How will the Google and Yahoo 2024 email sending changes impact email marketers?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from EmailGeekForum highlights that the changes necessitate more rigorous list cleaning practices. Senders must remove inactive subscribers and those who haven't opted in to avoid high bounce rates and spam complaints, which can negatively impact their sending reputation.
Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog explains that the changes present an opportunity for marketers to improve their email deliverability practices. By focusing on authentication, list hygiene, and engagement, marketers can build stronger sender reputations and improve campaign performance.
Email marketer from Reddit notes that small businesses and organizations using Gmail or Yahoo addresses to send marketing emails will be significantly impacted, as they'll need to switch to authenticated domains or risk deliverability issues. This change forces them to adopt more professional email practices.
Email marketer from StackOverflow says that the new rules on sending limits will make marketers have to test a lot more before they deploy their new emails. Now there is an amount that they can send before getting red flagged.
Email marketer from MailerLite Blog explains that Google and Yahoo's new requirements emphasize sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify email origins, impacting marketers who haven't implemented these protocols. Senders are encouraged to align their 'From:' addresses, monitor sending reputation via Google Postmaster Tools, and maintain low spam rates.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that ESPs may display strong warnings, prevent sending from Gmail/Yahoo addresses, or move those addresses to the Sender: field while using an ESP-owned domain.
Email marketer from SparkPost Blog highlights that the changes will force marketers to prioritize email deliverability best practices, including proper authentication and list hygiene. Those who ignore these changes risk having their emails blocked or sent to the spam folder, impacting campaign performance and ROI.
Email marketer from GMass Blog states that maintaining a positive sender reputation is now more crucial than ever. Monitoring metrics like spam complaint rates and bounce rates through Google Postmaster Tools allows marketers to identify and address deliverability issues proactively.
Email marketer from Litmus Blog emphasizes that email authentication is no longer optional. Marketers must ensure their SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are properly configured to comply with the new requirements and prevent their emails from being filtered as spam.
Marketer from Email Geeks clarifies that in this context, the parent domain refers to the root or organizational domain.
What the experts say10Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks shares a MAAWG guidance link on the Google / Yahoo changes: <https://www.m3aawg.org/blog/SendingBulkMailToGmail_Yahoo>
Expert from Email Geeks explains DMARC looks at the exact hostname in the From: header and falls back to organizational domain if a policy isn't found for the specific hostname.
Expert from Email Geeks states that the time period for Gmail's 0.3% complaint rate threshold is more than a day and less than a year.
Expert from Email Geeks outlines two separate requirements: having a DMARC record (regardless of its policy) and stopping the practice of sending with Gmail addresses in the 822.From header to avoid delivery issues with Gmail.
Expert from Word to the Wise, John Levine, emphasizes that deploying DMARC correctly is crucial for compliance with the new Google and Yahoo requirements. He cautions that misconfigured DMARC records can lead to legitimate emails being blocked, impacting email deliverability and business communications. Therefore, careful planning and monitoring are essential.
Expert from SpamResource shares that due to the new and upcoming email authentication changes by Google and Yahoo, it may be prudent to prepare now for any industry changes that occur.
Expert from Email Geeks notes that Google's public guidance requirements page has changed since October 3rd, suggesting the discussions have been reflected in the updated version.
Expert from Email Geeks clarifies that the immediate concern is small businesses not sending mail from @gmail.com addresses, rather than solely focusing on DMARC implementation.
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, notes that these changes mean all senders, regardless of size, will need to have proper authentication in place, and this includes not just having an SPF and DKIM record, but setting up DMARC with a policy that protects their domain by rejecting or quarantining unauthenticated mail. This is to protect users from spoofing and phishing attacks.
Expert from Email Geeks confirms that a parent domain's DMARC record covers subdomains unless configured otherwise.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from RFCs shows all the rules about SPF and says that the requirements will be enforced to the letter.
Documentation from Yahoo Mail Best Practices advises senders to authenticate their email, use a consistent sending IP address, avoid sudden spikes in email volume, and actively manage their subscriber lists. These practices help Yahoo identify legitimate senders and improve email delivery rates for users.
Documentation from RFCs shows all the rules about DKIM and says that the requirements will be enforced to the letter.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that Implementing DMARC can be complicated, and the Google/Yahoo requirements emphasize the importance of proper SPF and DKIM setup. Incorrect configuration can lead to legitimate emails being rejected, so careful planning and testing are essential for email marketers.
Documentation from Google Sender Guidelines outlines requirements for bulk senders, including authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining low spam rates (below 0.1%), enabling one-click unsubscribe, and ensuring a clear and easy unsubscribe process. These changes aim to protect Gmail users from spam and unwanted emails.