Why are Gmail emails delayed after migrating to SFMC, and how can I fix it?

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign highlights the importance of the content that is being sent, avoid spammy words and make the emails personable with the goal of trying to get user engagement.

Email marketer from StackOverflow shares the experience of sending emails from a shared IP and suggests it can be a problem as other users on the IP may be blacklisted and affect your deliverability.

Email marketer from GMass stresses that improving domain reputation is key, recommending to check the sending domain in the Google Postmaster Tools to know if Google trusts emails and is not flagged for spam.

Email marketer from NeilPatel.com emphasizes the importance of warming up IP addresses to build a positive sender reputation with Gmail. Warming up helps establish credibility and avoids being flagged as spam, reducing email delays. They note this is especially relevant after a migration.

Email marketer from EmailonAcid suggests Email list segmentation can affect deliverability by sending more targeted emails to smaller groups. They can also be filtered out based on levels of engagement to avoid hitting disinterested subscribers.

Email marketer from Mailchimp.com explains that poor list hygiene (high bounce rates, unengaged subscribers) can negatively impact sender reputation, leading to email delays. Regularly cleaning email lists by removing inactive or invalid addresses is essential to improve deliverability.

Email marketer from Litmus.com recommends monitoring deliverability rates, spam placement, and inbox placement to identify and address delivery issues. They suggest using tools like Litmus Spam Testing to proactively detect problems before they affect subscribers.

Email marketer from Reddit shares that setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication is crucial for Gmail to trust emails. Incorrect or missing authentication records can lead to delays and spam filtering. They advise verifying these records using online tools.

Email marketer from SendGrid.com highlights that a low sender reputation can cause Gmail to delay emails while assessing sender credibility. This reputation is impacted by factors like bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement. Improving sender reputation by cleaning lists and ensuring relevant content can fix this.

Email marketer from TowerData suggests using an Email validation service to help remove fake, misspelled or unengaged subscribers.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains if you're starting from a new IP address, you'll likely have reputation issues, which can cause delays. Work on warming up the IP address properly before sending large volumes of mail.

Expert from Email Geeks agrees with the approach of limiting email volume, ensuring email address validation, and asking subscribers to add the new email address to their contact/safe list.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that if Google is delaying emails, it's generally a sign of a reputation problem. Mail going to the spam folder will also cause a drop in engagement.

Expert from Email Geeks states that random delivery times may not have a causal relationship with engagement rates, overall you need to back off sending too fast.

Expert from Email Geeks expects delivery to be inconsistent for 2-3 months after moving mail around and this could be normal growing pains.

Expert from Spam Resource answers that any time a sender changes their sending habits substantially, some places might delay messages while they see what happens. After migrating to SFMC, gradually ramp up email volume to establish a consistent sending pattern.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that the warm-up period might have been too short, and the sending volume needs to be reduced to a level that Google will accept. Warmup is about sending slower than the ISP wants to take it.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that if Gmail is holding emails and then releasing them, it's likely monitoring recipient behavior. Staying the course is recommended.

Documentation from Salesforce explains that when migrating to SFMC with a new IP, gradual IP warming is critical to establish trust with ISPs like Gmail. Sending too much volume too quickly can trigger delays and spam filtering. The documentation outlines a phased approach to gradually increase sending volume.

Documentation from Google details that Postmaster Tools provides data on sender reputation, spam rates, and other metrics. Monitoring these metrics can help identify issues causing delays and diagnose the root cause, such as spam complaints or authentication problems.

Documentation from RFC details that SMTP deferrals are temporary failures in email delivery. These are often triggered by spam filters and reputation systems on the receiving end. If the deferrals are persistent, there is a fundamental problem.

Documentation from DKIM answers question about using DKIM with email, DKIM allows the receiver to check that an email was indeed sent from the claimed domain and was authorized by the owner of that domain. It is intended to prevent sender address forgery.