What tactics can improve email placement in Gmail's Primary tab?

Summary

Improving email placement in Gmail's Primary tab is a complex process involving a multi-faceted approach. It starts with establishing a strong sender reputation through practices like warming up your IP address, maintaining a clean and segmented email list, and avoiding purchased lists. Proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for verifying your identity and preventing spoofing. Creating engaging and personalized content, avoiding spam triggers, and optimizing email frequency are vital for encouraging subscriber interaction. Technical aspects include using a consistent sending IP, adhering to email content and formatting best practices, providing clear unsubscribe options, and monitoring your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools. It is also important to build relationships with your subscribers by sending valuable content and encouraging engagement. External factors, like list bombing, need to be understood and addressed. Overall, avoiding tactics that attempt to 'outwit' Gmail’s algorithms and instead focusing on providing a quality, authenticated, and engaging experience for subscribers is key.

Key findings

  • Holistic Approach: Gmail delivery depends on a combination of factors including reputation, authentication, content, infrastructure, spam complaints, and recipient lists.
  • Authentication is Crucial: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for verifying email legitimacy and improving deliverability.
  • Content Matters: Personalized and engaging content that avoids spam triggers and provides value to subscribers improves inbox placement.
  • List Management is Key: Maintaining a clean, segmented, and engaged email list is critical for sender reputation.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring and maintaining a good sender reputation is essential for deliverability, and checking for blacklistings is recommended.
  • Warming up your IP address is important: Warming up IP's helps establish a good reputation for newer IP's.

Key considerations

  • Focus on Controllable Factors: Prioritize factors within your control, such as content quality, list management, and authentication, rather than trying to game the system.
  • Regular Monitoring and Adjustments: Continuously monitor email deliverability metrics and adjust your strategy as needed to maintain optimal placement.
  • Building Subscriber Relationships: Focus on building a relationship with your subscribers by providing valuable content and encouraging interaction.
  • Comply with Best Practices: Adhere to best practices for email content, formatting, and sending frequency to avoid spam filters.
  • Understand External Factors: Be aware of external factors like list bombing and take appropriate measures to mitigate their impact.
  • Segmentation is important: Segmentation helps send relevant emails to subscribers

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Improving email placement in Gmail's Primary tab involves a multifaceted approach focusing on sender reputation, email content, list management, and technical configurations. Key strategies include personalizing email content, avoiding spam triggers, optimizing email frequency, building a clean and segmented email list, warming up your IP address, authenticating your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and monitoring your sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools. Engaging with subscribers and building relationships is also crucial, as Gmail prioritizes emails that users find valuable. Avoiding common mistakes like using URL shorteners or excessive punctuation can also improve deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Personalization & Engagement: Personalized content and encouraging engagement through replies can significantly improve placement in the Primary tab.
  • List Management: Maintaining a clean and segmented email list, and avoiding purchased lists, is crucial for sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Technical Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication protocols is essential for verifying email legitimacy and improving deliverability.
  • Content Optimization: Avoiding spam trigger words, excessive images, and large attachments can help prevent emails from being filtered as spam.
  • IP Warming: Gradually warming up your IP address, especially when starting with a new IP or domain, establishes a good sender reputation.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Checking if the domain is on any blacklists

Key considerations

  • Relationship Building: Focus on building a relationship with your subscribers by providing valuable content and encouraging interaction.
  • Regular List Cleaning: Implement a process for regularly cleaning your email list to remove unengaged subscribers and avoid sending to inactive addresses.
  • Mobile Optimization: Ensure your emails are optimized for mobile devices to provide a positive user experience.
  • Consistent Monitoring: Continuously monitor your email deliverability metrics and make adjustments to your strategy as needed to maintain optimal placement in the Primary tab.
  • Avoid Common Mistakes: Avoid URL shorteners, excessive capitalization and punctuation, and attachments.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that focusing on building a relationship with your subscribers and sending content that is actually valuable to them is key. They suggest actively encouraging replies and engagement, as this signals to Gmail that your emails are important to the recipient. They also advise against using excessive images or links in your emails, as this can trigger spam filters.

November 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sender suggests that to improve email deliverability, you should focus on building a clean email list, segmenting your audience, and personalizing your email content. They also recommend monitoring your sender reputation and promptly addressing any issues that arise, as well as optimizing your email design for mobile devices to ensure a positive user experience.

July 2023 - Sender
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that personalizing email content, avoiding spam trigger words, and optimizing email frequency are effective strategies. They recommend testing email content using spam checkers before sending, and focusing on providing value to subscribers to encourage engagement, which signals to Gmail that your emails are important.

September 2021 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass recommends sending personalized emails instead of generic broadcast messages, ensuring your 'From' name is clear and recognizable, and making it easy for people to unsubscribe. Also, avoid sending attachments and follow best practices to keep your account secure.

September 2021 - GMass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that he tweaked a marketing email to improve placement in the Primary tab by shifting the tone to feel like a direct conversation (personalization), focused messaging (highlighting one offering), and simplified HTML (removed nested tables and complex styling). The result was a modest 10-11% increase in Primary tab placement.

July 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus suggests checking if your domain is on any blacklists, as being blacklisted can significantly impact your deliverability. He recommends using tools like MXToolbox to check your domain's blacklist status and taking steps to remove your domain from any blacklists if necessary. He also emphasizes the importance of monitoring your email deliverability metrics and making adjustments to your email marketing strategy as needed.

