What should I do when Google blocks my emails?

Summary

When Google blocks your emails, a comprehensive approach is required involving immediate action, investigation, technical fixes, and ongoing management. First, 'rest your resources' by halting email sending to Gmail and GSuite for at least 7 days. Investigate sending practices, confirming email activities have stopped and reviewing DMARC reports. Sender reputation is a core problem, often stemming from blocklists or spam history. Improve this with proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), regularly cleaning your email list and removing spam traps. Analyze traffic patterns and engagement. Warm up your IP gradually, sending to engaged users first. Monitor sender reputation using tools and understand bounce codes for insights. Be vigilant for unusual activity, such as list bombing, and wary of quick-fix blocklist removal services. Avoid spam trigger words, provide easy opt-out options, maintain consistent sending volume, and segment your list based on engagement.

Key findings

  • Immediate Pause: Stop sending emails to Gmail/GSuite to allow reputation recovery.
  • Investigate: Thoroughly examine sending practices and confirm compliance across all teams.
  • Reputation Damage: Blocked emails often stem from poor IP/domain reputation and spam history.
  • Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify sender identity.
  • List Hygiene: Clean your email list regularly, removing inactive subscribers and spam traps.
  • Gradual Warmup: Slowly warm up your IP address with engaged users.
  • Monitor Activity: Monitor sender reputation and analyze bounce codes.

Key considerations

  • Underlying Cause: Identify and address the root cause of the blocking.
  • DMARC Policy: Implement DMARC carefully, starting with a monitoring policy.
  • Engagement-Based Sending: Segment lists and prioritize engaged users.
  • Content Quality: Avoid spam trigger words and focus on providing valuable content.
  • Be Wary of Promises: Be skeptical of blocklist removal services offering instant results.
  • Monitor unusual events: Be aware of the risk of list bombing attacks.

What email marketers say
13Marketer opinions

When Google blocks your emails, a multi-faceted approach is required. Experts recommend immediately stopping all email sending to Gmail and GSuite addresses for at least 7 days to allow for reputation recovery. Thorough investigation is crucial, including checking if other divisions are sending emails and reviewing DMARC reports to verify. Improving your sender reputation is vital through proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), regular list cleaning to remove inactive subscribers, avoiding spam trigger words, providing easy opt-out options, and sending consistently valuable content. Warm up your IP address gradually by sending initially to engaged users, monitor sender reputation tools, and segment your email list based on engagement. Understanding bounce codes helps diagnose the specific reasons for blocks. Finally, be wary of 'quick fix' blocklist removal services.

Key opinions

  • Immediate Pause: Immediately stop sending emails to Gmail and GSuite to allow your sender reputation to recover.
  • Investigate Sending Practices: Thoroughly investigate whether all email sending activities have ceased, checking for other divisions or teams sending emails.
  • Authentication is Key: Ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify your identity and improve deliverability.
  • List Hygiene Matters: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers and spam traps.
  • Content Counts: Avoid using spam trigger words and consistently send valuable content.
  • Gradual Warm-Up: Slowly warm up your IP address and domain by gradually increasing sending volume to engaged users.
  • Monitor Reputation: Use sender reputation tools (like Google Postmaster Tools) to monitor deliverability metrics.

Key considerations

  • RCA is Critical: Determine the root cause of the blocking to avoid repeating mistakes.
  • DMARC Implementation: Implement DMARC carefully, starting with a 'p=none' policy to monitor traffic before enforcing stricter policies.
  • Opt-Out Options: Make it easy for subscribers to opt-out to avoid spam complaints.
  • List Segmentation: Segment your list based on engagement and prioritize sending to active users.
  • Sending Volume: Maintain a consistent sending volume to establish a good sending reputation. Avoid large volume increases.
  • Bounce Codes: Understand bounce codes, as they contain information on the specific reasons for delivery failures.
  • Third Party Promises: Be skeptical of services promising quick or guaranteed blocklist removal.
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum suggests to check IP reputation, remove any spam traps, make sure the sending domain is properly authenticated and check the content for spam triggers.

September 2022 - EmailGeeks Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog shares the need to improve your sender reputation by authenticating your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, cleaning your email list regularly to remove inactive subscribers, and consistently sending valuable content.

January 2024 - Neil Patel's Blog
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that if blocking is significant by Google, they recommend stopping sending until an RCA and remedy are determined. The approach is generally recommended for any provider-specific blocking of marketing messages, not just Google, because it can't hurt and it is easier to measure changes when re-introducing messages as opposed to "tweaking" an existing mail stream.

December 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks recommends stopping sending to both Gmail and GSuite, suggesting a minimum of 7 days of zero sending, followed by a slow restart with the most engaged users. They mention that fixing the underlying issues is crucial for long-term success.

July 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares the advice to slowly warm up your IP address and domain after a block. Start by sending to highly engaged users and gradually increase volume, while monitoring deliverability metrics closely.

October 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests the cause of Google blocks could be that the list of addresses was bought instead of organically grown. They recommend checking them through a checker and investigating how the addresses were obtained.

