What is the journey of an email?
The email journey is an automated process designed by the email deliverability company for on boarding of new potential customers as well as for keeping the existing customers engaged with the brand. The email journey is the trigger for the customer journey. The success of email journeys is measured by different metrics like open rate, bounce rate, click-through rate, subscribe rate, and unsubscribe rate; the top email deliverability companies use advanced tools to monitor and measure the performance of email campaigns.
Who is involved in email deliverability?
Three parties are involved in email deliverability:
- The senders: Businesses sending the emails
- The gateways: Companies engaged in providing infrastructure
- The recipients: Customer
What is IP score / IP reputation?
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) decide to place an email in the inbox or spam folder on the basis of sender’s IP reputation. Every IP address reputation score is fixed between 0 and 100 based on sent emails. According to fig. above, the sender score above 90 works well for email deliverability.
How is a sender score / sender reputation calculated?
Complaints, error/incorrect addresses and spam traps are three key factors that influence sender reputation. Spam rate under 0.1% works well for email deliverability; Purchased emails lists often increases spam trap possibilities. More numbers of incorrect addresses impact sender reputation. Email deliverability experts at Samyak Online help you diagnose problems and to solve the identified issues including spam traps, bounces, complaints, content links, compliance, authentication, and more.
How to keep your sender reputation high?
Following five tips will help you keep your sender reputation safe and high:
- Plan your emails marketing campaign for consistency in volume
- Plan a schedule for sending emails
- Minimize the email bounce rate by refreshing your emails list
- Make the email content enriched with values to avoid Spam complaint
- Avoid getting into spam trap used to mark and black-list unscrupulous marketers engaged in harvesting emails.
How does email reputation impact deliverability?
Email reputation is a metric that an Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns to the email sender. Higher the score means more numbers of emails will be delivered to recipients’ inbox. Email reputation is a critical factor for email deliverability. The low email reputation can impact deliverability in three ways:
- Emails may not be delivered
- More emails go to the spam folder
- Listing on a blacklist
Why is authentication critical to good deliverability?
Authentication is not just about email security but it is a powerful factor for good email deliverability. The sender sets a policy of rules for domain from which emails are sent and configure the entire infrastructure according to the authentication policy. The receiving mail server assesses the parameters of messages and delivers, flags, or even rejects the particular messages. Generally, four types of authentications are used – DKIM, DMARC, Custom Domain and SPF. Email authentication prevents email fraud, ensures continued delivery in the inbox and improves email deliverability.
How does infrastructure help deliver the messages to the user's Inbox?
Infrastructure in this context is the mix of software and hardware used to send emails. Email infrastructure is the most critical technical part of the mailing campaign; if set up properly, it delivers the messages to Inbox. Professionally structured infrastructure improves email deliverability. Sending infrastructure includes IP addresses, feedback loops, reputation management tools and domains.
- IP Address: Attaches Domain System Names to domains to improve reputation score
- Feedback Loop: Improves recipient’s engagement
- Mail Agent: Views, replies and transfers the emails between the senders and recipients smoothening the email journey
- Reputation Management Tools: A set of business analytics n intelligence tools that improves customer relationship
How does content affect email deliverability?
Strong and consistent subscriber engagement is a key metric for email deliverability; and, the quality content improves it multifold. The suitability of content for the different demographic segments improves email deliverability. Even if you have a good sending reputation but you are not focused on the quality of email content, email deliverability may be low despite having the best infrastructure. COVID-19 pandemic has made email marketing more important than before; thus the inboxes are getting crowded. The quality content makes your email stand out of crowd to draw the attention of the recipient.
Top methods that improve the content quality for better email deliverability
- Shortened links in email content lower the email deliverability besides leaving the impression of email for being spammy.
- Use of HTTPS protocol in links and images adds encryption and security to email newsletter. Some Email Service Providers (ESPs) might prevent your email from landing in an inbox if email contents are not secured.
- The use of proper words improves email content quality; thus, the delivery to inbox and readability improves.
- Brand Logo should be used in the email newsletter to highlight the brand and reflect the brand message at each and every opportunity.
- Overusing of CAPITALIZATION, special characters (*$%^&), punctuation(!!!), and spammy words (like DOWNLOAD NOW, WINNER or 100% Free) harm the email deliverability.
- Images seem good in emails and make email newsletter beautiful. You must focus on the perfect blend of image and text that is expected by the ESPs from a trustworthy email sender. We must use “ALT TEXT” in images so that blank spaces are not shown when images are off.
