By February 2024, Google and Yahoo are enforcing new requirements on email marketers, that include more mandatory DNS authentication, one-click unsubscribe and some strict spam rates.
The primary purpose for these requirements is to block billions of malicious messages that are cluttering recipients’ inboxes. This will enhance the overall experience of email users.
On the other side, senders blasting emails in large batches will have the opportunity to tap into these changes, since this helps them improve their domain sender reputation, boost deliverability, reduce their spam rates, as well as preserve their trust with their customers.
Bulk Senders New Requirements
Generally, you can be proactive in preparing for the aforementioned updates but starting February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo will enforce bulk senders to apply these main three obligations:
- Enforced DNS Authentication: Setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is no longer optional. All those sending emails to a significant portion of their contacts (5,000+ contacts) are now required to authenticate their emails with SPF, DKIM, and to create a DMARC policy on their domain. In the platform, DKIM and SPF were already a requirement, however DMARC was not. You must now create at least a policy set to ”none” to be fully compliant. Here is everything you need to know on DMARC and how to set it up.
- Allow one-click Unsubscribe: In the platform, it was mandatory to include either the one-click Unsubscribe option, the Manage Preferences, or both. Otherwise, the system would automatically inject an unsubscribe link in the footer of your emails. If you have the one-click unsubscribe option in your emails, you are already compliant. The Preferences link, on the other hand, requires an additional step to be unsubscribed and will not be sufficient. You will need to add the one-click unsubscribe as well to be fully compliant with this requirement.
- Keep your spam rate below 1%: Both Google and Yahoo will enforce bulk senders to stay under a reported spam threshold, where the spam complaint rate should be less than 0.1% or you need to identify what needs to be revised or improved. However, if you notice your email spam rate reaches 0.3%, that’s an indication that you should urgently take action.
- Setup reverse DNS records (PTR records): Every sending IP has a valid reverse DNS in place. Even though these Reverse DNS records are not your own domain, you are in compliance with this requirement.
- Use a TLS connection for transmitting email: To ensure optimal security and stability for our customers, MessageBird supports TLSv1.1 or higher.
- Format messages with RFC 5322 standards: The platform is fully aligned with RFC 5322.
- Add ARC headers to outgoing email: our email partners do not operate as a relay, so this does not apply to you.
If you don’t meet any of these requirements, your message might land spam or even get quarantined altogether by GMAIL and Yahoo.
Who’s Impacted by this Change?
These upcoming changes will affect any business, regardless of its size. The segment that will be specifically impacted is those sending 5,000+ emails to Gmail accounts, daily. It’s critical to note that this doesn’t include a one-to-one email sender using the platform, either manual or automated.
How our platform Will Help You Get Ready for These Changes?
In addition to authenticating your emails, the platform enables you to set up your DMARC record. This allows you to avoid email spoofing or phishing attacks, thereby improving your email deliverability.
Moreover, the system allows you to use Chunk Sending, or Predictive Sending to break down large campaigns into smaller batches, over a period of time.
If you notice after a certain period that your spam rate is high and your engagement rate is not up to your expectations, consider implementing a sunset policy, which spots inactive contacts and separates them from your active ones so you exclude them from future campaigns.
Additional Tips to Minimize Your Spam Complaint Rate
- Don’t create your email list or gather any contact information without proper consent.
- Use double opt-in to avoid fake signups and never email people who haven’t initially opted into your list.
- Send emails constantly to build trust with your subscribers.
- Keep your content relevant and personalized.
Wrapping Up
We hope that alerting you about these changes will help you stay up-to-date as the email communication landscape is evolving. We’re constantly striving to ensure you have the best experience by providing you with the required tools and procedures, as well as educating you about the best email marketing practices.
If you have any questions or need assistance in preparing for these updates, feel free to reach out to our support team.
Stay informed, stay compliant, and continue delivering effective email marketing campaigns.