How does Google Postmaster Tools calculate spam complaints and volume?
Summary
What email marketers say14Marketer opinions
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum explains that the spam percentage in Postmaster Tools is calculated by dividing the number of emails marked as spam by the total number of emails delivered to Gmail inboxes. This provides insight into how users perceive your email.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that it is entirely possible there were complaints levied against an email that was sent the day before, and that Google reports the data points during the time period in which they occurred.
Email marketer from Email Geeks notes that Google seems to account for both the volume and rate of complaints.
Email marketer from Reddit answers that Google calculates spam complaints by aggregating user feedback and comparing it to your sending volume. A high ratio of spam complaints to email volume can lead to deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that Google attributes the spam report to when the email was received, not when the report happens.
Email marketer from StackOverflow shares that Google uses algorithms to identify spam based on user complaints, content, and sending patterns. Postmaster Tools provides data on these factors to help senders improve their practices.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that high complaint rate on automated emails can often be a sign of a list-bombing bot attack.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that it's important to always compare the spam rate against reputed DMARC volume. If the volume is below 1,000, it might be negligible, depending on the average daily volume.
Email marketer from Litmus notes that spam complaints are a crucial metric in Postmaster Tools. They directly influence your sender reputation and can trigger spam filters if the complaint rate is too high.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that Postmaster Tools helps monitor spam complaints by providing a dashboard view of spam rates reported by Gmail users. A sudden spike can indicate problems with your sending practices or content.
Email marketer from GlockApps mentions that Google Postmaster Tools tracks your sending volume and reputation over time. This data helps them determine if your emails are likely to be spam based on historical performance and user feedback.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that a high complaint rate on a low volume day will not hurt you as much as a moderate complaint rate on a high send volume day.
Email marketer from SendPulse shares that Google Postmaster Tools uses various factors like spam complaints, sender reputation, and authentication to determine email placement. Spam complaints directly affect your reputation and deliverability.
Email marketer from Email Geeks has seen in many postmaster tools accounts where large campaigns are not sent daily that the day following a large send will often show a high complaint rate, when only a small volume of mail is sent.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that Google Postmaster Tools monitors spam complaints by analyzing the percentage of emails marked as spam by recipients. The tool uses this data to assess the sender's reputation and inform deliverability decisions.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that Google Postmaster Tools calculates spam complaints based on the feedback loop data received from Gmail users who mark emails as spam. The tool aggregates this data to provide insights into the sender's reputation and deliverability.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Google Support shares that they provide aggregated, anonymous data about your email traffic, including spam complaints, through the Feedback Loop (FBL). The FBL helps senders identify campaigns that are generating high spam rates.
Documentation from Google Developers shares that Postmaster Tools provides insights into your email sending reputation, spam rate, and other key metrics to help you improve deliverability. They calculate spam complaints based on user reports.
Documentation from Google Support explains that the spam rate is the number of spam complaints divided by the number of emails sent to the inbox. A high spam rate can impact email deliverability.