Summary
To resolve email deliverability issues and improve sender reputation, both marketers and official documentation highlight the importance of a multi-faceted approach. Key aspects include rigorous list hygiene practices such as double opt-in, regular scrubbing of inactive subscribers, and avoiding purchased lists. Email authentication via SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential to verify sender identity and prevent spoofing. Sending relevant, personalized content to segmented audiences enhances engagement. Proactive deliverability management, involving auditing email practices, setting stakeholder expectations, and continuously monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools and feedback loops, is crucial. Other considerations include securing signup forms, configuring reverse DNS, complying with anti-spam regulations, and providing easy unsubscribe options.
Key findings
- List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list through double opt-in, regular scrubbing, and avoiding purchased lists is paramount.
- Email Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for verifying sender identity and improving deliverability rates.
- Proactive Deliverability: A proactive approach, involving regular audits, planning, and continuous monitoring, is crucial for long-term deliverability success.
- Content and Segmentation: Delivering relevant, personalized content to segmented audiences increases engagement and reduces spam complaints.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring sender reputation through Google Postmaster Tools, blacklists, and feedback loops helps identify and address deliverability issues promptly.
Key considerations
- Signup Form Security: Protect signup forms from abuse using CAPTCHA or honeypots to prevent spam signups and maintain list quality.
- Reverse DNS: Properly configure reverse DNS so that sending IP addresses resolve back to the sending domain, enhancing credibility.
- Anti-Spam Compliance: Comply with anti-spam regulations like CAN-SPAM to avoid penalties and maintain a positive sender reputation.
- Unsubscribe Options: Provide clear and easy-to-use unsubscribe options to maintain a healthy and engaged subscriber base.
- Feedback Loops: Implement and actively monitor feedback loops with major ISPs to promptly identify and remove subscribers who mark emails as spam.
- Email Surveys: Capture emails in surveys at the end and make optional to reduce invalid entries.
What email marketers say
14 marketer opinions
To resolve email deliverability issues and improve sender reputation, marketers and experts emphasize several key areas. List hygiene is critical, including using double opt-in, regularly cleaning the list by removing inactive subscribers and invalid emails, and avoiding purchased lists. Email authentication through SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential. Sending relevant, personalized content and segmenting the audience are also important. Monitoring sender reputation via tools like Google Postmaster Tools, checking blacklists, analyzing bounce rates and spam complaints is advised. Other considerations include ensuring signup forms are protected against abuse (e.g., using CAPTCHA or honeypots), configuring reverse DNS, sending RFC compliant email, and providing easy ways for users to unsubscribe. Reducing sending volume initially, focusing on engagement, and using feedback loops can also assist in improving deliverability.
Key opinions
- List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean email list by using double opt-in, removing inactive subscribers, and avoiding purchased lists is crucial for good deliverability.
- Email Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential to verify the authenticity of your emails and improve sender reputation.
- Content Relevance: Sending relevant and personalized content to segmented audiences increases engagement and improves deliverability.
- Sender Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and check blacklists and spam complaints to identify and address issues.
Key considerations
- Signup Form Security: Protect signup forms against abuse using CAPTCHA or honeypots to prevent spam signups.
- Reverse DNS Configuration: Ensure proper configuration of reverse DNS so that sending IP addresses resolve back to your sending domain.
- RFC Compliance: Send RFC-compliant email to avoid being flagged as spam.
- Unsubscribe Options: Provide easy and accessible ways for subscribers to unsubscribe from your email list.
- Feedback Loops: Implement and monitor feedback loops with major ISPs to identify and remove problematic subscribers based on spam complaints.
- Email Surveys: If conducting surveys, make email capture optional or capture at the end to ensure accurate information is collected from users.
Marketer view
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that improving email deliverability requires focusing on list segmentation, personalization, and sending relevant content to your subscribers. They also emphasize the importance of cleaning your email list regularly and monitoring your sender reputation.
