Is there a specific bounce rate threshold required by Google or Yahoo?
Summary
What email marketers say7Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog shares that Google and Yahoo don't specify rigid bounce rate numbers, aiming to see lower bounce rates. High rates signal issues to mailbox providers. Staying under 2% is a good rule of thumb.
Email marketer from MailerLite Blog shares that while Google and Yahoo don't have specific published bounce rate requirements, maintaining a low bounce rate (ideally below 2%) is crucial for positive sender reputation and avoiding deliverability issues. Regular list cleaning and opting for double opt-in can help.
Email marketer from Gmass states that Google and Yahoo do not specifically require a bounce rate threshold. However, keeping bounce rates low will mean your deliverability is much higher.
Email marketer from Reddit states that while there's no explicitly stated number from Google or Yahoo, most ESPs recommend keeping your bounce rate below 2%. Exceeding that consistently can lead to deliverability problems.
Email marketer from EmailOctopus Blog explains that while Google and Yahoo haven't published exact bounce rate thresholds, consistently high bounce rates (above 2%) signal poor list hygiene and can negatively impact sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues. Monitoring and maintaining a clean list is crucial.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum mentions that although Google and Yahoo haven't publicly announced a specific hard bounce rate limit, it's widely accepted that staying below 1% for hard bounces is vital for maintaining a good sender reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that any public number on a 3rd party site about bounce rates is made up. While some numbers are part of certification programs, different bounce reasons impact sender reputation differently, and ignoring bounces will impact sender reputation.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that specific bounce rate thresholds, like 2%, sound like general guidelines made up by ESPs and others, questioning what kind of bounces would be used for this threshold.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that while Google and Yahoo don't publish specific numbers, exceeding 2% bounce rate is a strong indicator of list quality issues, which affects sender reputation and deliverability. They recommend monitoring and addressing bounces promptly.
Expert from Spamresource.com recommends you monitor your bounce rates along with blocklist status and complaint rates to give a sense of how mailbox providers view your mailings. No specific Google/Yahoo policy stated.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost shares a bounce rate benchmark of under 2% to maintain a good sender reputation, but doesn't cite Google or Yahoo requiring this specifically. It is a general recommendation for email health.
Documentation from Yahoo Help provides guidelines for bulk email senders. While it doesn't list a specific bounce rate threshold, Yahoo focuses on user engagement and deliverability. Senders should actively manage their recipient lists to remove invalid addresses and reduce bounce rates for better delivery.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools outlines best practices for senders. While not directly stating a specific bounce rate threshold, Google emphasizes the importance of sending wanted mail, authenticating email, and maintaining low spam complaint rates. A high bounce rate contributes to negative signals that can affect deliverability.