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From 1 February 2024, Google and Yahoo will require email senders to authenticate messages using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, include mandatory unsubscribe links, and strictly monitor spam complaint rates. These changes aim to increase transparency and credibility for senders and protect recipients from unwanted messages.
The main changes include:
The changes that have been introduced present a significant challenge for companies that use email marketing and require many technical adjustments. Please find below a detailed description of these changes.
Starting from next year, senders will be required to authenticate all emails using SPF, DMARC, and DKIM protocols. This is to verify that emails are sent from the actual sender and not from a spammer. It is crucial to prepare for these changes in advance as implementing the new requirements can take several weeks. The technical configuration can be divided into two stages:
If you are using your own SMTP server to send emails, it is essential to configure Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) in your domain. These are email authentication methods that prevent your messages from being classified as unwanted.
Gmail and Yahoo require senders who send over 5,000 emails a day to implement a basic DMARC policy. This policy helps prevent email identity fraud and phishing attacks by allowing domain owners to define how to handle emails that fail the authentication process. It also protects the brand's reputation and increases the efficiency of email delivery.
DMARC CONFIGURATION
To meet the requirements of Google and Yahoo, create a DMARC record (v=DMARC1; p=none). Then go to the configuration of your domain name DNS record registrar and create a record: (Enter: TXT / Value: "v=DMARC1; p=none").
If you want to learn more about configuring the mailbox in Synerise, all the necessary information can be found in this article.
As part of the new requirements, all emails must now include an easy-to-use unsubscribe link. This allows recipients to quickly unsubscribe from unwanted messages.
While one-click unsubscribe is convenient, it limits the opportunity to gather feedback on why people opt out. Therefore, continuous monitoring of unsubscribe analytics becomes important, considering factors like the time of unsubscription, the content of the message and the type of marketing campaign involved.
It is crucial to ensure a low level of spam to comply with the changes introduced by Gmail and Yahoo. The best way to maintain a high reputation is to strictly adhere to the new requirements. Starting from the new year, the maximum spam complaint rate for Google and Yahoo will be 0.3%.
Important: Maintaining a spam complaint rate below the 0.3% threshold does not guarantee avoiding reputation problems. Even with low complaint rates, senders may notice negative consequences in the deliverability of their messages at email providers other than Gmail.
By properly selecting our communication strategies with customers, we can avoid the unpleasantness associated with ending up on Google's and Yahoo's spam blacklist. When introducing an anti-spam policy, it is worth taking care of these 4 elements first:
The use of personalisation, prediction, A/B testing and constant monitoring of our emails from the new year will be necessary to maintain a low spam rate. If you notice any sudden changes, you will be able to react immediately and quickly identify the source of the problem.
The new requirements of Google and Yahoo pose an important challenge for companies using email marketing. They require not only technical adjustments but also a strategic approach to the content of messages sent. Constantly monitoring email campaigns and using personalization and prediction can help meet requirements and build stronger relationships with recipients. Although it may require effort, the payoff is worth it.
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Product Marketing Manager, Karolina Staszak