Google and Yahoo are among the email service providers that “move” the most emails overall. In October 2023 we presented the new anti-spam rules shared and approved by the two companies which aim to reduce the volume of Junk Mailsent mainly by the so-called bulk sender. From next February, those who send large volumes of messages will find themselves vulnerable mail in spam. Unless you stick to very specific provisions.
In the article cited previously, we explained that compliance with Google and Yahoo’s requirements is primarily expected for those who send large volumes of emails. We talk about at least 5.000 mail in a single day.
Don’t think, however, that it is a difficult ceiling to reach: anyone who manages a newsletter, it is highly likely that it has collected at least 5,000 Google and Yahoo email addresses. Without using appropriate precautions, therefore, sending emails to more than 5,000 Google/Yahoo contacts it could mean witnessing communications failure.
What to do to comply and avoid the problem of spam emails
Il requirement #1 To send emails in bulk and avoid the risk of them being automatically moved to the spam folder, the domain name used for sending must be “authenticated”. This simply means that the receiving mailbox must be able to confirm that theemail comes from the sender indicated and not by a third party.
Faking the sender of an email is trivial (email/sender spoofing): for this reason, various tools have been created to activate some form of authentication.
The three methods that Google and Yahoo suggest using are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Although email providers allow customers to configure SPF or DKIM, the advice is to use all three to avoid any problems. In the article where we provide advice to those wondering why sent emails go to the spam folder, we clarified the meaning of each authentication and security mechanism.
Meaning of SPF, DKIM and DMARC
SPF (Sender Policy Framework). In the case of SPF, the owner of the domain name specifies which ones in the corresponding DNS records email server I am authorized to send emails for that same domain. When a receiving server receives an email, it can verify the record SPF of the sender’s domain to ensure that the sending comes from an authorized server.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). DKIM provides a company digital for sent emails, allowing the recipient to verify that the message actually comes from the domain declared in the “field”And” and that the content has not been altered during transmission. The sender adds a digital signature to the email header using a private cryptographic key. The recipient can check with the company using the public key, available in the DNS records of the domain used by the sender. If the verification is successful, the email is considered authentic.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance). It is an authentication standard that combines SPF and DKIM, providing explicit instructions on how to handle emails that fail verification. The domain manager publishes a policy DMARC in DNS records. This policy specifies whether the use of SPF, DKIM, or both is required for authentication.
Added one-click unsubscribe
We said before that those who send emails in large quantities often send newsletters. Here, both Google and Yahoo have decided that every email must include the use of an email mechanism unsubscription with a single click (one-click). We also talk about it in the article where we explain how to find and remove spam from Gmail.
The addition of theheader List-Unsubscribe allows you to inform users, webmail and email clients about the possibility of stopping receiving emails with a simple click: just follow the URL indicated in the headers. Mailboxes interpret the header of unsubscribe in different ways: if an email contains such a header, you should see a button or link appear “Unsubscription” somewhere at the top of the email.
Unsubscribing one-click is an extension of List-Unsubscribe. The suggestion is to add the following headers:
List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click
List-Unsubscribe: <https://nomedelsito.abc/unsubscribe>, <mailto:[email protected]>
Who uses aAPI (Application Programming Interface) to interact with the email service provider’s servers, you should look for the function that allows you to add custom headers. Each platform has a different procedure to achieve the same objective.
On the Mailready website, you can find other tips to prepare for the “crackdown” by Google and Yahoo in February 2024. In particular, you can verify your domain name and access some useful practical tips for configuring the header List-Unsubscribe.
Be careful about sending messages that may be considered junk mail
Targeting the right audience involves sending messages only to those who have agreed explicitly to receive them. It is clear, therefore, that the purchase of lists of email addresses and the use of deceptive practices to add users to mailing lists should be avoided.
Furthermore instead of generalized campaigns for all its own audiencea good strategy is to exploit the concept of segmentation to involve only the interested public.
Email contact lists should be kept as clean as possible, with removal of addresses invalid. This is a crucial step to keep the quality of the list high, reducing the number of undelivered messages.
It is also good to implement a tool email verification during the registration process or at the time of registration, also providing for double confirmation when users request registration.
The subsequent activity of monitoring is equally essential: failed deliveries must be checked and inactive users should also be checked. For example, you can send reconfirmation emails to people who have not interacted with your messages (no openings detected and no clicks recorded) in a specific period of time.
Opening image credit: iStock.com – Thx4Stock