How to fix poor Gmail delivery rate and domain reputation?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 5 Aug 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
7 min read
When your emails start consistently landing in spam folders or simply aren't reaching Gmail inboxes, it's a clear sign of poor Gmail delivery and a damaged domain reputation. This can be frustrating, especially when you've invested time in setting up email authentication protocols like DMARC and DKIM, only to see open rates plummet. It feels counterintuitive when compliance is in place but performance worsens.
A significant drop in open rates, from a healthy 30% down to a mere 4%, points to a severe deliverability issue primarily affecting Gmail recipients. While your IP reputation might still hover at "medium," a "bad" domain reputation is a critical signal from Gmail that your sending practices need immediate attention. This indicates that Gmail's systems view your domain as untrustworthy, regardless of the individual IP address.
The core of the problem often lies in how Google perceives user engagement and the quality of your recipient list. If a large percentage of your emails are being filtered to the spam folder, it sends a strong negative signal, even if user-reported spam complaints remain low because users can't report what they don't see.
Recovering from a low domain reputation, especially with a major mailbox provider like Gmail, requires a strategic and patient approach. It's not a quick fix, but a sustained effort focusing on technical alignment and audience engagement. We'll explore actionable steps you can take to rebuild trust and improve your inbox placement.
Understanding your current standing with Gmail
The first step in fixing a poor Gmail delivery rate is to accurately diagnose the problem. This means going beyond basic open rates, which can be misleading due to proxy opens, and delving into the data provided by Google. Your primary tool here is Google Postmaster Tools.
This free service provides valuable insights into your domain's performance with Gmail, including domain and IP reputation, spam rates, feedback loops, and authentication errors. If your domain reputation is listed as "bad" or "low," that's a direct indicator of trouble. Even if your IP reputation is medium, the domain reputation is often the more critical factor for Gmail's filtering decisions. To get a better understanding, you should review your data regularly.
You can verify your sender domain status through Google Postmaster Tools, which offers detailed insights into your domain reputation, spam complaints, and overall sender performance. The data here is crucial for understanding why your emails might be landing in the spam folder, even if your spam complaint rate shows 0%. As some experts point out, this often happens because if all your mail is already going to bulk (spam), users can't report it as spam.
Key reputation signals
Monitoring various metrics is crucial to understanding your standing with Gmail. These signals collectively paint a picture of how trustworthy your sending domain is.
Spam rate: High spam rates indicate that recipients are marking your emails as spam, or Gmail is automatically filtering them.
Domain reputation: This is your domain's trustworthiness based on a history of sending email. A "bad" rating means your emails are likely going straight to spam or being rejected.
IP reputation: While important, Gmail increasingly prioritizes domain reputation, but a poor IP score can still hinder deliverability.
Authentication status: Proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup is fundamental for proving your emails are legitimate.
Strengthening your email foundation
Email authentication is the cornerstone of good deliverability. Gmail, like other major mailbox providers, relies heavily on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify sender identity and prevent spoofing. If your domain reputation has tanked, re-checking these records is paramount, even if you thought they were set up correctly.
An incorrect or incomplete setup can lead to authentication failures, signaling to Gmail that your emails might be illegitimate. For example, if your DMARC record isn't properly configured or aligned with SPF and DKIM, it can cause legitimate emails to fail authentication checks, contributing to a poor reputation. The goal is to ensure your domain is signed correctly and consistently across all sending platforms.
Additionally, consider using subdomains for different types of email sends. For instance, transactional emails might go from transactional.yourdomain.com, while marketing emails use marketing.yourdomain.com. This isolates reputation, preventing a dip in marketing deliverability from affecting critical transactional messages. It's an effective way to improve overall email deliverability.
One of the most impactful strategies for improving your Gmail delivery rate and domain reputation (or blocklist status) is focusing on your recipient list and engagement. Sending emails to unengaged or invalid addresses signals to Gmail that your emails are unwanted, leading to reputation damage. This includes recipients who haven't opened or clicked in a long time.
Segment your list to send primarily to your most engaged subscribers. Start with those who have opened or clicked your emails recently, as these are the "inboxers" who actively want your mail. This practice sends positive engagement signals to Gmail, gradually helping to rebuild your domain's trust. Focus on delivering relevant and valuable content they signed up for. You can also send a whitelisting campaign to encourage engaged recipients to add your From address to their contact lists, further reinforcing positive signals.
Actively cleaning your email list is also crucial. Regularly remove inactive subscribers and identify invalid addresses. Email validation services can help you identify and purge spam traps, which are a major cause of reputation damage and can lead to your domain being put on a blacklist. Implementing double opt-in for new subscribers is also a highly recommended practice to ensure genuine interest and prevent abuse of your sign-up forms.
