Why are sales reps' Google Workspace emails suspended when using sales tools like Outreach or Yesware?

Summary

Google Workspace email suspensions for sales reps using tools like Outreach and Yesware stem from several interconnected factors. These include direct violations of Google's policies like sending unsolicited emails and exceeding sending limits, issues stemming from poor email practices such as high bounce rates, low engagement, and spam complaints, and technical configuration problems like improper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). The use of sales tools, particularly for cold outreach, amplifies these risks if not managed carefully. Addressing these concerns through improved list hygiene, adherence to sending limits, obtaining explicit consent, and implementing proper email authentication is crucial for preventing suspensions and maintaining a positive sender reputation.

Key findings

  • Unsolicited Email: Sending emails to recipients without their consent is a direct violation of Google's policies and leads to account suspensions.
  • Exceeding Limits: Exceeding daily sending limits, especially with automated tools, can trigger suspensions.
  • Poor List Hygiene: High bounce rates from sending to invalid or outdated addresses negatively impact sender reputation and lead to suspensions.
  • Low Engagement: Consistently low engagement rates (opens, clicks) signal spam-like behavior and can result in account suspensions.
  • Spam Complaints: High spam complaint rates are a strong indicator of unwanted email and trigger account suspensions.
  • Authentication Failures: Incorrect or missing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records increase the likelihood of emails being marked as spam and suspended.
  • Tool Misuse: Using sales tools in a way that mimics spam, such as sending mass, unpersonalized emails, increases the risk of suspension.

Key considerations

  • Obtain Consent: Always obtain explicit consent from recipients before sending emails.
  • Respect Limits: Adhere to Google Workspace's sending limits and consider gradual email warm-up for new accounts.
  • Clean Lists: Regularly clean and validate email lists to minimize bounce rates.
  • Improve Engagement: Focus on improving email engagement through personalization, segmentation, and relevant content.
  • Authenticate Emails: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to authenticate emails and improve deliverability.
  • Monitor Reputation: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor domain reputation and identify potential issues.
  • Tool Configuration: Configure sales tools carefully to avoid spam-like sending patterns and comply with Google Workspace policies.
  • Audit Practices: Regularly audit sales reps' email practices to ensure compliance and prevent policy violations.

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

Sales reps' Google Workspace accounts are often suspended when using tools like Outreach or Yesware due to practices that violate Google's terms of service and anti-spam policies. These violations include sending unsolicited emails, exceeding sending limits, having poor list hygiene (high bounce rates), low engagement (low open/click rates), and high spam complaints. Technical issues like incorrect SPF/DKIM settings can also impact deliverability and lead to suspensions.

Key opinions

  • Unsolicited Emails: Sending cold emails through sales tools often violates Google's anti-spam policies, resulting in account suspensions.
  • Exceeding Limits: Exceeding Google Workspace's sending limits, particularly with automated tools, can trigger suspensions.
  • Poor List Hygiene: High bounce rates from sending to invalid or outdated email addresses negatively impact sender reputation and lead to suspensions.
  • Low Engagement: Consistently low engagement rates (opens, clicks) signal spam-like behavior and can result in account suspensions.
  • Technical Setup: Incorrect SPF/DKIM settings can harm email deliverability and increase the risk of Google Workspace suspensions.
  • Spam Complaints: High spam complaint rates are a strong indicator of unwanted email and trigger account suspensions.

Key considerations

  • Compliance: Ensure all email practices comply with Google Workspace's terms of service and anti-spam policies.
  • Sending Limits: Adhere to Google Workspace's sending limits and consider gradual email warm-up for new accounts.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean and validate email lists to minimize bounce rates.
  • Engagement: Focus on improving email engagement through personalization, segmentation, and relevant content.
  • Authentication: Verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC settings to authenticate emails and improve deliverability.
  • Reputation: Implement strategies to protect and build sender reputation, such as using a dedicated sending domain and monitoring Postmaster Tools.
  • Consent: Ensure that you have explicit consent before sending emails to people.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reply.io suggests using a dedicated sending domain. This separates sales outreach efforts from main business communications, helping protect the primary domain reputation and reducing the risk of Google Workspace suspensions.

February 2025 - Reply.io
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailchimp explains that low engagement and high spam complaints can trigger Google Workspace suspensions. They recommend warming up new IPs, segmenting email lists, and personalizing emails to improve engagement and reduce spam complaints.

September 2022 - Mailchimp
Marketer view

Email marketer from Woodpecker.co shares that incorrect email setup, SPF and DKIM settings, can impact email deliverability and increase the likelihood of Google Workspace suspensions. They suggest verifying these settings to improve email authentication.

May 2024 - Woodpecker.co
Marketer view

Email marketers from Sales Hacker Community suggests that using sales tools to send cold emails can lead to suspensions because these emails often violate Google's anti-spam policies. They also mention that consistently low engagement rates (opens, clicks) can flag accounts as spammers.

February 2024 - Sales Hacker Community
Marketer view

Email marketer from Klenty Blog explains that exceeding sending limits, especially when using automation, can trigger suspensions. They also highlight that poor list hygiene, resulting in high bounce rates, can negatively impact sender reputation and lead to suspensions.

