How do Google algorithm updates impact email deliverability and what are the best practices for B2C senders regarding dedicated IPs and sending domains?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from ZeroBounce says regularly cleaning your email list to remove invalid or inactive email addresses is a crucial step to improve deliverability. This reduces bounce rates and avoids spam traps.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that Google heavily relies on engagement for filtering, both overall and per individual account. He recommends rotating out non-engaged users. While content, links, and images matter, engagement is crucial for senders. Moving to a dedicated IP might only provide a temporary boost. Your sender reputation depends on the last email sent.
Email marketer from GlockApps says analyzing your email deliverability using tools that monitor inbox placement, spam folder placement, and authentication is vital to improve email deliverability.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's blog shares that improving email deliverability involves building a clean email list, segmenting your audience, and personalizing your messages. Also, you must monitor your sender reputation and take immediate action if you notice any issues.
Email marketer from an email marketing forum advises against using dedicated IPs for small senders due to the need for consistent volume to maintain a good reputation. Shared IPs are a better option for smaller lists.
Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that having a consistent sending domain reputation is vital. This involves setting up a dedicated subdomain for marketing emails, so corporate communications are not affected. A good reputation means higher deliverability.
Email marketer from Hubspot suggests consistency in sending volume and frequency helps establish a positive sender reputation. Drastic changes in volume can trigger spam filters.
Email marketer from Litmus notes that Google's algorithm updates often focus on improving user experience by filtering out unwanted emails. Senders must prioritize sending relevant and valuable content to their subscribers to avoid being flagged as spam.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that Gmail's spam filters are heavily influenced by user engagement. Positive engagement, such as opening and clicking on emails, helps improve deliverability, while negative engagement, such as marking emails as spam, hurts deliverability.
Email marketer from Sendinblue suggests dedicated IP addresses are most useful for senders sending high volumes of email. It allows senders to control their own reputation, but requires careful management and warm-up to avoid deliverability issues.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise answers that small volume senders are almost always better off on a shared IP range due to the reputation requirements and the expertise required to properly maintain a dedicated IP address. Having a clean list and being a good sender are key to using a shared IP.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that proper IP warm-up is essential when transitioning to a dedicated IP, especially for B2C senders. A gradual increase in sending volume and careful monitoring of engagement metrics are crucial to establishing a positive IP reputation with mailbox providers like Gmail.
Expert from Email Geeks clarifies the different aspects of 'dedicated sending domain': Envelope From (SPF domain/return path) needs a dedicated domain for bounce handling. DKIM d= should be separate from the corporate domain for ESPs. Visible From (authenticated by DMARC) doesn't necessarily need subdomains. Alignment across all elements improves filter accuracy.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Gmail's algorithms are constantly evolving to combat spam. She suggests that dedicated IPs might not be the solution for B2C mail, as engagement is key and warming up IPs can be challenging for some senders.
What the documentation says6Technical articles
Documentation from RFC explains how SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records can be used to prevent email spoofing by specifying which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
Documentation from Mailchimp explains the importance of email authentication using SPF and DKIM. Authenticating your email helps to prove that you are who you say you are, which can improve your deliverability rates.
Documentation from Gmail Help explains that senders must authenticate their email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They should also keep their spam rate below 0.1% and avoid sending unwanted email. Consistent sending volume can also help establish a positive reputation.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that senders need to monitor their reputation in the Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) and participate in the Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP) to maintain good deliverability to Outlook.com users.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a policy framework for email authentication. It also provides reporting mechanisms, allowing senders to monitor how their email is being handled by recipient mail servers.
Documentation from DKIM explains how DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to outgoing emails, allowing recipient mail servers to verify the authenticity of the sender and the integrity of the message content.