17 Jan 2024 - HubSpot
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that Gmail will not block based on a SORBS listing. They use their own metrics to block. Suggests starting with Google Postmaster Tools and see where you’re at. Explains if Google is blocking you, it’s because their users are telling them your mail is unwanted and it’s all about your list and how you add emails to it.
23 Apr 2023 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Experts emphasize a proactive approach to email deliverability management, which includes setting clear expectations, auditing current practices, identifying gaps, and creating a plan for improvement. Continuous monitoring of sender reputation, by regularly checking blacklists, analyzing bounce rates, and tracking spam complaints, is crucial. Implementing and actively monitoring feedback loops with major ISPs is also recommended to promptly address spam complaints and maintain a healthy sender reputation.
Key opinions
- Proactive Management: Proactive deliverability management is essential for long-term success, involving a structured approach to planning, implementation, and monitoring.
- Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitoring sender reputation through blacklists, bounce rates, and spam complaints is critical for identifying deliverability issues.
- Feedback Loops: Implementing and monitoring feedback loops with ISPs helps to identify and remove problematic subscribers, preventing further damage to sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Stakeholder Expectations: Set realistic expectations with stakeholders regarding email deliverability and the efforts required to maintain a positive reputation.
- Comprehensive Audits: Conduct thorough audits of current email practices to identify weaknesses and areas for improvement.
- Continuous Improvement: Email deliverability is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and adjustments to maintain a positive sender reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource explains that monitoring your sender reputation is crucial for identifying and addressing deliverability issues. This involves regularly checking blacklists, analyzing bounce rates, and tracking spam complaints to ensure your emails reach the intended recipients.
28 Jun 2023 - Spamresource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise shares the need to implement and actively monitor feedback loops (FBLs) with major ISPs. Feedback loops provide valuable data on spam complaints, allowing you to quickly identify and remove problematic subscribers from your list, thus preventing further damage to your sender reputation.
2 Aug 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Official documentation emphasizes email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC as a primary step to ensure deliverability. Maintaining a consistent sending IP address and volume, along with monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools and SendGrid's platform, is also crucial. Proper configuration of sending infrastructure, compliance with anti-spam regulations (e.g., CAN-SPAM), segmenting email lists, and personalizing messages are recommended for improving email deliverability and mitigating email spoofing.
Key findings
- Email Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC): Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is a fundamental requirement to authenticate your email and improve deliverability.
- Sender Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools and SendGrid's platform provides insights into deliverability issues.
- Consistent Sending Practices: Maintaining a consistent sending IP address and volume helps establish trust with email providers.
- Email Spoofing Protection: SPF and other authentication methods protect against email spoofing and phishing attacks by verifying the sender's domain.
Key considerations
- Dedicated IP Address: Using a dedicated IP address can provide greater control over sender reputation and deliverability.
- Anti-Spam Compliance: Complying with anti-spam regulations such as CAN-SPAM is essential to avoid penalties and maintain a positive sender reputation.
- List Segmentation & Personalization: Segmenting email lists and personalizing messages can improve engagement and deliverability.
- Infrastructure Configuration: Properly configuring sending infrastructure ensures emails are delivered correctly and efficiently.
Technical article
Documentation from SendGrid explains that implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are crucial for verifying your email's authenticity and improving deliverability. They also recommend using a dedicated IP address and monitoring your sending reputation through their platform.
9 Jan 2025 - SendGrid Documentation
Technical article
Documentation from RFC explains that Sender Policy Framework (SPF) for Authorizing Use of Domains in Email, Version 1 is to define a mechanism that permits explicit authorization of hosts to send mail with a domain. This mechanism aims to supplement existing mechanisms to reduce the problem of email address forgery and spam, and it is independent of the transport protocol. Email address forgery (also known as "email spoofing") occurs when the sender address of an email is altered to appear as if the email was sent by someone other than the actual sender. Email spoofing has become a large problem on the Internet, as it enables "phishing" (attempting to acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity). Email spoofing is also used by spammers, since forging the sender's address increases the difficulty of tracing the spam to its source, and reduces the effectiveness of blacklists.
29 Oct 2023 - RFC
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