Summary
Declining email open rates since February can be attributed to a complex interplay of factors including changes in email provider policies (Google's stricter requirements, DMARC enforcement, Outlook's updated filters), technical issues (misconfigured SPF/DKIM records, expired SSL certificates), deliverability problems (shared IP reputation, hitting spam folders, deferral errors), engagement issues (irrelevant content, subject line fatigue), list quality (inactive addresses), recipient behavior (image blocking, Apple Mail Privacy Protection), and external threats (list bombing). Analyzing historical data and monitoring key metrics is critical to diagnosing and addressing the root cause.
Key findings
- Provider Policy Changes: Google, Microsoft, and other providers are implementing stricter requirements and updating filtering algorithms, impacting inbox placement.
- Technical Configuration: Misconfigured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, as well as expired SSL certificates, can lead to deliverability problems.
- Deliverability Issues: Shared IP reputation, spam folder placement, and deferral errors can significantly decrease open rates.
- Engagement Problems: Irrelevant content and subject line fatigue can decrease recipient engagement and open rates.
- List Quality Concerns: Inactive or invalid email addresses can negatively impact sender reputation and open rates.
- User Behavior & Privacy: More recipients blocking images and Apple's Mail Privacy Protection can affect the accuracy of open rate tracking.
- Malicious Attacks: List bombing can severely impact open rates and sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Authentication & Technical Audit: Perform a thorough technical audit of email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and ensure all systems are properly configured.
- Data Analysis & Monitoring: Request and analyze at least six months of send, open, and click data to identify patterns and pinpoint problem areas.
- Engagement Optimization: Review segmentation strategies, personalize content, and optimize subject lines to increase recipient engagement.
- List Hygiene Practices: Implement a regular list cleaning process to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
- Reputation Management: Monitor sender reputation using tools like feedback loops and blocklists, and promptly address any negative impacts.
- Adapt to Changing Policies: Stay informed about email provider policy updates (Google, Microsoft, Apple) and adapt sending practices accordingly.
- Image Loading Defaults: Consider that changes to user image loading defaults will skew open rate data. Rely on click data and conversion data instead.
- Identify Issue Type: Distinguish whether the root issue is related to deliverability, marketing effectiveness, or reporting inaccuracies to focus problem solving efforts.
- Shared IP Monitoring: If on a shared IP, be aware that the behavior of other senders will impact your deliverability.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
Email open rates can decline due to various factors, including deliverability issues (shared IP problems, spam folder placement, technical misconfigurations like expired SSL certificates or DNS issues, deferral errors), changes in email provider policies (Gmail, Yahoo), decreased engagement, list quality issues (inactive addresses), altered recipient behavior (image blocking), and marketing strategy problems (irrelevant content, subject line fatigue, suboptimal timing). It's crucial to address these areas comprehensively to identify the root cause.
Key opinions
- Deliverability: Changes in filtering practices by ISPs, shared IP issues, hitting the spam folder, and misconfigured technical settings (SSL, DNS, SPF, DKIM) can significantly impact open rates.
- Engagement: Decreased recipient engagement due to irrelevant content or subject line fatigue leads to lower open rates.
- List Quality: Poor list hygiene (inactive or invalid addresses) damages sender reputation and reduces open rates.
- Privacy Changes: Increased image blocking by recipients and policy changes made by email providers impact the reliability and accuracy of open rate tracking, and may be contributing to perceived declines.
- Provider Policies: Email providers are continuously updating filtering rules to reduce spam. A decline in open rates may indicate your emails are being filtered more aggressively.
Key considerations
- Technical Audit: Perform a thorough technical audit of your email infrastructure (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, SSL) to ensure proper configuration.
- Content Relevance: Review your segmentation and personalize content to increase recipient engagement.
- List Hygiene: Implement a regular list cleaning process to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
- Sender Reputation: Monitor your sender reputation and address any issues that may be causing a decline.
- Pixel Placement: Verify your pixel placement and avoid content changes that might cause clipping.
- Sending Practices: Adjust your sending time and frequency to optimize for engagement while avoiding email fatigue.
- IP Reputation: If using a shared IP, be aware of other senders' practices potentially impacting your deliverability.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests to verify pixel placement, asking if content changes in February may have caused clipping, and recommends validating with open rates by mail client provider (MBP).