May 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot answers that you need to avoid using spam trigger words and phrases (e.g., "free," "guaranteed," "earn money") in email subject lines and body copy. Create clean, well-designed email templates to avoid being flagged as spam.

February 2022 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass explains the need to avoid sending unsolicited emails, maintaining a consistent sending volume, and immediately removing subscribers who mark your emails as spam. They also stress the importance of providing an easy way for subscribers to opt-out.

October 2023 - Gmass
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks asks if the client actually stopped emailing or if another division is sending with the same domain. He suggests reviewing DMARC reports to verify the mail stopped.

October 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendPulse shares to gradually increase sending volume over time to establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs. Start with a small number of recipients and gradually increase the volume as you monitor deliverability.

August 2021 - SendPulse
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares the importance of DMARC implementation and the need to start with a 'p=none' policy to monitor email flows before enforcing stricter policies like 'p=quarantine' or 'p=reject', to avoid accidentally blocking legitimate emails.

December 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from ReturnPath (Validity) answers to use tools like Sender Score or Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your sender reputation and identify potential deliverability issues. Monitoring allows you to proactively address problems before they escalate.

August 2023 - Validity (formerly ReturnPath)
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailchimp shares to clean your email list, segment based on engagement, and remove unengaged subscribers to improve deliverability and avoid being flagged as a spammer. Regular list cleaning is essential for maintaining a healthy sender reputation.

December 2021 - Mailchimp

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

When Google blocks your emails, a crucial first step is to 'rest your resources,' meaning halt sending emails that are being rejected to allow time for any bad practices to fade. Sender reputation issues are the most common cause for delivery problems and must be addressed by analyzing traffic patterns, list quality, and authentication methods. It's critical to understand the reason for the reputation damage before attempting fixes. Diagnose email deliverability by examining bounce messages and error codes to understand why blocks are occurring. Consider the possibility of list bombing attacks as a cause. Be skeptical of blocklist removal services.

Key opinions

  • Rest Resources: Halt sending emails that are being rejected to allow time for bad practices to fade.
  • Reputation Matters: Sender reputation problems are a common cause of delivery problems.
  • Analyze Issues: Analyze traffic patterns, list quality, and authentication practices.
  • Diagnose Blocks: Review bounce messages and error codes to understand why emails are being blocked.
  • Consider Bombing: List bombing attacks might be the reason for deliverability problems.

Key considerations

  • Underlying Causes: Understand the root cause of reputation damage before attempting fixes.
  • Blocklist Promises: Be wary of blocklist removal services that promise instant delisting, as they are often ineffective.
Expert view

Expert from Spamresource explains that sender reputation problems are the most common cause of delivery problems for legitimate emailers. To fix this you need to analyze traffic patterns, list quality, and authentication practices and that it's critical to understand the cause of the reputation damage before attempting to correct it.

February 2024 - Spamresource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks mentions Google's recommendation to "rest your resources" when blocked, interpreting it as stopping sending mail that is being rejected to allow time for bad practices to fade.

December 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spamresource explains to be wary of blocklist removal services that promise instant delisting from blocklists. These services often make false promises and can't guarantee removal, as blocklist operators make their own decisions.

June 2021 - Spamresource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that diagnosing email deliverability requires reviewing bounce messages for clues to determine the reason emails are being blocked, which includes identifying the specific error codes and messages.

September 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that list bombing attacks could be the reason for deliverability problems. Hackers sign up email addresses to numerous lists to try and overload the recipient's inbox to hide other more malicious emails.

October 2024 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

When Google blocks your emails, it's often due to a poor sender reputation associated with your IP address or domain, potentially stemming from being on a blocklist or having a history of sending spam. Understanding bounce codes, such as a 550 error, is crucial for diagnosing the cause of delivery failures, as they frequently indicate spam-like characteristics or reputation issues. Proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for verifying your identity and building trust with receiving mail servers.

Key findings

  • Poor Reputation: Google blocks emails due to a poor IP address or domain reputation.
  • Blocklists: The IP or domain might be on a blocklist or have a spam history.
  • Bounce Code Insights: Understanding bounce codes helps identify reasons for email delivery failures.
  • Authentication is Key: Proper email authentication is crucial for verifying sender identity and improving deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Reputation Management: Focus on managing and improving sender reputation to avoid being flagged as spam.
  • Bounce Code Analysis: Carefully analyze bounce codes to diagnose specific deliverability issues.
  • Authentication Setup: Ensure proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost highlights the importance of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify the sender's identity and improve deliverability. Properly configured authentication helps receiving mail servers trust that the email is legitimate.

February 2024 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that emails might be blocked due to the sender's IP address or domain having a poor reputation. This can occur if the IP or domain is on a blocklist or has a history of sending spam.

May 2021 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from Mailjet explains that understanding bounce codes (like 550) can help identify the reason for email delivery failures. A 550 error often indicates that the recipient server has rejected the email due to spam-like characteristics or a problem with the sender's reputation.

June 2022 - Mailjet