Why is Gmail throttling my IP warming emails and the IP reputation dashboard not updating?

Summary

Gmail throttling during IP warming and delayed IP reputation updates are multifaceted issues. Several factors contribute, including: exceeding Gmail's complex sending limits (especially with new IPs), poor IP/sender reputation stemming from low engagement, spam complaints, sending to unengaged users (dirty lists), authentication problems (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and content triggering spam filters. Gradually increasing sending volume, maintaining list hygiene, monitoring engagement, and adhering to email best practices are crucial for building a positive reputation and preventing throttling. Senders often overestimate engagement and should ensure robust engagement filters and implement segmented sending strategies.

Key findings

  • Gmail's Algorithm: Gmail utilizes a complex algorithm to determine sending limits, particularly stringent for new IPs undergoing warming.
  • Poor Sender Reputation: Low engagement, spam complaints, and sending to unengaged recipients collectively contribute to poor sender reputation, triggering throttling.
  • Authentication Failures: Incorrect or missing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records lead to authentication failures, causing deliverability problems and throttling.
  • Content Issues: Spammy keywords, poor formatting, or content triggering spam filters result in throttling and reduced inbox placement.
  • List Hygiene: Sending to 'dirty' lists with unengaged or invalid addresses increases bounce rates and spam complaints, negatively impacting reputation.
  • Engagement Overestimation: Senders often overestimate actual engagement, leading to ineffective sending strategies and potential negative impact.

Key considerations

  • Gradual Volume Increase: Implement a gradual, consistent increase in sending volume to establish a positive sending reputation over time.
  • List Segmentation: Segment email lists based on engagement levels, prioritizing sending to highly engaged subscribers during the warming process.
  • Authentication Setup: Ensure proper configuration and validation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for effective email authentication.
  • Content Optimization: Review email content for spam triggers, improve formatting, and test with spam checkers to enhance deliverability.
  • List Cleaning Practices: Regularly clean email lists by removing inactive and unengaged subscribers to maintain list hygiene.
  • Engagement Monitoring: Monitor engagement metrics (opens, clicks), bounce rates, and spam complaints to identify and address deliverability issues proactively.
  • Sender Reputation Monitoring: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score to continuously monitor IP and domain reputation.

What email marketers say
11Marketer opinions

Gmail throttling during IP warming can stem from multiple factors. Poor sender reputation, often due to low engagement, spam complaints, and sending to unengaged users, is a primary cause. Authentication issues (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and content triggering spam filters also contribute. Overestimating engagement, failing to segment lists effectively, and neglecting email list hygiene exacerbate the problem. Furthermore, issues not directly related to sending such as offline guest data can contribute.

Key opinions

  • Sender Reputation: Poor sender reputation, resulting from low engagement, spam complaints, and sending to unengaged recipients, directly leads to throttling.
  • Authentication: Authentication errors (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) can cause Gmail to throttle emails, regardless of volume.
  • Content Issues: Email content that triggers spam filters, contains spammy keywords, or lacks proper formatting can result in throttling.
  • List Hygiene: Poor list hygiene, including sending to inactive or unengaged subscribers, negatively impacts deliverability and contributes to throttling.
  • Engagement Overestimation: Overestimating email engagement metrics can result in sending to users who don't actually engage, increasing spam complaints.

Key considerations

  • Monitor Reputation: Actively monitor sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score to identify and address issues promptly.
  • Audit Authentication: Ensure proper setup and validation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to authenticate your emails.
  • Refine Content: Review email content for spammy keywords, phrases, and formatting issues, testing with different email clients and spam checkers.
  • Clean Email Lists: Implement a consistent email list cleaning process to remove inactive and unengaged subscribers.
  • Segment Lists: Segment email lists based on engagement levels, sending to highly engaged segments first and gradually increasing volume to new segments.
  • Engagement Filters: Ensure your engagement filters are robust. Consider offline data and tailor content to be more personal and engaging.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that Gmail throttling might be related to content triggering spam filters. They advise reviewing email content for spammy keywords or phrases, ensuring proper formatting, and testing with different email clients and spam checkers.

August 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that content issues could cause negative user reactions leading to spam reports. Suggests trying different content and increasing engagement filters, also asks if the IP address is used for anything else.

December 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from LinkedIn says to check engagement rates, as low engagement can cause throttling. Make sure that you are consistently cleaning your email list to remove inactive subscribers. Improving engagement will help improve your sender reputation and reduce throttling.

December 2023 - LinkedIn
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog shares that gradually increasing sending volume during IP warming is crucial. He recommends starting with a small, highly engaged segment and monitoring bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement metrics. Throttling could indicate issues with content, list quality, or authentication.

December 2023 - Neil Patel's Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora suggests segmenting your email list and sending to more engaged segments. Start with the highest engaged subscribers and gradually increase your sending volume to warm up your IP address. Sending to unengaged subscribers increases the chances of spam complaints and blocks.

November 2022 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from DigitalMarketer recommends testing your email content to avoid spam triggers. Test your emails with various email clients and spam checkers to identify and fix issues. High spam scores will lead to throttling and reduced deliverability.

August 2023 - DigitalMarketer
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum shares that Gmail throttling can occur due to various reasons, including poor list hygiene, lack of recipient engagement, authentication issues (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and spam complaints. He recommends auditing these aspects and making necessary improvements.

