No one likes spam emails, or receiving emails they didn’t sign up for. It’s frustrating. Especially when you already unsubscribed and you’re still receiving emails. Luckily, Google and Yahoo have implemented new requirements for bulk senders (people who send more than 5,000 messages in one day) to keep their users’ inboxes spam-free. So, what does this mean for your email marketing?
What are the new requirements?
In short, Google and Yahoo want businesses and brands to:
- Include unsubscribe and opt-out links in all emails. And businesses need to process and honor these unsubscribe requests within two days.
- Lower their spam thresholds. It needs to be below 0.10%, and you have to avoid reaching 0.30% or higher. So examine your current spam rate threshold!
Authenticate their emails. In other words: you have to validate that you are who you say you are. You can do this for your domain, using standard protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Are you a bulk sender?
First, establish if you are a bulk sender: someone who sends 5,000 or more messages in one day. Google didn’t specify that you need to send 5,000 messages each day or within a certain time frame.
So, double-check if this applies to you. And don’t forget to consider your peak holiday marketing campaign. Because if you send more than 5,000 messages then, these new requirements might still apply to you.
What should you do?
Even if you’re not a bulk sender, it’s still good to make sure you adhere to the new requirements. After all, Google and Yahoo implemented these changes so your users won’t be annoyed about unwanted emails. And it’s always good to keep your users happy!
- Step 1: Set up a proprietary domain (@yourcompany.com) instead of using free email domains like @gmail.
- Step 2: Next, authenticate your sender domain with SPF or DKIM. If you’re a high-volume sender (so over 5,000 emails a day), then you should also implement a DMARC policy, even if set to “none”.
- Step 3: Keep spam report rates below 0.30% (even better: try to keep it below 0.10%).
- Step 4: Enable one-click unsubscribes, then process these within 2 days.
Tip: clean up your email list
To make sure your emails are reaching the people you want to reach, it’s good to stay on top of your email list. Start by deleting the obvious ones: unsubscribed, invalid, or duplicate contacts. Then look for bounced emails, spam addresses and catch-all addresses (which are addresses that accept all mail).
Next, you can take a closer look at disengaged people, which are users who haven’t opened or clicked on your emails in ages. Don’t simply give up on them! You can implement a targeted re-engagement campaign to spark their interest again.
How can Bluehost help?
If you want to set up your own domain, you can now use Bluehost Professional Email. It’s a cost-effective way to create professional email addresses that match your domain (so @yourcompany.com). With our advanced spam and virus protection, we also make sure that your online communications are secure.
We offer different plans, so both small and large businesses can find something suitable.
Good luck!
It will take a little work to implement all these changes. But once you’re done, it’ll be worth it. Your email marketing will comply with the latest requirements, and your users will no longer be annoyed. So, stay on top of your email marketing by authenticating your domain, including one-click unsubscribes, and keeping your spam report rates below 0.30%!
