After February 1, 2024, emailers who send bulk messages must meet higher sender requirements if they want to reach Google and Yahoo email inboxes.

Why? Because Google and Yahoo want less spam.

Jointly, the two Web giants have published new requirements for any emails sent through their systems. That means every business sending bulk emails to @gmail.com or @yahoo.com email addresses must follow those requirements, or they won’t be allowed to send to those addresses any longer.

The requirements also apply to email recipients with Google Workspace email hosting, whose emails use their company’s domain name.

What Are the New Sender Requirements? Not as Stringent as You Might Think

The three new requirements are:

1. Google and Yahoo will require all senders to authenticate their emails.

This requires adding records to your company domain, which proves you’re a legitimate organization & have authorization to send marketing/bulk emails.

Even if you don’t send bulk emails to your customers, this is a good thing to do for the best email deliverability possible.

2. Recipients must be able to Unsubscribe from bulk mailings with ease, and senders must process and honor those unsubscribe requests within two days.

Most ESPs (email service providers) will automatically unsubscribe people at once.

3. Google has promised to establish a clear spam threshold of 0.3% in order to maintain access to Google inboxes.

Full Details on all three requirements: https://meetmarigold.com/blogs/2024-guide-to-google-yahoos-new-privacy-protections/

If you don't meet those requirements, anyone in your mailing list with a @gmail.com,  @yahoo.com, or Google Workspace company-domain email address won't see your emails. Any of them. They'll never reach the inbox.

None of us want that, of course! So, what do we have to do to meet the sender requirements?

How to Prepare Your Marketing Emails for these New Requirements

These are the 4 steps you'll need to follow.

1. Always use an 'official' domain to send emails.
   • Your 'sender name' email should use the registered domain.
     • Correct: newsletter@yourwebsite.com
     • Not Correct: companyname@gmail.com
       
       
2. Revisit your DMARC, DKIM, and SPF records. Even if you have records in place, you may need to update them with fresh records from your email provider.
   • We explained DMARC, DKIM, and SPF records in our March 2023 WOOF: Will Your Emails Reach 100% of Your Subscribers? How DMARC Records Pave the Way
   • This may involve DNS updates.
   • Ask your IT department or IT support provider to verify "domain authentication."
     
     
3. Make your Unsubscribe option easy to find in every email.
   • Some ESPs will put one in the email's header automatically, after February 1. Check your test emails.
     
     
4. Don't spam. Sounds easy in theory, not so much in practice.
   • Keep your messages relevant to the recipient so they don’t get marked as spam.
   • Don't email too frequently. There’s no ‘magic bullet’ frequency, but each audience has its preferences.
   • Stay consistent with your email’s message and its sending dates/times.
   • Make sure your email signup process is transparent.

Preserve Your Marketing Email Delivery Rate in 2024

What happens if you don't make your domain records ready by February?

• You may see lower open rates on your newsletters and sales emails.
• You may lose contact with subscribers who used Google & Yahoo emails entirely!

The anti-spam changes are technical, but not complicated. Your IT department (or MSP) can make these changes within an hour or two.

Don't wait though – you only have 3 weeks!

Need help?  Call PlanetMagpie; we'll take care of the whole process.