- The insertion of ‘permission reminder’ in the email content also makes the emails more engaging and responding.
The hiring of a specialist email deliverability company drives in all the must-have quality parameters to improve the outcome of the email campaign.
What are the prime factors that affect email deliverability?
Sending volume, sending frequency, user interaction, authentication, infrastructure, content spam complaints, Spam Traps, bounce rate, quality of the links in content etc are the prime factors that affect email deliverability. Certain commonly followed practices impact email deliverability. For example, hiding the unsubscribe links, not having segmentation in the mailing list, using “No-Reply” sender address etc.
How do ISPs affect email deliverability?
ISPs can diagnose the recipients’ behavior with received emails. These can detect whether the recipient reads or deletes the mails without reading. Deleting the emails without reading is a negative sign for the content quality that is potentially understood for being spammy and a negative mark on email deliverability. ISPs improve email deliverability in many ways:
- Set a sending limit for a period; the limit depends upon the sender’s reputation.
- Block the senders after noticing an increase in spam complaints. The block period may be for two days or for a week.
- Give access to a report of open and click rates split by ISP to check the % of emails going to spam folders and to change the content accordingly for improved email deliverability.
What are the attributes that ISPs view as negative (–ve) to email deliverability?
ISPs view the following three as the negative (–ve) attributes to email deliverability:
- Spam Complaints: ISPs discourage spammers, so it is a major negative for email deliverability. ISPs have a low tolerance for spam complaints if these cross the limit of 0.1%.
- Bounce Rates: Hard bounce and soft bounce rates are taken as the signal of bad email sending habits. High ‘hard bounce’ rate indicates that you don’t have a refreshed email list. The high ‘soft bounce’ rate indicates inconsistency in sending volume.
- Spam Trapping: Hitting a spam trap because of presence of Pristine email addresses or Recycled email addresses is a major –ve signal for ISPs. Pristine spam traps signal about your bad email address collection practice. Recycled email spam trap signals that you don’t have a clean mailing list.
What do ISPs view as positive (+ve) attributes to email deliverability?
ISPs view the following five as the positive (+ve) attributes to email deliverability:
- High open and click rate: High rate of email opening and clicking at the contained links is awarded by ISPs by improving email deliverability.
- Forward rate: The number of emails forwarded by the recipients is taken as a strong signal for better email deliverability.
- Marking as favorite rate: ISPs improve email deliverability as the regard of this strong +ve signal that emits when the numbers of recipients forward the received emails because they find these interested and valuable for others.
- Reply to emails: Getting a response to an email means engagement; it is a strong contributor for email deliverability.
- Add to contact/address book: The increasing numbers of action over the mails means that your emails are being liked by the recipients and they want to get more. The behavior is considered in the favor of senders by ISPs; so, you experience a boost in email deliverability.
What determines a sender reputation?
Email sender reputation is a major contributory factor in the success of an email campaign. The numbers of metrics are used to determine a sender’s reputation:
- The volume of sent emails
- Consistency of emails sending frequency
- Open rate, spam mark rate, bounce rate, favorite rate
- Getting to spam traps
- Complaints received by ISP
- Subscribing, and unsubscribing rate
- Click rate, forward rate, reply rate, add to contact rate etc
- Type of IP address used for email sending
What is email segmentation?
Emails segmentation is the strategic division of email subscribers into different segments primarily done based on similarities in recipients to increase email open rate. Emails segmentation done by a professional email deliverability company can improve email open rate up to 203%. According to HubSpot, a segmented email campaign, if executed by a proficient email deliverability agency, can deliver up to 760% boost in revenue.
What are the benefits of email segmentation for digital marketing?
Email marketing is an effective and widely adopted practice for personalized digital marketing. It is drawing the attention of digital marketers because of its must-have behind the curtain benefits. Outsourcing of the best email deliverability services helps you:
- Improve efficiency for digital marketing
- Learn more about potential customers
- Improve email reputation
- Get a way for effective communication
- Create refreshed email database
- Simplify the tracking of behavior of different customer segments
What are the best practices for email segmentation?
Following eight practices will help you do effective email segmentation for objective-oriented personalized email marketing:
- Email segmentation on the basis of demographic parameters
- Email segmentation on the basis of behavioral inputs
- Email segmentation on the basis of Subscription timeframes
- Email segmentation on the basis of user preferences
- Email segmentation on the basis of geographic parameters
- Email segmentation by using automated tools
- Email segmentation on the basis of products category
- Email segmentation with priority to new subscribers
What is SPF? What is SPF Authentication and SPF Alignment?
