Finding your emails in the spam folder can be a nightmare for marketers. It not only means that your message did not reach the recipient, but it can also harm your future success. The more your emails are marked as spam, the lower your email deliverability can become over time. Additionally, being labeled as a spammer can damage your brand’s credibility and erode the trust you have built with your audience.
Major email providers like Gmail and Yahoo understand the annoyance of receiving spammy messages, which is why they have adjusted their screening policies to enforce email marketing best practices. These new policies will be effective in February 2024.
But what do these new policies mean for email marketers? It is crucial to comply with Gmail and Yahoo’s guidelines, but it is also important to note that following email marketing best practices means you are already on the path to success.
Let’s take a closer look at the new spam screening policies being implemented by Google and Yahoo to help you avoid being flagged as spam.
Google and Yahoo’s Spam Filtering Policies
Google and Yahoo’s new spam filtering policies require email marketers to:
- Set up domain verification
- Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe from your emails
- Keep your complaint reporting below 0.3%
Email senders who do not adhere to these policies are more likely to have their emails rejected or classified as spam.
Gmail will implement these new policies in February 2024, followed by Yahoo! Mail by the first quarter of 2024.
The good news is that these policies have long been recommended as general email marketing best practices. If you have been following these guidelines, you are already ahead in improving your overall reach and ensuring your emails stay in the inbox.
However, if you are uncertain about following these practices, do not worry. We will guide you through how to ensure you are aligned with these new policies.
Step-By-Step Guide to Following Gmail and Yahoo’s New Spam Prevention Requirements
1. Set Up Domain Authentication
One of the most common types of spam is spoofed emails, where the sender’s information is falsified to misrepresent the sender’s identity. Domain authentication is a set of electronic certificates that prove the sender’s identity. Setting up domain authentication is strongly encouraged as an email marketing best practice.
If you are sending emails from another company’s server, it is important to ensure that your domain is authenticated. If you do not have a private domain, inexpensive domain registrars are available for use.
2. Make it Easy to Unsubscribe
Email marketers should enable a “one-click unsubscribe” option that removes recipients from email marketing outreach within two days if they want to unsubscribe.
For BenchmarkONE users, a fully compliant unsubscribe system is already in place, and no special action is required.
3. Keep the Complaint Reporting Rate Below 0.3%
Email senders should aim to maintain a complaint reporting rate of less than 0.3% by only sending emails to recipients who have opted into their email marketing. Cleaning the email list regularly and avoiding purchased email lists are also important best practices.
For BenchmarkONE users, it is important to avoid sending emails to contacts who are less engaged and to ensure that the unsubscribe link is clearly visible.
Cooperation with these new policies from Google and Yahoo is essential for precise spam detection. Adhering to these policies means that subscribers will no longer receive spam, making it easier for them to find your emails, promotions, or newsletters in their inboxes.
Use this opportunity to deepen engagement with your subscribers!
