How to interpret flagged identifiers with no spam rate in Gmail Compliance Dashboard?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 14 Jun 2025
Updated 18 Aug 2025
8 min read
Navigating the Gmail Compliance Dashboard can sometimes feel like solving a puzzle, especially when you encounter what seems like conflicting data. A common scenario is seeing flagged identifiers in your Feedback Loop report, but with a blank or 0.0% spam rate, while your main Spam dashboard shows a complaint rate greater than zero for the same period. This discrepancy raises important questions about where your spam complaints are truly originating and how to interpret the data effectively.
This situation can be confusing. Does it mean the flagged identifiers are not causing complaints, and the issues lie elsewhere? Or does it suggest that the complaints are indeed linked to these identifiers, but the data is being reported differently? Let's dive into how you can make sense of this data and take appropriate action to maintain your email deliverability.
Understanding the Gmail Compliance Dashboard
The Gmail Compliance Dashboard, formerly known as Google Postmaster Tools (GPT), offers valuable insights into your email sending reputation and deliverability. One of its key features is the Feedback Loop (FBL) report. This report is designed to help you identify which specific campaigns or segments of your email traffic are generating user complaints. You do this by inserting a unique identifier (Feedback-ID) into your email headers for each different stream of mail you send. When a user marks an email as spam, Google aggregates these complaints based on the Feedback-ID and reports them back to you.
However, with the migration to the new Compliance Dashboard (GPT v2), some users have observed changes in how this data is presented. In the older version of Postmaster Tools, you might have seen a specific spam rate associated with each identifier. In the new interface, it's not uncommon to see flagged identifiers with a blank or zero spam rate field, even when the overall spam rates in the main Spam dashboard are above 0%.
This situation points to a potential reporting nuance or a data aggregation method that differs between the Feedback Loop and the overall Spam rate dashboards. The core issue is to determine if the general spam complaints are stemming from mail that isn't covered by your defined identifiers, or if the identifier reporting simply isn't showing the rate for other reasons.
Why flagged identifiers might show no spam rate
When you observe flagged identifiers with no spam rate in the Feedback Loop, but a non-zero spam rate in the main Spam dashboard, there are a few possible interpretations and causes:
Data aggregation methods: The overall spam rate dashboard reflects all spam complaints against your domain, regardless of whether they have a Feedback-ID. It's possible that the complaints reported there are coming from email streams that you haven't (or can't) assigned an identifier to. This data aggregation can lead to discrepancies.
Thresholds for reporting: Gmail (and other mailbox providers like Yahoo) may have minimum volume or complaint thresholds before displaying a specific spam rate for an identifier. If the complaints for a particular identifier are very low, even if present, they might not be reported as a percentage.
Delayed data updates: While the main spam rate dashboard typically updates daily, granular data like Feedback Loop identifier rates might have a slight delay or be processed on a different schedule, leading to temporary blanks.
Identifier configuration issues: Ensure your Feedback-ID headers are correctly implemented across all your email streams. Incorrect implementation could mean that some complaints are not being attributed to an identifier, leading to blank data.
This means that if your main spam rate is above zero, even if specific identifiers show a blank rate, you still have an issue that needs addressing. The complaints are coming from somewhere, and it's your job to find the source. This is important because Google requires bulk senders to keep their spam rate below 0.1%.
The main spam dashboard
This dashboard provides an overall spam rate for your domain, reflecting all complaints from Gmail users, regardless of specific Feedback-IDs. It's a critical metric for your sender reputation.
Interpreting the discrepancy
Given the potential for blank spam rates on flagged identifiers, your primary focus should be on the overall spam rate in the Spam dashboard. If that rate is above Google's recommended threshold (which is below 0.1%, with a hard limit at 0.3%), you need to act.
Here's how to interpret the situation and identify the true source of your complaints:
Prioritize the overall spam rate: This is the most important metric for deliverability. If it's high, it indicates a problem that affects your entire sending domain. Even if specific identifiers aren't showing a rate, the aggregate data is your primary warning sign.
Review all mail streams: The complaints might be coming from mail that you didn't tag with a Feedback-ID. This could include transactional emails, old campaigns, or emails sent through third-party services that don't support custom identifiers. Thoroughly audit all your sending sources.
Check other Postmaster Tools dashboards: Don't rely solely on the Feedback Loop. Examine your IP and domain reputation dashboards. A declining reputation can lead to higher spam placement, even if specific user complaints aren't detailed in the FBL.
