Beginning in February 2024, Google and Yahoo require email senders to implement email authentication and adhere to important policy changes related to consent and engagement. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in emails being delayed, blocked, or marked as spam. These changes are based on established best practices to ensure proper email delivery.

Preparing Your Account #

Follow our checklist to meet the new sender requirements set by Google and Yahoo.

Enhance Your Brand with a Branded Sending Sub-Domain #

Strengthen your sender reputation and improve inbox branding by setting up a branded sending sub-domain. This will eliminate the “sent via msgsndr.com” disclaimer and enhance deliverability. This is essential for bulk senders targeting Google and Yahoo recipients.

Note: After enabling your branded sending sub-domain, it may be necessary to gradually warm up your sending infrastructure over the next 2 to 4 weeks. For guidance, refer to our detailed guide on setting up a branded sending sub-domain.

Implement DMARC Email Authentication for Your Sending Domain #

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is a standard that builds on SPF and DKIM to instruct mailbox providers on how to handle emails failing these checks. If you do not yet have a DMARC record and are sending more than 5,000 emails daily (aggregated for accounts using a shared sending domain), you should add one to your DNS.

Steps for Implementation

• Use a free DMARC checker like Dmarcian to verify if a DMARC record exists for your domain. If validated, no further action is required.
• If not, create a TXT DNS record via your DNS hosting provider. Set the Host/Name value as “_DMARC” and use the content: “v=DMARC1; p=none;”. Google recommends gradually tightening your DMARC policy, as outlined in their DMARC Rollout Tutorial.
• After saving the record, use Dmarcian to confirm its successful addition.

Save or submit and use Dmarcian to verify the DMARC record has successfully been added. You can also check by sending yourself an email and inspecting the header. Please note that it can take a few minutes to register.

In Gmail, you can inspect the header of an email by clicking the three-dots icon and selecting the “Show More” option. The header will show whether an email was sent from a domain that has a valid DMARC record in place.

Ensure Brand Consistency #

Maintain a cohesive and recognizable email identity by aligning your “from” address with your branded domain. This alignment is crucial to meet DMARC standards. For example, if your branded sending domain is “lc.msgsndr.com,” your “from” address should be “hello@msgsndr.com.”

Be sure to review all “from” addresses in your email flows and campaigns to ensure they match the root domain of your branded sending domain.

Avoid Using Gmail or Yahoo Domains in ‘From’ Headers #

Gmail and Yahoo are enforcing stricter DMARC policies, including ‘quarantine.’ Sending emails that appear to originate from Gmail or Yahoo domains could negatively impact delivery. To prevent this, ensure that your emails do not use ‘example@gmail.com’ or ‘example@yahoo.com’ in the “from” headers.

Make it Easy to Unsubscribe #

It’s now mandatory to make the unsubscribe process straightforward for recipients. If you use LC Email Service, enabling this option will automatically add an unsubscribe link to the footer of all your emails. Additionally, a one-click unsubscribe link will be included in the email header, except for 1:1 emails.

Before February, review your campaign templates and flow emails to ensure an unsubscribe link is present, typically in the footer. While it doesn’t need to be one-click, it should be easily accessible.

Streamlined Unsubscribing: One-Click Solution #

Meeting the new requirement of having a one-click unsubscribe link in every email just got easier. A one-click unsubscribe link is automatically added to the header of each email you send except for 1:1 emails.

The “header” here refers to the behind-the-scenes information in your email, which includes details about the sender and message authentication. The one-click list-unsubscribe feature is enhanced in the code for every message. While the appearance of a one-click unsubscribe may vary in different email platforms, it is consistently included.

Ensure there’s an unsubscribe link in your email body — the footer is typically a common spot. It doesn’t have to be one-click, but it should be clear and easy for recipients to find.

Optimize Email Delivery: Keep Your Spam Rate Below 0.30% #

Ensuring that your recipients have opted in to receive your emails is essential for maintaining a low spam rate. A high spam complaint rate (3 complaints per 1,000 emails) can result in delivery issues, such as emails being delayed, sent to spam, or blocked altogether. Aim to keep your spam complaints below 1 per 1,000 emails.

To monitor Yahoo spam complaints, check the Spam Reports in your CRM. Although Gmail spam complaints cannot be tracked within email metrics due to privacy protocols, Google Postmaster Tools can help you monitor these complaints and ensure smooth email delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions #

When do Google and Yahoo’s new email sender requirements take effect? #

The requirements began in February 2024, requiring senders to implement email authentication and follow policy changes related to consent and engagement.

What happens if I do not comply with the new requirements? #

Failure to comply may result in your emails being delayed, blocked, or marked as spam.

Do I need a DMARC record? #

If you do not yet have a DMARC record and are sending more than 5,000 emails daily (aggregated for accounts using a shared sending domain), you should add one to your DNS.

How do I verify my DMARC record was added correctly? #

Use a free DMARC checker like Dmarcian, or send yourself an email and inspect the header. It can take a few minutes to register.

What spam complaint rate should I aim for? #

Keep your spam rate below 0.30%, aiming for fewer than 1 complaint per 1,000 emails. A rate of 3 complaints per 1,000 emails can cause delivery issues.

How can I make unsubscribing easy for recipients? #

Use the LC Email Service to automatically add an unsubscribe link to your email footer and a one-click unsubscribe link in the header (except for 1:1 emails), and ensure a clear unsubscribe link exists in every email body.