Attention email senders!
As of February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo! are raising the bar for inbox access with stricter requirements. Don't panic, though! This guide will walk you through the changes and equip you with the knowledge and tools to ensure your emails land safely in your recipients' inboxes.
Essential Measures for All Senders (under 5,000 emails per day):
1. Authentication Duo: SPF & DKIM - Imagine these as your email fortress's gatekeepers. SPF identifies authorised senders, while DKIM digitally verifies each message's authenticity. If you need further assistance regarding the SPF and DKIM records, you can contact AccuWebHosting.com via chat or ticket from your registered account.
2. Identity Verified: Reverse DNS Records - Think of this as a name tag for your IP address. It confirms your identity to email providers. We manage the rDNS for our VPS hosting clients. In shared hosting plans, the IP shared already has rDNS record set on it.
If you have a shared hosting with AccuWebHosting, the rDNS is already set for all IPs involved in email delivery.
If you have a VPS, you can contact AccuWebHosting via chat or ticket from your registered account to set rDNS.
3. Clean Inbox Reputation: Keep Spam Rates Below 0.3% - Every spam complaint raises a red flag. Maintain good email list hygiene and avoid shady databases to keep your score sparkling. Google Postmaster Tools is your ally in tracking your reputation. If you are sending newsletters, giveaways, etc., we strongly recommend to use the double-opt in in method to gather the recipients email addresses. Also, such emails must have an “Unsubscribe” link to opt-out from the recipient list.
4. No Impersonation Games: Stick to your domain email address for all official communication. From February, Gmail will "quarantine" impersonation attempts. You must not use "From" email addresses of Gmail, Yahoo or other such email providers. You should use your business email in “from” address. Also, make sure that the sender domain and "From" email address domain should be the same.
Advanced Requirements for High-Volume Senders (over 5,000 emails per day):
DMARC: This builds on SPF and DKIM, letting mailbox providers know what to do with emails failing authentication checks. DMARC is mandatory if more than 5000 emails are sent per day from your domain email address.
From: Header Alignment: Perfectly Matched Domains - Ensure the domain in your "From: header" matches either the SPF or DKIM domain. Google's detailed blog post offers various scenarios and alignment types for specific situations.
One-Click Unsubscribe: Make sure you have added “Unsubscribe” link in your email. Also make sure it's easy to follow. Remember the FTC guidelines on distinguishing transactional vs. commercial emails.
