Summary
Launching emails from a new domain can present significant deliverability challenges, especially with strict mailbox providers like Gmail. Unlike established domains with a history of positive sending, new domains start with a neutral, often perceived as low, reputation. This means Gmail's filters are inherently more cautious, scrutinizing email authentication, sender behavior, and recipient engagement more intensely. Key issues often include immediate blocking, high spam placement, and unaligned authentication records, even when basic tests pass. The underlying problem is typically a combination of lacking domain history and an insufficiently gentle warm-up process.
Key findings
- New domain reputation: Brand new domains have no sending history, which causes Gmail to treat them with high suspicion due to their common use by spammers. This can lead to immediate blocking or extremely low inbox placement.
- Authentication critical: Even if SPF and DKIM pass basic validation tests, misalignment or incomplete setup can still cause deliverability issues with Gmail. Full authentication setup is essential.
- Warm-up pacing: Aggressive or rushed email warm-up on a new domain almost always backfires, leading to reputation damage and hard blocks from Gmail. A slow, gradual approach is necessary.
- Recipient recognition: If recipients do not recognize the new sending domain, even if they opted in on an old domain, they are highly likely to mark emails as spam, further harming reputation.
Key considerations
- Thorough authentication setup: Ensure your domain is fully authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Verify alignment through tools like aboutmy.email and Google Postmaster Tools.
- Gentle warm-up: Start with very small sending volumes to your most engaged subscribers on the new domain and gradually increase, allowing time for Gmail to build trust.
- List quality: Even with engaged contacts, ensure your list is clean and segmented. Sending to old or unengaged contacts, even those who once opened, can lead to spam complaints.
- Monitor domain reputation: Actively track your domain's reputation using Google Postmaster Tools and adjust your sending strategy based on feedback.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often face significant hurdles when trying to achieve good Gmail deliverability with a new domain. There's a common misconception that a 'clean' new domain will immediately perform well, especially when paired with engaged contacts. However, the lack of historical data on a new domain, coupled with any missteps in authentication or aggressive warm-up, can lead to immediate and severe blocking by Gmail. Marketers frequently express confusion when their authentication tests pass, but Gmail's internal tools show failures, highlighting the complexity of alignment and trust-building with new sending properties.
Key opinions
- New domain struggles: Many marketers find it counter-intuitive that new, seemingly clean domains struggle with deliverability, especially when using engaged lists.
- Authentication confusion: There's often confusion when SPF or DKIM appears to pass in some tests but shows as unaligned or failing within Google Postmaster Tools.
- Warm-up pitfalls: Marketers sometimes admit to rushing the warm-up process due to client pressure or an eagerness to scale, which severely damages a new domain's reputation.
- ESP support gaps: Some marketers report that their ESP support teams may not fully understand complex authentication or deliverability issues related to new domains, especially SPF alignment.
Key considerations
- Patience is key: New domains require a significantly longer and more patient warm-up period than anticipated to build trust with ISPs like Gmail.
- Beyond basic checks: Don't rely solely on simple authentication checkers. Deep dive into email headers and Google Postmaster Tools for actual performance metrics.
- Source domain recognition: When migrating, ensure recipients can still recognize your brand, even with a new sending domain or subdomain, to minimize spam complaints. See how domain changes affect deliverability.
- Engaged lists only: Only send to the most active segments of your list during warm-up to demonstrate positive engagement signals to Gmail.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks observes initial confusion with a new domain, despite using clean practices like recent openers and clickers, leading to unpredicted blocks.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains spinning up a new domain was a strategy to bypass blocks on the main domain, following an initial subdomain drip, hoping for better results.
What the experts say
Experts consistently highlight that new domains face an uphill battle with Gmail because of their inherent lack of trust. The core of the problem lies in establishing a positive sending history and ensuring impeccable authentication from day one. They caution against quick fixes, like using automated warm-up services, which are often designed for spammy cold outreach rather than legitimate marketing. Experts also stress the importance of understanding specific authentication details, such as SPF alignment versus passing, and advise direct inspection of email headers or using diagnostic tools to pinpoint underlying issues. The key takeaway is that Gmail's filters are highly sophisticated and will treat any new, unestablished sending behavior with extreme scrutiny.
