Is Return Path certification worth it for improving email deliverability at Gmail?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 8 Jun 2025
Updated 16 Aug 2025
6 min read
Many email marketers and businesses explore various avenues to ensure their messages reach the inbox, especially with major mailbox providers like Gmail. One question that often arises is the value of Return Path certification (now part of Validity) in boosting Gmail deliverability.
The perception can be complex, with some believing Gmail directly uses this certification, while others emphasize broader sending practices. It's a common misconception that certification acts as a magic bullet to bypass filters or gain preferential treatment. My experience suggests a more nuanced reality.
Understanding Return Path certification and its value
Return Path Certification, now operated under Validity's Everest platform, is a program designed to identify legitimate senders who adhere to best practices. When a sender achieves certification, it signifies that their email program meets stringent criteria for sender reputation, email hygiene, and sending practices. The aim is to build trust with mailbox providers and enhance inbox placement.
While Return Path Certification provides certified senders with a distinct advantage at some participating mailbox providers, Gmail operates differently. Unlike some ISPs that integrate directly with certified lists, Gmail primarily relies on its own sophisticated algorithms to assess sender reputation and determine inbox placement. This means Gmail doesn't explicitly 'whitelist' certified senders in the same way other providers might.
However, the process of obtaining and maintaining Return Path certification can indirectly improve Gmail deliverability. The application process itself requires senders to undergo a rigorous audit of their email program. This often involves cleaning up mailing lists, adhering to strict sending volumes, managing complaint rates, and ensuring proper email authentication. These are all critical factors that Gmail does consider in its reputation algorithms.
The Gmail perspective on certification
Gmail's filtering system is highly dynamic and personalized, focusing heavily on user engagement and historical sending patterns. It analyzes various signals, such as how often recipients open your emails, mark them as spam, or move them to specific folders. A strong positive engagement history with Gmail users is far more influential than any third-party certification.
Google's own documentation and public statements often emphasize that their systems are designed to detect and reward good sending behavior, regardless of whether a sender is part of a commercial certification program. They prioritize the end-user experience, meaning emails that users want to receive and engage with are more likely to reach the inbox. This applies broadly to all incoming mail, not just from certified IPs.
This approach means that while a certification might indicate a sender's commitment to best practices, it doesn't give them a shortcut or guarantee at Gmail. Senders must consistently demonstrate good behavior through their actual sending performance and recipient interactions. Ignoring fundamental deliverability principles, even with certification, will likely still result in poor inbox placement at Gmail.
Key takeaway
The main benefit of Return Path (now Validity) certification for Gmail deliverability often comes from the rigorous cleanup and best practice adherence required for certification. This process inherently improves factors Gmail prioritizes, such as sender reputation and engagement, rather than direct recognition of the certification itself.
Key factors for Gmail deliverability
Achieving excellent email deliverability to Gmail requires a holistic approach that extends beyond any single certification. The foundation lies in robust email authentication, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These protocols verify that your emails are legitimately from your domain and haven't been tampered with. Gmail heavily relies on these checks to prevent phishing and spoofing.
Engagement metrics are paramount. Gmail pays close attention to open rates, click-through rates, replies, and how often users move your emails out of the spam folder or add you to their contacts. Conversely, high spam complaint rates, low engagement, and a high bounce rate will negatively impact your sender reputation and inbox placement.
Content quality and relevance also play a significant role. Emails that are perceived as spammy, contain suspicious links, or use overly promotional language can trigger Gmail's filters. Personalization, clear calls to action, and valuable content help foster positive engagement, signaling to Gmail that your emails are desired by recipients. Regular list hygiene is another non-negotiable aspect. Removing inactive subscribers, hard bounces, and known spam traps from your mailing list ensures you're only sending to engaged recipients. This practice helps maintain a healthy sender reputation and reduces the likelihood of being flagged by spam filters.
Process improvements
List hygiene: Strict requirements for removing invalid or unengaged email addresses, leading to cleaner sending lists.
Authentication setup: Ensures proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, strengthening email security.
Complaint management: Focus on minimizing spam complaints and promptly addressing any issues.
Content quality: Guidelines on avoiding spammy content and maintaining relevance.
Reputation benefits
The efforts required for certification build a strong foundation for your overall email program, resulting in a more positive sender reputation.
Engagement metrics
User interaction: High open rates, click-through rates, and low unsubscribe/spam complaint rates are key indicators.
Consistency: Regular sending patterns with consistent engagement help build long-term trust.
Reply behavior: Recipients replying to your emails signal strong engagement and value.
Forwarding: Emails being forwarded by recipients is another positive signal.
Technical compliance
Gmail prioritizes adherence to email authentication standards and consistently good sending behavior, which can be achieved independently of certification.
For many large-scale senders, especially those dealing with other mailbox providers that do directly leverage certification lists, Return Path (Validity) certification can be a worthwhile investment. It can provide measurable improvements in inbox placement rates and offer valuable data insights from participating ISPs. For instance, certified IP addresses have benefits even if not guaranteed inboxing.
However, if your primary goal is to improve Gmail deliverability, investing heavily in certification might not be the most direct or cost-effective solution. The resources spent on certification could potentially yield greater returns when allocated to fundamental deliverability practices, such as continuous monitoring of Gmail Postmaster Tools, list cleaning, and A/B testing content for engagement.
Ultimately, the decision depends on your specific email program, target audience, and budget. If you are a high-volume sender and your deliverability issues span across multiple providers, certification might be a part of a broader strategy. However, if Gmail (logo google.com) is your main concern, focusing on direct engagement and compliance with Google's guidelines will likely be more impactful.
The reality of certification
Certification doesn't provide a "rubber stamp" that automatically gets your emails into the inbox, especially not at Gmail. The benefit for non-participating mailbox providers comes from the necessary cleanup process, which improves your sending hygiene, rather than direct recognition of the certification itself.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Prioritize email authentication like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to build trust with mailbox providers.
Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive subscribers and reduce bounce rates.
Focus on creating engaging and valuable content that encourages opens and clicks.
Monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools for proactive issue detection.
Neglecting engagement metrics, which are crucial for Gmail's filtering algorithms.
Failing to remove spam traps or unengaged users, leading to reputation damage.
Expecting a "rubber stamp" from a certification program to bypass fundamental deliverability rules.
Expert tips
The process of achieving certification often forces senders to clean up their email program significantly, which is the real driver of deliverability improvements at platforms like Gmail.
If a client insists on certification, let them pursue it; they will soon discover the rigorous cleanup required.
Focus on the core elements of a healthy email program, as these benefits translate across all mailbox providers, including those not directly participating in certification programs.
Collecting data from various providers, like Microsoft and Yahoo, can help signal emerging issues before they escalate into major deliverability problems with Gmail.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says the benefit of certification comes from the cleanup process involved in the application, which makes the whole sending program better, rather not Gmail directly looking at the certification.
March 21, 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that if a client insists on paying for certification, they will discover it's not simple and requires them to clean up their process.
March 21, 2022 - Email Geeks
Final thoughts on Return Path and Gmail
Return Path Certification, now Validity's offering, serves as a powerful framework for improving overall email deliverability. While it does provide direct benefits with participating mailbox providers, its value for Gmail is largely indirect, stemming from the mandatory adherence to best practices during the certification process.
Gmail's focus remains squarely on sender reputation, engagement, and strict adherence to authentication standards. Senders who prioritize a healthy email list, relevant content, and consistent positive user interaction will see the most significant improvements in their Gmail inbox placement, often without needing a third-party certification.
Gmail prioritizes adherence to email authentication standards and consistently good sending behavior, which can be achieved independently of certification.
