Gmail and Yahoo – Navigating the Latest Email Deliverability Rules

Are you a frequent sender of emails to Gmail and Yahoo users? Brace yourself, because the rules of the email marketing game are changing, and they’re about to get real. In a bid to combat spam and protect users’ inboxes from unwanted messages, Gmail and Yahoo are teaming up to roll out new email deliverability rules, which started to take effect in February 2024.

So, what exactly are these rules, and how can you ensure your emails make it into the coveted inbox space? Let’s break it down in a way that’s easy to understand and implement.

Email Authentication: Senders will need to authenticate their emails using security protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This step is crucial in ensuring that the sender’s identity is verified and preventing spoofing and spam.

DMARC, which stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance, is a valuable tool for managing your email security. Creating a DMARC record, even if it’s set to ‘p=none’ as a minimum, is crucial. It helps establish your credibility as a sender and reduces the chances of your emails being marked as spam.

DMARC, which stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance, is a valuable tool for managing your email security. Creating a DMARC record, even if it’s set to ‘p=none’ as a minimum, is crucial. It helps establish your credibility as a sender and reduces the chances of your emails being marked as spam.

Example – This stage holds particular significance for users who send emails from a free email domain (e.g., yourevent@gmail.com) because authentication of a domain not owned by the sender is not possible. To adhere to the new regulations, these users must acquire and authenticate their own domain (e.g., @yourevent.com) instead.

• One-Click Unsubscribing: Say goodbye to the hassle of navigating through multiple steps to unsubscribe. Senders must now offer recipients a simple one-click option to opt out of receiving further emails.
• Prompt Unsubscribe Processing: No more waiting around. Senders are required to process unsubscription requests within a maximum of two days to respect recipients’ preferences promptly.
• Maintaining a Low Spam Complaint Rate: Spam complaints can tarnish your sender reputation and impact email deliverability. To stay in the good books, ensure your spam complaint rate remains below 0.3%.

Note – Another crucial aspect to take into account is that even if senders achieve or surpass a spam complaint rate of 0.1%, they will still suffer from reputational harm and encounter adverse effects on deliverability across all email providers except Gmail.

Blockquote – “We chose 0.3% because there are other companies and programs out there and 0.3% or below is the requirement for them already. If your traffic sustains a spam rate above 0.3%, you’re probably already in a world of hurt. Generally, we look for much smaller numbers, but 0.3% resonates with the industry so we chose to make it public.”

Marcel Becker, Sr Director Product Management at Yahoo

Why These Changes Matter?

The aim of these new rules is simple: to make email communication safer, more relevant, and less cluttered with unwanted messages. By enforcing stricter guidelines, Gmail and Yahoo hope to improve the overall email experience for users.

Following the long-standing best practices for sending marketing emails is no longer just a suggestion – it’s almost like a must-do for everyone sending emails. The rules that have been followed in the industry for a long time will soon become official, meaning every marketer will have to follow them. It all starts with:

1. Email verification: DKIM and SPF: Making sure emails are real will depend on following DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Sender Policy Framework (SPF) rules – basic ways to check if emails are legitimate. Marketers who haven’t set up DKIM and SPF yet will need to do it to make sure their emails are considered authentic.
2. DNS records: Forward and reverse: To make sure emails come from where they claim, sender domains and IPs need correct forward and reverse DNS records (also called PTR records). These records help email services check the sender’s identity by looking up their domain in reverse when they get an email.
3. Google Postmaster spam complaints: It’s really important to keep the number of spam complaints below 0.3% in the Google Postmaster tool. This tool is super important for senders because it helps them know if their emails are getting delivered and if their reputation as senders is good. If a sender gets too many complaints, their emails might get rejected more often.
4. Internet message rules: Your outgoing messages need to follow the Internet Message Format rules, which are laid out in a document called RFC 5322. These rules explain how emails should be structured, including things like headers, the main message, and any attachments.
5. Stopping Gmail impersonation: Don’t pretend to be someone else in the “From:” part of your email when sending to Gmail. Gmail uses a policy called DMARC to catch these impersonations, and it might put these emails in a special place instead of the main inbox.
6. ARC headers for forwarded emails: When emails get forwarded, like through mailing lists or gateways, they need to include ARC headers. ARC helps make sure forwarded emails get to the right people securely.
7. DMARC authentication: Senders have to set up something called DMARC for their email domains. DMARC tells email services how to handle emails that don’t look legit.
8. Matching “From” header: The email’s “From:” part should match either the SPF domain or the DKIM domain.
9. Easy unsubscribe: Emails must now let you unsubscribe with just one click. They also need to clearly show the unsubscribe option in the email.
10. Secure email transfer: Senders must use a security protocol called Transport Layer Security (TLS) for sending emails. TLS makes sure emails are encrypted and keeps your data private while it’s being sent.

To make sure your emails don’t end up in spam folders, it’s important to follow a few steps:

• Keep your spam rate below 0.3%. This means sending emails that people want to receive.
• Make sure only people who have agreed to receive your emails get them.
• Keep your email list up-to-date by removing people who don’t engage with your emails.
• Use tools like Audience Republic’s auto-suppression feature to help manage your list.
• Stick to a regular schedule when sending emails.
• Avoid using words or phrases that are commonly associated with spam in your subject lines or email content.
• Don’t write in all capital letters or use too many exclamation marks.
• Limit the number of images you include in your emails, and make sure they’re not too large.
• Test your emails to see if they might be marked as spam before sending them out.

Setting up Google Postmaster Tools can help monitor your spam rate for free and quickly or contact the mail250 team.

The Bottom Line:

As the digital landscape evolves, so too must our approach to email marketing. Embracing these new email deliverability rules isn’t just about compliance – it’s about fostering a safer and more efficient email ecosystem for everyone involved.

So, whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just dipping your toes into the world of email campaigns, now’s the time to adapt and thrive in this ever-changing landscape. After all, the inbox of tomorrow awaits – are you ready to make your mark?

1: Who will feel the impact of the 2024 email changes from Gmail and Yahoo?
Well, everyone is affected, especially if you send more than 5,000 emails a day to Gmail or Yahoo. These changes are crucial for all senders, big or small. They’re especially important for creators with smaller email lists, where each interaction matters a lot.

2: What if you don’t meet the new requirements?
Well, you might encounter some email problems. Starting in February, Gmail will delay delivering messages that don’t meet these new standards. If you continue to not meet the standards over time, your messages might either bounce back or end up in the spam folder.

3: What’s DMARC and why does it matter?
DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance. It’s like having a bodyguard for your email, shielding your email domain from fake messages and scams.

DMARC also tells email services what to do with emails that fail security checks. This helps protect your reputation and ensures your emails land safely in people’s inboxes.

4: Should you use DMARC?
Definitely! With the changes from Google and Yahoo in 2024, it’s a must for all senders to have a basic DMARC record in place.

DMARC acts as a shield for the domain you send emails from, stopping email scams. It’s like giving your emails armor, keeping fake senders out and reassuring your subscribers about their email security.