Why is my Gmail Postmaster Tools reputation fluctuating?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit recommends segmenting your email lists based on user engagement and sending targeted emails to each segment to improve open rates, click-through rates, and overall sender reputation.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests checking your email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to ensure it's properly configured. Also, advises monitoring spam complaint rates, as a high rate can quickly degrade your reputation.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Discussions warns against using purchased email lists, as they often contain outdated or invalid addresses, leading to high bounce rates and spam complaints, negatively impacting sender reputation.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that reputation changes in Gmail Postmaster Tools could stem from various factors including sudden increases in email volume, changes in sending frequency, or a spike in spam complaints.
Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog advises closely monitoring feedback loops (FBLs) to identify and remove subscribers who are marking your emails as spam. This helps maintain a clean sending reputation.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips discusses that domain reputation in Gmail Postmaster Tools is influenced by various factors, including the reputation of your website and the quality of traffic it receives.
Email marketer from Quora highlights the need for relevant content. Sending emails that subscribers find valuable reduces the likelihood of spam complaints and improves engagement, positively impacting your Gmail Postmaster Tools reputation.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum emphasizes the importance of regular list hygiene. Removing inactive subscribers and those who haven't engaged in a while can improve engagement rates and positively influence sender reputation.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that if you have low volume it only takes a few spam reports to cause your reputation to fluctuate dramatically in Gmail Postmaster Tools, whereas higher volume senders would see that spam rate spread out over a larger sample size.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that Gmail Postmaster Tools accurately reflects your domain's reputation based on current measurements. Domain reputation includes factors beyond your email program, like mail you didn't send and your website's ranking. A drop in domain reputation may not always indicate issues with your email program and your website ranking does affect delivery.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that the Gmail Postmaster Tools reputation metric only has a few values. Small changes in input values can cause the rounded result to fluctuate between medium and high.
Expert from Word to the Wise advises checking for compromised accounts, as unauthorized sending from compromised accounts on your domain can negatively impact your overall sender reputation and cause fluctuations in Gmail Postmaster Tools.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost explains that if you are using a new IP address, the IP warm-up process is crucial. Gradually increasing sending volume allows you to build a positive reputation with ISPs like Gmail, preventing sudden drops in reputation scores.
Documentation from Google Support explains that fluctuations in Gmail Postmaster Tools reputation can occur due to the way data is aggregated and processed, especially if the volume of email is low.
Documentation from SendGrid discusses the importance of maintaining consistent sending patterns and avoiding sudden spikes in email volume, which can negatively impact sender reputation and cause fluctuations in Gmail Postmaster Tools.
Documentation from Microsoft describes Smart Network Data Services (SNDS), a tool that provides data about your IP address and email traffic. Monitoring SNDS can help you identify and address issues that may be affecting your sender reputation.
Documentation from Postmark emphasizes the importance of monitoring your domain and IP address on various blocklists. Being listed on a blocklist can severely impact your sender reputation and lead to fluctuations in Gmail Postmaster Tools.