Why have Gmail open rates dropped and how can I fix it?

Key findings

• Algorithmic shifts: Google appears to have updated its model for identifying promotional emails, resulting in more messages being categorized into the promotions tab, even for previously primary inbox content.
• Image loading issues: Some users report that Gmail is delivering emails to the inbox but not loading images by default, which can artificially depress open rates (as opens are often tracked via pixel loading).
• Increased competition: During peak seasons, such as the holidays, a surge in commercial mail can overwhelm recipients, leading to reduced attention and lower engagement, including click-through rates. You can learn more about this effect in our guide on what causes a sudden drop in email open rates.
• Content impact: The content and structure of emails play a significant role in Gmail's classification. Overly promotional content is more likely to be filtered away from the primary inbox.
• Industry-wide observation: The issue is not isolated, with multiple senders and clients reporting similar declines in Gmail open rates, indicating a broader trend.

Key considerations

• Content adaptation: Consider experimenting with more concise, less visually heavy, and less overtly promotional content to see if it improves primary inbox placement. Our article on why new email templates cause Gmail open rates to drop offers further insights.
• A/B testing: Implement A/B tests with varying content styles and subject lines to identify what resonates best with Gmail's filters and your audience, aiming for improved engagement.
• Engagement tracking: Focus on metrics beyond just open rates, such as clicks, conversions, and replies, as these offer a more accurate picture of engagement, especially with changes to open rate tracking. DigitalMarketer provides more information on reasons your email open rate is decreasing.
• Audience fatigue: During periods of high email volume, consider adjusting sending frequency or segmenting your audience more precisely to avoid fatigue.

Key opinions

• Universal decline: Many marketers are observing consistent drops in open and click rates across their Gmail audience, suggesting a widespread issue rather than isolated incidents.
• Promotions tab shift: A primary theory attributes the decline to emails being increasingly sorted into the promotions tab (rather than the primary inbox), significantly reducing visibility. Read more about this in our article on why emails go to spam in Gmail.
• Content's role: Marketers who experimented with stripping out promotional material and simplifying content saw improved open rates, indicating that content style heavily influences Gmail's classification.
• Industry impact: Some industries, like finance, have reported seeing this shift to promotions happen more frequently, which affects specific niches.

Key considerations

• Testing content variants: Actively test different email formats and content types to discover what Gmail classifies as 'updates' or 'primary' rather than 'promotions'. You can conduct an email deliverability test for insights.
• Adapting to algorithms: Marketers must accept that Google's algorithms are constantly evolving and adapt their strategies rather than resisting these changes. MarTech discusses how Gmail changes make it harder.
• Redefining success: With potentially less reliable open rate metrics, marketers should lean more on click-through rates and conversion metrics to gauge campaign effectiveness. Our guide on how to increase email click-through rates can assist.
• Monitoring closely: Maintain rigorous internal analytics specific to Gmail performance to track any recovery or further changes as content is adjusted.

Key opinions

• Evolving algorithms: Google's email filtering algorithms are dynamic and continuously updated, meaning what worked yesterday might not work today, particularly concerning the primary versus promotions tab distinction. More on this in our email deliverability issues guide.
• Image display impact: Gmail's default setting of not loading images for certain emails can directly lead to lower open rates, as open tracking often relies on image pixel loads. This highlights the importance of compelling subject lines.
• Market saturation: The sheer volume of commercial emails, especially during peak periods, contributes to recipient fatigue and a natural decline in engagement, regardless of placement.
• Reputation and content correlation: Issues like a poor sender reputation can lead to emails landing directly in spam, bypassing even the promotions tab. Content that aligns with 'updates' is more likely to reach the primary inbox (or at least avoid promotions), as 'updates' is not a default tab for all users.

Key considerations

• Holistic view of deliverability: Do not solely rely on open rates for gauging success. Instead, examine the broader context of inbox placement, click-through rates, and complaint rates. Our guide on why your email deliverability rate is wrong provides deeper understanding.
• Sender authentication: Ensure robust implementation of authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to build and maintain trust with mailbox providers, which directly impacts inboxing. SpamResource.com has resources on best practices for senders.
• List hygiene: Regularly clean email lists to remove inactive subscribers, reducing the risk of hitting spam traps and improving overall sender reputation (also known as domain reputation). Learn about email domain reputation for better insights.
• Content diversification: Experiment with different types of email content, perhaps less visually rich or sales-oriented, to see how it affects placement and engagement.

Key findings

• Sender reputation: Mailbox providers, including Gmail, heavily rely on sender reputation to determine inbox placement. Factors like spam complaints, blocklist (or blacklist) status, and engagement signals directly influence this score. Google Postmaster Tools provide insights into your domain reputation metrics.
• Authentication standards: Robust implementation of email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) is a baseline requirement for deliverability. Failure in these can lead to messages being rejected or sent to spam. Our simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM can help.
• Content analysis: Mailbox providers analyze email content for spam indicators, promotional language, and user relevance. Content that appears highly commercial might be routed to dedicated promotional folders, affecting open rates.
• Engagement signals: Positive user engagement (opens, clicks, replies, moving to primary inbox) improves sender reputation, while negative signals (spam complaints, deletions without opening) harm it. Gmail uses these signals to continuously refine its filters. Salesforce offers further insights into email open rates relevance.

Key considerations

• Align with user expectations: Design content that aligns with what users expect from a specific tab (e.g., informational updates for primary, deals for promotions). This can influence user behavior and, consequently, algorithmic classification.
• Review technical setup: Regularly verify that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured and aligned, as any misconfigurations can impact deliverability, especially after system updates at the mailbox provider's end.
• Monitor blocklists: Actively monitor for inclusion on any email blocklists (or blacklists), as this can severely impede deliverability regardless of content. Gmail uses various internal and external blocklists.
• Adapt to privacy changes: Be aware that privacy features (like Apple Mail Privacy Protection) can affect open rate tracking, making it harder to accurately gauge opens. Focus on engagement metrics that aren't reliant on pixel loading.