Is DMARC essential for email deliverability and what to do when Return Path reports spam issues with good open rates?

Email marketer from SparkPost advises that if Return Path is reporting spam issues despite good open rates, it could indicate problems with seed list placement or a disconnect between overall engagement and seed performance. Analyze your audience segmentation, sending frequency, and content to identify potential areas for improvement. Also, verify that your SPF and DKIM records are correctly configured.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that DMARC is not a necessity to deliver emails, but a recommended current best practice. Missing DKIM or SPF may cause bounces, whereas missing DMARC will not cause those problems.

Email marketer from SendGrid explains to analyze seed list placement issues. Implement a feedback loop, segment your list based on engagement, and ensure your content is relevant and personalized. Also, check for authentication errors and domain reputation issues.

Email marketer from EasyDMARC notes that while SPF and DKIM are crucial for authentication, DMARC is essential for policy enforcement and reporting. It enables senders to tell recipient mail servers how to handle messages that fail authentication checks, significantly reducing the risk of phishing and spoofing, thus improving deliverability.

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that consistent volume, relevant content, and respecting subscriber preferences are good sending practices to follow. Avoiding sudden spikes in sending volume and monitoring bounce rates can help mitigate deliverability issues, regardless of Return Path scores.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum notes that maintaining a clean email list is vital. Regularly remove inactive subscribers and validate email addresses to reduce bounce rates and improve deliverability. Also, consider implementing a double opt-in process to ensure subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving your emails.

Email marketer from Postmark explains that DMARC helps you avoid spam filters by giving mailbox providers clear instructions on what to do with emails that claim to be from your domain but don't pass authentication checks. It signals that you take email security seriously, which can improve your sender reputation.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that DMARC is essential for protecting your domain's reputation, preventing email spoofing, and improving email deliverability. It also provides valuable reporting data to monitor authentication results and identify potential issues.

Email marketer from StackExchange shares that consistently sending valuable content, respecting unsubscribe requests, and properly segmenting your audience are key to maintaining a good sender reputation. Low engagement rates and high spam complaints can negatively impact your deliverability, regardless of seed list results.

Email marketer from Litmus advises that discrepancies between Return Path data and your own analytics might stem from differences in methodology or seed list composition. Focus on holistic deliverability monitoring, including real-world inbox placement testing, engagement metrics, and sender reputation monitoring.

Email marketer from Reddit comments that seed list results can be skewed and may not accurately reflect real user experiences. They suggest focusing more on inbox placement with real users, monitoring engagement metrics, and regularly cleaning your email list.

Expert from Email Geeks responds that it could be that you’re reaching fewer inboxes with the 50 to 70 than with the 100 - 120. ISPs don’t calculate open rates the same way marketers do, they use different data. so my thinking is: did gmail see an improvement here?

Expert from Email Geeks answers you need DMARC if you want to do BIMI.

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that seed lists are merely one data point, and you shouldn't rely on them as the sole indicator of deliverability, especially if your user engagement metrics look healthy. Analyze your sending practices, list quality, and content to uncover the root cause of any discrepancies. Check user complaint rates too.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that Return Path's seeds going to spam means the sender's reputation isn’t good enough for seeds to be delivered to the inbox. Some current subscribers may also receive mail in the spam folder and new subscribers will likely receive mail in the spam folder. It is an early warning sign that all is not well at Gmail and to look harder at your overall audience.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that DMARC is a policy for what to do when SPF and DKIM fail, and it can provide insight into possible authentication problems or phishing, but it doesn't directly help deliverability.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that DMARC is a useful tool for preventing domain spoofing and phishing. It's not a magic bullet for deliverability, but it can help protect your sending reputation, which indirectly improves inbox placement. Make sure SPF and DKIM are correctly configured first.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that the sender has basically just pulled off the unengaged users or the folks who were getting the mail in their bulk folder. It is best to keep an eye on things as it may be nothing that the seeds are going to bulk.

Documentation from Microsoft advises that if you're experiencing deliverability issues, even with good open rates, check your sender reputation using tools like Sender Score and ensure you're not on any blocklists. Also, monitor your bounce rates and feedback loops to identify potential problems with your sending practices or list hygiene.

Documentation from Valimail states that DMARC helps ensure that legitimate email is properly authenticated against established industry standards (SPF and DKIM) and that unauthenticated email is blocked. This gives organizations control over their sending domains, which protects their brand and improves deliverability.

Documentation from Google explains that DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM to add domain-level policy and reporting to email authentication. It helps receiving mail servers know what to do with messages that fail SPF and DKIM checks, improving deliverability and protecting against spoofing and phishing attacks.

Documentation from Mimecast suggests that proper configuration of DMARC policies prevents attackers from using your domain to launch phishing attacks. This builds trust among recipients and increases the chances that your emails will be delivered to the inbox.

Documentation from RFC specifies that DMARC allows a domain owner to express a policy regarding unauthenticated mail, and provides a mechanism for mail receivers to provide feedback to the domain owner about mail they receive using that domain. This feedback helps domain owners improve their authentication practices and identify potential abuse.