January 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailToolTester shares that avoiding common mistakes like using URL shorteners, using excessive punctuation or capitalization in subject lines, and sending emails with large attachments can improve your deliverability. He also recommends testing your emails with different email clients and devices to ensure they render correctly and provide a positive user experience.

March 2023 - EmailToolTester
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot highlights the importance of using a dedicated IP address, segmenting your email lists, and cleaning your lists regularly. She also recommends avoiding spam trigger words in your subject lines and email content, testing your emails before sending, and monitoring your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.

October 2023 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel emphasizes the importance of segmentation to send relevant emails to subscribers, cleaning your email list to remove unengaged subscribers, and warming up your IP address to establish a good sender reputation. He also suggests using double opt-in to ensure subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving your emails and to avoid being marked as spam.

April 2021 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that warming up your IP address gradually, especially when starting with a new IP or domain, is crucial for establishing a good sender reputation. They also advise against sending emails to purchased lists or unengaged subscribers, as this can negatively impact your deliverability and sender reputation.

August 2023 - Email Marketing Forum

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Improving email placement in Gmail's Primary tab requires a comprehensive approach that respects Google's algorithms and focuses on factors within your control. While attempting to 'outwit' Gmail's filtering is unlikely to succeed, building a solid sender reputation, ensuring proper authentication, crafting engaging content, maintaining a robust infrastructure, and proactively addressing spam complaints are essential. Additionally, managing recipient lists effectively and understanding external factors like list bombing can influence deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Focus on Controllable Factors: Prioritize strategies within your control, such as growing your audience and creating valuable content, instead of trying to game Gmail's algorithms.
  • Holistic Deliverability Factors: Gmail delivery depends on a combination of reputation, authentication, content, infrastructure, spam complaints, and recipient lists.
  • Understanding List Bombing: Recognize that list bombing is an external factor where bots sign up email addresses to multiple services; it is up to the business to handle these signups.

Key considerations

  • Long-Term Strategy: Develop a long-term strategy focused on building a positive sender reputation and providing value to your subscribers.
  • Comprehensive Assessment: Regularly assess and optimize all aspects of your email program, including authentication, content quality, and infrastructure.
  • Proactive List Management: Implement strategies for identifying and handling suspicious sign-up activity, such as list bombing, to protect your sender reputation.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that list bombing occurs when a bot signs up an email address to multiple services. They explain that it's not the email address owner that did it and so they can't be blamed for it. It is up to the business to determine if they want to accept those signups or not.

March 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that Gmail delivery depends on reputation, authentication, content, infrastructure and spam complaints. And your recipient lists.

April 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that trying to outwit Google probably won't work because Google is motivated to prevent it and has the resources to do so. Suggests spending time on things you can control like growing your audience or creating good content so that your audience seeks you out even on the Promo tab.

November 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Improving email placement in Gmail's Primary tab relies heavily on proper email authentication and maintaining a good sender reputation. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for verifying the legitimacy of your emails and preventing spoofing. Monitoring your sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft's SNDS program is crucial, as is adhering to best practices for email content and formatting. Providing clear unsubscribe options and promptly honoring unsubscribe requests is also vital for maintaining a positive sender reputation and ensuring successful bulk email delivery.

Key findings

  • Email Authentication is Key: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for ensuring Gmail and other mail servers deliver your messages to inboxes.
  • Sender Reputation Matters: Monitoring and maintaining a good sender reputation is essential for deliverability.
  • Best Practices for Content and Formatting: Adhering to best practices for email content and formatting is vital for avoiding spam filters.
  • Unsubscribe Options are Necessary: Providing clear unsubscribe options and honoring requests promptly is crucial for maintaining a positive sender reputation.
  • Avoid Sudden Spikes in Volume: Avoiding sudden spikes in email volume can improve deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: Ensure your domain is properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve email deliverability.
  • Monitor Sender Reputation Regularly: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft's SNDS program to monitor your sender reputation and address any issues promptly.
  • Follow Email Best Practices: Adhere to best practices for email content and formatting, including avoiding spam trigger words and providing clear calls to action.
  • Respect Unsubscribe Requests: Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe from your emails and promptly honor all unsubscribe requests to maintain a positive sender reputation.
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Learn states that to ensure successful bulk email delivery, you should authenticate your domain using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, monitor your sender reputation through Microsoft's SNDS program, and adhere to best practices for email content and formatting. They also emphasize the importance of providing clear unsubscribe options and honoring unsubscribe requests promptly.

September 2021 - Microsoft Learn
Technical article

Documentation from Gmail Help explains that to ensure Gmail delivers your messages to inboxes, you should authenticate your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They also recommend using a consistent sending IP address, keeping spam rates low (below 0.1%), and using the Postmaster Tools to monitor your sender reputation. Avoiding sudden spikes in email volume is also highlighted as a best practice.

October 2023 - Gmail Help
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that SPF is an email authentication method designed to prevent spammers from sending messages on behalf of your domain. By publishing an SPF record in your domain's DNS settings, you specify which mail servers are authorized to send emails from your domain, allowing receiving mail servers to verify the legitimacy of incoming messages and reduce the risk of phishing and email spoofing.

August 2022 - RFC-4408
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a more robust email authentication framework. By implementing DMARC, domain owners can specify how receiving mail servers should handle messages that fail SPF and DKIM checks, and receive reports on email authentication activity to identify and prevent phishing attacks and email spoofing.

November 2023 - DMARC.org