SPF is the ‘Sender Policy Framework’ technique globally used to stop spammers from using a business domain without authority for sending spam and fraudulent emails that impact recipients’ trust in sender business/brand. SPF authorizes the hosts and networks to use a domain name for sending emails in addition to facilitating the receiving host to check the authorization of the sender. SPF Authentication is a path based technique that assures that an email is sent from its authorized origin to the destination. When a SPF Authentication empowered sending server initiates a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) transaction, the receiving server determines the authority of sending server to send that message in the line of domain’s SPF policy. SPF Alignment means the alignment of two headers if found in an email to align the values of both with each other. SPF Alignment assures that domain of both the headers is the same by using SPF or DKIM technology.
What is an Envelope Sender address?
The ‘Envelope-Sender’ address is an email address identifying the source of origin of an email (MFrom address). All the bounced and undeliverable emails are sent back to Envelope-Sender address, also, known as the ‘Mail From’ (MFrom) address.
What is the difference between ‘From address’ and ‘Envelope-Sender’ (MFrom) address?
‘From address’ is an email address that is seen by the recipient. The sender address is an email address noticed by the mail server. Both the email addresses may or may not be the same; it depends upon the email sending infrastructure and practice. Sender Policy Framework (SPF) checks the Envelope-Sender domain for authentication. The ‘From address’ and ‘Mfrom’ address can be at different locations in the email-header.
What is Authenticated Received Chain (ARC)? How does ARC work?
ARC verifies the credentials of email intermediaries involved in sending the email to its destination. ARC has three components:
- ARC Message Signature: AMS snaps the header information of the message.
- ARC Authentication Results: AAR keeps the email authentication results preserved.
- ‘AS’- ARC Seal: It includes information about ARC Authentication-Results header and ARC Signature.
The receiving mail server implements AAR, AS and AMS to an email received. If the email is forwarded, all three credentials are preserved. When the recipient server receives an email, it validates ARC-Seal and ARC Messagine Signature. If the receiving email server finds ARC headers changed, it fails the DKIM authentication.
What are the reasons for being blacklisted or being included in deny-list?
- Sending spam to spam traps
- Not following valid "can-spam" rules for newsletters
- Repeat offenders (IP's that have been removed and listed again in a short period)
- Bouncing email to the wrong server, NON-RFC compliant configurations
- Relay or Open relay with reports of spam
- Bouncing spoofed emails
- Fraud/Scam emails
- Malware or illegal/abusive content
What is a Return-Path? What is the importance and use of return-path?
Return-Path, also known as reverse path or envelope from, is a mail address that defines where an undelivered email is to be delivered back. The return path is not visible to recipients; however, it is recognized by the email delivery process.
The return path is used as a parking place to receive bulk of bounced emails. It facilitates the senders to track the undelivered emails and respond to bounced emails.
Why should you customize the return-path?
DMARC checks the alignment between the email sender and defined return-path. Email authentication is made based on several factors. Every email server has different ways to interpret the mail headers; therefore, you need to customize the email return-path. The customized return path improves sending reputation and email deliverability by reducing the numbers of bounced or undelivered emails.
How Return-Path is applied to Sender Policy Framework (SPF)?
The email servers use Return-Path to get the SPF Record containing a list of IP addresses approved to send emails from the domain of Return-Path address. The recipient email servers, having the same list of approved IP addresses, compare the IP address to authenticate SPF authentication.
A customized return path is a must for SPF Alignment. SPF Alignment test is a part of DMARC. An email needs to pass SPF Authentication and Alignment tests for successful delivery in the inbox of the recipient.
The domain of Return-Path should match the domain of ‘FROM address’. What is the anatomy of SPF record syntax? How a SPF record is defined? What are the different SPF Mechanisms?
Sender Policy Framework is used to validate the email’s sender. Email Servers use SPF record to verify the authorization of a server to send emails for a particular domain. SPF record syntax is the structure of an SPF record.
For Example: "v=spf1 a mx ip4:192.168.121 -all"
SPF Record Breakdown
Version number: SPF record starts with a version number like "v=spf1".
Mechanisms: Mechanisms, also called directives, are assessed in ‘front to back’ order to validate the sender’s authorization and evaluation stops when a mechanism results in a HIT. SPF mechanism defines a set of outbound mailers suffixed with one of the four qualifiers for a particular domain. All mechanisms are either separated by a space or a plus symbol.
