Summary
Improving email deliverability in Gmail by sending plain text emails without links to establish sender reputation involves a multifaceted approach that balances technical configurations, list management, content quality, and engagement strategies. Initially, plain text emails can help establish a baseline sender reputation by reducing complexity and avoiding spam filters. However, engagement remains crucial; experts suggest emails without links may hinder validation of recipient interaction and diminish long-term engagement. List hygiene, including removing invalid addresses and unengaged subscribers, is essential for maintaining a positive sender reputation and reducing bounce rates. Technical configurations, such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication, are vital for verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing. Monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools allows for proactive identification of deliverability issues. Other best practices include warming up IP addresses gradually, segmenting email lists for targeted content, avoiding spam trigger words, ensuring accurate sender information, and obtaining explicit consent from recipients.
Key findings
- Initial Deliverability Boost: Sending plain text emails without links can initially improve deliverability by avoiding spam filters and simplifying email structure.
- Engagement Impact: Emails without links may negatively impact engagement and hinder validation of active recipients.
- List Hygiene Importance: Maintaining a clean email list through regular cleaning and the removal of unengaged subscribers is critical for improving deliverability.
- Authentication Protocols: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication are essential for verifying sender identity and improving deliverability.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring sender reputation via Google Postmaster Tools helps in proactively identifying and addressing deliverability issues.
- IP Warmup: Gradually warming up IP addresses is important when starting with a new IP or domain to establish trust with mailbox providers.
Key considerations
- Balancing Short-Term Gains and Long-Term Engagement: Carefully balance the short-term deliverability benefits of plain text emails against the potential negative impacts on long-term engagement.
- Content Quality and Relevance: Prioritize creating high-quality, relevant content to engage subscribers and avoid spam triggers, especially when reintroducing links and images.
- Technical Expertise for Authentication: Ensure proper setup and maintenance of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, which requires technical expertise.
- Continuous Monitoring and Optimization: Continuously monitor and optimize email practices based on feedback from deliverability metrics and Google Postmaster Tools.
- Consent Management Practices: Implement and maintain robust consent management practices to comply with regulations and build trust with subscribers.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Improving email deliverability in Gmail, particularly by sending plain text emails without links to establish sender reputation, involves a multifaceted approach. Initially, sending plain text emails can improve deliverability by reducing complexity and avoiding spam filters, which is useful for establishing a sender reputation. However, engagement is also important. Maintaining good list hygiene by removing inactive subscribers and complainers, using double opt-in, and segmenting your list to send targeted, personalized content are crucial. Warming up your IP address gradually, authenticating emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain reputation are also important. Stripping down emails to diagnose deliverability issues can help identify problematic elements like links or content, which then need to be refined. Consistently providing valuable and relevant content helps avoid spam traps, while avoiding spam trigger words and ensuring accurate sender information further aids deliverability.
Key opinions
- Plain Text Start: Sending plain text emails without links can improve deliverability initially by reducing complexity and bypassing spam filters.
- Sender Reputation: Establishing and maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial and involves consistent sending practices, valuable content, and avoiding spam traps.
- List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning your email list by removing inactive subscribers, using double opt-in, and segmenting your list improves engagement and deliverability.
- Authentication: Authenticating emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for verifying your identity and preventing spoofing.
- Monitoring: Monitoring your domain reputation with tools like Google Postmaster Tools helps identify and address deliverability issues.
- Warming up: Warming up a new IP address or domain by gradually increasing sending volumes is important to establish trust with mailbox providers.
Key considerations
- Engagement vs. Deliverability: While plain text emails improve deliverability initially, engagement metrics, such as click-through rates, remain important for long-term success.
- Content Refinement: If plain text emails improve deliverability, investigate and refine the content, links, and templates of your HTML emails to avoid triggering spam filters.
- Segmentation Strategy: Implement a strong segmentation strategy to send targeted and relevant content, improving engagement and deliverability.