Old approach
Sending to everyone: Blasting emails to your entire list, including unengaged subscribers.
Ignoring engagement: Not segmenting based on opens or clicks, leading to low interaction.
Lack of verification: Not regularly cleaning your list of invalid or problematic addresses.
New approach
Segmenting engaged users: Targeting only those who have recently opened or clicked, sending positive signals.
List hygiene: Regularly validating and cleaning your list to remove unengaged or invalid contacts. This helps you avoid spam traps.
Double opt-in: Ensuring all new subscribers confirm their interest, reducing the likelihood of complaints.
Sustained recovery and monitoring
Once you've addressed technical issues and optimized your list, the recovery process requires patience and consistent positive sending behavior. Gmail's reputation system is designed to respond to sustained positive signals, not overnight fixes.
Start by sending small volumes of emails to your most engaged segments and gradually increase volume as your reputation improves. This "warming up" process helps Gmail learn that your emails are wanted and legitimate. It’s critical to avoid going back to sending to the entire list prematurely, as this can undo your progress and further damage your reputation.
Continuous monitoring of your Postmaster Tools data is essential. Pay close attention to your domain reputation, spam rates, and delivery errors. If you see signs of being added to a blocklist (or blacklist), address it immediately. Remember, the goal is to consistently demonstrate that you are a responsible sender who delivers valuable content to willing recipients.
If you are struggling to recover, consulting Gmail's sender guidelines can provide further insight into their requirements and best practices for email senders. Sustaining good practices is key to maintaining a healthy relationship with mailbox providers.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Actively use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain and IP reputation, as well as spam complaint rates.
Segment your email list to focus sending only to your most engaged subscribers who consistently open or click your emails.
Implement double opt-in for all new subscribers to ensure high-quality, genuinely interested contacts on your list.
Regularly clean your email list by removing inactive subscribers, invalid addresses, and known spam traps.
Send a whitelisting campaign to encourage recipients to add your email address to their contacts, improving inboxing.
Common pitfalls
Continuing to send to an entire unsegmented list, especially after seeing a drop in deliverability.
Assuming zero spam complaints mean no deliverability issues, when emails might be going straight to the spam folder.
Attempting to speed up reputation repair with aggressive sending instead of a patient, consistent approach.
Ignoring Google Postmaster Tools data or misinterpreting the meaning of a 'bad' domain reputation.
Failing to regularly verify and clean email lists, which leads to bounces and spam trap hits.
Expert tips
A low open rate can indicate that emails are being routed to the spam folder, not that recipients are necessarily unengaged.
Prioritize sending to 'inboxers' – those who have previously engaged – to rebuild domain reputation with positive signals.
Focus on long-term, consistent positive sending behavior, as there's no way to rapidly speed up reputation recovery with Gmail.
Be aware that Google uses proxies for opens, meaning raw open rates might not perfectly reflect true engagement.
Isolate different email streams (e.g., transactional vs. marketing) onto separate subdomains to manage reputation independently.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that if you see spikes around the days you are sending newsletters, the list likely needs a significant cleanup more than just segmenting to recently engaged users. They also suggest auditing opt-in forms and implementing double opt-in moving forward to secure your acquisition.
Oct 9, 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that if all your mail is going to the bulk folder, complaints will naturally be zero because recipients won't see the emails to report them.
Oct 9, 2024 - Email Geeks
Rebuilding trust and restoring inbox placement
Fixing a poor Gmail delivery rate and a bad domain reputation is a multi-faceted challenge that demands a strategic and patient approach. It's not about quick fixes but about consistently demonstrating to Gmail that you are a legitimate sender sending valuable, wanted content. This involves a combination of technical diligence, rigorous list hygiene, and a strong focus on recipient engagement.
By leveraging tools like Google Postmaster Tools, maintaining proper email authentication, segmenting your audience based on engagement, and continuously monitoring your performance, you can gradually rebuild trust and restore your inbox placement. Remember, a healthy domain reputation is built on sustained positive sending practices.
Gmail inboxes, it's a clear sign of poor Gmail delivery and a damaged domain reputation. This can be frustrating, especially when you've invested time in setting up email authentication protocols like DMARC and DKIM, only to see open rates plummet. It feels counterintuitive when compliance is in place but performance worsens.
Google perceives user engagement and the quality of your recipient list. If a large percentage of your emails are being filtered to the spam folder, it sends a strong negative signal, even if user-reported spam complaints remain low because users can't report what they don't see.