- "a" and "mx" mechanisms
- Example: "v=spf1 a mx a:example.com -all": All the A records, MX records for domain and A record for example.com are tested and rest are rejected.
- "include" mechanism to use third-party domain's SPF record for validation
- Example: "v=spf1 a mx include:servers.samyakonline.net -all": “include" mechanism is used when we are using a ‘third-party email marketing software’ to send emails with our own email address as sender. In the following example, SPF record for “servers.samyakonline.net” as a ‘third-party email marketing software server’ will be tested.
- "all" mechanism
- "all" mechanism is put at the end of the SPF record to close the evaluation instructions.
Qualifier:A qualifier lays down the rule that what the recipient mail server should do if a specific mechanism results in a HIT. The four qualifiers are:
- - (Fail)
- + (Pass) default qualifier.
- ? (Neutral)
- ~ (SoftFail)
SPF mechanism decides the action as mentioned below:
Result | Meaning | Action |
Pass | 'Pass SPF record' validates the host permitted to send | Accept |
Fail | 'Fail SPF record' designates the host for NOT allowing to send | Reject |
SoftFail | 'SoftFail SPF record' informs that the host is NOT allowed to send but in transition | Accept but mark |
Neutral | 'Neutral SPF record' informs that the validity is uncertain | Accept |
What is DKIM Authentication and DKIM Alignment?
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a technical standard used to protect email recipients and senders from spam, phishing and spoofing. DKIM, a type of email authentication, allows the sender to claim the responsibility for sending the emails in a way that a recipient can validate. DKIM alignment is done to match the email's domain of the DKIM signing domain with the ‘Header From’ domain. Two types of DKIM alignment are practiced - strict DKIM alignment and relaxed DKIM alignment. Mailbox providers favor the senders using DKIM authentication. For DKIM Authentication, emails are coded with DKIM-Signature by the sender allowing the recipient to decode that DKIM-Signature with a publicly available DKIM key.
What is DMARC? What are the DMARC policies?
DMARC stands for ‘Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance’. It is an email protocol for policy, reporting and authentication. DMARC protects the email sending domain users from the possibility of phishing emails, cyber threat activities, email scams etc. DMARC policy helps to stop spoofing attacks and email impersonation. DMARC follows two email authentication techniques - DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Sender Policy Framework (SPF). DMARC policy specifies the mechanism used by the sender for the best protection from any possible illegal use of the domain. DMARC policy is published in DNS as a TXT record.
What is DNSSEC?
Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) is a set of ‘Internet Engineering Task Force’ specifications to secure the critical information provided by DNS that is used on IP networks. It makes the authentication in DNS more robust by the use of digital signatures. Protection from forged DNS data makes DNSSEC an important must-have technique for all the businesses depending on the success rate and reputation of email sending.
What is Reverse-DNS? What are the best tools to check Reverse-DNS?
Domain Name System (DNS) translates a human-readable domain name to a machine-readable IP address. Reverse-DNS is just the opposite of DNS; it translates IP address to the human-readable domain name. The major reason of using Reverse-DNS for bulk email delivery campaigns is the improved sender’s credibility assessed by the server by identifying the origin source that results in higher email deliverability. Gmail & Yahoo Mail like major email providers do a rDNS lookup before accepting incoming emails. Some incoming email servers don’t accept emails from IP addresses without reverse DNS.
There are the number of tools to set-up and check Reverse-DNS; I will refer DIG Web Interface Tool or G-Suite Toolbox Dig.
On the linux system console, you can run the command dig -x 18.235.x.x (domain IP) to check whether or not the IP address is resolving to your host.
Example of PTR Record for samyakonline.net:-
What is the PTR record? Where are they stored? Why do I need to use PTR records for the bulk email campaigns?
PTR record, a type of DNS record, translates an IP address to the host-name. The PTR record is opposite to opposite of 'A' record. PTR records are stored with suffix of ".in-addr.arpa" to IP address. PTR are not stored within domain zone file rather they are stored in a zone file managed by hosting service provider.
PTR records, used in DNS reverse lookups, are used for-
- Anti-spam: Some anti-spam email filters apply reverse DNS to verify the domain name of the email address as well as to check the legitimacy of email servers associated IP addresses.
- Troubleshooting in email delivery: Many times, email deliverability is found low because of the absence of PTR record. The domain without a PTR record or the wrong domain name in the PTR record may block the emails sent from the particular domain.
- Logging: The logging systems record only the IP addresses. The use of reverse DNS lookup converts the IP addresses into human-readable domain names for better record keeping and assessment.
