This February, Google and Yahoo will begin enforcing new requirements for bulk email senders. The guidelines largely focus on three areas: authentication of outgoing emails, reported spam rates and the ability to easily unsubscribe from lists.
Google defined bulk senders in an early-October announcement as “those who send more than 5,000 messages to Gmail addresses in one day,” which caught the attention of email marketers in both B2B and B2C circles.
What are the email authentication requirements for bulk senders?
The two companies will require bulk email senders to use what Google calls “well-established best practices” to authenticate the sender. This will close loopholes that can be exploited by attackers, according to Google.
When it comes to email authentication, three mechanisms work together:
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) helps prevent domain spoofing by allowing senders to identify the email servers that are allowed to send emails from their domain.
Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) adds a digital signature to outgoing email, which verifies the message was sent by an authorized sender and wasn’t tampered with while in transit.
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) helps domain owners specify which actions to take when an email fails authentication. It also enables reporting on authentication results.
Google and Yahoo are requiring bulk senders to set up all three of these mechanisms by February 1st.
Learn how to leverage email and SMS marketing to scale DTC here
What are the reported spam rates for bulk email senders?
Google says bulk senders must keep their reported spam rate (i.e., the percentage of outgoing messages reported as spam by recipients) in Google Postmaster Tools below 0.10% and “avoid ever reaching 0.30% or higher.”
Ensure you have a 0.2% spam complaint rate per 24 hour period starting Feb 1, 2024.
Reporting an email as spam is relatively easy, which sets this requirement apart from authentication and unsubscribe links. It comes down to the value the receiver thinks they get. To some extent, it’s out of the hands of the sender.
Google requires marketing messages and other subscribed messages to support one-click unsubscribe functions. The attempt is to focus on quality sent vs quantity. Instead of thinking about list size, we need to think about segmentation and targeted content, to ensure your engagement metrics are not hit.
A spam complaint can occur in three ways:
FBLs feedback loops – this is a technical process in which a person clicks ” this is spam” and it passes back to the sender. For most providers, this is a direct data loop however, for Gmail they use a tool called GPMT.
Direct user feedback – this is the behavior side that the ISP measures, by looking at behavior and linking it to domain reputation.
Direct Complaints – Most ISPs have direct partnerships with Spamhaus and SpamCop. ISPs will block emails when you are listed on either of these services.
Learn how to create an awesome email marketing strategy for your DTC store here.
Enforcement for bulk senders will be gradual and progressive. Bulk senders have until June 1, 2024 to implement one click unsubscribes in commercial and promotional messages.
Next Steps and What you Need to Do?
If you already have a domain and self-authenticated your emails
If you’ve already self-authenticated your emails, you’ll need to make sure you publish a DMARC policy record for your sending domain in your DNS settings. Setting up a DMARC record helps improve email deliverability and security by preventing spoofing and phishing attacks. If you need help publishing your DMARC policy, your IT department or webmaster can assist you
If you have your own domain and use it as my “From” address – but have not self-authenticated my emails
If you own your sending domain, but have not enabled self-authentication, you’re now required to self-authenticate using CNAME or TXT records . In addition to self-authentication, you must also publish a DMARC policy record for your sending domain. Authenticating, will make you look more professional and improve your brand reputation.
Learn more about Google’s bulk email sender requirements here.
If you are sending from a free mail domain, such as @gmail.com or @yahoo.com
If you own a custom domain for your website, but don’t have a matching email address setup with it, now’s the time to do that! Sending from your own domain, gives you brand recognition and helps make your emails look more professional.
Learn more on 14 best takeaways for 2023 for ecommerce stores here
Who do these changes impact?
These changes impact all bulk email senders, regardless of industry, business type, or location.
Will these changes affect my deliverability or the likelihood of my emails going to junk/spam?
With these changes, Google, Yahoo, and many other receiving mailbox providers will treat unauthenticated email suspiciously.
How do I check if I already meet the new requirements?
If you’ve already self-authenticated and published a DMARC policy for your domain, you’ll see a message in your account after January 22 upon login to let you know you’re all set. You can also check if you have a DMARC record using this lookup tool.
Learn more on why retention marketing is a key pillar for DTC growth : 10 benefits that rock here.
How do you approach this?
i. Start with good sending practices – watch trend lines to see if you are sending email to frequently.
ii. Focus on signals to segment your audience accordingly – these signals could be an initial opt-in, open, click, on-site behavior and purchase behavior.
Smarte Digital Inc. is an ecommerce retention marketing partner for modern DTC brands. We offer exclusive pricing offers for our ecommerce strategy consulting services and our lifecycle marketing services such as email marketing, SMS marketing services for Q1 2024.
We are also offering a free martech stack audit for Q1 2024. To identify gaps in your tech stack and optimize your martech stack, lets chat. Strengthen your foundational retention strategy now for growth, book a free 30 min discovery call with us at https://smartedigital/contact-us.