July 2022 - EmailGeeks Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that senders tend to overestimate engagement and recommends ensuring robust email engagement filters. Also states that MPP provides a proxy for inbox placement, as opens from Apple Mail users with MPP enabled indicate the email isn't in the spam folder.

March 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that DMARC and associated auth errors will yield throttling at gmail no matter how small the volume and to ensure domain authentication is correctly aligned.

July 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid recommends checking your sender reputation by looking into blocklist status and feedback loops. Poor sender reputation will cause throttling and blockages. Ensure you are following email best practices to build and maintain a positive reputation.

April 2023 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow shares that authentication issues could lead to throttling. Make sure that you are properly setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to authenticate your emails. Poor email authentication reduces deliverability.

July 2021 - StackOverflow

What the experts say
2Expert opinions

Gmail throttling during IP warming, coupled with delayed IP reputation updates, is often attributed to inconsistent sending behavior and sending to 'dirty' lists. Building a positive IP reputation necessitates time, consistent effort, and a steady volume increase. Sending to unengaged or invalid addresses triggers high bounce rates and spam complaints, severely impacting sender reputation.

Key opinions

  • IP Reputation Building: Building a positive IP reputation requires time, consistent effort, and a steady, gradual increase in sending volume.
  • Inconsistent Sending: Erratic or inconsistent sending behavior during IP warming can trigger Gmail throttling.
  • Dirty Lists: Sending to 'dirty' lists containing unengaged or invalid addresses leads to high bounce rates and spam complaints.
  • Negative Impact: High bounce rates and spam complaints from sending to 'dirty' lists negatively impact sender reputation, causing Gmail to throttle sending volumes.

Key considerations

  • Consistency: Maintain a consistent and steady increase in sending volume during IP warming to avoid erratic behavior.
  • List Hygiene: Prioritize list hygiene by removing unengaged or invalid addresses to minimize bounce rates and spam complaints.
  • Gradual Increase: Implement a gradual increase in email volume, instead of sudden spikes, to establish a positive reputation.
  • Engagement Focus: Focus on sending to engaged users to build and maintain a positive sending reputation.
Expert view

Expert from SpamResource explains that building a positive IP reputation takes time and consistent effort. Gmail may throttle emails from newly warmed IPs if the sending behavior is erratic or inconsistent. Ensure a steady increase in volume and maintain high engagement rates to improve IP reputation.

December 2021 - SpamResource
Expert view

Expert Laura Atkins from Word to the Wise responds that a common reason for throttling during IP warming is sending to a 'dirty' list. Even with good engagement from a subset of users, sending to unengaged or invalid addresses will lead to high bounce rates and spam complaints, negatively impacting sender reputation and causing Gmail to throttle sending volumes.

August 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Gmail throttling during IP warming and delayed IP reputation updates are often due to exceeding sending limits set by complex algorithms, especially with new IPs. Poor IP reputation directly affects deliverability, leading to throttling or blocking. Gradual volume increases are crucial for establishing a positive sender reputation, along with monitoring engagement metrics, bounce rates, and spam complaints. Email content and structure also play a vital role; adhering to email best practices is essential.

Key findings

  • Sending Limits: Gmail uses complex algorithms to determine sending limits, and exceeding these during IP warming leads to throttling.
  • IP Reputation Impact: Poor IP reputation directly affects deliverability, resulting in throttling or blocking by ISPs.
  • Gradual Volume Increase: Warming an IP address requires gradually increasing sending volume over time to build a positive reputation.
  • Content and Structure: Email content and structure significantly impact deliverability; non-compliant content can lead to throttling.
  • Quotas: Exceeding sending quotas can trigger throttling, necessitating a gradual increase within allowed limits.

Key considerations

  • Monitor IP Reputation: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score to monitor IP reputation and address issues promptly.
  • Monitor Engagement: Monitor engagement metrics, bounce rates, and spam complaints to identify deliverability issues.
  • Adhere to Best Practices: Ensure emails follow best practices, including unsubscribe links, contact information, and proper email structure.
  • Stay Within Quotas: Gradually increase sending volume within the allowed quotas to establish a good sender reputation.
  • Address Deliverability: If throttling occurs, reduce volume and address identified deliverability issues.
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that email content can affect email deliverability. Ensure that the emails follow email best practices such as including unsubscribe links, contact information, and proper email structure. Poorly structured emails are often throttled.

June 2021 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that warming an IP address involves gradually increasing sending volume over time to establish a positive sending reputation. They recommend starting with small volumes and monitoring engagement metrics closely. Throttling indicates a need to reduce volume or address deliverability issues.

October 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from AWS suggests that throttling could occur if you exceed your sending quotas. Gradually increase your sending volume within the allowed quotas to establish a good sender reputation. Monitor your bounce rates and spam complaints to ensure that you are following best practices.

June 2022 - AWS
Technical article

Documentation from Google Support explains that Gmail uses a complex algorithm to determine sending limits, and throttling during IP warming is often due to exceeding these limits, especially with new IPs. IP reputation updates may be delayed due to insufficient data or ongoing assessment of sending behavior.

July 2023 - Google Support
Technical article

Documentation from Mailjet explains that IP reputation directly affects deliverability. A poor IP reputation can lead to throttling or blocking by ISPs. They advise monitoring IP reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score and addressing any issues promptly.

August 2021 - Mailjet


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