Key opinions
- New domain distrust: New domains are automatically viewed with suspicion by Gmail due to spammers frequently acquiring them to bypass filters.
- Authentication priority: Clean and correctly aligned authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is foundational for any successful warm-up, especially for new domains.
- Automated warm-up tools: Services like Warmy are generally considered ineffective or even detrimental for legitimate email sending, as they cater to cold email practices that hurt reputation.
- SPF alignment nuance: While SPF may pass, lack of alignment (where the Return-Path domain differs from the From domain) can still be a flag, though aligned DKIM is often more critical for Gmail. Learn more about SPF alignment.
- Recipient recognition impacts: A new sending domain can cause opted-in recipients to not recognize the sender, leading to increased spam complaints and reputation damage.
Key considerations
- Analyze email headers: To troubleshoot authentication, deeply inspect the authentication results in email headers or use diagnostic tools like aboutmy.email.
- Gradual warm-up strategies: Plan a very conservative, gradual warm-up schedule for new domains and IPs, even with highly engaged lists. Review Gmail deliverability issues for new IP addresses.
- Address root causes: Focus on fixing underlying authentication issues and improving list quality rather than attempting to circumvent filters with new domains or quick fixes.
- Manage sender reputation: Understand that new domains begin with a low reputation that must be built slowly through consistent positive sending behavior. Learn about understanding your email domain reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks states that creating new, historically clean domains to avoid blocks is generally not an effective strategy and can backfire.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks highlights that new domains with no history, authentication issues, and questionable consent require a very gentle warm-up to build trust with filters.
What the documentation says
Official documentation from major mailbox providers like Gmail, and reputable email service providers (ESPs), consistently emphasizes the critical role of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and a cautious warm-up process for any new sending infrastructure, including new domains. These guidelines underscore that a clean domain alone is insufficient; it must be coupled with verifiable identity and a history of positive sending behavior. Documentation often outlines specific requirements for bulk senders, including robust authentication and low spam complaint rates, providing a roadmap for new domains to build trust and achieve optimal inbox placement.
Key findings
- Authentication standards: Gmail and other major ISPs mandate strong authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for all senders, especially bulk senders, to prove legitimate identity and prevent spoofing.
- Domain reputation building: New domains lack a reputation, which must be carefully built through consistent, wanted email sending. This is a primary factor in deliverability.
- Warm-up guidelines: Official guidelines recommend a gradual increase in sending volume for new domains to allow mailbox providers to assess sending behavior positively.
- Monitoring tools: Tools like Google Postmaster Tools are provided specifically for senders to monitor their domain and IP reputation, spam rates, and authentication status.
Key considerations
- Implement DMARC: Beyond SPF and DKIM, implementing a DMARC policy is crucial for new domains to gain trust and prevent unauthorized use. Check out our guide to DMARC tags.
- Follow warm-up best practices: Adhere strictly to recommended warm-up schedules for new domains, starting very small and scaling slowly based on engagement.
- Minimize complaints: Maintain exceptionally low spam complaint rates by sending only to highly engaged and verified subscribers, especially with a new domain.
- Align sender identity: Ensure that the From header domain aligns with the SPF and DKIM domains to pass DMARC and build trust.
Technical article
Documentation from Gmail's bulk sender guidelines states that all senders must authenticate their email with SPF or DKIM, and for bulk senders, DMARC is now required for compliance and better deliverability.
Technical article
Documentation from Brevo Help Center advises users to fully authenticate their sending domain, including setting up DKIM and SPF records, to ensure proper email deliverability and avoid common blocks.
Related resources
6 resources
![How to fix Gmail deliverability issues [full guide]](https://unspam.email/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/3-Google-Postmaster.jpg)
Related pages
How to resolve a low gmail domain reputation?
Gmail deliverability issues for new ip addresses, troubleshooting tips
How to recover gmail email deliverability and sender reputation after emails go to spam?
How does a domain change affect email deliverability and what steps should be taken to prevent issues like gmail warnings?
How can i fix my gmail email deliverability issues?
A simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM
A practical guide to understanding your email domain reputation
Why your emails are going to spam in 2024 and how to fix it
Ultimate guide to google postmaster tools V2
How to improve domain reputation using google postmaster tools [2025 guide]