May 2021 - Klenty Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that Google Workspace suspends accounts for various reasons, including exceeding sending limits, high bounce rates, or being flagged as spam. They suggest reviewing Google's sending limits and best practices.

January 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Lemlist explains that gradual warming of the email account can increase the sending limits. Start with a small number of emails, gradually increasing them based on positive engagement, to build a good reputation and avoid Google Workspace suspensions.

October 2021 - Lemlist
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that a team of sales reps will likely send unsolicited cold emails, and using Gmail for this purpose violates its terms and conditions.

June 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Hunter.io suggests personalizing outreach emails to increase engagement. Generic and impersonal emails are more likely to be flagged as spam, increasing the chances of Google Workspace suspensions. Also ensure that you have consent to email people.

April 2023 - Hunter.io

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Sales reps' Google Workspace accounts face suspension when using tools like Outreach or Yesware due to practices violating Google's policies on unsolicited email and spam. These practices often include sending emails to individuals who haven't explicitly requested them, indicating a disregard for proper permission practices. Additionally, the very nature and marketing of some tools, like Yesware, can promote spam-like behavior, further increasing the risk of suspension if not carefully managed.

Key opinions

  • Unsolicited Email: Sending emails through sales tools to individuals who have not requested them is a direct violation of Google Workspace rules and leads to suspension.
  • Tool Design and Marketing: Some sales tools are designed or marketed in ways that encourage spam-like behavior, contributing to the risk of account suspension.
  • Permission Practices: Lack of proper permission practices and compliance with recipient expectations are key factors leading to filtering and account suspension.

Key considerations

  • Explicit Consent: Ensure all recipients have explicitly consented to receive emails before sending any communication through sales tools.
  • Tool Configuration: Carefully configure sales tools to avoid spam-like sending patterns and comply with Google Workspace policies.
  • Auditing Practices: Regularly audit sales reps' permission practices to ensure compliance and prevent violations that could lead to account suspensions.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that sending behavior mimicking spam or violating recipient expectations results in filtering and potential account suspension. Using sales tools without proper configuration and consent can lead to these issues.

February 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that if any emails sent by sales tools are to people who did not ask to be mailed, then the sender is not playing by the rules of Google Workspace.

March 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that Yesware is designed and marketed for sending spam. He suggests auditing sales reps' permission practices to ensure compliance.

August 2024 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
6Technical articles

Google Workspace email suspensions for sales reps using tools like Outreach or Yesware are primarily due to violations of Google's sending policies, including exceeding sending limits, sending unsolicited emails, and having a poor sender reputation caused by high spam complaints and bounce rates. Proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for verifying sender identity and preventing emails from being marked as spam, ultimately reducing the risk of suspension. Maintaining a clean email list is also essential for preventing high bounce rates and protecting sender reputation.

Key findings

  • Sending Limits: Exceeding daily sending limits and recipient limits in Google Workspace leads to temporary restrictions or suspensions.
  • Unsolicited Emails: Sending unsolicited emails, even when using sales tools, is a direct violation of Google's policies and results in account suspension.
  • Poor Sender Reputation: High spam complaints negatively impact sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues and potential account suspensions.
  • High Bounce Rates: Sending to invalid or outdated email addresses leads to high bounce rates, damaging sender reputation and triggering suspensions.
  • Email Authentication: Lack of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) increases the chance of emails being marked as spam, resulting in account suspensions.

Key considerations

  • Monitor Limits: Monitor and adhere to Google Workspace's sending limits to avoid exceeding them.
  • Obtain Consent: Ensure all recipients have explicitly opted-in to receive emails to avoid sending unsolicited messages.
  • Track Reputation: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor domain reputation and identify potential issues.
  • List Maintenance: Regularly clean and validate email lists to remove invalid or outdated addresses.
  • Authentication Setup: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to authenticate emails and improve deliverability.
  • Policy Enforcement: Implement DMARC policies to protect domains from email spoofing and phishing attacks.
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that Google Postmaster Tools helps monitor domain reputation. A poor reputation, stemming from high spam complaints, can lead to deliverability issues and potential account suspensions when sending emails through Google Workspace.

June 2021 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from Google states that exceeding sending limits can result in temporary restrictions or suspensions, which includes limits on the number of recipients and messages sent per day. It also states this is to combat spam and prevent abuse.

July 2024 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains DMARC's role in email authentication and policy enforcement. Implementing DMARC policies helps protect domains from email spoofing and phishing attacks, enhancing sender reputation and decreasing the likelihood of Google Workspace suspensions.

May 2022 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor highlights the importance of email authentication, specifically using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Properly configuring these records helps verify the sender's identity and reduces the chance of emails being marked as spam, preventing potential Google Workspace suspensions.

February 2024 - RFC-Editor
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost highlights the importance of maintaining a clean email list. Sending to invalid or outdated email addresses leads to high bounce rates, which damages sender reputation and can result in Google Workspace suspensions.

September 2022 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Google indicates that sending unsolicited emails, or spam, violates their policies and can lead to account suspension. This includes sending mass emails to recipients who haven't requested them, even if using a sales tool.

August 2024 - Google