Summary
Seeing spam rejects reported by Google, particularly within a Google Partner Program context or via Google's broader reporting mechanisms, when no specific campaigns were sent can be perplexing. This situation often points to background email traffic, system glitches, or delayed reporting. It's crucial to investigate the nature of these reports, distinguishing between automated transactional emails and bulk campaigns, and to consider the possibility of temporary issues with Google's reporting infrastructure. Understanding these nuances is key to maintaining good sender reputation and effective email deliverability, especially when relying on tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
Key findings
- Reporting delays: Google's reported spam rejections might not align perfectly with your send schedule, often showing data from previous days.
- Automated emails: Even without explicit campaigns, automated emails (transactional, onboarding, forgotten password) are constantly being sent and can trigger spam complaints if issues arise.
- Google system issues: There have been instances where Google experienced temporary glitches, leading to legitimate email traffic being incorrectly rejected or marked as spam. For example, Google support documentation on unsolicited message errors can sometimes point to such broad system responses.
- DMARC reports: While DMARC provides authentication insights, a high DMARC pass rate doesn't necessarily negate spam issues originating from legitimate, but poorly engaged, sends.
- Inconsistent reporting: Discrepancies between your ESP's (e.g., Klaviyo) spam reports and Google's data are common, as Google's perspective is uniquely its own.
Key considerations
- Verify send volume: Double-check all email sending sources for the reported date, including transactional systems, marketing automation, and third-party integrations, as even low volume sends can cause issues.
- Cross-reference data: Compare Google's reports with other deliverability metrics, such as internal bounce rates, engagement metrics, and other spam complaint data.
- Monitor specific errors: If soft bounces with specific SMTP rejection messages from Gmail are observed, these can indicate broader issues rather than just individual recipient problems.
- Consider temporary anomalies: If only Google's data shows an issue without confirmation from other sources, it might be a temporary anomaly or a specific event affecting Google's filtering.
What email marketers say
Email marketers frequently encounter situations where Google's reporting, especially through tools like Postmaster Tools (which is what GPP might be referring to in this context), shows unexpected spam spikes or rejects even when their send volumes are low or non-existent for campaigns. This can be particularly confusing when other internal metrics, like those from an ESP, don't corroborate the same level of issue. The consensus often leans towards the possibility of Google's internal systems experiencing temporary anomalies or miscategorizations, alongside the ongoing activity of automated emails.
Key opinions
- Google as truth source: Many marketers acknowledge that Google's data, particularly from Postmaster Tools, is often the most accurate source for Google-specific issues, as Google doesn't share feedback loop data with ESPs in the same way other ISPs might.
- Feedback-id utility: Using the Feedback-ID in Postmaster Tools is seen as crucial for identifying the precise source of reported spam complaints, especially when multiple sending systems are in use.
- Potential for false positives: Some marketers suggest that Google Postmaster Tools can occasionally display misleading data, especially if no other metrics confirm a sudden spike in issues. This aligns with observations about false positives in reputation.
- Impact of bounces: Spam rejects often manifest as delivery errors or soft bounces, particularly when Google's systems are flagging messages as unsolicited. These are not always indicative of hard bounces that would immediately remove an address from a list.
Key considerations
- Examine soft bounces: Marketers should delve into the details of soft bounces from Google, looking for specific SMTP error messages (like 550 5.7.1) to understand Google's reasoning for blocking.
- Adjust bounce handling: Consider if your current bounce handling, which might delay excluding addresses until multiple soft bounces occur, is appropriate for sudden, widespread issues with a major inbox provider like Google.
- Resending strategy: For significant numbers of soft bounces due to Google-side issues, a targeted resend to affected recipients may be a viable strategy once the issue is resolved.
- Monitor broader trends: Keep an eye on community discussions and official Google announcements for widespread deliverability issues that could explain anomalous reports.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests checking all data points beyond just campaign sends. Automated emails are always going out and can generate spam complaints even when no large campaigns are active. If Klaviyo's data doesn't align, it might indicate the problem isn't with bulk marketing efforts.
Marketer view
Marketer from a forum discusses that Google Postmaster Tools can occasionally present misleading data. If there are no other confirming data points across your various sending systems or ESP reports, it might be safe to disregard the spike as a potential anomaly from Google's reporting system.
What the experts say
Email deliverability experts highlight that when Google's systems report spam rejects for periods with no active campaign sends, it often points to nuances in how Google processes and reports email traffic. This can include anything from widespread, temporary system anomalies on Google's side to specific configurations in how DMARC and other authentication protocols are interpreted, especially concerning automated emails or third-party senders. They emphasize cross-referencing data and understanding the specific bounce codes provided by Google.