Flagged identifiers (FBL)
This dashboard (part of the FBL) helps pinpoint specific campaign segments that are generating complaints. If it's blank or shows 0.0%, it might mean the complaints are from untagged mail, or that the volume is too low to report a percentage.
Actionable steps to diagnose and improve
Regardless of the FBL data specifics, a non-zero spam rate in your main Gmail Compliance Dashboard demands action. Here are crucial steps to take:
Strengthen email authentication: Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and aligned. Authentication failures are a major cause of spam placement. This includes ensuring your DMARC policy is set to p=quarantine or p=reject.
Clean your email list: Regularly remove inactive subscribers and spam traps. Sending to unengaged or invalid addresses significantly increases complaint rates and damages your sender reputation.
Optimize content: Review your email content for elements that might trigger spam filters or user complaints. This includes subject lines, image-to-text ratio, and the use of suspicious phrases. Check common spam triggers and adjust your messaging.
Provide easy unsubscribes: Ensure your unsubscribe process is clear, prominent, and works instantly. Gmail and Yahoo now require one-click unsubscribe for bulk senders. Make it easy for users to opt out rather than mark your emails as spam.
Even without explicit spam rates on specific identifiers, the presence of flagged identifiers is a signal. It tells you that Google is noting these specific sending patterns in relation to complaints, even if it's not currently displaying the percentage. Keep a close eye on your other Postmaster Tools dashboards for overall sender reputation metrics.
Key takeaways for your email program
Understanding how to interpret these signals, even when data seems incomplete, is key to maintaining good email deliverability. A blank spam rate for flagged identifiers doesn't mean there's no problem; it just means the problem isn't being explicitly detailed in that specific view. Always defer to your overall spam rate and proactively implement deliverability best practices.
By consistently monitoring your domain's health across all available dashboards, ensuring strong authentication, maintaining clean lists, and sending engaging, relevant content, you can significantly improve your chances of reaching the inbox and avoid issues with blocklists (or blacklists).
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always prioritize your domain's overall spam rate shown in the main Spam dashboard, as this is the most critical indicator of deliverability.
Ensure all your email sending streams, including transactional and marketing, are properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Implement a clear, one-click unsubscribe mechanism to allow recipients to opt out easily, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints.
Regularly clean your email lists by removing inactive subscribers and known spam traps to improve engagement and reduce bounces.
Monitor all available Postmaster Tools dashboards (IP reputation, Domain Reputation, Deliverability Errors) for a holistic view of your sending health.
Common pitfalls
Misinterpreting a blank spam rate for flagged identifiers as an indication of no issues, when overall spam rates might be high.
Failing to implement Feedback-ID headers on all relevant email campaigns, leading to blind spots in complaint attribution.
Overlooking spam complaints coming from email streams not covered by your specific identifiers.
Neglecting the importance of list hygiene and sending to disengaged users, which inflates spam complaint rates over time.
Assuming that only direct user complaints (Feedback Loop) impact deliverability, ignoring other factors like IP/domain reputation or blocklist status.
Expert tips
Consider segmenting your email campaigns and using unique Feedback-IDs for each to gain more granular insights into user complaints once the rates start appearing.
Utilize DMARC reports to identify authentication failures and potential sources of spam or spoofed emails originating from your domain.
Engage in A/B testing for subject lines and email content to determine what resonates best with your audience and reduces spam complaints.
Set up alerts for significant changes in your Postmaster Tools dashboards to react quickly to rising spam rates or declining reputation.
Regularly review Google's official sender guidelines, as requirements and recommendations can evolve over time, impacting your deliverability.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they asked a similar question recently and were told that the identifiers in the new Gmail Compliance Dashboard (v2) often don't show a percentage, unlike the old dashboard.
2025-02-06 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if an identifier is flagged, it means it has complaint issues, even if the Feedback Loop (FBL) rate isn't explicitly shown since the migration to v2.
Google aggregates these complaints based on the Feedback-ID and reports them back to you.
Yahoo) may have minimum volume or complaint thresholds before displaying a specific spam rate for an identifier. If the complaints for a particular identifier are very low, even if present, they might not be reported as a percentage.
Gmail users, regardless of specific Feedback-IDs. It's a critical metric for your sender reputation.
Yahoo now require one-click unsubscribe for bulk senders. Make it easy for users to opt out rather than mark your emails as spam.
