How to fix poor Gmail delivery rate and domain reputation?

Summary

Improving Gmail delivery rates and domain reputation requires a comprehensive strategy encompassing authentication, list hygiene, engagement, monitoring, and reputation management. Proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is fundamental. Maintaining a clean email list by removing invalid addresses, handling bounces, and respecting unsubscribes is crucial. Focusing on engagement by targeting active subscribers and sending relevant content improves sender reputation. Monitoring deliverability metrics, utilizing tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and promptly addressing issues are essential. Implementing double opt-in, warming up IP addresses, and managing blacklisting further contribute to a positive outcome.

Key findings

  • Authentication is Key: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for verifying sender identity and improving deliverability.
  • List Hygiene Matters: Regularly cleaning your email list and managing unsubscribes improves sender reputation.
  • Engagement Drives Results: Focusing on engaged subscribers and sending relevant content enhances deliverability.
  • Monitoring is Essential: Tools like Google Postmaster Tools help monitor sender reputation and identify issues.
  • Reputation Impacts Deliverability: A positive sender reputation is critical for ensuring emails reach the inbox.

Key considerations

  • Set Up Authentication Properly: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured to authorize sending mail servers.
  • Clean Your List Regularly: Remove inactive subscribers, hard bounces, and invalid addresses to maintain list hygiene.
  • Segment Your Audience: Segment your email list based on engagement, demographics, and purchase history to send targeted content.
  • Monitor Key Metrics: Track open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints to identify deliverability issues.
  • Use Google Postmaster Tools: Utilize Google Postmaster Tools to gain insights into your domain's reputation and deliverability performance.
  • Implement Double Opt-In: Use double opt-in to ensure subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails and reduce spam complaints.
  • Address Blacklisting Issues: Check if your IP or domain is on any blacklists and take steps to get removed.
  • Warm Up IP Addresses: Gradually increase sending volume to build a positive reputation with ISPs.
  • Run Whitelisting Campaigns: Send whitelisting campaigns to encourage subscribers to add your email address to their contacts.
  • Validate Email Addresses: Employ email validation tools to identify and remove invalid or risky email addresses.

What email marketers say
13Marketer opinions

Improving Gmail delivery rates and domain reputation involves a multi-faceted approach focusing on authentication, list hygiene, engagement, and monitoring. Key strategies include implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication, cleaning email lists to remove invalid addresses, segmenting audiences for targeted content, monitoring sender reputation via tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and sending whitelisting campaigns to engaged users. Regularly validate email addresses, manage unsubscribes, and track engagement metrics. Re-engage inactive subscribers and address any blacklist issues to maintain a positive sender reputation.

Key opinions

  • Authentication: Proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning email lists, removing invalid addresses, and managing unsubscribes are essential for a healthy sender reputation.
  • Engagement: High engagement rates signal positive sender reputation; focus on sending targeted content to engaged users.
  • Monitoring: Tools like Google Postmaster Tools and GlockApps help monitor sender reputation and identify deliverability issues.
  • Segmentation: Segmenting email lists based on engagement, demographics, and purchase history improves deliverability.
  • Validation: Using email validation tools helps identify and remove invalid or risky email addresses.

Key considerations

  • Postmaster Tools: Regularly check Google Postmaster Tools for insights into your domain's reputation and deliverability issues.
  • Whitelisting: Consider implementing whitelisting campaigns to encourage users to add your address to their contacts.
  • Double Opt-in: Implement double opt-in to ensure genuine interest from subscribers and reduce spam complaints.
  • Re-engagement: Use re-engagement campaigns to revive inactive subscribers or remove them from your list.
  • Blacklists: Check if your IP or domain is blacklisted and take steps to get removed if necessary.
  • Content Quality: Ensure content is valuable and relevant to avoid being marked as spam.
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests sending a whitelisting campaign to the engaged audience, asking them to add the From address to their contact lists to help improve domain reputation.

May 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares to check Google Postmaster Tools Sender Compliance to see reasons for inboxing problems. Suggests list cleanup and securing opt-in forms, plus implementing double opt-in.

February 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailExpert shares that deliverability issues can arise from poor list management practices. Regularly clean your list, remove hard bounces, and suppress unsubscribes to maintain a healthy sender reputation.

May 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid explains that proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for improving deliverability. Senders should ensure their DNS records are correctly configured to verify their identity and prevent spoofing.

September 2024 - SendGrid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor suggests tracking engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates. Low engagement can signal deliverability issues, so monitor these metrics closely and adjust your strategy accordingly.

May 2024 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps Blog shares that email deliverability depends on factors like sender reputation, authentication, list hygiene, and content quality. Monitoring inbox placement using tools like GlockApps helps identify and fix deliverability issues.

February 2023 - GlockApps Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that segmenting your email list based on engagement, demographics, and purchase history can improve deliverability. Sending targeted content to specific groups increases engagement and reduces spam complaints.

October 2021 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from ZeroBounce shares that using email validation tools can help identify and remove invalid or risky email addresses from your list, improving deliverability and protecting your sender reputation.

