How does Google Postmaster handle data from Gmail vs Google Workspace, and what impact does DKIM have?
Summary
What email marketers say7Marketer opinions
Email marketer from SparkPost shares that Google Postmaster Tools is most effective when used with properly authenticated email (DKIM, SPF, DMARC). It allows you to view deliverability data and sender reputation metrics specifically for Gmail recipients, helping you optimize your sending practices.
Email marketer from Mailtrap Blog shares that DKIM authentication is crucial for Google Postmaster Tools to accurately track and display data. If your sending domain isn't DKIM authenticated, you may not see complete or accurate data within the Postmaster Tools dashboard, particularly concerning authentication failures and spam complaints.
Email marketer from EmailDelivery highlights that Google Postmaster Tools focuses on Gmail data due to its large user base and the ability to provide valuable insights into sender reputation. Data from Google Workspace is treated differently due to privacy considerations and the expectations of paying customers.
Email marketer from Gmass says using Google Postmaster Tools requires domain authentication (DKIM, SPF) to get an accurate picture of your deliverability to Gmail addresses. This allows you to better monitor your sender reputation and identify potential issues.
Email marketer from StackExchange says that Google treats data for Gmail and Google Workspace differently in Postmaster Tools. Gmail data is more freely available because of the user agreement, while Workspace data is protected due to the expectation of privacy by paying customers.
Email marketer from Senderlist Forum says that Google Postmaster Tools provides data primarily for Gmail accounts rather than Google Workspace accounts because Google Workspace data is considered more private due to user subscription agreements. However, overall reputation can still be reflected by Gmail user interactions.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that DKIM is essential for accurate data in Google Postmaster Tools, as it allows Google to verify that the email is genuinely from your domain. Without it, the data shown might be incomplete or misleading, especially regarding spam complaints.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Google doesn't believe they own the Google Workspace data to share in Google Postmaster. She elaborates that there's more expectation of confidentiality with paid email hosting services, preventing sharing data like 'one of our users marked mail as spam'. She clarifies that Google takes privacy seriously and it's not Google's data to share.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that data on Google Postmaster is based on Gmail except reputation, and you only see data for DKIM signed mail. The authentication is based on DKIM, where you are authorized to see mail where the d= is.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that Google Postmaster Tools treats data from Gmail and Google Workspace differently due to user privacy concerns and the nature of paid services. Gmail data is used more openly, while Google Workspace data is handled with more privacy. They also confirm that DKIM plays a crucial role in identifying and authenticating the source of the email for accurate data reporting.
Expert from Email Geeks confirms that spam rate for B2B traffic can be higher than reported on Google Postmaster, due to the low amount of gmail.com destinations. She clarifies this is true for every domain, as there are no FBLs for business domains at Google, Microsoft, or filtering companies.
Expert from Word to the Wise answers that Google Postmaster Tools allows email senders to see their reputation with Gmail users, and to identify authentication problems (including DKIM). You'll only see data for DKIM signed mail as the authentication is based on DKIM - you are authorized to see mail where the d= is.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Google Developers specifies that Google Postmaster Tools relies on DKIM for authentication. Data visibility is largely dependent on successful DKIM validation, and that proper DKIM signing enables Google to associate email traffic with your domain, providing relevant data in Postmaster Tools.
Documentation from Google Support explains that Google Postmaster Tools provides data primarily related to Gmail users. It offers insights into your sending reputation, spam rates, and other metrics specifically for Gmail recipients, differentiating it from Google Workspace.
Documentation from RFC 4871 explains that DKIM provides a mechanism for verifying the authenticity of email messages. This authentication is critical for services like Google Postmaster Tools to accurately associate email with a domain and provide reputation metrics, especially important when differentiating between Gmail and Workspace traffic.