Google Tightens Email Deliverability Rules. How Will This Impact Sales And Outreach Emails?

Google is again stirring the pot within email territory; this time, those ever-critical sales and outreach emails are under the microscope. Both Google and Yahoo are planning big updates to their cold email rules, planned to be released in February 2024.

Among these changes is a rather stringent 0.3% spam threshold rate, which certainly pricked my ears; it stands to reason that we must plan with greater cunning from henceforth. Out of every 1000 emails sent, it will take just three people to spam your email, potentially ruining your email reputation.

Keen to shield your outreach efforts against obsolescence? Let’s look at what all this means and what you can do.

Google’s Email Deliverability Rules Update

Google has planned significant changes to its email deliverability rules—changes set to redefine how we approach sales and outreach campaigns and test our adaptability.

Authentication and Validation

I’ve been closely monitoring Google’s updates, and I must stress the importance of email authentication now. We’re entering an era where every sales or outreach email must prove genuine.

Enforced DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) records are becoming crucial for your emails to hit the inbox rather than the spam folder.

If you overlook these rules, your sender reputation could be hit; more of your emails might be marked as spam.

To stay ahead of this game, you’ve got to validate your domain properly. It’s all about letting ISPs like Gmail know you’re a trusted sender. This means correctly setting up those DKIM and DMARC records to confirm that the email is from you and not someone pretending to be you.

Don’t skip these steps if you value reaching your customers directly in their inboxes.

One-Click Unsubscribe Links

Google’s new rules clarify that every marketing email must have a one-click unsubscribe link. If you miss this, your emails could be in the spam folder. That hurts your reputation as a sender and makes it harder for your messages to reach people.

Including the unsubscribe option is not just about following Google’s rules; it’s good manners, too. It shows that you respect people’s choice to stop getting emails from you if they want to.

Thankfully, tools like ActiveCampaign and HubSpot take care of this by adding the link automatically.

Next up, let’s dig into how these updated spam rate thresholds are shaking things up for sales and outreach teams.

New Spam Rate Threshold

There’s also a big change coming with the spam rate threshold. Imagine sending out 1,000 emails with just 3 marked as spam. That’s not too bad, but under Google’s new rules in 2024, this will be enough to hurt your sender’s reputation.

Keeping our spam rates below 0.3% is more crucial now than ever.

This means we must be careful about who we send emails to and how often we do it. If we go over the limit where more than three people click ‘spam’ for every thousand emails sent, especially if those users have Gmail or Yahoo accounts, our messages might end up in the spam folder instead of reaching someone’s inbox.

We must keep track of these numbers closely because they can make or break our email marketing success.

Impact on Sales and Outreach Emails

These changes promise to redraw the battlefield for sales and marketing professionals, insisting we refine our strategies or risk vanishing into the void of undelivered messages.

Potential Effects on Business Email Marketing

Email marketing will feel the pinch from Google’s tighter rules. As a marketing pro or business owner, you need to pay attention. Your newsletters and offers might hit snags if they don’t meet the new standards for authentication and easy unsubscribe options.

Your strategy needs a refresh to keep up with these changes. Private SMTP servers can become your new best friends, helping dodge the stricter controls of providers like Google and Yahoo, who don’t have all the power since they control less than 30% of business email traffic.

Correct domain DNS setup becomes critical. Use tools like Easydmarc.com to check that your emails look good to send out into the world and avoid being tagged as spam before they can even say hello!

Strategies to Adapt to the Changes

Transitioning to Private SMTP Servers

Moving to private SMTP servers, rather than your Google Workspace accounts for sending mail. We recommend SendGrid for this.

It also makes sense to have separate domains for your cold email campaigns – using variations of your primary domain and tools such as smartlead.ai to send across multiple domains.

Importance of Correct Domain DNS Setup

One key thing I’ve learned is that a proper domain DNS setup is super important. Think of DNS records like a passport for your emails.

They prove who you are and where you’re from. Without them, your emails might not make it to their destination, or worse, they could end up marked as spam.

Setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records shows email providers that you’re sending safe and authentic messages. This helps protect your sender’s reputation and keeps those open rates high! If we skip this step, our newsletters and sales offers might never reach our audience’s inbox. 

Plus, for bigger businesses aiming high with their inbox placement rates, adding a BIMI record could give that extra boost in visibility that makes all the difference.

Utilising Easydmarc.com for Email Deliverability

Getting your domain DNS set up right is just the start. Now, let’s talk about keeping an eye on how well your emails are doing. Easydmarc.com is a tool I use to make sure my emails reach inboxes.

It checks if things like DMARC and DKIM records are there and set up properly. If they’re not, Easydmarc helps me fix them or create new ones.

This tool isn’t just for setting things up once and forgetting about them. It watches over your email performance constantly, giving updates on domain health and telling me if I’m hitting any snags with spam complaints or rules being broken.

And guess what? For big businesses wanting better chances that their emails land where they should, Easydmarc suggests using BIMI records too.

Implementing One-Click Unsubscribe Links

After getting a handle on your email deliverability, it’s time to focus on the details that make a big difference. Implementing one-click unsubscribe links is one of those critical steps. Here’s how to get it right:

• Make sure each marketing email includes an easy-to-find unsubscribe link. This is not just nice to have; it’s a must-do to keep up with Google’s new rules.
• Set up your emails so that when someone clicks this link, they leave your list immediately. No extra pages or questions are needed.
• Adding one click to unsubscribe helps you avoid spam folders. It keeps your sender’s reputation clean by letting people who don’t want emails leave quickly.
• Check if your marketing tools already put unsubscribe links in your emails for you. Most likely all email marketing and CRMs will implement this now.
• Don’t forget that this user-friendly step also keeps you on the right side of the CAN-SPAM Act.

Addressing the 0.3% Spam Threshold Concern

Now that we’ve tackled adding unsubscribe links let’s focus on the next big challenge: maintaining a spam rate under 0.3%. This is crucial because if more than three in a thousand people mark our emails as spam, we could be in trouble with email providers.

My strategy involves cleaning my list regularly using tools like Million verifer Everclean. It might sound simple, but keeping lists fresh is key to hitting that low spam mark. I immediately remove anyone who unsubscribed or bounced to protect our sender reputation.

It’s tough seeing those numbers go down, but trust me; it’s worth it for staying out of the dreaded spam folder.

I also ensure not to bug people who have said goodbye before—there’s no point in annoying someone who doesn’t want to hear from us again. When re-engaging old contacts, I offer something useful first—maybe advice or a useful tip—to remind them why they signed up originally and help prevent being flagged as spam.

With these actions firmly in place, the scary 0.3% becomes much more manageable!

Double Opt-In Implementation Advice

Tackling the 0.3% spam threshold is crucial, but let’s also focus on how double opt-in can safeguard your email marketing efforts. It’s a step that makes sure only people who really want your emails get them. Here’s how you can do it right:

• Send a confirmation email immediately after someone shows interest in your service or product by downloading a lead magnet or giving their contact details. In this email, ask them to click a link to confirm they want to join your list.
• Be clear about what subscribing means. Explain that they’ll be getting more information, offers, or updates from you.
• Make confirming easy for them. Add a big, bright button or link in the confirmation email and tell them exactly what to do with it.
• Don’t add them to your main email list if they don’t click the confirm link. This keeps your list clean and full of engaged users.
• Use tools like MillionVerifier’s Everclean to check your list often and remove any emails that bounce or belong to people who’ve said they don’t want your messages anymore.
• Always respect unsubscribes. Never try to add someone back who previously decided not to receive emails – even if it was through another company’s list.

Conclusion

Google’s new email rules are coming, and yes, they’re shaking things up for us who use emails for outreach and sales. But fear not! While these changes might seem tough at first glance, they can help us improve our game.

We’ll build better trust with our audience by ensuring we play by the rules – validating properly, including easy opt-out links, and keeping spam rates low. Remember, adaptation is key; let’s embrace the update and show that our sales and outreach emails shine brighter than ever!