corporate domain. They also mention that Google Postmaster data doesn't include information for Google Workspace accounts, only @gmail.com addresses.
13 Jul 2022 - Email Geeks
4 technical articles
Diagnosing and resolving email deliverability issues involves several key technical aspects. Verifying sender authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial to establish trust with receiving mail servers and prevent spoofing. Analyzing Non-Delivery Reports (NDRs) helps identify delivery failures caused by issues like incorrect addresses or full mailboxes. Implementing DMARC protects against spoofing and phishing by providing a policy for handling emails that fail authentication checks. Monitoring domain reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools is also important for identifying and addressing potential deliverability problems.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help emphasizes verifying sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), avoiding sending unsolicited email, and monitoring your domain's reputation using Google Postmaster Tools to diagnose deliverability issues.
16 Feb 2025 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article
Documentation from RFC explains that SPF records help prevent email spoofing by specifying which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. Configuring SPF correctly is crucial for improving email deliverability.
12 Apr 2024 - RFC
How are email bounce rates calculated and what is considered a good bounce rate?
How can I accurately test and measure email deliverability and sender reputation?
How can I improve my email and domain reputation and overall deliverability?
How can you improve a bad domain reputation for email sending?
How do DMARC, spam complaints, and IP reputation affect email deliverability and rejections?
How do I troubleshoot email bounce messages?
What are common causes of email deliverability problems with Outlook.com?
What are the best tools and methods to measure email deliverability outside of campaign metrics, like GlockApps?
What are the deliverability challenges and risks associated with sending cold emails?
Why are my emails suddenly going to spam in Gmail?