Why did Gmail open and click rates decrease after fixing DKIM, despite passing SPF?

Email marketer from EmailOnAcid explains that list quality and hygiene can significantly impact deliverability. If the email list contains a high percentage of inactive or invalid addresses, even authenticated emails may experience low open and click rates.

Email marketer from GMass responds that the drop in open and click rate can be caused by spam trigger words being detected by the email client.

Email marketer from StackOverflow responds that fixing DKIM might have altered how mailbox providers perceive the emails. Sometimes, a sudden change in authentication setup can trigger spam filters or impact placement. Has the sending IP or domain been blacklisted recently?

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that improving authentication can sometimes reveal underlying deliverability problems. If the email content or sending practices are poor, fixing DKIM might expose these issues, leading to a temporary dip in engagement.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that GPT's DMARC metric is based on DMARC alignment, regardless of an actual record. GPT domain reputation is based on many signals, not just DKIM verification. The DKIM issue could be a distraction, or a false signal.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests looking at Google's aggregate reporting to understand the authentication status. He suggests looking for evidence of spoofing, even without DMARC reporting, and checking Search Console and Adwords for alerts or suspensions. Also, check for changes in sending patterns.

Email marketer from Litmus responds that implementing A/B testing on key campaign factors (from name, subject lines, email content) can help understand what is causing the drop in email performance. Maybe the content is not engaging enough.

Email marketer from SendGrid shares that it is possible the sender reputation has been damaged for the specific segment of users, and these users are now less likely to engage than before.

Email marketer from Reddit shares that the content of the emails might be the problem. If the content is not engaging or is considered spammy, open and click rates will suffer, regardless of authentication. Also maybe the audience got spammed more and are less likely to engage now.

Email marketer from EmailGeek Forum responds that a temporary dip in open rates post-DKIM fix could indicate a sender reputation issue. It's possible that the domain's reputation was negatively impacted prior to fixing DKIM, and it takes time to rebuild that reputation.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that Domain reputation is about data, and Google has access to a lot of it. If a domain is involved in stealth redirects or fraudulent ad campaigns, there's a good chance that it's not sending quality mail.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that changes to authentication can temporarily impact reputation metrics. Fixing DKIM may change how Gmail views your mail stream, and until a new reputation baseline is established, performance might fluctuate.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that deliverability isn't a simple on/off switch. Fixing DKIM addresses one aspect, but deliverability depends on overall reputation, list quality, content, and user engagement. The initial issue might have already damaged the reputation, and it takes time to recover.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests it may be a reporting issue. With a bad reputation sometimes you get less data in GPT.

Documentation from RFC 6376 explains that while DKIM helps verify the sender's domain, it doesn't guarantee delivery or engagement. Other factors, such as content and sender reputation, play a significant role in whether emails are opened and clicked.

Documentation from SparkPost recommends that after making significant changes to your sending practices (like fixing DKIM), it's crucial to gradually warm up your IP address and domain. Warming is the process of slowly increasing your sending volume over time, following a set schedule.

Documentation from Microsoft Learn notes that while SPF and DKIM authenticate the sender, they don't address content-related deliverability issues. If the email content is flagged as spam, it can still negatively impact open and click rates, even with proper authentication.

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that several factors can affect deliverability, including sender reputation, content quality, authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and user engagement. A sudden change in any of these factors could impact open and click rates.

Documentation from DMARC.org indicates that while DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM to enhance security and deliverability, it won't directly fix issues related to content, sender reputation, or user engagement. The issue isn't authentication.