Summary
Gmail's 'Expired' tag on non-expired offers is a multifaceted issue. It can stem from problems in email construction, including incorrect schema markup, dynamic content caching, AMP inconsistencies, and microdata errors within the email body. Gmail's AI may misinterpret offer details due to ambiguous language or subject lines. External factors also play a role, such as sender reputation, discrepancies between promotional content and landing page availability, and incorrect time zone settings. Validation of schema, testing across environments, consistent dates, clear communication, and ensuring offer availability are critical to resolve this issue.
Key findings
- Schema and Microdata Issues: Incorrect or missing schema markup (particularly the `availabilityEnds` property) and erroneous microdata within the email body are primary causes.
- AI Misinterpretation: Gmail's AI algorithms may misinterpret offer details due to ambiguous language, subject lines, or a lack of clear communication of the offer's validity.
- Content Inconsistencies: Discrepancies between email content, schema, landing page details, AMP content, and dynamic content versions all contribute to mislabeling.
- External Factors: Sender reputation, historical offer data, and the actual availability of the offer upon landing on the website influence Gmail's tagging.
- Dynamic Content and Caching: Caching of dynamic content by Gmail may lead to inaccurate expiration information being displayed.
Key considerations
- Validate Schema and Microdata: Thoroughly validate schema markup using testing tools and inspect the email body for accurate microdata implementation.
- Ensure Content Consistency: Maintain consistent and accurate information across email content, schema markup, landing pages, and any AMP versions. Ensure all elements align regarding the offer's start and end dates.
- Improve Sender Reputation: Focus on improving sender reputation by consistently sending valid and accurately marked offers.
- Clear Communication: Use clear and unambiguous language in both the email body and subject line to communicate offer validity and avoid misinterpretations by Gmail's algorithms.
- Test Thoroughly: Test emails in different Gmail environments (desktop, mobile, app) and across various email clients to identify device-specific or rendering-related issues. Use email testing tools to validate the HTML and preview across devices.
- Monitor and Adapt: Monitor offer performance and adjust strategies as needed, paying attention to factors like time zone settings, segmentation, and personalization to reduce the chance of misinterpretations.
- Check Annotations: Ensure that your annotations are valid and configured to reflect the correct offer period.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
Gmail's 'Expired' tag on non-expired offers can stem from various issues. These include incorrect schema markup, dynamic content caching problems, sender reputation, conflicting expiration dates in HTML and AMP versions, time zone discrepancies, misinterpretation by Gmail's AI algorithms, and misleading subject lines. Testing across different environments, validating code, improving sender reputation, using clear offer language, and accurate schema implementation are vital.
Key opinions
- Schema Errors: Incorrect or missing schema markup can cause Gmail to misinterpret offer expiration dates.
- Dynamic Content Caching: Gmail might be caching dynamic content incorrectly, leading to inaccurate expiration information.
- Sender Reputation: Past issues with offer expiration dates can negatively impact Gmail's interpretation of current offers.
- AMP Conflicts: Inconsistent expiration dates between AMP and HTML versions of emails can trigger the 'Expired' tag.
- Time Zone Issues: Incorrect time zone settings in email templates or scheduling tools can lead to miscalculated expiration dates.
- AI Misinterpretation: Gmail's AI algorithms might misinterpret offer details due to ambiguous language or unclear validity.
Key considerations
- Validate Schema: Thoroughly check and validate schema markup to ensure correct expiration date specifications.
- Cache Busting: Implement cache-busting techniques for dynamic content to prevent Gmail from caching outdated information.
- Improve Reputation: Focus on improving sender reputation by consistently sending valid and accurately marked offers.
- Consistent Dates: Ensure consistent expiration dates across all email versions (HTML, AMP) and landing pages.
- Time Zone Settings: Verify and correct time zone settings in all relevant platforms and tools.
- Clear Communication: Use clear and unambiguous language in the email body and subject line to communicate offer validity.
- Testing Environments: Test emails in various Gmail environments (desktop, mobile, app) to identify device-specific issues.
- Review annotations: If using annotations review the configurations to ensure offers are all valid.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that senders using annotations sometimes put an expiration on it and asks if this is in the Promotions Tab. Also AMP content will expire after 30 days but then it falls back to the HTML.
23 Sep 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus suggests validating your email's HTML and schema to ensure there are no conflicting or incorrect expiration dates. They recommend using Litmus's email testing tools to identify and fix any coding errors.
2 Jan 2022 - Litmus
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Gmail's 'Expired' tag on valid offers can be caused by several factors. Microdata influencing offer details resides in the email body. Discrepancies between the HTML content, schema, and landing page can confuse Gmail's algorithms. Furthermore, inconsistencies between the promotional content and actual offer availability on the landing page also contribute to mislabeling.
Key opinions
- Microdata Location: Microdata influencing offer details is found within the email body.
- Content Discrepancies: Inconsistencies between email content, schema, and landing page cause misinterpretations.
- Offer Availability: Discrepancies between advertised offers and actual availability on the landing page can trigger the tag.
Key considerations
- Inspect Email Body: Carefully examine the email body for microdata impacting offer details.
- Align Content: Ensure consistency across email HTML, schema markup, and landing page content regarding offer details and expiration.
- Verify Offer Validity: Confirm the advertised offer is actually available and matches user expectations when they land on the website.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that the issue might stem from discrepancies between the offer's promotional content and its actual availability upon landing on the website. Investigate if the offer is genuinely accessible and matches the user's expectations.
6 Oct 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that if it’s microdata it’ll be in the body.
29 May 2025 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
Gmail uses schema.org markup to identify deals and offers, particularly relying on the `availabilityEnds` property to determine expiration dates. Inaccurate or misleading structured data, especially regarding the `availabilityEnds` property, can lead to Gmail incorrectly labeling offers as 'Expired'. Validating offer schema using structured data testing tools is crucial to avoid penalties and ensure accurate offer representation.
Key findings
- Schema Dependency: Gmail relies on schema.org markup to identify deals and offers.
- Availability Ends: The `availabilityEnds` property within the `Offer` schema is critical for defining expiration dates.
- Validation Importance: Using structured data testing tools is essential to validate offer schema and prevent errors.
Key considerations
- Accurate Definitions: Accurately define the `availabilityEnds` property to prevent incorrect 'Expired' labels.
- Correct Usage: Adhere to the correct date/time format for the `availabilityEnds` property as specified by Schema.org to avoid ambiguity.
- Testing Tools: Utilize structured data testing tools to identify and correct any inaccuracies or misleading information in your offer schema.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Developers explains that Gmail uses schema.org markup to identify deals and offers. It highlights the importance of accurately defining `availabilityEnds` property within the `Offer` schema to prevent incorrect 'Expired' labels.
13 Oct 2024 - Google Developers
Technical article
Documentation from Google Search Central emphasizes the importance of using structured data testing tools to validate your offer schema. It warns against using inaccurate or misleading information, which can lead to penalties.
17 Apr 2023 - Google Search Central
