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Summary

Recovering a poor domain reputation with Gmail requires a strategic, multifaceted approach, focusing heavily on recipient engagement and careful sending practices. It is not simply a matter of volume or technical setup, but also about the quality and relevance of your email content and audience. Monitoring key metrics through tools like Google Postmaster Tools is crucial for understanding the problem and tracking progress.

What email marketers say

Email marketers often find themselves grappling with declining Gmail domain reputation, which typically manifests as emails landing in the spam folder rather than outright rejections. Their discussions highlight the importance of starting with extremely low sending volumes to highly engaged users and meticulously cleaning mailing lists to address the underlying causes of poor reputation.

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that the core strategy for recovery is to pause sending for a few days to reset, then resume very slowly with the most active and engaged recipients. This helps in rebuilding a positive sending history with Gmail. The goal is to demonstrate consistent positive engagement from a healthy portion of your list before gradually expanding your audience.

08 Jun 2020 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

An email marketer from a forum points out that determining if emails are going to spam or just the promotions tab is crucial. Often, marketers confuse the two, but only direct spam placement indicates a severe reputation problem. The promotions tab is a standard Gmail feature, while the spam folder signals that Gmail perceives your messages as unwanted or potentially malicious.

15 Mar 2024 - Reddit

What the experts say

Deliverability experts underscore that Gmail's reputation assessment goes beyond simple scores, emphasizing user engagement as a dominant factor. They advise diagnosing the specific type of problem (e.g., rejections vs. spam folder placement) and using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to gain insights into Gmail's perception of the sender. The underlying cause, whether technical or list-related, must be identified for effective recovery.

Expert view

Deliverability expert from Email Geeks explains that understanding whether your emails are being blocked at the SMTP level (rejected before delivery) or simply routed to the spam folder is a fundamental diagnostic step. The recovery strategy differs significantly for each scenario. Outright blocks often point to severe reputation issues, whereas spam folder placement might indicate content or engagement problems.

08 Jun 2020 - Email Geeks

Expert view

An expert from SpamResource recommends addressing the root cause of a reputation issue. If the decline was due to sending to a poor quality list, simply reducing volume will not fix the underlying problem without also cleaning the list. A thorough audit of sending practices, content, and list acquisition methods is essential.

12 Apr 2023 - SpamResource

What the documentation says

Official documentation from email providers and industry bodies consistently highlights the foundational elements of good sending practices required to build and maintain domain reputation. These include robust authentication, monitoring feedback loops, and maintaining high user engagement through relevant content. Adherence to these guidelines is not just recommended, but often mandated for optimal inbox placement.

Technical article

Google's guidelines state that all senders must implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for outbound emails. These authentication methods verify sender identity and are critical for building and maintaining domain trust with Gmail's filtering systems. Failure to properly authenticate can severely impact deliverability, leading to messages being rejected or sent to spam.

01 Feb 2024 - Google Sender Guidelines

Technical article

Google Postmaster Tools documentation highlights the importance of monitoring the spam rate dashboard. Maintaining a spam rate below 0.1% is crucial for good sender reputation, while rates at 0.3% or higher can significantly impact deliverability. This metric is a direct indicator of recipient perception and a primary signal for Gmail's filters.

01 Feb 2024 - Google Postmaster Tools Help

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