If you’re an avid email sender, it’s important to have a good grasp of email authentication. Email authentication is the implementation of certain security measures that assure email services like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and more that the emails they receive are genuinely from the sources they claim to be, which is you. This not only enhances email security but also increases the likelihood of your emails landing in the inbox instead of being marked as spam. Or worse, not delivered at all! Starting February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo Mail will require the following authentication methods to be set up in order to improve deliverability.

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) allows you to specify which servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. This information is then communicated to the recipient’s email server, such as Gmail, to ensure that your emails are not marked as spam or suspicious. In other words, SPF helps prevent email forgery and increases the likelihood of your emails being delivered successfully to the intended recipient.

What is Sender Policy Framework?

To ensure that your emails are successfully delivered through an Email Service Provider (ESP) like Hubspot or Klayvio, it’s crucial to add their servers to your list of approved senders. This will help you avoid any potential delivery issues and ensure that your messages reach your intended recipients without any trouble.

Adding an extra layer of security to emails, DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) attaches a private digital signature to each message. This signature confirms that the message was sent by your domain. If the signature doesn’t match with the public record or if the message has been tampered with, the email is more likely to be marked as spam.

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is the most secure email authentication method available. It instructs servers like Yahoo Mail exactly how to handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks. This assures that your genuine emails always reach their intended recipients while protecting you from spoofing attempts. To guarantee protection, it’s important to publish a DMARC record for your domain. This will safeguard your emails and keep them from being rejected or quarantined in the spam folder.

What is DMARC?

It is important to avoid using email addresses on Gmail or Yahoo Mail’s domains when sending bulk emails. Doing so increases the chances of your emails being marked as spam and ending up in the recipient’s spam folder. By following these simple steps, you can rest assured that your emails are being delivered safely and accurately every time.

Make it easy for users to unsubscribe from mailing lists or subscriptions by providing clear and visible options, such as an embedded link in the email. This enhances user experience, fosters customer trust, and demonstrates a commitment to customer satisfaction.

Unwanted emails can be a real nuisance, regardless of whether they come from an outdated subscription or an unknown source. Nobody likes to receive them, but fortunately, there are ways to take control of your inbox and keep it clean.

Here’s what you’ll need to make sure that your emails reach the inbox.

One-click unsubscribes: Including an unsubscribe link in your header is essential to email delivery. This link should make it easy for your recipients to unsubscribe with just one click. While some email marketing platforms may add this link automatically, others may require you to add it manually. If you need to add the unsubscribe link manually, you can find step-by-step instructions from Google here.

Adding a prominent Unsubscribe link to your email message is a critical step in ensuring that your recipients have a positive experience with your brand. It not only helps them quickly opt-out of future communications but also shows that you respect their privacy and preferences. The unsubscribe link should be clearly visible and easy to find in the message body. Once the user clicks on it, they should be taken to a landing page where they can instantly confirm their decision to unsubscribe. There is no need to force them to provide extra information, re-confirm their unsubscription, or give feedback on why they are opting out.

Consider simplifying the process by pre-filling your contact’s email and enabling unsubscribing with a single click button. This will not only simplify the process for your contacts but also help you maintain a positive reputation as a trustworthy email sender.

Process requests in 2 days: Gmail has set a new standard by requiring unsubscribe requests to be processed within 2 days, while current CAN-SPAM and GDPR regulations allow up to 10 days and 30 days, respectively.

ESPs must update their suppression lists in a shorter time frame. Most ESPs do this automatically. If you are manually processing unsubscribes, such as from your list-unsubscribe header, you will have to act quickly to guarantee compliance.

It is crucial to bear in mind that spam complaint rates are a direct indication of the percentage of users who have identified your emails as unwanted or spam.

With recent updates to Gmail and Yahoo Mail’s regulations, email marketers whose spam rates exceed 0.3% will face penalties that can significantly harm their sender reputation and email deliverability. This can lead to emails being directed to the recipient’s spam folder or, in extreme cases, being blocked altogether.

Therefore, keeping spam rates as low as possible and maintaining a positive sender reputation to ensure your messages reach their intended audience is necessary.

To maintain low spam rates, it’s crucial to adhere to best practices and provide valuable content that people genuinely want to read. By following these main steps, you can take control of your email marketing and ensure that it’s effective and well-received.

To ensure that your emails are delivered and received by your subscribers without being marked as spam, there are several proven strategies to follow:

Obtain explicit permission from your subscribers before sending them any promotional emails. This can be done by adding a simple opt-in form to your website or by using a double opt-in process that requires subscribers to confirm their email address.

Regularly clean your mailing lists by removing inactive subscribers who haven’t engaged with your emails. This will improve your deliverability rates and keep your list healthy.

Send targeted emails to specific groups of subscribers based on their interests, preferences, or behavior. For instance, you could send different emails to subscribers who have recently purchased from you versus those who have only signed up for your newsletter. Use advanced segmentation to tailor emails based on their behavior and interaction with your brand, providing a personalized experience to your audience.

Set a consistent sending schedule that meets the needs of your subscribers and provides value without being overwhelming. Monitor your email open rates and adjust your frequency accordingly. Alternatively, offer a preference center that lets subscribers choose how often they want to receive emails from you.

Provide high-quality content that is relevant and useful to your subscribers, rather than focusing solely on self-promotion. Avoid using spam trigger words like “free,” “buy now,” or “limited time offer” in your email subject lines, as they can trigger spam filters and decrease your open rates.

By following these practices, you can be confident that your emails will be well-received by your subscribers while also complying with anti-spam regulations.

In conclusion, the recent changes in Gmail and Yahoo Mail have brought about some positive improvements worth noting.

Adapting to the upcoming changes by Gmail and Yahoo Mail might seem intimidating, but rest assured, these changes are necessary to ensure your emails reach the inboxes of the people who authentically want to hear from you. Although a bit of a task, these changes will benefit both you and your subscribers.

If you’re looking for any guidance or support with ensuring compliance, I’d be more than happy to assist you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at any time with your questions or concerns.