Google & Yahoo Email Ultimatums
If you haven't heard, Google & Yahoo recently announced 4 new ultimatums that every business who sends emails must comply with - or else they will not deliver your emails.
What are the new rules?
Google and Yahoo will be enforcing compliance for four (4) new mandates in order for your emails to get delivered.
Full authentication must be properly configured without errors for every platform from which you send email using your branded domain.
This includes:
Regular email software (such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace)
Your email marketing software (such as ActiveCampaign, HighLevel, Keap, Mailchimp, and others)
Your e-commerce software (such as Shopify)
Any other software from which the emails send using your branded domain.
Typically, each platform must have a DKIM recorod (what is DKIM?). Your domain must also have a single SPF record (what is SPF?) that references all platforms from which you send email. Your domain must also have a single DMARC record (what is DMARC?) with reporting enabled and actively monitored.
Keep your spam complaints low by only emailing engaged contacts.
Google will begin strictly enforcing the spam threshold of no more than 1 spam complaint per 1,000 emails sent. Exceeding this could irreparably damage your ability to get your emails delivered.
To keep spam complaints low, you must actively monitor how your subscribers engage with your emails. Which ones are opening and clicking versus which ones are not.
Do not send emails to unengaged subscribers, as they are more likely to report your emails as spam.
Allow subscribers to immediately opt-out with an easily visible unsubscribe link.
All emails sent from an email marketing platform must contain an unsubscribe link that allows the recipient to immediately stop receiving your emails.
Do not bury the unsubscribe link where it is not likely to be seen.
Your must use a branded domain when sending emails from an email marketing platform.
A branded domain is one that you own, that no other company can use, and for which you control or have access to the DNS records.
You will no longer be able to send emails from an email marketing platform like ActiveCampaign, HighLevel, Keap, or Mailchimp using a free @gmail.com, @hotmail.com, or @yahoo.com email address (any free email address).