Summary
Even with proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), Google Postmaster Tools might still flag compliance issues due to a multitude of reasons. These include the tool's imperfections (false positives, developmental stage), data processing delays, low send volume affecting data reliability, and issues originating from email forwarding breaking SPF records. Furthermore, problems can arise from using third-party sending services without proper authorization, DNS propagation delays, and syntax errors in DNS records. Shared IP addresses with poor reputations, inconsistent sending volume, and evolving Gmail spam filters analyzing email content also play a role. Other considerations are maintaining a solid sender reputation, having good list hygiene, monitoring feedback loops, and appropriately setting DMARC policies. Essentially, factors beyond technical authentication influence compliance status, encompassing IP reputation, sending practices, content, and even the inherent limitations and interpretations of Postmaster Tools itself.
Key findings
- Tool Imprecision: The compliance dashboard may show false positives and is not perfect; it's still under development.
- Data Delays/Volume: Data processing delays and low send volume can affect the accuracy and reliability of Postmaster Tools insights.
- Forwarding SPF Breaks: Email forwarding can break SPF authentication, leading to DMARC failures.
- 3rd Party Issues: Using third-party sending services without proper SPF/DKIM delegation causes compliance issues.
- DNS Issues: DNS propagation delays and syntax errors in DNS records lead to authentication failures.
- Shared IP Impact: Poor reputation of shared IP addresses leads to false positives in Postmaster Tools.
- Sending Consistency: Inconsistent sending volume and frequency negatively affects sender reputation.
- Content Matters: Gmail's evolving spam filters analyze content; spam trigger words and broken links affect deliverability.
- Reputation is Key: Maintaining a positive sender and IP reputation is critical; poor practices can lead to flags despite authentication.
- Hygiene Counts: Poor list hygiene (unengaged users, invalid addresses) hurts sender reputation and triggers spam filters.
- DMARC None Impact: A DMARC policy of 'none' allows failing emails, impacting perceived compliance.
Key considerations
- Testing Tools: Use tools like aboutmy.email to test domain and send configurations.
- Monitoring Data: Actively monitor Google Postmaster Tools, DMARC reports, and feedback loops for insights.
- Verification Records: Verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured; address forwarding issues (SRS).
- Volume & Reputation: Maintain a consistent sending volume and frequency; focus on improving/managing sender and IP reputation.
- List Maintenance: Regularly clean email lists to remove unengaged subscribers and invalid addresses.
- Content Check: Review email content; avoid spam trigger words, excessive images, and broken links.
- Address DNS: Address DNS propagation and syntax errors.
- Auth Delegate: Authorize all third party providers
- Adjust DMARC: After authentication setup is confident, consider implementing a stricter DMARC policy.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Even with proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), Google Postmaster Tools may still show compliance issues due to several factors beyond technical setup. These include problems related to email forwarding, third-party sending services with improper delegation, DNS propagation delays, and syntax errors in DNS records. Furthermore, a shared IP address's poor reputation can impact deliverability, and inconsistent sending volume can lead to compliance flags. Google's evolving spam filters also analyze email content, and spam trigger words, excessive images or broken links can cause issues. Maintaining a positive sender reputation and good list hygiene are critical, along with actively monitoring feedback loops. Forwarding can break SPF records, invalidating even correctly configured initial emails, and DNS issues will cause temporary failures. All these factors affect deliverability and compliance status as reflected in Google Postmaster Tools.
Key opinions
- Forwarding Issues: Email forwarding can break SPF authentication, leading to DMARC failures even if the original email was properly authenticated.
- Third-Party Services: Using third-party sending services without proper SPF/DKIM delegation can cause compliance issues.
- DNS Propagation: DNS propagation delays after changes to SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records can temporarily cause compliance issues.
- DNS Syntax Errors: Even minor syntax errors in SPF records can cause authentication failures.
- Shared IP Reputation: Poor reputation of a shared IP address can lead to false positives in Postmaster Tools.
- Inconsistent Sending: Inconsistent sending volume and frequency can negatively affect sender reputation, leading to compliance flags.
- Evolving Spam Filters: Gmail's spam filters continuously evolve, and email content can trigger filters even with proper authentication.
- Content Matters: Spam trigger words, excessive images, or broken links in email content can impact deliverability.
- Sender Reputation: Maintaining a positive sender reputation is critical; poor sending practices can lead Google to flag emails despite proper authentication.
- List Hygiene: Poor list hygiene, such as sending to unengaged users or invalid emails, can hurt sender reputation and trigger spam filters.
- Forwarding impact: Email send to other providers and auto-forwarded to Gmail, may fail Authentication.
Key considerations
- Monitor DMARC Reports: Regularly monitor DMARC reports to identify and address authentication failures, including those caused by forwarding or misconfigurations.
- Verify DNS Configuration: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured and free of syntax errors. Use online tools to validate DNS records.
- Authorize Third-Party Senders: If using third-party sending services, verify that they are properly authorized in your domain's DNS records.
- Wait for DNS Propagation: After making changes to DNS records, allow sufficient time (up to 48 hours) for DNS propagation before reassessing compliance status.
- Maintain List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list by removing unengaged subscribers and invalid addresses to improve sender reputation.
