A Guide to New Email Deliverability Requirements

Deliverability Guide Stay Ahead of the Curve: A Guide to New Email Deliverability Requirements

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Stay Ahead of the Curve: A Guide to New Email Deliverability Requirements

As you may have heard, Gmail and Yahoo are rolling out significant changes to their spam prevention methods to enhance email security and user experience. These updates bring new requirements for bulk email senders (5k+ per day), effective February 2024. At Digital Additive, we’re dedicated to ensuring our clients’ messages reach their customers and don’t end up in spam folders. That’s why we’ve worked with each one to ensure they’re prepared for the changes ahead. 

 

Want to double-check that your sends will land in inboxes? Here’s a breakdown of the key changes being implemented in Gmail and Yahoo as well as actionable steps you can take to accommodate these updates.

Email Authentication: Your Credibility Check
1. Email Authentication: Your Credibility Check

What it is: Proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) verifies your identity as a sender and prevents email spoofing.

What’s new: Gmail and Yahoo will now require authentication for bulk senders.

Action needed:

  • Verify DKIM: Ensure your email sending domain has a verified DKIM record. Account Engagement users can follow the provided resources for configuration.

  • Consider additional measures: Explore stricter DMARC policies or BIMI/Google Verified Checkmark for enhanced security.


One-Click Unsubscribe: Make It Easy to Opt Out
2. One-Click Unsubscribe: Make It Easy to Opt Out

What it is: This feature allows recipients to unsubscribe with a single click, directly from their inbox.

What’s new: While one-click unsubscribe is already a requirement of CAN-SPAM, these updates are helping to enforce that requirement.

Action needed:

  • Review headers: Verify your email headers include “List-Unsubscribe” and “List-Unsubscribe-Post” fields. Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement users have this automatically added.

  • Confirm functionality: Double-check that your Unsubscribe link or Email Preference Center link works correctly.

 
Keep Spam Complaints Low: Maintain a Good Reputation
3. Keep Spam Complaints Low: Maintain a Good Reputation

What it is: Gmail tracks your spam complaint rate and penalizes senders with high rates.

What’s new: A 0.3% spam complaint threshold is coming to Gmail in 2024.

Action needed:

  • Monitor: Use Google Postmaster Tools to track your spam complaint rate and identify problem areas.

  • Focus on quality: Send relevant content to engaged subscribers to minimize complaints. Ideally, senders should aim for a complaint rate of 0.1% or less.

 

Additional Tips for Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Users

  • Custom Return-Path: Work with Support to configure a custom return-path for full domain alignment, strengthening your DMARC policy.
 
  • Unsubscribe Functionality: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement automatically inserts a one-click unsubscribe header, but you can continue using a two-click unsubscribe page if preferred.
 
  • Sender Authentication Package: Senders who use SFMC’s Sender Authentication Package (SAP) will automatically be aligned with these updated requirements. Find out more about SAP here.

 

 

Still want to learn more? You can find additional information on these updated requirements below:

 
Remember, these changes are designed to improve email deliverability and user experience. By embracing them, you can ensure your emails reach their intended audience and maintain effective email marketing campaigns. By working with a proactive agency like Digital Additive, you can rest assured that an experienced team is looking out for your program and making sure it meets the latest standards and requirements so you can focus on growing your business. Want to know more about what we can bring to your email programs and deliverability efforts? Contact us today.

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Ready to explore the finer points of your email program or discuss what makes open rates soar? Drop us a line and let’s start a conversation.

Ready to explore the finer points of your email program?

Drop us a line and let’s start a conversation