April 2023 - ZeroBounce
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum explains that being blacklisted can severely impact deliverability. Check if your IP or domain is on any blacklists and take steps to get removed, such as contacting the blacklist provider and resolving the underlying issues.

December 2021 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks recommends using an email validation service for list scrubbing, and mentions Email Oversight as a possible solution.

January 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot answers that re-engagement campaigns are a strategy to revive inactive subscribers. Send targeted emails to encourage them to re-engage with your content or unsubscribe if they're no longer interested.

May 2024 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that improving email deliverability involves cleaning your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses, segmenting your audience to send more relevant content, and monitoring your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.

April 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailToolTester suggests implementing double opt-in to ensure that subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints and improving engagement.

September 2021 - EmailToolTester

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Fixing poor Gmail delivery rates and domain reputation hinges on several expert-recommended strategies. Focus on sender reputation by prioritizing engagement and sending only to recipients who actively interact with your emails. Proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial to verifying your identity and reducing spam likelihood. Strict list hygiene, including regular removal of inactive subscribers and prompt handling of bounces and unsubscribe requests, is vital. Finally, consistently monitor deliverability metrics like bounce rates, complaint rates, and inbox placement to identify and address issues promptly, with a focus on diagnosing the root causes, not just the symptoms.

Key opinions

  • Sender Reputation: Sender reputation is a critical factor; prioritize engagement with active recipients.
  • Authentication: Proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup is essential for identity verification.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean list by removing inactive users and handling bounces promptly is vital.
  • Deliverability Monitoring: Regular monitoring of deliverability metrics is necessary for early issue detection and resolution.
  • Bulk Folder Impact: Emails landing in the bulk folder negatively impact reputation.

Key considerations

  • Engagement Focus: Actively monitor and prioritize sending to recipients who open and interact with your emails.
  • Authentication Verification: Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured and validated.
  • List Scrubbing Schedule: Establish a regular schedule for cleaning your email list and managing unsubscribes.
  • Metric Analysis: Analyze deliverability metrics to identify trends and potential problems early on.
  • Program Review: Review your email program to look for any systemic problems.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that sender reputation is crucial, and focusing on engagement is key. They advise sending to recipients who actively open and interact with your emails to improve your reputation with Gmail.

June 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise advises maintaining strict list hygiene. Regularly removing inactive subscribers, handling bounces promptly, and honoring unsubscribe requests are vital for preserving a good sending reputation.

July 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that a small percentage of emails reaching the inbox with low open rates indicate messages going to the bulk folder and contributing to poor reputation. Recommends sending only to 'inboxers' to rebuild reputation and reviewing the email program. Also suggests selectively resending to engaged recipients after reputation repair.

November 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is a foundational step. Ensuring these are correctly configured helps Gmail verify your identity and reduces the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam.

April 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that consistently monitoring your deliverability metrics, including bounce rates, complaint rates, and inbox placement, is essential for identifying and addressing issues promptly.

November 2021 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Improving Gmail delivery rates and domain reputation, according to documentation from Google, Microsoft, SparkPost, RFC, and DKIM, centers around authentication, reputation monitoring, and gradual IP warm-up. Authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is critical. Maintaining low spam rates and consistent sending volumes helps establish a positive reputation. Senders should actively monitor their IP and domain reputation and address issues promptly. Warming up IP addresses gradually with engaged users builds a positive reputation with ISPs. Properly configuring SPF records and using DKIM signatures ensures email integrity and verifies sender identity.

Key findings

  • Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for email authentication.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitor IP and domain reputation.
  • Spam Rate: Keep spam rates low (below 0.10%).
  • Consistent Volume: Maintain consistent sending volumes.
  • IP Warm-up: Gradually warm up IP addresses to build reputation.

Key considerations

  • Authentication Setup: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
  • Monitoring Tools: Utilize sender support tools in Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online Protection (EOP).
  • Spam Prevention: Avoid sending unwanted mail to minimize spam complaints.
  • Gradual Increase: Start with engaged users when warming up IP addresses.
  • RFC Compliance: Ensure SPF records comply with RFC standards.
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that SPF records should be properly configured to authorize sending mail servers. Incorrect or missing SPF records can cause deliverability issues.

December 2022 - RFC
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost details the process of warming up IP addresses by gradually increasing sending volume to build a positive reputation with ISPs. It suggests starting with engaged users and slowly adding more recipients over time.

November 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that senders should authenticate their email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. It also suggests keeping spam rates low (below 0.10%) and avoiding sending unwanted mail. Consistent sending volumes can help establish a positive reputation.

May 2022 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Postmaster explains that senders should monitor their IP and domain reputation using Sender Support in Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online Protection (EOP). They advise addressing any issues identified promptly to maintain a good sending reputation.

August 2022 - Microsoft Postmaster
Technical article

Documentation from DKIM describes that using DKIM signatures to cryptographically sign email messages ensures that the email has not been altered during transit and verifies the sender's identity.

August 2022 - DKIM