Why is my Feedback Loop identifier count 0?

Seeing a 0% Feedback Loop (FBL) identifier count means your email campaigns are not generating enough spam complaints to meet Gmail's internal threshold for reporting. This is often a positive sign, indicating that your recipients are not marking your emails as spam at a rate high enough to trigger the FBL system. It's designed to flag only anomalous campaigns with unusually high complaint rates.

Does the DKIM signature need to include Feedback-ID in the h= tag?

Yes, for Gmail's Feedback Loop to function properly, the Feedback-ID header must be included in the list of signed headers within your DKIM signature's h= tag. This allows Gmail to verify the authenticity of the feedback identifier and associate it with your sending domain.

What is a good spam rate in Gmail Postmaster Tools?

A good spam rate in Gmail Postmaster Tools should ideally be below 0.1%. Google has indicated that senders exceeding a 0.3% complaint rate threshold will face stricter enforcement and potential blocking of their emails.

Can I see individual spam complaints through Gmail's Feedback Loop?

No, Gmail's Feedback Loop provides aggregate data and does not share information about individual users who mark your messages as spam. This is a privacy measure. The FBL focuses on providing insights into problematic campaigns via the Feedback-ID header, not individual subscriber reports.

How often does Gmail Postmaster Tools update its data?

Gmail Postmaster Tools data is not real-time. There is typically a delay of a few days before data appears in the dashboards. This means that recent sending activity or sudden spikes in complaints might not be reflected immediately. If data is consistently missing or appears unusual, check why your data might not be updating .

What if my overall spam rate is high but FBL is 0%?

If your overall spam rate is high (e.g., 0.3% or more) but your Feedback Loop shows 0%, it could mean that while your emails are getting marked as spam, no single campaign (identified by your Feedback-ID ) has reached the specific threshold required for an FBL alert. This suggests that the spam complaints might be broadly distributed across many campaigns or that the issue lies with general sending practices rather than a single problematic campaign.

Knowledge base

/

Email deliverability

/

Troubleshooting

Why am I seeing 0% in Gmail Postmaster Tools Feedback Loop?

Michael Ko

Co-founder & CEO, Suped

Published 17 Jun 2025

Updated 18 Aug 2025

6 min read

Seeing a 0% rate in the Gmail Postmaster Tools Feedback Loop (FBL) dashboard can be puzzling. Many senders, especially bulk emailers, expect to see some data here, assuming any spam complaints would be reflected. However, a 0% reading in this specific report often means something different than what you might initially think.

This guide explains why you might be seeing zero feedback data and what that implies for your email deliverability. Understanding the nuances of how Gmail collects and presents this data is key to correctly interpreting your Postmaster Tools reports and maintaining a healthy sending reputation.

Understanding the Gmail Feedback Loop

Gmail's Feedback Loop is designed to provide aggregated (and anonymized) data on campaigns that generate a high number of spam complaints from Gmail users. Unlike some other Feedback Loops that provide individual complaint data, Gmail's FBL focuses on identifying problematic campaigns through the Feedback-ID header. This header allows you to tag specific email streams or campaigns, so if a significant number of recipients mark them as spam, you'll see a report in Postmaster Tools for that identifier.

Example Feedback-ID header

Feedback-ID: CampaignXYZ:SenderID:CustomerGroup

It's important to remember that the Gmail FBL is not meant to show every single spam complaint, nor is it a real-time feed of all user reports. Instead, it acts as a high-level alert system for campaigns that are performing unusually poorly in terms of recipient engagement and spam flagging. This means that a consistently low complaint rate, even with some legitimate spam reports, may not trigger an FBL entry.

You might also be wondering about your overall spam rate dashboard in Google Postmaster Tools, which might show a non-zero percentage, while your FBL still shows 0%. This is expected, as the spam rate reflects overall complaints, whereas the FBL specifically reports on campaigns with a disproportionately high complaint volume based on the Feedback-ID header.

Why 0% can be a good sign

The primary reason for seeing 0% in your Gmail Postmaster Tools Feedback Loop is often a good sign. It means your campaigns are not generating enough spam complaints to trigger the FBL's reporting threshold for specific Feedback-ID identifiers. Gmail is particularly strict about spam complaints, and senders should aim to keep their complaint rates below 0.1%.

Even if your overall spam rate dashboard shows a small percentage, like 0.1% or 0.2%, it doesn't automatically mean you'll see data in the FBL. The FBL specifically highlights campaigns with an anomalous (unusually high) spam complaint rate. If your campaigns are consistently well-received, even with minor complaints, they might not meet the criteria to appear on the FBL report.

