Did Google remove the precedence: bulk headers suggestion from their bulk sender guidelines?

4 Marketer opinions 3 Expert opinions 3 Technical articles 2 Resources

Summary

Multiple experts, documentation, and email marketers agree that Google no longer recommends using the 'Precedence: bulk' header in its bulk sender guidelines. While Google previously suggested its use (as evidenced by archived documentation), it's now considered outdated and less effective. Modern email systems prioritize sender reputation, authentication methods like DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, and clean email lists. The RFC editor details the general precedence field. Email marketers instead recommend focusing on current best practices for email deliverability.

Key findings

Google's Current Stance: Google's current documentation explicitly states that the 'Precedence: bulk' header is not recommended.
Historical Context: Archive.org shows that Google previously recommended using the 'Precedence: bulk' header in older versions of its guidelines.
Outdated Practice: Multiple email marketers and experts consider the 'Precedence: bulk' header to be largely outdated and less effective in modern email systems.
Focus on Reputation: Modern email systems rely more on sender reputation and authentication for deliverability.

Key considerations

Alternative Methods: Since the 'Precedence: bulk' header is no longer recommended, explore and implement alternative methods for managing bulk email deliverability.
Authentication Importance: Focus on setting up and maintaining proper email authentication using DKIM, SPF, and DMARC.
List Hygiene Practices: Prioritize keeping your email lists clean and up-to-date by regularly removing inactive or unengaged subscribers.
Refer to Current Guidelines: Always refer to the most current version of Google's bulk sender guidelines and other industry best practices for email deliverability.

What email marketers say
4Marketer opinions

Several email marketing experts suggest that Google no longer recommends the 'Precedence: bulk' header in their bulk sender guidelines. The consensus is that this header is outdated and less effective in modern email systems. Instead, focusing on reputation, authentication methods like DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, and maintaining clean email lists are now considered best practices for improving email deliverability.

Key opinions

Outdated Header: The 'Precedence: bulk' header is considered outdated and less effective.
Non-Standard: The header is a non-standard header, and its effectiveness varies across different email clients.
Google No Longer Recommends: Google has removed the suggestion to use 'Precedence: bulk' from its bulk sender guidelines.

Key considerations

Reputation Matters: Modern email systems rely more on sender reputation for deliverability.
Authentication is Key: Focus on implementing DKIM, SPF, and DMARC for better authentication.
List Hygiene: Maintaining clean and up-to-date email lists is crucial for deliverability.
Alternative Methods: Use alternative methods to improve deliverability.

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid talks about keeping email lists clean to improve deliverability as well as not using the 'Precedence:bulk' header.

May 2024 - Email On Acid

Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailgun support suggests to use other methods to improve deliverability as they do not recommend to use 'Precedence: bulk' anymore.

June 2024 - Mailgun

Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that the header is largely outdated. Focus on DKIM, SPF, and DMARC for better deliverability.

May 2021 - Reddit

Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow states that the 'Precedence: bulk' header is a non-standard header and its effectiveness varies across different email clients. They suggest that while it may have been useful in the past, modern email systems rely more on reputation and authentication.

October 2022 - Stack Overflow

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Experts confirm that Google has removed the 'precedence: bulk' header suggestion from their bulk sender guidelines. Historical versions of the guidelines, archived on sites like Archive.org, do show the recommendation, indicating it was removed at some point.

Key opinions

Suggestion Removed: Google no longer suggests using the 'precedence: bulk' header in its current bulk sender guidelines.
Historical Recommendation: Older versions of Google's bulk sender guidelines, archived on Archive.org, did include the 'precedence: bulk' recommendation.

Key considerations

Review Current Guidelines: Refer to the latest version of Google's bulk sender guidelines for current recommendations.
Consider Alternative Methods: Since 'precedence: bulk' is no longer recommended, explore alternative methods for managing bulk email deliverability.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks answers that it looks like Google has removed the precedence: bulk headers suggestion.

September 2024 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that the precedence: bulk recommendation is not in the latest bulk sender guidelines page but it is in older versions found on Archive.org, and provides links to the current and 2013 versions of the guidelines.

April 2024 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise answers that Google stopped suggesting precedence: bulk headers in their documentation a long time ago.

September 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

Google's current documentation states that the 'Precedence: bulk' header is no longer recommended for managing bulk email, advising the use of other methods. Historical documentation from 2013 shows Google previously recommended this header. RFC Editor documents the general use of the precedence field, indicating message importance but not specifically for bulk mail.

Key findings

Current Recommendation: Google's current support documentation does not recommend the 'Precedence: bulk' header.
Historical Recommendation: In 2013, Google recommended the 'Precedence: bulk' header for bulk mail filtering.
Precedence Field Definition: RFC Editor defines the precedence field as an indicator of message importance.

Key considerations

Use Alternative Methods: Since Google no longer recommends 'Precedence: bulk', explore alternative methods for managing bulk email.
Context of Precedence: The general precedence field may have broader applications beyond bulk mail, as defined by RFC Editor.
Changes Over Time: Google's recommendations have changed over time, so always refer to the most current guidelines.

Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor details the precedence field, though not specific to bulk. It describes how precedence hints at the importance of a mail message.

November 2023 - RFC Editor

Technical article

Documentation from Internet Archive shows a snapshot from 2013 where Google recommended using the 'Precedence: bulk' header for bulk mail to help Gmail filter the emails correctly.

April 2023 - web.archive.org

Technical article

Documentation from Google Support confirms that the 'Precedence: bulk' header is no longer recommended in their current bulk sender guidelines. They advise using other methods for managing bulk email.

June 2024 - Google Support

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