Why are Gmail open rates suddenly decreasing?

Marketer from Email Geeks shares anecdotal experience that Gmail sometimes plays 'red light, green light' with senders, where open rates for new subscribers or re-engagement sends drop. Recommends reducing volume to less engaged subscribers and focusing on recently engaged subscribers to stabilize open rates, then phasing in less engaged subscribers while monitoring performance.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that it is a common pattern to see average clicks and opens drop when volume increases, especially when mailing inactive contacts. Also notes changes in Gmail's mail filtering and recommends checking Google Postmaster Tools for insights.

Marketer from Email Geeks warns that continuing to send to underperforming segments while struggling with delivery can worsen the situation. Also advises that declining open rates indicate an unhealthy stream, which can lead to temporary blocks and eventually the death of the email stream.

Marketer from Email Geeks believes Gmail is becoming stricter with spam rate thresholds, especially for domains fluctuating between 0.1% and 0.3%. Suggests focusing on best practices to consistently stay under the 0.1% threshold to regain previous open rates.

Marketer from Email Geeks advises segmenting data to see which groups aren't opening/clicking anymore, starting with sign-up time period. Suggests reducing sends to segments that were previously engaged. Also notes Gmail tightens filters during the holiday season and advises sending less during this time.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that the drop could be a false perspective, possibly due to Google caching more trackers. Recommends checking for machine-opens in past data. Further suggests that if click and conversion rates remain the same, then it may be a false opening rate, but if clicks/conversions have also dropped, then a more serious issue is at hand.

Email marketer from Email Expert Forum responds that irrelevant or misleading subject lines can cause recipients to ignore emails. Stresses the importance of crafting clear, concise, and compelling subject lines that accurately reflect email content.

Email marketer from Digital Marketing Institute suggests that increased email frequency without relevant content is a major reason for decreased open rates. They recommend analyzing engagement metrics to identify the optimal sending frequency for different segments.

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog states that not A/B testing subject lines and content can lead to stagnant or declining open rates. Recommends continually testing different elements of emails to optimize performance and engagement.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests that a sudden decrease in open rates could be due to changes in user behavior. States that users may be more selective about opening emails due to increased email volume or changing interests.

Email marketer from Marketing Over Coffee podcast mentions that deliverability issues, such as emails landing in spam folders, can directly lead to reduced open rates. Recommends monitoring sender reputation and adhering to email best practices.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that sending too many emails to the same subscribers can lead to email fatigue, resulting in lower open rates. States that segmenting audiences and tailoring content is crucial to avoid overwhelming recipients.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they have always begun to see a decrease in engagement as the holidays approach. Suggests that people's inboxes start to be crowded and they are overwhelmed, which causes opt outs to go up, and open/click rates to decrease, implying a seasonal trend that affects metrics.

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that Gmail might have tweaked its algorithm, leading to emails being filtered differently. They point out that even with good sender reputation, algorithm changes can impact open rates.

Email marketer from MarketingProfs responds that users might be shifting towards mobile devices for reading emails. Suggests that tracking mobile vs. desktop open rates separately may show a shift, where desktop rates are down and mobile is up.

Expert from Email Geeks states that these issues might be early warning signs for deliverability problems, and catching them early can mean the fixes are much smaller and less intrusive.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests investigating if mail is going to the bulk folder and notes inbox testing inaccuracy. Also suggests that mail might be going to the inbox, but Google is not prefetching images. Also points out Validity's complaint rate might not be specific to Google, suggesting a need to dig into address collection and hygiene processes if the complaint rate is high.

Expert from Spam Resource shares that factors like sudden increases in email volume, changes in sending IP addresses, and poor list hygiene will adversely affect gmail delivery and should all be checked.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that consistently measuring inbox placement (and not just deliverability) over time helps to identify open rate changes. They also suggest looking at authentication and reputation metrics alongside volume changes.

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that hitting spam traps can severely damage sender reputation and negatively impact deliverability and open rates. They advise practicing proper list hygiene and obtaining explicit consent from subscribers.

Documentation from Mailchimp explains that poor list hygiene can lead to lower engagement and open rates. Mailchimp recommends regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive subscribers to improve deliverability and engagement metrics.

Documentation from Litmus responds that Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) inflates open rates by preloading images, making it harder to accurately measure engagement. The documentation notes that this affects overall metrics and requires a shift in how email performance is evaluated.

Documentation from Google Support explains that Gmail's promotion tab filtering might be catching more promotional emails, which reduces open rates as many users don't actively check this tab. They recommend ensuring emails are not mistakenly categorized as promotional.

Documentation from Return Path explains that being listed on email blocklists can significantly reduce deliverability and open rates. Suggests checking blocklist status and taking steps to be removed if listed.

Documentation from Validity explains that changes in sender reputation can affect inbox placement and, consequently, open rates. They recommend monitoring sender score and addressing any deliverability issues promptly.