Key opinions
- Google's authoritative data: Experts generally agree that Google Postmaster Tools (GPM) provides the most accurate view of how Google is handling your email traffic, including spam complaints, as Google does not provide FBLs to ESPs.
- Temporary system issues: An expert from Email Geeks confirmed that Google experienced an issue on Feb 15-16, rejecting legitimate traffic, which could explain uncharacteristic spam spikes. This underscores that not all deliverability problems originate from the sender's side.
- Importance of Feedback-ID: The Feedback-ID field in Google Postmaster Tools is critical for pinpointing the exact email stream or campaign that is generating spam complaints, even if it's not from your primary ESP.
- Beyond campaigns: Even with no marketing campaigns, transactional or automated emails are continuously sent, and issues with these can lead to spam reports in GPM.
Key considerations
- Examine bounce diagnostics: Experts advise a deep dive into SMTP logs for specific bounce messages (e.g., 550 5.7.1 from Gmail) to understand the nature of the rejection, which can indicate if it's a content, reputation, or system-wide issue.
- Correlation with other metrics: If Google's reports show a spike but your ESP and DMARC reports show no anomalies, it's essential to consider the possibility of a Google-specific issue or a reporting lag. You should also check for spam spikes in Google Postmaster Tools generally.
- Review DMARC for support systems: Even if overall DMARC pass rates are high, failing DMARC from less controlled systems, like support ticket platforms, can contribute to reputation issues and rejections.
- Sender reputation impact: A sudden influx of rejections, even soft bounces, can impact your IP and domain reputation with Google, making it harder for future emails to reach the inbox, and this may be why emails suddenly go to spam.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks states that delivery errors in Google Postmaster Tools directly indicate that some email traffic has been bounced. This implies that emails were sent but not accepted by Google's servers, rather than merely not showing up in reports.
Expert view
Deliverability expert from wordtothewise.com observes that Google Postmaster Tools is the most authoritative source for Google's spam complaints and FBLs because Google does not send this specific feedback to other ESPs. Relying on GPM is essential for understanding Google's unique perspective on your sending reputation.
What the documentation says
Official documentation from Google and related technical resources provides context for interpreting deliverability metrics and understanding why spam rejects might occur even without explicit campaign sends. These documents often detail the criteria for spam classification, the role of sender reputation, and the types of error messages issued. They emphasize that Google's filtering systems are dynamic and constantly evolving, meaning what was acceptable yesterday might be flagged today, even for automated, low-volume sends.
Key findings
- Sender reputation weighting: Google's systems heavily weigh sender reputation (IP and domain) in deliverability decisions. A decline in reputation, even from past sends, can impact current and future email acceptance.
- Unsolicited message errors: The SMTP error 550 5.7.1 (Our system has detected that this message is likely unsolicited mail) is a common indicator that Google's anti-spam filters have blocked a message due to perceived spam characteristics, regardless of the sender's intent or campaign status.
- Feedback loop mechanism: Google Postmaster Tools is the primary channel for senders to receive aggregate feedback loop (FBL) data directly from Google regarding user spam complaints.
- Authentication standards: Adherence to SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is fundamental for deliverability, but even perfectly authenticated emails can be marked as spam if other signals (like user complaints or content) are negative.
Key considerations
- Understanding Postmaster Tools: Leverage Google Postmaster Tools' various dashboards to monitor IP and domain reputation, spam rate, feedback loop data, and authentication status. This tool is designed to help senders diagnose deliverability issues with Gmail.
- Bounce code analysis: Familiarize yourself with Google's specific SMTP bounce codes and their meanings. These codes provide precise reasons for rejections, helping to identify root causes beyond general spam classification.
- Adherence to guidelines: Ensure all email practices, including automated sends, align with Google's bulk sender guidelines. These guidelines cover everything from list hygiene to authentication and content best practices.
- Review spam thresholds: Understand that even a low number of spam complaints can significantly impact reputation in Google's eyes. Google aims to protect its users from unwanted email aggressively.
Technical article
Google's official Postmaster Tools documentation details that the spam rate is a key metric showing the percentage of your email sent to Gmail users that was marked as spam. It states that this metric includes messages filtered directly to spam by Gmail's AI, not just those manually marked by users, providing a broader picture of perceived unwanted mail.
Technical article
The Google Mail Support guide on 'Unsolicited Message Error' (SMTP error 550 5.7.1) explains that this block occurs when their system detects the message is likely unsolicited. It advises senders to ensure compliance with Google's bulk sender guidelines to reduce such rejections, highlighting the importance of content and sending behavior over mere volume.
Related resources
3 resources
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