Summary
Since January 2021, Yahoo has implemented changes impacting email marketers, particularly those in sectors like right-wing political news, fintech, and affiliate marketing, which saw decreased open rates and inbox placement. While some experienced no significant changes, a general drop in performance was observed. The key is to focus on maintaining a strong sender reputation through email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), consistent sending IP addresses, low spam complaint rates, easy unsubscribe options, list hygiene, and engaging, personalized content. Active monitoring of Yahoo's postmaster tools and close attention to engagement metrics for Yahoo recipients is essential to adapt to their evolving filtering criteria.
Key findings
- Sector-Specific Impact: Political, fintech, and affiliate marketing emails experienced a notable decrease in open rates and inboxing on Yahoo after January 2021.
- Authentication is Critical: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are vital for authenticating emails and preventing spoofing, directly impacting deliverability to Yahoo inboxes.
- Engagement Matters More: Yahoo is placing increased emphasis on engagement metrics (opens, clicks) when determining inbox placement.
- Low Complaint Threshold: Maintaining an extremely low spam complaint rate (below 0.1%) is crucial to avoid filtering by Yahoo.
- Mixed Experiences: While some senders saw significant negative changes, others experienced minimal impact, highlighting the variability of Yahoo's filtering.
Key considerations
- Implement Robust Authentication: Ensure proper implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify sender identity and improve deliverability.
- Monitor Engagement Metrics: Closely monitor open rates, click-through rates, and other engagement metrics specifically for Yahoo recipients.
- Clean and Segment Lists: Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive subscribers and segment your audience to send more targeted and engaging content.
- Actively Suppress Complainants: Actively suppress subscribers who mark your emails as spam and consider using confirmed opt-in methods to minimize complaints.
- Monitor Postmaster Tools: Utilize Yahoo's postmaster tools for feedback loops and deliverability data to identify and address potential issues.
- Maintain Consistent Sending IP: Maintain consistent sending IP addresses as it helps to improve sender reputation and Yahoo deliverability
- Provide Unsubscribe Options: Ensure easy unsubscribe options are available for users to select, as it improves deliverability for Yahoo inboxes
What email marketers say
14 marketer opinions
Since January 2021, Yahoo has implemented changes affecting email marketers, particularly impacting certain sectors such as right-wing political news, fintech, and affiliate marketing, which saw a decrease in open rates and inbox placement. While some senders experienced no noticeable changes, others noted a general drop in open rates. Experts recommend focusing on maintaining a good sender reputation, authenticating emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), personalizing content, avoiding spam triggers, cleaning email lists, and actively monitoring Yahoo's postmaster tools and engagement metrics to adapt to Yahoo's evolving filtering criteria.
Key opinions
- Deliverability Impact: Certain industries (political, fintech, affiliates) saw significant drops in open rates and inbox placement post-January 2021 on Yahoo.
- Mixed Results: Some senders observed no major changes in Yahoo data, while others reported a general decline in email performance.
- Importance of Authentication: Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical for maintaining deliverability with Yahoo.
- Engagement Matters: Yahoo seems to be increasingly prioritizing engagement metrics (opens, clicks) for inbox placement.
- List Hygiene Crucial: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list is vital for positive sender reputation and deliverability.
Key considerations
- Monitor Yahoo Postmaster Tools: Actively monitor Yahoo's postmaster tools for feedback loops and deliverability data to identify and address issues promptly.
- Segment and Personalize: Segment your Yahoo audience and personalize content to increase engagement and improve deliverability.
- Maintain Low Complaint Rates: Keep spam complaint rates extremely low to avoid being filtered by Yahoo.
- Adapt to Changes: Stay informed about Yahoo's filtering criteria and adapt your email strategies accordingly to minimize negative impacts.
- Double Check SPF/DKIM: Constantly monitor SPF/DKIM records for any issues, as they are crucial for deliverability.
Marketer view
Email marketer from EmailGeeks confirms that Return Path (Validity) also observed similar issues across their clients and contacted VMG but received no response. URL: existing chat logs provided.
5 Sep 2021 - EmailGeeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that globally, median opens and inboxing decreased by 5-10% after January 28th, with right-wing political news, fintech marketing, and affiliate marketers experiencing harder drops. ESPs and senders were reluctant to admit issues. Rotating IPs and warming up new ones lead to TSS blocks, with the recommendation to drop traffic and concentrate on re-nurturing flows.
15 Oct 2024 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Since January 2021, Yahoo has increased its focus on spam complaint rates and engagement metrics when filtering emails. Senders must maintain very low complaint rates (below 0.1%) and prioritize high engagement with Yahoo recipients through targeted and personalized content to ensure deliverability.
Key opinions
- Increased Spam Filtering: Yahoo is more aggressively filtering emails based on spam complaint rates since early 2021.
- Engagement Prioritization: Yahoo is placing greater emphasis on engagement metrics (opens, clicks) as a factor in determining inbox placement.
Key considerations
- Maintain Low Complaint Rates: Keep spam complaint rates below 0.1% to avoid being filtered by Yahoo; actively suppress complainants and use confirmed opt-in methods.
- Monitor Engagement: Closely monitor engagement metrics specifically for Yahoo recipients to identify potential deliverability issues.
- Segment and Target Content: Segment Yahoo users and send targeted, engaging content to improve engagement and inbox placement.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise recommends closely monitoring engagement metrics (opens, clicks, etc.) specifically for Yahoo recipients. Since the changes in early 2021, Yahoo appears to be placing more weight on engagement as a factor in determining inbox placement. They also suggest segmenting Yahoo users and sending targeted content to increase engagement.
1 Aug 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource shares that Yahoo has been more aggressively filtering based on spam complaint rates since early 2021. Senders need to maintain extremely low complaint rates (below 0.1%) to ensure deliverability. They also recommend actively suppressing complainants and using confirmed opt-in methods.
4 May 2023 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Since January 2021, Yahoo's email filtering changes emphasize the importance of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve deliverability. Implementing these protocols helps to verify sender authenticity, prevent spoofing, and establish clear guidelines for handling emails that fail authentication checks.
Key findings
- Authentication is Key: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for improving email deliverability to Yahoo inboxes.
- Spoofing Prevention: Implementing these standards helps protect against email spoofing and phishing attacks.
- Compliance is Vital: Meeting Yahoo's guidelines is vital for maintaining good deliverability, especially after changes in early 2021.
Key considerations
- Implement SPF: Implement SPF records to ensure that only authorized mail servers can send emails on behalf of your domain.
- Implement DKIM: Implement DKIM to add a digital signature to outgoing emails, allowing verification of sender authenticity.
- Implement DMARC: Implement a DMARC policy to define how Yahoo should handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks, providing instructions to reject, quarantine, or accept the messages.
Technical article
Documentation from Yahoo Help emphasizes the importance of authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), consistent sending IP addresses, maintaining low spam complaint rates, and providing easy unsubscribe options for maintaining good deliverability to Yahoo inboxes. While this is general information, following these guidelines is vital after the specific changes that happened in early 2021. URL: existing chat logs provided.
25 Sep 2024 - Yahoo Help
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that implementing a DMARC policy helps protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, which can improve Yahoo data by establishing clear guidelines for how Yahoo should handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks.
8 Jun 2022 - DMARC.org
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