What is the new or undocumented data available in the Google Postmaster Tools API?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit shares that 'userReportedSpamRatioUpperBound' might indicate the upper bound of the spam ratio reported by users, but its meaning and reliable calculation is still debated within the community.
Email marketer from Tech Blog speculates there might be new authentication-related metrics appearing in the API related to DMARC, DKIM, and SPF alignment. However, these remain unconfirmed and undocumented.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests that some API data might be part of a beta program and therefore not publicly documented or fully available to all users. This beta access may include features that are still under development.
Email marketer from Reddit reports that some users experienced discrepancies between data presented in the Postmaster Tools UI versus the API, particularly around spam complaints and delivery errors, but no definitive explanation has been provided by Google.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares information about new data on the Google postmaster tools API, specifically the userReportedSpamRatioUpperBound, noting that it's currently null for monitored domains and not yet documented.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares a link to Google's documentation on retrieving metrics and suggests this is new, possibly related to data from the Gmail political pilot program.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Pro suggests that some new features in the Google Postmaster Tools API may be rolled out in phases, meaning not all users have immediate access to them. Some features or metrics may appear in the API for some domains, but not others.
Email marketer from Webmaster Forum notes that gaining access to the Google Postmaster Tools API requires domain ownership verification and sufficient email traffic volume to generate meaningful data.
Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog discusses that understanding the context of data within the Postmaster Tools API is crucial, as some metrics can be influenced by various factors, such as sending volume, recipient engagement, and authentication practices.
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum discusses that some users have observed discrepancies between the data shown in the Google Postmaster Tools UI and the data returned by the API. This discrepancy seems undocumented.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that the issue might be a bug, referencing a similar past situation with Outlook.com SNDS.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise, Steve Jones, notes the importance of correlating Google Postmaster Tools data (including new and undocumented metrics) with other data sources. He suggests comparing the Postmaster Tools API with internal logs, feedback loops, and deliverability monitoring platforms to build a more complete picture.
Expert from Spam Resource, Laura Atkins, discusses how even documented features in the Postmaster Tools API require careful interpretation. She highlights the need to understand data nuances and potential biases based on factors such as volume or recipient behavior and suggests new or undocumented features should be approached with even more caution.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Developers specifies that TrafficStats resource provides aggregated email traffic metrics for a specific domain on a particular date, including volume, spam reports, and delivery errors. It does not explicitly mention 'userReportedSpamRatioUpperBound'.
Documentation from Google Cloud Platform advises developers to be mindful of rate limits associated with the Google Postmaster Tools API, noting that exceeding these limits can lead to temporary restrictions on API access.
Documentation from Google Developers explains that the Postmaster Tools API allows retrieving aggregated metrics about your email traffic, including spam rate, IP reputation, domain reputation, feedback loop counts, authentication success, and encryption status.
Documentation from Google API Console highlights the importance of adhering to usage guidelines, including rate limits and proper authentication, when accessing the Google Postmaster Tools API to avoid service disruptions.