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How do I troubleshoot delivery errors and TempFail messages in Klaviyo when using Gmail?

Summary

Troubleshooting delivery errors and TempFail messages in Klaviyo when using Gmail involves a multi-faceted approach. Start by examining delivery logs for Gmail-specific errors, accessible via tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and analyze bounce reasons within Klaviyo. Temporary failures are frequently due to full mailboxes or server unavailability, suggesting retry logic. Authentication via SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial, along with maintaining a positive sender reputation. Analyzing email content for spam triggers and avoiding flagged links is essential. Check your IP against blacklists. Utilize email previews across various clients, including Gmail, and understand SMTP error codes to diagnose issues. Ensure proper list hygiene and dedicated sending domains for optimal deliverability.

Key findings

  • Delivery Log Analysis: Examine delivery logs for Google-specific errors (using 'gsmtp' filter) to understand rejection reasons.
  • Authentication Protocols: Properly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing.
  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation is vital, involving monitoring IP and domain reputation and addressing spam complaints.
  • Temporary Failures: TempFail messages often stem from temporary issues like full mailboxes or server unavailability; implement retry logic.
  • Content Analysis: Analyze email content for spam triggers and flagged links that might cause emails to be marked as spam.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses, enhancing sender reputation.
  • Bounce Types: Differentiate between hard and soft bounces to better understand the nature and persistence of delivery failures.

Key considerations

  • Klaviyo-Specific Diagnostics: Utilize Klaviyo’s bounce analysis features and consider contacting Klaviyo support for issues not readily apparent.
  • Google Postmaster Tools: Implement and actively monitor Google Postmaster Tools for insights into deliverability and sender reputation.
  • SMTP Error Codes: Learn and interpret SMTP error codes for granular diagnostic information on delivery failures.
  • Segmentation: Consider segment-specific deliverability issues; problems might stem from specific content or segments.
  • Testing: Use email previews across various clients, and spam testing tools, to identify and resolve rendering or content-related issues.
  • Blacklist Monitoring: Regularly check your sending IP against blacklists and take steps to be removed if listed.
  • Dedicated Sending Domain: Set up and properly configure a dedicated sending domain to improve authentication and sender reputation.

What email marketers say

12 marketer opinions

Troubleshooting delivery errors and TempFail messages in Klaviyo when sending to Gmail involves several key areas. Firstly, examine bounce reasons within Klaviyo and Google Postmaster Tools to understand specific issues like mailbox full or reputation problems. Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) must be properly configured and validated to prevent emails from being marked as spam. Monitoring and maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial, including checking for blacklisting and addressing spam complaints. Content analysis is necessary to avoid spam trigger words, and link tracking should be scrutinized to ensure no flagged links are used. Implementing retry logic for TempFail errors can help, and cleaning email lists to remove inactive addresses improves sender reputation. Reviewing email previews across different clients can also reveal client-specific issues that impact deliverability. Understanding SMTP error codes provides further insights into delivery failures.

Key opinions

  • Bounce Reason Analysis: Examine bounce reasons in Klaviyo and Google Postmaster Tools to identify specific delivery issues, such as mailbox full or reputation problems.
  • Authentication: Properly configure and validate SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to prevent emails from being marked as spam. Use online tools to check record validity.
  • Sender Reputation: Monitor and maintain a good sender reputation by checking for blacklisting, addressing spam complaints, and ensuring a clean IP address.
  • Temporary Errors: TempFail messages are often temporary, caused by issues like full mailboxes or unavailable servers. Implementing retry logic for resending can resolve these.
  • Content Analysis: Analyze email content for spam triggers and avoid certain words or phrases that can cause emails to be marked as spam.

Key considerations

  • Klaviyo Specifics: Utilize Klaviyo's features to analyze bounce data and understand specific errors. Contact Klaviyo support for assistance with issues not visible in the interface.
  • Link Tracking: Check any link tracking tools for flagged links that could be causing delivery errors. Remove any problematic links.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid email addresses, improving your sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Client Testing: Test email previews across different email clients (e.g., Gmail) to identify client-specific rendering issues that may affect deliverability.
  • Transient vs. Permanent Errors: Distinguish between transient (temporary) and permanent errors, implementing retry logic for transient issues and addressing root causes of permanent problems.

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that specific links in emails may be reported in other emails for Gmail recipients and is flagging the email. Suggesting to check if the client is using a link tracking tool flagged as spam and removing the link.

21 May 2024 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips Blog shares to analyze your email content for spam triggers. Certain words or phrases can cause emails to be marked as spam. Test your emails using spam testing tools to identify and remove potential spam triggers.

