Why does Google Postmaster Tools show a high spam rate but a 0% feedback loop spam rate?

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that a high spam rate might be influenced by a large number of inactive users on the email list. If a significant portion of recipients haven't engaged with emails for a while, their spam reports may be weighted differently or not factored into FBL calculations. Focus on engaging active users to improve metrics.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that a very high spam rate could mean a lot of recipients are inactive.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares insights on the discrepancy between Spam Rate and Feedback loop spam rate in Google Postmaster Tools. She explains that Feedback ID points to a campaign based on identifiers in the Feedback-ID header. Google may not have enough data tied to it to aggregate it in a meaningful way if complaints aren't lodged the same day, or if the volume is too low for privacy reasons. It also considers active users who complained, which narrows down the volume, making it harder to have enough data points for display. She advises reviewing campaigns immediately if there are any issues.

Email marketer from SendGrid Blog shares that incomplete or incorrect email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) can cause emails to be flagged as spam more often. Implementing proper authentication helps ISPs verify the sender's identity, improving deliverability and potentially reducing the spam rate. It does not, however, influence the Feedback Loop directly.

Email marketer from HubSpot Blog shares that sending irrelevant emails to recipients increases the chance of them marking the email as spam. Segmenting email lists based on interests, demographics, and past behavior allows senders to deliver more targeted and relevant content, reducing spam complaints.

Email marketer from EmailGeek Forums shares that a 0% feedback loop (FBL) spam rate, despite a high spam rate, could mean that even though many recipients are marking the email as spam, few are doing so through the 'Report Spam' button which triggers the FBL. The FBL specifically tracks complaints reported back to the sender.

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that a high spam rate with a 0% FBL rate might occur because the spam rate is calculated based on all recipients marking the email as spam, while the FBL rate only counts users who actively report the email as spam through the Gmail interface. Many users may simply mark the email as spam without using the report spam button, leading to the discrepancy.

Email marketer from Litmus Blog states that poorly designed emails can lead to a higher spam rate. Emails that are not mobile-friendly, have broken links, or display incorrectly are more likely to be marked as spam. Ensuring emails are well-designed and tested across different devices and clients can improve engagement and reduce spam complaints.

Email marketer from StackOverflow answers that using certain spam trigger words or phrases in the email content can increase the likelihood of users marking the email as spam. Avoiding these triggers and ensuring content is relevant and valuable to the recipient can help reduce the spam rate, though it doesn't directly impact the FBL.

Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog states that poor list hygiene practices contribute to high spam rates. Sending to outdated or unengaged email addresses increases the likelihood of spam complaints. Implement regular list cleaning to remove inactive subscribers and reduce the spam rate.

Email marketer from MarketingProfs shares that sending too many emails can fatigue recipients and lead to a higher spam rate. Establishing a consistent and appropriate sending frequency based on recipient preferences can help reduce spam complaints and improve engagement.

Marketer from Email Geeks clarifies that Google's calculations focus on active and inboxed users, with the biggest change being the focus on active users, which reduces the denominator for calculations.

Expert from Spam Resource responds that a potential reason for the discrepancy is not properly setting up the Feedback Loop. If you haven't set it up correctly you might not be notified of spam complaints through the feedback loop, leading to a 0% rate despite a high spam rate. Ensure you have implemented the necessary headers and followed Google's FBL registration process.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that discrepancies between spam rates and feedback loop (FBL) rates can occur when senders aren't properly authenticated with Google's FBL program. A high spam rate indicates users are marking emails as spam, but if the sender hasn't registered for and configured the FBL, Google won't send complaint data back to them, resulting in a 0% FBL rate. This requires specific header implementation and domain registration.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that Google started reporting just on inboxing rather than total incoming mail and on active mailboxes rather than all. This means the spam rate is 'of the number of people who actively saw your email, this % said ‘dude, this is spam!' and that the active recipients don’t like your mail.

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools Help explains that the Spam Rate reflects the percentage of emails marked as spam by users. This includes emails directly reported as spam and those filtered to the spam folder. The rate is calculated daily. A high spam rate could indicate issues with sender reputation or email content.

Documentation from SparkPost explains that Feedback Loops (FBLs) require specific setup and authentication. The ISP (like Google) provides senders with aggregated data about users marking their mail as spam, but only if the sender has properly registered for and implemented the FBL. If the sender hasn't, they won't see any FBL data, even if the spam rate is high.

Documentation from Microsoft Docs explains that a sudden spike in spam complaints can negatively impact sender reputation. While not directly related to Google's FBL, maintaining a good sender reputation across all ISPs is crucial for overall deliverability. High spam rates reported through Google Postmaster Tools can affect this reputation.

Documentation from IETF answers that email standards and protocols, like SMTP, define how email messages are transmitted across the internet. Adhering to these standards is crucial for ensuring deliverability. However, compliance with these standards does not directly impact the feedback loop (FBL) spam rate reported by Google Postmaster Tools.

Documentation from RFC states that Email authentication standards like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC ensure the authenticity of email messages. While these standards aim to improve deliverability by verifying sender identity, they do not directly influence the feedback loop (FBL) spam rate reported by Google Postmaster Tools.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC implementation helps domain owners control how their email is handled by recipient mail servers. While DMARC can improve deliverability and reduce spoofing, it doesn't directly influence the feedback loop (FBL) spam rate reported by Google Postmaster Tools.