What are Google and Yahoo Feb 2024 New Email Deliverability Rules? What does these Rules mean for you?
In February 2024, Google and Yahoo announced new email deliverability rules aimed at enhancing inbox security and reducing spam for bulk email senders. These updates are critical for businesses and marketers who rely on email communications to reach their audience. Here's what you need to know about the new standards and how they impact your email strategies.
In an effort to combat spam and protect user privacy, Google announced:- New Gmail protections for a safer, less spammy inbox highlights their commitment to user security and a cleaner inbox experience. They're implementing stricter authentication standards, specifically focusing on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols. This means tougher checks on emails claiming to be from Google or specific senders, minimizing the risk of phishing and impersonation attempts.
These changes are not made in isolation. We believe that collaboration is key to effectively combatting email threats and enhancing the overall user experience.
That's why we're proud to announce that industry peers like Yahoo share our commitment to these goals. Together, we represent a significant portion of the email landscape, and by working collaboratively, we can make a real difference in the fight against spam and phishing. Enforcing Yahoo's More Secure, Less Spam: Enforcing Email Standards for a Better Experience policy
Google and Yahoo are also enforcing stricter authentication protocols, emphasizing the importance of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to combat spam and protect users. Their aim is to create a more secure and reliable email environment for everyone.
Key Email Deliverability and Security Updates
Both Google and Yahoo are taking significant steps to ensure a safer email environment for users. These include:
- SPF and DKIM Checks: It's essential for your emails to pass Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) checks. These authentication methods help verify that your emails are coming from a legitimate source and haven't been altered in transit.
- DMARC Record: Having a Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) record is now a requirement. DMARC helps email senders and receivers work together to better secure emails, providing instructions on what to do if an email fails SPF or DKIM checks.
- Easy Unsubscribe Options: Making it simple for recipients to unsubscribe from your emails is not just a courtesy; it's now a rule. This helps reduce spam complaints and ensures that your audience consists of engaged subscribers.
- Spam Rate Threshold Compliance: Adhering to the new spam rate thresholds set by Google and Yahoo is crucial. These thresholds are designed to minimize unnecessary or unwanted emails from reaching users' inboxes.
What these bulk sender guidelines mean for you and how do these Updates benefit you?
Both Google and Yahoo are taking proactive steps to safeguard your inbox. By adhering to stringent authentication protocols like those mentioned, they're making it harder for malicious actors to impersonate legitimate senders and trick you into opening phishing emails. This translates to a safer and more trustworthy email experience for you.
If you're noticing issues with your email marketing or a drop in deliverability following the new rules, prompt action is essential. Does Your Email Marketing Not Deliver? Check & Improve Email Deliverability! Our guide offers insights into navigating these updates and adopting best practices for optimal engagement. Still Got questions after the latest email rule updates? No worries, we've got more answers. Let's simplify and tackle any lingering doubts you might have about these changes, ensuring you're fully equipped to adjust and thrive under the new email deliverability standards set for 2024.
Detailed Email Deliverability Rule Comparisons Between Gmail and Yahoo
Feature | Gmail | Yahoo |
Spam complaint threshold: | 0.1% ideal, 0.3% maximum | 0.3% maximum |
Enforcement timeline: | February 1, 2024 | February 2024 (general), June 1, 2024 (one-click unsubscribe) |
Additional requirements: | None | May require sender ID verification for high-risk industries |
Reputation system: | Yes, based on user engagement and spam complaints | Less transparent |
Bulk sender definition: | Over 5,000 emails daily | Over 100,000 emails daily (unofficial) |
Q: What if my emails don't meet the new standards?
A: Emails that fail to meet the new standards risk being rejected or filtered into spam folders. It's crucial to align with these requirements to ensure your messages reach the inbox.
Q: When do these email changes take effect?
A: The new rules will start being implemented in February 2024. This gradual rollout allows time for businesses to adjust and optimize their email strategies based on feedback.
Q: What's the impact on transactional email senders?
A: Transactional senders, particularly those dispatching over 5,000 messages daily, must adhere to the new standards to maintain high deliverability and engagement rates.
Q: What defines a bulk sender under these new rules?
A: Google's anti-spam policy will apply stricter rules to senders of over 5,000 emails daily, requiring SPF and DKIM authentication for all. Yahoo has yet to define specific thresholds or a spam complaint rate for senders.
Q: Can these requirements change?
A: Yes, expect ongoing updates. The landscape of email deliverability is dynamic, and rules may evolve based on new insights and feedback.