How do I recover from a bad domain reputation with Gmail?

Summary

Recovering from a bad domain reputation with Gmail involves a comprehensive strategy. Key elements include pausing sending, then gradually resuming with engaged recipients and low volumes, using Google Postmaster Tools to monitor reputation, and implementing email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to prevent spoofing. Engagement is crucial; segmenting lists and providing valuable content improves recipient interaction. Regular list hygiene, including removing inactive subscribers and avoiding spam traps, is essential. Employ feedback loops to address spam complaints. Maintain a consistent sending volume and avoid spam trigger words. Finally, consider sunset policies and re-engagement campaigns to manage inactive subscribers.

Key findings

  • Gradual Ramp-up: Recover by pausing sends, then resuming slowly with engaged users and low volume to rebuild trust.
  • Engagement Focus: Gmail heavily weighs engagement; target content and segment lists to improve interaction.
  • List Hygiene Matters: Regularly clean lists to remove inactive users, bounce addresses and spam traps for improved deliverability.
  • Authenticate Emails: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify identity and prevent spoofing, boosting deliverability.
  • Monitor Reputation: Use Google Postmaster Tools for insights on your domain's sending reputation and deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Consistent Volume: Maintain a predictable send pattern to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Feedback Loops: Actively manage and respond to feedback loops to identify and remove complainers from your list.
  • Content Quality: Focus on providing relevant, valuable content to engage users and reduce complaints.
  • Sunset Policies: Consider implementing sunset policies and re-engagement campaigns for inactive subscribers to maintain list health.
  • Avoid Spam Triggers: Review and remove any spam trigger words from email content before sending.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Recovering from a bad domain reputation with Gmail involves a multi-faceted approach centered on improving email engagement, cleaning your email list, and ensuring proper authentication. Engagement is crucial, as Gmail considers how recipients interact with your emails. Segmenting your list and tailoring content to specific groups helps boost engagement. Cleaning your list by removing inactive subscribers, spam traps, and invalid addresses improves deliverability. Monitoring bounce rates and complaints helps identify and address issues. Providing valuable and relevant content encourages engagement and reduces the likelihood of spam complaints. Implementing sunset policies and re-engagement campaigns allows you to manage inactive subscribers effectively. Reviewing content for spam trigger words is also recommended.

Key opinions

  • Engagement is Key: Gmail prioritizes engagement, so focus on increasing opens, clicks, and positive interactions.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers, spam traps, and invalid addresses.
  • Segmentation: Segment your list to send targeted and relevant content to specific groups, improving engagement.
  • Content Relevance: Provide valuable and relevant content that subscribers want to receive.
  • Complaint Reduction: Minimize spam complaints by ensuring an easy unsubscribe process and providing valuable content.
  • Google Postmaster Tools: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain reputation and diagnose issues.

Key considerations

  • Sunset Policies: Implement a sunset policy to automatically remove inactive subscribers after a certain period.
  • Re-engagement: Run a re-engagement campaign to attempt to re-engage inactive subscribers before removing them.
  • Spam Trigger Words: Review your email content to avoid spam trigger words and phrases.
  • Bounce Rates: Monitor bounce rates and remove invalid addresses to improve deliverability.
  • Authentication: Implement email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify your identity.
Marketer view

Email marketer from DigitalMarketer advises implementing a sunset policy to automatically remove inactive subscribers from your list after a certain period of time, preventing them from dragging down your engagement metrics.

June 2023 - DigitalMarketer
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel emphasizes focusing on improving email engagement by segmenting your list and sending targeted content to different groups of subscribers. This improves sender reputation.

August 2024 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that engagement is a decisive factor with Gmail. Less engaged recipients started receiving emails in the spam folder, when before they were receiving them to promotions. If your recipients vary as "engaged" and "not engaged" then the reputation you see in Google Postmaster Tools may just not be much of a factor.

May 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains monitoring bounce rates to identify and remove invalid email addresses from your list, as high bounce rates can negatively impact your sender reputation.

