Should I include List-Unsubscribe headers in transactional emails and what are the DKIM best practices?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from SendGrid advises that a best practice for DKIM is to regularly rotate DKIM keys. This involves generating new keys and updating your DNS records periodically to reduce the risk of key compromise.
Marketer from Email Geeks sees no downside to allowing people to opt out from any message they could potentially report as spam.
Email marketer from GlockApps explains that DKIM helps to improve email deliverability by authenticating the sender's identity. Implementing DKIM reduces the chances of emails being marked as spam and increases trust with email service providers.
Email marketer from Postmark notes that longer DKIM records might exceed the 255 character limit, and suggests using a TXT record that supports string concatenation in DNS. It's essential for the complete DKIM record to be valid.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests allowing users to unsubscribe even from transactional emails if they didn't request them, as complaints are worse for reputation than unsubscribes, also mentioning a 'this isn't me' option.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum explains that DKIM alignment is crucial for passing DMARC authentication. The d= domain in the DKIM signature must match the domain in the From header of the email.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor recommends providing an option to unsubscribe even from transactional emails, especially if recipients did not request them. This improves user experience and protects sender reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks recommends including the list-unsubscribe header, especially for opted-in emails, to provide an easy way for recipients to opt out. He refers to Google's FAQs about it.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that the List-Unsubscribe header provides an easy way for recipients to remove themselves from an email list, reducing spam complaints and improving deliverability. This header benefits both senders and recipients by streamlining the unsubscription process.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that it's generally a good practice to include List-Unsubscribe headers in transactional emails as well. This gives users an easy way to opt-out if they no longer want to receive those emails, such as in cases where they didn't initiate the transaction.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that including a List-Unsubscribe header is crucial for compliance with email marketing regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM. It allows recipients to easily opt-out of receiving emails, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints and improving sender reputation.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests a reasonable policy would be to suppress all marketing and less-critical transactional emails upon receiving an RFC 8058 unsubscribe request for a transactional email, while still sending vital, truly transactional mail.
Expert from Email Geeks shares DKIM best practices, including avoiding the L= tag, considering the X= tag for signature expiration, and oversigning headers that should only appear once like To, Cc, Subject, Date, From, Sender, Reply-To, Bcc, Message-ID, In-Reply-To, and Reference.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that choosing an appropriate DKIM selector is a key component of your DKIM configuration, and you should use a selector name that you have not previously used. It also details the importance of DNS validation.
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that the List-Unsubscribe header can be implemented using either a mailto: URL or an HTTP URL. The mailto: version is simpler but can lead to slower processing, while the HTTP version allows for immediate unsubscription.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that having RFC 8058 unsubscription headers for transactional mail is not a bad thing but advises deciding what to do with those unsubscription requests before setting them up.
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that including a List-Unsubscribe header is important because it allows recipients to easily opt-out of receiving emails, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints. This can lead to better deliverability.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests reframing the question as marketing versus transactional and recommends including the list-unsubscribe header, even on transactional emails.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from OpenDKIM recommends using a DKIM key size of at least 2048 bits for improved security. Smaller key sizes are more vulnerable to attacks and may not be considered secure by some email providers.
Documentation from RFC Editor details the proper syntax for the List-Unsubscribe header, specifying that it should contain either a mailto: URL or an HTTP URL that recipients can use to unsubscribe from email lists. Correct implementation ensures that unsubscription requests are processed efficiently.
Documentation from DKIM Wizard explains that DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) setup involves generating a public/private key pair and adding a DKIM record to your DNS. The private key is used to sign outgoing emails, while the public key is used by receiving mail servers to verify the signature.
Documentation from AuthSMTP shares that SPF and DKIM work together to improve email deliverability. SPF verifies the sending server, while DKIM verifies the content of the email. Combining these methods helps to ensure that your emails are not flagged as spam.
Documentation from Microsoft explains the steps to set up DKIM for custom domains in Microsoft 365, including generating the necessary DNS records and enabling DKIM signing. Proper setup ensures email authentication and deliverability.
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