- Link Reintroduction: Plan the reintroduction of links and images carefully after establishing a base sender reputation with plain text emails.
- Content Value: Continuously focus on providing valuable and relevant content to ensure subscribers remain engaged and avoid marking your emails as spam.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Reddit shares that warming up an IP address is essential when starting with a new IP or domain. Start with low sending volumes and gradually increase them over time to establish a good sender reputation with mailbox providers.
5 Dec 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks responds that stripping things down to get delivery is good for determining what exact thing is causing the spam issue, but now there's a whole new problem of why mailbox providers don't like the links, content, template, etc.
23 Oct 2022 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Improving email deliverability, particularly in Gmail when using plain text emails without links to build sender reputation, involves a few key elements. While sending emails without links might offer a temporary boost, it's essential to recognize the long-term implications on engagement, as highlighted by experts. List hygiene, including removing invalid addresses and unengaged subscribers, is crucial for maintaining a positive sender reputation. Additionally, crafting content that avoids spam triggers and aligns with subscriber expectations is vital for preventing emails from being flagged as spam.
Key opinions
- Engagement Impact: Emails without links may negatively affect engagement and hinder validation of active recipients through prefetching.
- List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean email list by removing invalid addresses and unengaged subscribers is critical for improving deliverability.
- Content Relevance: Avoiding spam trigger words and ensuring content relevance helps prevent emails from being flagged as spam.
Key considerations
- Balancing Deliverability and Engagement: Carefully weigh the initial deliverability benefits of plain text emails against the potential long-term impact on engagement metrics and the ability to validate recipient interaction.
- Content Optimization: Focus on crafting content that provides value to subscribers and avoids language that may trigger spam filters.
- Ongoing List Management: Continuously monitor and refine your email list to remove inactive subscribers and maintain a healthy sender reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that list hygiene is essential to improving deliverability. Removing invalid email addresses, unengaged subscribers, and complainers reduces bounce rates and spam complaints, which can positively impact your sender reputation.
18 Nov 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that an email with no links is a bridge that stops halfway across. Plus, with prefetching, it's the first chance to validate people are truly engaging. Mailbox providers say they don't track engagement today, but who knows about tomorrow.
25 Feb 2022 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Improving email deliverability in Gmail involves several technical and practical measures outlined in official documentation. Email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing. Maintaining a clean and up-to-date email list and providing an easy way to unsubscribe helps avoid spam filters. Ensuring accurate sender information, avoiding excessive formatting and large attachments, and obtaining explicit consent from recipients are also crucial steps. Regular monitoring of sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools allows for proactive identification and resolution of deliverability issues. Avoiding sending unsolicited emails is a general guideline highlighted for all email communication.
Key findings
- Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication are critical for verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing.
- List Management: Maintaining a clean and up-to-date email list and providing easy unsubscribe options helps avoid spam filters.
- Sender Information: Accurate sender information and explicit consent are necessary for maintaining deliverability.
- Monitoring: Regular monitoring of sender reputation through Google Postmaster Tools is recommended.
Key considerations
- Technical Implementation: Proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records requires technical expertise and careful attention to detail.
- List Hygiene Practices: Regularly cleaning your email list and promptly processing unsubscribe requests are crucial for maintaining deliverability.
- Content Quality: Avoid using excessive formatting, large attachments, and spam trigger words to ensure your emails are not flagged as spam.
- Consent Management: Obtaining and managing explicit consent from recipients is essential for building trust and avoiding spam complaints.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft Support explains that to keep your emails out of the junk folder, ensure your sender information is accurate, avoid using excessive formatting or large attachments, and obtain explicit consent from recipients to receive your emails.
26 Mar 2023 - Microsoft Support
Technical article
Documentation from Mailjet explains that email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for improving deliverability. It verifies that the email is actually sent from the domain it claims to be from, which helps prevent spoofing and phishing. Properly configured authentication signals to mailbox providers that you're a legitimate sender.
6 Dec 2024 - Mailjet
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