Summary
Repairing a client's Gmail sender reputation after a migration and sending issues is a multifaceted process. It requires a strategic combination of technical adjustments, sending behavior modifications, and consistent monitoring. The core strategy involves email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to establish trust, a slow and deliberate IP warm-up, targeting highly engaged users and a period of reduced or no sending to Gmail addresses to reset reputation. List cleaning, removing inactive subscribers, and managing bounces are essential. Continuous monitoring of deliverability metrics, such as spam complaints, blocklist status, and engagement, is critical for identifying and addressing ongoing issues. Providing valuable and wanted content to subscribers ensures high engagement and minimizes spam complaints. Submitting a support ticket to Gmail is advised, outlining the steps taken to correct the issues. Solving problems before removing from blocklists. It is recommended to focus on wanted emails.
Key findings
- Authentication is Crucial: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is fundamental for establishing trust and preventing spoofing.
- Warming up is Essential: Gradually warming up the IP address and domain reputation is critical for new setups and for regaining trust.
- Engagement Matters: Focusing on sending to highly engaged users, providing valuable content, and soliciting feedback can improve deliverability.
- List Hygiene is Key: Regularly cleaning the email list and removing inactive subscribers reduces bounces and complaints.
- Monitoring is Vital: Continuously monitoring deliverability metrics and using tools like Google Postmaster Tools allows for quick identification and resolution of issues.
- Resolution is Important: Address root issues of deliverability to prevent relisting on blocklists.
Key considerations
- Time Commitment: Repairing sender reputation is a gradual process that requires consistent effort over weeks or months.
- Technical Expertise: Setting up and maintaining email authentication requires technical expertise and attention to detail.
- Content Strategy: Develop a content strategy that provides value to subscribers and encourages engagement.
- Segmentation is Important: Segment and tailor sending based on audience segments and their engagement.
- Gmail support: Provide Gmail support ticket so they can volume review.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Repairing a client's Gmail sender reputation after migration and sending issues requires a multi-faceted approach. It involves stopping sending to Gmail recipients for a cooling-off period, followed by a gradual warm-up targeting highly engaged users. Cleaning the email list, managing bounces, and implementing proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are crucial. Submitting a support ticket to Gmail with a summary of the issue and corrective steps is also recommended. Consistent monitoring of deliverability metrics using tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and focusing on increasing email engagement through relevant and engaging content, are vital for long-term reputation recovery.
Key opinions
- Warm-up is Critical: Gradually warm up the IP address by slowly increasing sending volume to engaged users.
- Authentication Matters: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for proving legitimacy to Gmail.
- Clean Your List: Removing inactive and unengaged subscribers improves deliverability by reducing bounces and complaints.
- Engagement is Key: Focus on sending engaging content to active subscribers to improve engagement metrics.
- Monitor Deliverability: Track key deliverability metrics like bounces, complaints, and blocklists to identify and address issues promptly.
- Cooling Off Period: A period of no sending to Gmail is often needed to allow reputation to recover.
Key considerations
- Time Investment: Reputation recovery is a long-term process that can take several weeks or months.
- List Segmentation: Segmenting the email list and targeting highly engaged users during warm-up is crucial.
- Content Quality: Ensuring high-quality and relevant content is important to maintain engagement and avoid spam complaints.
- Support Tickets: Leverage Gmail Support tickets to get help, providing a summary of the issue and actions you are taking to correct the problem.
- Double Opt-in: Implement a double opt-in process to ensure that only legitimate subscribers are added to the list.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that sender reputation is based on factors like email volume, spam complaints, and engagement. They advise warming up your IP address gradually after a migration and monitoring your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
4 Nov 2023 - Mailjet
Marketer view
Email marketer from GMass answers that improving email deliverability involves building a positive sender reputation with Gmail. They suggest warming up the IP address by gradually increasing sending volume, cleaning the email list and only sending to users who have engaged recently and authenticating the email using SPF and DKIM.
13 Nov 2024 - GMass
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Repairing a client's Gmail sender reputation after a migration involves focusing on sending wanted email to engaged users and avoiding spam. Key actions include targeting recent openers/clickers, addressing the root causes of blocklistings (such as spam complaints), and monitoring deliverability metrics like blocklist status, spam trap hits, complaint rates, and authentication. Addressing these issues and trends will contribute to restoring a positive sender reputation with Gmail.
Key opinions
- Send Wanted Mail: Focus on sending email that users actively want to receive and that consistently lands in their inbox.
- Target Engaged Users: Prioritize sending to recent openers/clickers to signal positive engagement to Gmail.
- Address Blocklistings: Investigate and resolve the underlying causes of blocklistings, such as spam traps or excessive complaints.
- Monitor Metrics: Track deliverability metrics (blocklists, spam traps, complaint rates, authentication) to identify and address problems.
Key considerations
- Underlying Issues: Address the root causes of deliverability problems before attempting to remove yourself from blocklists.
- Engagement Strategy: Develop a strategy to consistently provide valuable and engaging content to your subscribers.
- Reputation Recovery: Be aware that recovering sender reputation is a gradual process that requires sustained effort and monitoring.
- Authentication: Ensure that email authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are correctly implemented and configured.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that to repair a client's Gmail reputation, they need to send mail that goes to the inbox, is wanted by users, and stop sending mail that goes to spam.
17 Aug 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that important deliverability metrics to monitor are blocklists, spam trap hits, complaint rates, and authentication issues (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Analyzing trends in these metrics can help pinpoint problems affecting sender reputation and highlight areas for improvement.
3 Sep 2021 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Improving Gmail sender reputation involves proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These standards ensure that emails are genuinely sent from the claimed domain, preventing spoofing and phishing. Maintaining a low spam rate and adhering to Gmail's guidelines are crucial complements. Specifically, SPF identifies authorized mail servers, DKIM signs emails for verification, and DMARC instructs email receivers on handling unauthenticated emails.
Key findings
- SPF Authentication: SPF records specify authorized mail servers for your domain, preventing spoofing.
- DKIM Authentication: DKIM signs email messages, allowing recipients to verify the sender's authenticity.
- DMARC Policy: DMARC provides a framework for handling unauthenticated emails, enhancing domain security.
- Gmail Guidelines: Adhering to Gmail's sender guidelines and maintaining a low spam rate is critical for deliverability.
Key considerations
- Implementation Complexity: Setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC requires technical expertise and careful configuration.
- Ongoing Maintenance: Regularly review and update authentication records to reflect changes in sending infrastructure.
- Gmail's Best Practices: Stay informed about and follow Gmail's evolving sender guidelines to maintain a good reputation.
- Record Validation: Validate your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records to ensure proper syntax and accurate configurations.
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) helps prevent email spoofing and phishing. They recommend implementing a DMARC policy to instruct email receivers on how to handle unauthenticated emails from your domain.
14 Apr 2024 - DMARC.org
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that to improve deliverability, you should authenticate your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They also recommend maintaining a low spam rate and following Gmail's sender guidelines.
3 Jan 2025 - Google
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