Another factor is email volume. Postmaster Tools, including the Feedback Loop, requires a sufficient volume of email to be sent to

Google inboxes for data to populate. If your sending volume is low or inconsistent, Postmaster Tools may not gather enough data to display anything, resulting in 0% for various metrics, including FBL. If you suspect this is the case, review the Postmaster Tools data requirements for more detail.

Checking your configuration

While 0% often indicates healthy sending practices, it's crucial to confirm that your Postmaster Tools setup and email authentication are correctly configured. Incorrect configuration can lead to missing data, regardless of your spam rate.

Ensuring Feedback-ID is included in DKIM

For the Gmail Feedback Loop to function, the Feedback-ID header must be included in the signed headers list of your DKIM signature. This is specified in the h= tag of your DKIM record. If it's missing, Gmail cannot attribute complaints to your specific identifiers, and you won't see data even if complaints occur.

Correct implementation

Include Feedback-ID: Ensure the Feedback-ID header is present in your email's headers.
DKIM Signing: Verify that Feedback-ID is listed in the h= tag of your DKIM signature.
Consistent Identifier: Use a consistent and unique identifier for each campaign or stream you wish to track.

If you've confirmed that your Feedback-ID is correctly implemented, and you're sending sufficient volume, then a 0% FBL typically signifies good performance. However, if you're seeing other deliverability issues, like high spam rates in other GPT dashboards but a 0% FBL, it might mean the spam is spread across many campaigns, none of which hit the individual threshold for FBL reporting.

Beyond the Feedback Loop

While a 0% FBL often signals good performance, it's never the only metric you should rely on. A holistic approach to email deliverability involves monitoring various indicators to ensure your emails consistently reach the inbox.

Dashboard	What it shows	Why it's important for 0% FBL
Spam Rate	Percentage of emails marked as spam.	A low percentage here, even if FBL is 0%, confirms good recipient sentiment. A high spam rate with 0% FBL indicates dispersed complaints.
IP and Domain Reputation	How Gmail perceives your sending IPs and domains (Bad, Low, Medium, High).	A poor reputation could mean messages are being blocked before complaints are even registered.
Delivery Errors	Percentage of emails rejected or temporarily failed by Gmail.	If emails aren't delivered, they can't be marked as spam. High errors could mask underlying deliverability problems.
Authentication	Shows DMARC, SPF, and DKIM pass rates.	Poor authentication leads to higher spam placement, even if recipients aren't actively clicking spam.

Conclusion

When the Gmail Postmaster Tools Feedback Loop shows 0%, it's often a positive indicator that your email campaigns are performing well, avoiding the high complaint rates that would trigger FBL alerts. However, it's not a standalone metric.

You should continue to monitor other Postmaster Tools dashboards, such as IP and domain reputation, spam rate, and delivery errors, as well as your email authentication. A comprehensive approach ensures you have a full picture of your email program's health and can address potential deliverability issues proactively.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Maintain a low spam complaint rate below 0.1% for optimal Gmail deliverability.

Segment your audience and personalize content to reduce the likelihood of spam reports.

Actively manage your subscriber list, removing unengaged recipients and invalid addresses.

Implement a double opt-in process to ensure that all subscribers genuinely want your emails.

Monitor all relevant Gmail Postmaster Tools dashboards for a comprehensive deliverability overview.

Common pitfalls

Misinterpreting a 0% FBL as a guarantee of perfect inbox placement for all emails.

Not including the Feedback-ID header in the DKIM signature's signed headers list.

Sending insufficient email volume to Gmail, leading to a lack of data in Postmaster Tools.

Ignoring other Postmaster Tools metrics, such as overall spam rate or delivery errors.

Failing to clean email lists, which can lead to spam traps and lower domain reputation.

Expert tips

If the FBL shows hits, click the date to reveal identifiers and individual spam rates.

The Gmail FBL aims to flag anomalous campaigns, not report every daily complaint.

Even with a 0% FBL, ensure your overall email stream is healthy through other metrics.

A spike to 0.3% spam rate might not immediately show in FBL if complaints are dispersed.

No news is often good news when it comes to the Gmail Postmaster Tools Feedback Loop.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that it is normal for individual senders to see a 0% feedback loop spam rate and identifier count, even for large enterprise ESPs, where only a few hits typically appear on the Postmaster Tools Feedback Loop page.

December 2023 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks indicates that Gmail Postmaster Tools' aggregate Feedback Loop was designed to highlight anomalous campaigns with unusually high complaint rates, rather than providing daily complaint rates for all campaigns.

December 2023 - Email Geeks