Why are my Marketo emails not arriving in Gmail inboxes even with opt-ins and showing as delivered?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests checking the delivery log files for the specific message ID to verify if the email was truly delivered to the recipient's mail server. The SMTP response should have a 250 OK to confirm delivery. Shad Taylor recommends filtering the logs by destination email address to narrow down the issue. Shad also is curious if Marketo allows you to see these types of logs or do you have to contact support to see them.
Email marketer from Mailchimp shares segmenting your audience based on demographics, behavior, or interests, you can send more relevant and targeted emails that are more likely to be opened and clicked. This can help improve your sender reputation and inbox placement in Gmail.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests checking how the recipient accesses their email, as third-party email clients may affect delivery. He also suggests the recipient checks their 'bin' folder in case a rule was accidentally created to send messages there.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog shares that several factors affect email deliverability to Gmail, including sender reputation, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), engagement rates (opens, clicks), and spam complaints. He also mentions the importance of maintaining a clean email list and avoiding spam trigger words.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests checking if the recipient has created any filters or rules in Gmail that might be automatically moving the emails to a different folder or deleting them. They also recommend asking the recipient to search their entire inbox for emails from the sender's domain.
Email marketer from SendGrid advises that if you are using a new IP address for sending emails, it is important to gradually warm it up. This involves slowly increasing your sending volume over time to establish a positive sender reputation with Gmail.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester answers that Gmail could be filtering emails due to poor list hygiene. They advise regularly cleaning your email list by removing inactive subscribers and those who have unsubscribed. Sending to engaged users improves your sender reputation.
Email marketer from ZeroBounce explains the importance of avoiding spam trigger words in your email subject lines and body. These words can trigger spam filters and cause your emails to be sent to the spam folder or blocked altogether.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that increasing email engagement (opens, clicks, replies) can improve inbox placement in Gmail. They recommend segmenting your audience, personalizing your emails, and optimizing your subject lines to encourage opens and clicks.
Email marketer from Marketing Over Coffee Forum suggests that if emails are showing as delivered but not arriving in the inbox, it could be due to Gmail's tabbed inbox feature. The email may be in the Promotions or Updates tab instead of the Primary tab.
Email marketer from Gmass shares that your emails may be landing in the Promotions tab due to the content and format. They recommend avoiding excessive use of images, links, and promotional language.
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that using a dedicated IP address can give you more control over your sender reputation. However, it also requires more effort to manage and maintain a good sending reputation.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests contacting support to work with the MTA admin team to find the log file excerpt that proves handoff to Gmail's mail servers. If it did hand off then the issue is likely in a different folder or the users perception is incorrect, otherwise it likely did not send due to incorrect segmentation or a non-sendable status.
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains the issue of list bombing and the need for double opt-in. If accounts are being signed up without people knowing, then they are never verifying the address. Without verifying the address it's highly probable these accounts won't be able to get any email.
Expert from Spam Resource, John Levine, explains that even with opt-ins, Gmail may filter emails if they perceive them as unwanted based on various factors like sender reputation, content, and user engagement. He notes that 'delivered' only means the email was accepted by Gmail's servers, not that it reached the inbox.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests checking other tabs in Gmail, searching for the email, and sending a test email to a newly created Gmail address to troubleshoot delivery issues. She explains it is rare for google to drop email.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Google Support explains that senders should authenticate their email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They should also ensure they are sending wanted mail and making it easy to unsubscribe.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that implementing email authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for verifying the sender's identity and preventing email spoofing. Gmail uses these authentication records to determine the legitimacy of incoming emails.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that sender reputation is a crucial factor for email deliverability. Gmail uses sender reputation to determine whether to deliver an email to the inbox or spam folder. A low sender reputation can result in emails being filtered as spam, even if the sender has implemented proper authentication.
Documentation from Mailjet explains the difference between deliverability and inbox placement. Deliverability means the email reached the recipient's server, while inbox placement refers to whether the email landed in the inbox or the spam folder. Even if an email is delivered, it might still end up in spam due to various factors, including content, sender reputation, and recipient engagement.
Documentation from ReturnPath explains that setting up feedback loops with Gmail can help you identify and address spam complaints. When a Gmail user marks your email as spam, you will receive a notification so you can remove that recipient from your list.