Meeting Google and Yahoo’s Email Sender Requirements

Starting from February 2024, Google and Yahoo have implemented mandatory email authentication requirements for all email senders. 

Additionally, there have been significant policy updates regarding consent and engagement. Senders must adhere to these guidelines as failure to comply may result in email delivery issues such as delays, blocks, or classification as spam. 

While these changes may appear sudden, they have been carefully considered as the optimal approach to ensuring successful email delivery for quite some time. We strongly advise all our users to familiarize themselves with these new requirements to avoid disruptions in their email communications.

Get Your Account Ready:

Ensure compliance with the new sender requirements mandated by both Google and Yahoo.

1. Enhance Your Brand Identity with a Branded Sending Sub-Domain

Boost your control of sender reputation and enhance inbox branding by configuring a branded sending sub-domain. Bid farewell to the "sent via msgsndr.com" disclaimer and adopt superior deliverability practices. As of February, this step is indispensable for bulk senders engaging with Google and Yahoo recipients.

Remember, upon activating your branded sending sub-domain, it may be necessary to gradually warm up your sending infrastructure over the next 2 – 4 weeks.

Need assistance? 

Refer to our comprehensive guide on setting up a branded sending sub-domain in the help library “How to Set Up a Dedicated Sending Domain”.

Example of a Branded Sending Domain as displayed to Gmail users:

2. Establish DMARC Email Authentication for Your Sending Domain

What is DMARC? 

DMARC, which stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance, is a critical standard that builds upon SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). It serves as a communication tool between domain owners and mailbox providers, providing a clear policy on how to handle emails that fail SPF, DKIM, or both, and purport to be from your domain, potentially indicating spoofed or fraudulent activity.

What should you do?

If you're sending more than 5,000 emails per day (combined for sub-accounts utilizing a shared sending domain) and don't have a DMARC record configured, it's imperative to add one to your DNS. This action helps bolster email security and authentication, minimizing the risk of unauthorized emails being sent from your domain and ensuring better deliverability and trustworthiness of your emails.

Implementation Steps:

1. Use a free DMARC checker like Dmarcian to find out if you already have a DMARC record in place. Enter your root domain (ie: yourdomain.com) and hit inspect. If you see "Hooray! Your DMARC record is valid.", you're good to go - ignore the following steps. If not, continue to step 2. 

2. Visit your DNS hosting provider and create a TXT DNS record.

3. Choose TXT as the record type.

4. Set the Host/Name value as: _DMARC 

5. In the Content/Points to field, enter: v=DMARC1; p=none;

Please note that Google suggests a gradual transition towards a more restrictive DMARC policy over time. This approach is recommended to ensure smooth implementation and minimize potential disruptions to your email delivery. For detailed guidance on this process, you can refer to Google's Recommended DMARC Rollout Tutorial document. This resource provides step-by-step instructions and best practices to help you effectively manage your DMARC policy adjustments.

Here's what the record would look like when set up in Godaddy:

6. Save/submit your DMARC record and utilize Dmarcian to verify its successful addition (note that it may take a few minutes for the changes to register). Alternatively, you can confirm by sending yourself an email and examining the header.

To inspect the header of an email in Gmail, click on the three-dots icon within the email interface and choose the "Show More" option. Below is an example of what the header will resemble for an email originating from a domain with a valid DMARC record:

3. Maintain Brand Consistency

Ensure that your "from" address corresponds with your branded domain to establish a coherent and easily recognizable email identity.

In accordance with DMARC standards, it's essential that the domain of your "from" address matches the root domain of your branded sending domain. For instance, if your branded sending domain is "lc.msgsndr.com," then the associated root domain is "msgsndr.com." Therefore, utilizing "hello@msgsndr.com" as your "from" address preserves alignment with the root domain and adheres to DMARC guidelines.

4. Refrain from Impersonating Gmail in Email "From" Headers

Why does it matter?

Gmail and Yahoo have intensified their enforcement of a DMARC policy known as 'quarantine.' Falsely representing yourself as sending from Gmail or Yahoo could significantly impact the delivery of your emails.

What's the solution?

The solution is straightforward: avoid impersonating Gmail or Yahoo in the "From" section of your emails. Simply put, refrain from sending emails that appear to be from addresses such as 'example@gmail.com' or 'example@yahoo.com'. This approach ensures compliance with DMARC policies and helps maintain the integrity of your email delivery.

5. Make it easier to Unsubscribe 

It's crucial for senders to prioritize ease of unsubscribing from their emails. If someone wishes to stop receiving emails, they shouldn't have to search extensively for the unsubscribe button. Making the unsubscribe process straightforward and easily accessible not only enhances user experience but also demonstrates respect for recipients' preferences and privacy. Therefore, it's recommended that senders prominently display the unsubscribe option within their emails, enabling recipients to opt out effortlessly with just a click. This practice not only fosters positive user engagement but also helps maintain the sender's reputation and compliance with email marketing regulations.

Introducing Streamlined Unsubscribing: One-Click Solution

Exciting news! Complying with the new requirement of including a one-click unsubscribe link in every email has never been easier with us. We've got you covered by automatically inserting a one-click unsubscribe link into the header of each email you see except for 1:1 emails.

To clarify, when we mention the "header" here, we're referring to the behind-the-scenes information in your email, which includes sender details and message authentication. We're enhancing the one-click list-unsubscribe feature in the code for every message. While the appearance of the one-click unsubscribe link may vary across different email platforms, we've provided a visual example from Gmail below for reference.

Example of what one-click unsubscribe looks like to Gmail users

Your sole task? Before February arrives, simply review all your campaign templates and flow emails swiftly. Confirm that each email contains an unsubscribe link somewhere in the body – commonly, the footer is the ideal location. While it doesn't necessarily have to be a one-click solution, it should be clearly visible and easily accessible for recipients. It's as simple as that!

6. Optimize Email Delivery: Maintain a Spam Rate Below 0.30%

Ensure Recipients Want Your Emails: Just as you wouldn't welcome a stranger into your home without permission, it's equally important not to send emails without consent. Always ensure that recipients genuinely desire to receive emails from you.

Excessive spam complaints, such as 3 out of every 1,000 emails, can lead to significant issues. Your emails might face delays, land in spam folders, or even fail to be delivered altogether. To mitigate these risks, aim to maintain spam complaints at less than 1 out of every 1,000 emails you send.

You can monitor Yahoo spam complaints through Spam Reports. However, please note that we cannot track Gmail spam complaints within your account, as Gmail handles them independently to safeguard user privacy. To monitor Gmail spam complaints effectively, utilize Google Postmaster Tools. This tool ensures that your emails reach their intended destinations smoothly, without encountering any obstacles.