April 2024 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that cleaning your email list to remove inactive subscribers and spam traps is essential for maintaining a good sender reputation with Gmail.

November 2022 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass encourages review your email content to avoid spam trigger words and phrases that can flag your emails as spam.

May 2021 - Gmass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Hubspot recommends running a re-engagement campaign to identify and re-engage inactive subscribers before removing them from your list, giving them one last chance to opt-in.

March 2024 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow shares that reducing the number of complaints is crucial for improving sender reputation. Ensure an unsubscribe link is prominent.

August 2023 - StackOverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests segmenting your email list based on engagement and demographics, then create targeted campaigns for these smaller, more engaged groups.

May 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus stresses the importance of consistently providing valuable and relevant content to your subscribers to encourage engagement and build a positive sender reputation.

May 2022 - Litmus

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Recovering from a poor domain reputation with Gmail requires a strategic approach. It's crucial to temporarily halt sending, then gradually resume with small volumes to engaged recipients. Maintaining a consistent sending pattern is vital to avoid triggering spam filters. Identifying and removing subscribers who mark emails as spam through feedback loops prevents future complaints. Avoiding spam traps is paramount, necessitating meticulous list hygiene and permission-based marketing practices.

Key opinions

  • Start Slow: Begin sending again with a very small volume to your most engaged recipients after a pause.
  • Consistent Volume: Maintain a consistent sending volume and frequency to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Feedback Loops: Utilize feedback loops to identify and remove subscribers who mark emails as spam.
  • Avoid Spam Traps: Hitting spam traps damages reputation; prioritize list hygiene and permission.

Key considerations

  • Ramp-Up: Gradually increase sending volume over time.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean your list to remove inactive or problematic addresses.
  • Engagement: Focus on sending to engaged recipients to improve your sender reputation.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares advice to stop sending for a few days, then start slowly with the best recipients and gradually increase volume over time.

August 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains the importance of utilizing feedback loops to identify and remove subscribers who mark emails as spam. This prevents future complaints and improves reputation.

March 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests starting with a very small send volume, like 20 emails, and increasing from there. The exact starting volume depends on how bad the reputation is.

December 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that hitting spam traps severely damages your sender reputation. Regular list hygiene and permission-based marketing are crucial to avoid them.

September 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource recommends maintaining a consistent sending volume and frequency to establish a predictable sending pattern. Fluctuations in sending volume can trigger spam filters.

January 2024 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Recovering from a bad domain reputation with Gmail requires leveraging tools for monitoring and authentication. Google Postmaster Tools provides insights into your sending reputation and deliverability issues. Warming up your IP address by gradually increasing email volume helps build trust with ISPs. Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authenticates your emails, preventing spoofing and phishing. Understanding RFC records aids in preventing email abuses. DMARC.org offers resources for implementing and monitoring a DMARC policy.

Key findings

  • Postmaster Tools: Google Postmaster Tools is crucial for diagnosing reputation issues.
  • IP Warmup: Gradual IP warming builds trust with ISPs.
  • Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC prevent spoofing and improve deliverability.
  • DMARC Policy: Implementing and monitoring a DMARC policy is essential.

Key considerations

  • Gradual Increase: Increase sending volume slowly when warming up an IP.
  • Authentication Setup: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
  • Regular Monitoring: Continuously monitor Postmaster Tools and DMARC reports.
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that Google Postmaster Tools provides data about your sending reputation with Gmail, allowing you to diagnose and address issues.

October 2024 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost recommends implementing email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify your identity as a legitimate sender and prevent spoofing.

September 2021 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from SendGrid advises warming up your IP address gradually by slowly increasing the volume of emails you send over time to build a positive reputation with ISPs.

October 2022 - SendGrid
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that understanding RFC records help prevent spoofing, phishing, and other email abuses by validating the authenticity of email senders.

June 2023 - RFC
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org shares information on DMARC, helping to implement a DMARC policy and monitor your email authentication results to identify and address any issues with your email infrastructure.

August 2021 - DMARC.org