Why is a TrustPilot widget causing bounces with Yahoo and how can I fix it?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from MXToolbox blog shares that a poor sender reputation may have caused you to be on a blocklist, impacting email deliverability. Recommends checking your IP address and domain against common blocklists.
Email marketer from Mailjet blog explains that a poor sender reputation can cause any emails, including those with Trustpilot widgets, to bounce or be marked as spam. Recommends monitoring sender reputation with tools like Google Postmaster Tools and taking steps to improve it by authenticating emails, cleaning the email list, and ensuring a low spam complaint rate.
Email marketer from Litmus Blog notes that Yahoo's spam filters are particularly sensitive to certain types of HTML and JavaScript and links. They recommend using plain HTML emails where possible to avoid the spam filter, or using a service that can check the HTML before sending.
Email marketer from StackExchange suggests that the TrustPilot widget might be adding Javascript that causes issues with Yahoo's rendering. Suggests trying an image based link and ALT text that links to the trustpilot website instead.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that Yahoo's aggressive spam filtering might flag domains associated with TrustPilot widgets if they are frequently used in emails from senders with poor reputations. Recommends checking sender reputation, ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and considering alternative widget implementation or direct linking to TrustPilot reviews.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that the issue is almost certainly not URL related, recommends reaching out to TrustPilot for an up-to-date code block from their support site, and mentions that TrustPilot is open to third-party contact and will likely ask for the customer name.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid Blog shares that embedded widgets, particularly those pulling dynamic content, can sometimes trigger spam filters. They recommend using static images with links to the dynamic content or using a fallback for email clients that don't support the interactive elements of the widget.
Email marketer from Email Deliverability Forum shares that Yahoo often flags emails with embedded content from third-party services due to security concerns. Suggests testing email rendering without the TrustPilot widget to see if bounces cease, and if so, contacting Yahoo support for clarification and potential whitelisting.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips Blog advises that widgets from less reputable domains, if used, can have an impact on email deliverability. They should be used from reputable domains, or you should create your own widgets with links.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that Yahoo and other ISPs increasingly rely on sender reputation and authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to filter email. Confirms that if the domain or IP address associated with the Trustpilot widget has a poor reputation, it can trigger bounces. Recommends checking the sender's authentication setup and reputation using tools like MXToolbox.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that third-party widgets and content, especially those from domains with mixed reputations, can negatively impact deliverability, particularly with more sensitive ISPs like Yahoo. Recommends thoroughly vetting the widget provider and monitoring deliverability closely when using such content.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC authentication builds on SPF and DKIM to ensure that emails are authenticated and that receiving mail servers know what to do with emails that fail authentication checks. Suggests implementing a DMARC policy can help improve email deliverability and reduce the risk of email spoofing.
Documentation from TrustPilot Support explains that incorrect widget implementation can cause rendering issues or trigger spam filters. Advises verifying the widget code is correctly embedded, the domain is whitelisted if necessary, and the widget isn't altering email formatting significantly. Provides code examples and troubleshooting steps.
Documentation from RFC-Editor explains what SPF records are, how they function, and how they can be used to declare the valid email sources for a domain. It suggests ensuring the SPF record is correctly configured to include all sending sources, including any third-party services like Trustpilot.
Documentation from DKIM.org explains that DKIM authentication helps verify the sender's identity. The documentation provides instructions on how to implement DKIM to improve email deliverability and prevent spoofing, which can also reduce the likelihood of emails being flagged as spam.
Documentation from Yahoo Mail Help details that Yahoo may block emails if they contain suspicious links, unusual formatting, or originate from IP addresses with a poor reputation. It also suggest checking postmaster.yahooinc.com for more details.