How will Google's new spam rate threshold impact email deliverability, especially for B2B senders?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Litmus Blog says that engagement metrics (opens, clicks) influence deliverability. Senders with low engagement and high complaint rates are more likely to be filtered. B2B senders should focus on providing value to recipients.
Email marketer from Validity Blog answers that list hygiene impacts deliverability. Clean lists with engaged subscribers lead to higher deliverability rates. B2B senders should regularly remove inactive or unengaged contacts.
Email marketer from SparkPost Blog shares that adapting to new spam thresholds involves focusing on authentication, list hygiene, and sending valuable, wanted content. Monitoring sender reputation and deliverability metrics is crucial for B2B senders.
Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog shares that proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) helps establish credibility with mailbox providers. In addition, senders lacking authentication are more likely to face deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that handling complaints promptly and effectively is crucial. Removing subscribers who complain minimizes future spam flags. B2B senders should monitor feedback loops.
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog answers that encouraging subscriber engagement improves deliverability. Strategies include sending relevant content, using personalization, and A/B testing. Engaged subscribers are less likely to mark emails as spam.
Email marketer from Reddit r/emailmarketing responds by stating that B2B senders need to pay extra attention to list quality and opt-in practices because complaint rates directly impact inbox placement. Cold emailing strategies may need re-evaluation.
Email marketer from GMass Blog shares that cold email strategies need to be more personalized and targeted. Generic, mass emails are more likely to be marked as spam. B2B senders should segment their lists and tailor content.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog shares that meeting Google's new requirements helps ensure emails reach the inbox, with authentication, list management, and relevant content becoming more important. Senders not meeting the thresholds risk emails being marked as spam or blocked.
Email marketer from SenderScore shares that sender reputation, measured by Sender Score, impacts deliverability. High scores indicate good sending practices and better inbox placement. B2B senders should monitor and maintain their Sender Score.
Email marketer from Email Geeks mentions that a spam vote rate close to 0.3% already causes deliverability problems and spam foldering, and sustaining such a rate will likely result in emails not being delivered.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks responds to the question about Google's new spam rate threshold, explaining that non-compliance will likely cause emails to be treated as unwanted, impacting deliverability. Violating some requirements may lead to outright rejection, while others might result in spam folder placement, depending on sender history and reputation. Non-compliance also diminishes chances of mitigation when blocked.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the updated deliverability changes from Google and Yahoo will impact B2B senders, especially those relying on older or less compliant tactics. Senders need to authenticate correctly, manage lists effectively, and ensure their content is wanted to maintain good deliverability.
Expert from Email Geeks responds to the question on how to address B2B spam, suggesting that clients should be questioned about the source of their email addresses and advised to stop acquiring addresses improperly. In addition, ESPs don't make it easy to report spam, so senders seldom hear about negative feedback.
Expert from Email Geeks shares their expectations of an incremental response to spam issues, starting with rate limiting, progressing to spam folder placement, and potentially leading to blocking if the problems are not resolved.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the new authentication requirements are largely beneficial, especially for businesses that already adhere to best practices. However, it also highlights the need for cold emailers to update practices or risk being filtered as spam.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that the spam rate is measured as a trend over time, minimizing the impact of a single bad day. It's intended for senders of 5,000+ emails per day, suggesting targeting a complaint rate of <0.1%.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that Google Postmaster Tools doesn't report data from Google Workspace accounts, indicating that B2B mail complaint rates are often unknown. She also states there are no benchmark for b2b complaint rates and business domains are not included in any FBL program.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Google Sender Guidelines explains that senders who keep their spam rates low are more resilient to occasional spikes in user feedback. High spam rates will lead to increased spam classification. Improving your spam complaint rate can take some time to positively influence spam classification.
Documentation from Yahoo Mail Sender Best Practices explains that senders must maintain low complaint rates to ensure delivery, emphasizing the importance of recipient engagement. Senders with high complaint rates may experience filtering and reduced inbox placement.
Documentation from Microsoft 365 Sender Support explains that maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial for deliverability. Spam complaints directly affect sender reputation and can lead to filtering or blocking.