7 Feb 2024 - Email Marketing Tips Blog

What the experts say

7 expert opinions

Troubleshooting delivery errors and TempFail messages from Klaviyo to Gmail involves several diagnostic steps. Examining delivery logs for rejections, especially filtering for 'gsmtp' will show Google-specific errors. Understand if rejections happen before or after 'DATA' in the SMTP transaction to determine if it's a content-related issue. Remember Gmail mailbox full failures are often temporary. Essential steps include ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify sender identity and prevent spoofing and maintaining a strong sender reputation, monitoring IP and domain, and addressing spam complaints to avoid TempFail messages. The problems are less likely to be a Klaviyo issue, and more likely to be a specific email or user related problem.

Key opinions

  • Delivery Log Analysis: Examine delivery logs for rejections, especially filtering for 'gsmtp' to reveal Google-specific errors and reasons for delivery failures.
  • SMTP Transaction Stage: Determine at which stage of the SMTP transaction the rejection occurs (before or after 'DATA') to understand if content is the cause.
  • Temporary Mailbox Issues: Recognize that Gmail mailbox full failures are often temporary and may resolve themselves as users clean out their storage.
  • Authentication Importance: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify sender identity and prevent spoofing, thereby reducing the risk of emails being flagged as spam.
  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation is critical, including monitoring IP and domain reputation and addressing spam complaints.
  • Issue Specificity: Issues are less likely to be a Klaviyo problem, and more likely a problem with a specific email or user.

Key considerations

  • Log Access: Ensure you have access to delivery logs and understand how to interpret the error messages provided by Google.
  • Content Review: If rejections occur after 'DATA', carefully review email content for potential spam triggers or problematic elements.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitor your sender reputation and take proactive steps to address any negative feedback or blacklisting.
  • Authentication Verification: Verify that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured and validated using online tools.
  • Segmentation: If only a small segment of users are affected, investigate commonalities within that segment (e.g., content preferences, location) that might trigger blocks.

Expert view

Expert from Wordtothewise.com shares that maintaining a good sender reputation is vital for ensuring email delivery to Gmail. Monitoring your IP address and domain reputation, and addressing any negative feedback loops (spam complaints) is critical for preventing TempFail messages.

21 Dec 2023 - Wordtothewise.com

Expert view

Expert from Spamresource.com explains the importance of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) in ensuring email deliverability. They note that properly configured authentication mechanisms help verify the sender's identity and prevent spoofing, reducing the likelihood of emails being flagged as spam and encountering delivery errors.

3 Jan 2023 - Spamresource.com

What the documentation says

5 technical articles

Troubleshooting email delivery errors and TempFail messages in Klaviyo when using Gmail, according to the provided documentation, involves understanding bounce types, identifying common causes for bounces and delays, monitoring domain reputation, interpreting SMTP status codes, and setting up a dedicated sending domain. High bounce rates can negatively impact sender reputation, so it's crucial to monitor these rates within Klaviyo. Common causes for bounces include full mailboxes, unavailable email servers, and large messages. Utilizing Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain's reputation can help identify spam complaints, IP reputation issues, and authentication problems. Understanding SMTP enhanced status codes can help pinpoint the specific reason for delivery failures. Setting up a dedicated sending domain in Klaviyo allows you to build and protect your sending reputation, and improves email authentication.

Key findings

  • Bounce Types: Bounces are categorized as hard (permanent failures) or soft (temporary issues). Monitor bounce rates in Klaviyo to assess sender reputation.
  • Common Causes: Common reasons for bounces include full mailboxes, unavailable servers, and oversized messages. Checking recipient addresses is also important.
  • Domain Reputation: Google Postmaster Tools can be used to monitor domain reputation, identifying spam complaints, IP reputation issues, and authentication problems.
  • SMTP Status Codes: Understanding SMTP enhanced status codes provides detailed information about email delivery failures, such as mailbox full (5.2.2) or policy rejection (5.7.1).
  • Dedicated Sending Domain: Setting up a dedicated sending domain builds and protects sender reputation, enhancing email authentication and reducing spam likelihood.

Key considerations

  • Klaviyo Analytics: Regularly monitor Klaviyo's bounce rate analytics to identify potential deliverability issues.
  • Recipient Validation: Check recipient email addresses for errors before sending to reduce bounce rates.
  • Postmaster Tools Implementation: Implement and regularly check Google Postmaster Tools for insights into domain reputation and deliverability issues.
  • Code Interpretation: Learn to interpret SMTP enhanced status codes to diagnose specific delivery problems.
  • Domain Setup: Set up a dedicated sending domain within Klaviyo to improve authentication and sender reputation.

Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor states to understand SMTP enhanced status codes, which provide detailed information about why an email delivery failed. These codes can help pinpoint the specific issue, such as a mailbox being full (5.2.2) or a policy rejection (5.7.1).

29 Mar 2022 - RFC Editor

Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools recommends using the tool to monitor your domain's reputation and identify potential delivery issues. This can include spam complaints, IP reputation, and authentication problems, all of which can contribute to delivery errors and TempFail messages.

9 Sep 2021 - Google

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