What are some poor sending practices to avoid that can cause issues with email deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from a WebmasterWorld forum post shared that a very common problem is using an un-warmed IP and emailing too many people at once and that is very often the root cause of new setup email deliverability problems. Starting with small volumes and building the amount you send up slowly will lead to greater success.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester writes how not testing emails before you send them can be a huge problem. Emails can look radically different in different email clients and need to be tested properly.
Email marketer from HubSpot explains that purchasing email lists, using misleading subject lines, and not providing value to subscribers are detrimental to email deliverability. They recommend always getting explicit consent and focusing on providing relevant, useful content.
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that using double opt-in, warming up your IP address gradually, and testing your emails before sending them can help avoid spam filters. Validating email addresses is also critical.
Email marketer from NeilPatel.com shares that using a dedicated IP address, cleaning your email list regularly, and segmenting your audience can significantly improve your email deliverability. Also ensuring the frequency and timing of email sends are optimal.
Email marketer from GlockApps provides an email deliverability checklist which includes email authentication, reputation monitoring, using a dedicated IP address, cleaning your email list regularly and more.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign writes about how to use marketing automation to find in-active subscribers and then remove them. Also how to segment lists and target users more effectivly.
Email marketer from Reddit states that poor list hygiene, sending to old or unengaged lists, and not properly vetting list sources are bad practices which lead to hitting spam traps and deliverability problems.
Email marketer from Litmus highlights the importance of mobile optimization, accessibility and rendering issues, and slow loading times. Such practices detract from user experience impacting engagement rates which hurt deliverability.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares a link to a Spamhaus resource about poor sending practices that can trigger informational listings: <https://www.spamhaus.com/resource-center/poor-sending-practices-trigger-a-tidal-wave-of-informational-listings/>
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that Maintaining a good IP and domain reputation is important for deliverability. Practices that harm your reputation, such as sending to unengaged users or spam traps, should be avoided.
Expert from Spamresource explains that List bombing is when spammers sign up email addresses for many different services in order to flood the inbox of the victim. Avoiding this tactic on an acquired or scraped list is crucial for maintaining deliverability.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Mailjet explains that avoiding spam trigger words, providing a clear unsubscribe link, and monitoring your sender reputation are vital for maintaining good deliverability. Sending relevant content to engaged subscribers is also key.
Documentation from RFC-Editor details SMTP standards, including proper formatting of email headers and message bodies. Non-compliance with these standards can lead to deliverability issues.
Email documentation from SparkPost explains that DKIM is used to digitally sign your emails to verify that an email message was sent from the stated domain and that the message content was not altered during transit. If email authentication is not setup then the emails may bounce or go to spam.
Documentation from Microsoft details requirements and guidelines to follow to minimize issues when sending to Outlook.com users. This includes setting up reverse DNS records, monitoring complaint rates, and joining Microsoft's SNDS program.
Documentation from Google explains that senders should authenticate their email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They also recommend keeping spam rates below 0.1% and avoiding sending unsolicited email. Using a consistent sending IP address and maintaining a good sender reputation are also crucial.