Does SEO impact email deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from AWeber Blog suggests that SEO increases website traffic and visibility, indirectly supporting email marketing by growing the email list and enhancing brand recognition. This, in turn, can lead to improved email deliverability.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that SEO and email marketing indirectly influence each other. For instance, driving traffic to your website via SEO can help build your email list, while promoting valuable content via email can improve website engagement metrics, indirectly boosting SEO.
Email marketer from Mailchimp Resources shares that SEO and email marketing require high-quality data. SEO relies on accurate keyword research, while email marketing depends on clean and engaged email lists. Both contribute to a positive online presence.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that domain reputation can impact deliverability, especially with Google, which uses data from its other product lines. He explains that "blackhat" SEO methods might negatively affect deliverability if the domain is used in email messages. He has seen instances where historic SEO tactics seemed to be the cause of deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Webmaster Forum notes that a high bounce rate from email campaigns can signal poor list hygiene and potentially harm your domain reputation, which could indirectly affect your website's SEO performance in the long run.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog suggests that while not a direct ranking factor, a strong domain authority (influenced by SEO) can indirectly improve email deliverability. A reputable domain is more likely to be trusted by email providers.
Email marketer from HubSpot explains that SEO and email marketing are complementary. Creating high-quality content for SEO purposes also provides valuable material for email newsletters, boosting engagement and deliverability.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains SEO builds brand recognition and authority, making recipients more likely to trust and engage with emails from that brand, improving deliverability rates.
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog shares that SEO helps maintain a consistent brand presence online, which can improve trust and engagement with subscribers. This consistency can positively influence email deliverability by reducing spam complaints.
Marketer from Email Geeks states he can't rule out the positive effects of good domain reputation on deliverability, mentioning that it certainly won't hurt deliverability.
Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog explains that SEO and email deliverability are related through reputation. A poor SEO strategy (e.g., spammy backlinks) can hurt your overall domain reputation, which can, in turn, negatively impact email deliverability.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks clarifies that by 'bad SEO,' she means the deceitful tactics used to manipulate search engine rankings.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that while good SEO may not necessarily improve deliverability, bad SEO can definitely harm it. She uses an analogy: meeting the minimum requirements doesn't matter how much you exceed it, but failing to meet them prevents success.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that SEO doesn't directly impact email deliverability but does affect how easily people find your website and sign up for your list. This can lead to a higher quality list, which can then positively impact deliverability.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that bad SEO practices can indirectly hurt email deliverability. If your website is associated with spam or malware, it can damage your sender reputation and impact your ability to reach the inbox.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that while their primary focus is on blocking spam, a domain listed on their blocklists can also experience negative SEO consequences, and vice versa. This highlights the interconnectedness of online reputation.
Documentation from Microsoft SNDS explains that they use domain reputation to filter spam. While SEO isn't explicitly mentioned, any activities that damage your domain's trustworthiness online can potentially affect your email deliverability to Outlook and Hotmail users.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools emphasizes that sender reputation is a key factor in deliverability. While not directly tied to SEO, activities that harm your domain's overall reputation (like those penalized by Google search) can affect your email sending reputation.