- Ensure consistent Sending: Maintain a consistent sending volume and frequency to avoid negative impacts on sender reputation.
- Review email Content: Avoid using spam trigger words, excessive images, or broken links in email content to prevent being flagged by spam filters.
- Monitor sender reputation: Use tools and services to monitor your sender reputation and IP address reputation.
- Monitor feedback loops: Feedback loops and Google Postmaster Tools must be monitored for sender practices and identify reputation damage.
Marketer view
Email marketer from ReturnPath discusses that maintaining a positive sender reputation is critical. Poor sending practices can negatively impact your sender score, potentially leading Google to flag your emails despite proper authentication. Google Postmaster Tools is one aspect of measuring sender reputation.
20 Oct 2022 - ReturnPath
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus shares that even with proper authentication, spam filters analyze email content. Using spam trigger words, excessive images, or broken links can impact deliverability, and potentially trigger alerts within Postmaster Tools.
12 Aug 2024 - Litmus
What the experts say
7 expert opinions
Even with proper email authentication, Google Postmaster Tools can still display compliance issues for various reasons. The tool itself might show false positives or is still under development leading to potentially unreliable data. The issues can stem from misconfigurations, DNS problems, or the dashboard reacting to spoofed emails. Further, a poor IP reputation or inadequate list hygiene practices negatively impacts sender reputation. Ignoring feedback loops and failing to monitor Postmaster Tools also contribute to compliance problems. Distinctions exist between passive email monitoring and active campaign seeding. Therefore, while authentication is essential, other factors like IP reputation, list hygiene, feedback loop management and the tool itself contribute to the compliance status in Google Postmaster Tools.
Key opinions
- False Positives: Google Postmaster Tools might show false positives and is not always perfect.
- Dashboard Issues: Failures could be due to misconfigurations, DNS issues, problems with the dashboard, or reactions to spoofed emails.
- Under Development: The tool is still under development and might produce unreliable data.
- Poor IP Reputation: A poor IP address reputation, possibly due to spam activity or blocklisting, can lead to deliverability issues.
- Inadequate List Hygiene: Poor list hygiene, such as sending to unengaged or invalid addresses, hurts sender reputation.
- Ignoring Feedback Loops: Ignoring feedback loops and failing to monitor Postmaster Tools data harms sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Test Authentication: Use tools like aboutmy.email to test domain and send configurations.
- Monitor Postmaster Tools: Actively monitor Google Postmaster Tools for insights into deliverability issues.
- Maintain List Hygiene: Regularly clean email lists to remove unengaged subscribers and invalid addresses.
- Manage IP Reputation: Address any issues affecting IP address reputation to improve deliverability.
- Review DNS Records: Double check DNS records for potential intermittent failures and problems.
- Analyse data: Passively monitor the data over time versus active seeding to check live headers on live campaigns.
- Check spoofed email: Dashboard could be reacting to spoof/phish mail that is NOT being sent by you and of course would NOT be compliant.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that not seeing legitimate traffic inside its memory horizon is going to lead to garbage results and that it is a tool very much still under development.
24 Feb 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that failures within the dashboard could be due to actual problems/misconfigurations, intermittent or DNS failures/problems, issues with the dashboard itself, or the dashboard reacting to spoof/phish mail not being sent by the user.
10 Aug 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Even with proper email authentication, Google Postmaster Tools may show compliance issues due to data processing delays within Postmaster Tools itself or because of low send volume, which can lead to unreliable metrics. Additionally, email forwarding can break SPF authentication, causing DMARC failures. A DMARC policy of 'none' only provides reporting without enforcing action, meaning emails failing authentication are still delivered, potentially impacting Google's compliance assessment.
Key findings
- Data Processing Delays: Discrepancies might arise due to delays in data processing within Google Postmaster Tools, particularly after implementing changes.
- Low Send Volume: If send volume is low, the data might be insufficient to provide accurate insights, leading to compliance status fluctuations.
- Forwarding Breaks SPF: Email forwarding can break SPF authentication, resulting in DMARC failures, as the forwarder's server becomes the new sending server.
- DMARC Policy 'none': A DMARC policy of 'none' only provides reporting without enforcement, allowing failing emails to be delivered and potentially impacting compliance perceptions.
Key considerations
- Allow Data Processing Time: Allow sufficient time for Google Postmaster Tools to reflect updated status accurately after implementing changes.
- Increase Send Volume: Ensure sufficient send volume to provide reliable metrics within Google Postmaster Tools.
- Address Forwarding Issues: Implement solutions to mitigate SPF failures caused by email forwarding, such as using SRS (Sender Rewriting Scheme).
- Review DMARC Policy: Consider implementing a stricter DMARC policy (quarantine or reject) once confident in authentication setup to actively prevent delivery of failing emails.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools Help explains that discrepancies might arise due to delays in data processing, especially shortly after implementing changes. It advises allowing some time for the dashboard to reflect the updated status accurately.
29 Jul 2024 - Google Postmaster Tools Help
Technical article
Documentation from dmarc.org details that a DMARC policy of 'none' only provides reporting without enforcing any specific action on failing emails. This means emails failing authentication are still delivered, but DMARC reports will highlight the issues which could indirectly influence Google's perception of compliance.
21 Nov 2021 - dmarc.org
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