26 Dec 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor suggests adjusting your sending time and frequency. Sending at optimal times for your audience and avoiding email fatigue can improve open rates.
19 Sep 2023 - Campaign Monitor
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Experts attribute declining email open rates since February to various factors. These include: changes in filtering algorithms by ISPs, potential malicious attacks like list bombing, the unreliable nature of open rates as a sole metric (as they only represent image loads), and the necessity to analyze historical data to identify the root cause of the decline, categorizing it as a deliverability, marketing, or reporting issue.
Key opinions
- Filtering Changes: ISPs and mailbox providers are constantly adjusting their filtering algorithms, potentially causing emails to be filtered more aggressively.
- Data Analysis is Key: Analyzing historical send, open, and click data is crucial to pinpoint the problem area (domain/MX) and confirm the decline.
- Open Rate Limitations: Open rates are an unreliable metric as they only represent image loads and can be affected by factors outside the sender's control.
- Malicious Activity: A decline in open rates, accompanied by other reputation impacts, might indicate list bombing or other malicious attacks.
Key considerations
- Data Analysis: Request and analyze six months of send, open, and click data to confirm the decline and identify affected domains/MX records.
- Issue Type Identification: Determine whether the root cause is a deliverability, marketing, or reporting issue to focus efforts.
- Algorithm Awareness: Stay informed about changes in filtering algorithms by ISPs to adapt sending practices accordingly.
- Feedback Loop Monitoring: Monitor feedback loops and blocklists to detect reputation impacts and potential list bombing attacks early on.
- Metric Limitations: Understand that open rates are a limited metric and should be considered alongside other engagement metrics (clicks, conversions).
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that ISPs and mailbox providers are constantly adjusting their filtering algorithms. A decline in open rates since February could indicate that your emails are now being filtered more aggressively due to these changes.
22 Aug 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise highlights that if your open rates declined, especially if accompanied by other reputation impacts, it could be a sign of list bombing or other malicious attacks. Monitor feedback loops and blocklists to catch reputation and open rate impacts early.
13 May 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Email open rate declines since February can stem from stricter sender requirements implemented by Google to combat spam, increased enforcement of DMARC policies leading to filtering due to misconfigurations, continuously updated junk mail filters in Outlook sending emails to the junk folder, incorrect or missing SPF records resulting in emails being flagged as spam, and Apple's Mail Privacy Protection causing fluctuations in reported open rates due to pre-loading content and tracking pixels.
Key findings
- Stricter Sender Requirements: Google's implementation of stricter sender requirements in February prioritizes authenticated emails and those not considered unwanted, directly affecting inbox placement and open rates.
- DMARC Enforcement: ISPs are more rigorously enforcing DMARC policies, and emails failing these checks due to misconfiguration face increased filtering, leading to reduced open rates.
- Outlook Junk Filters: Continuously updated junk mail filters in Outlook may be sending more emails to the junk folder, negatively impacting open rates.
- SPF Record Issues: Incorrect or missing SPF records can lead to emails being flagged as spam by receiving mail servers, directly affecting deliverability and open rates.
- Apple MPP Impact: Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) inflates open rates for Apple Mail users by pre-loading content, and changes to this feature can cause fluctuations in overall reported open rates.
Key considerations
- Email Authentication: Ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is in place to meet stricter sender requirements.
- DMARC Configuration: Verify and correct any DMARC misconfigurations to prevent emails from being filtered.
- Junk Folder Monitoring: Monitor junk folder placement to identify potential deliverability issues with Outlook.
- SPF Record Verification: Check and correct SPF records to ensure authorized sending sources are properly identified.
- Apple MPP Awareness: Understand the impact of Apple's MPP on open rate metrics and interpret data accordingly.
Technical article
Documentation from Google states that they've implemented stricter sender requirements in February to combat spam. These changes prioritize emails from senders who authenticate their email and are not sending unwanted mail, which affects inbox placement and thus, open rates.
28 Jan 2023 - Google Workspace Updates
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Editor details how DMARC policies, which ISPs started enforcing more rigorously, can impact deliverability. If your emails fail DMARC checks due to misconfiguration, they might be filtered, leading to lower open rates.
19 Dec 2023 - RFC Editor
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