How to prepare for Google and Yahoo's email sender requirements in 2024

As we step into 2024, a significant shift is happening in the email marketing world, and it's crucial for you to be on top of it. As you mighthave heard, Google and Yahoo are rolling out new sender requirements. These changes, set to take effect in February 2024, are not just simple updates – they will completely redefine how your emails reach your audience.

Why is this important for you?

The upcoming email sender requirements from Google and Yahoo will affect all email marketers, but they are particularly crucial for bulk senders. If you're sending more than 5,000 emails a day, these changes are especially relevant to you for several reasons.

• Deliverability impact - If you don't comply with these new rules, your emails might start landing in the spam folder or not getting delivered at all. This can severely affect your ability to communicate with your customers and prospects.
• Transactional emails count too - It's not just about your newsletters. All emails you send, including transactional ones, count towards the 5,000-email threshold. This means even if your marketing emails are below this limit, your combined total might still place you in the bulk sender category.
• It’s closer than you think - You might be closer to being a bulk sender than you realize. Remember, Google includes personal accounts ending in @gmail.com and @googlemail.com in this calculation. It's essential to review your sending volume to see if you meet or exceed this threshold.

How to get ready

Getting ready for these new requirements is not as complex as you might think. Here’s what you need to do to avoid any unpleasant consequences.

1. Update your ‘from’ email address

Stop using Gmail (@gmail.com) or Yahoo (@yahoo) email addresses in your ‘from’ address. Opt for an email address that includes your own site domain name.

If you don’t have one already, buy a domain that fits your brand then change your ‘from’ address to this new domain. Not only will this meet the new rules, but it will also make you look way more professional.

2. Set up a branded sending domain

A branded (or dedicated) sending domain makes emails look like they're coming directly from your brand, not through a service like theMarketer.com. This helps in building trust with your audience and gives you more control over your reputation as a sender.

This dedicated sending domain appears in the headers of your emails and you can customize it to meet your needs, as long as it has a unique and unused subdomain. For example, if your main website is "myonlinebiz.com", your sending domain could be "send.myonlinebiz.com".

To complete the setup, update your DNS records and validate your sending domain - see the guide

3. Put DMARC in place

DMARC is an email authentication protocol that ensures the legitimacy of emails. It helps confirm that you are who you claim to be online and that your subscribers receive emails from you, not from someone who impersonates you.

You can set up DMARC the same way, and at the same time, you update your DNS records. We recommend that you use a policy of ‘none’ at first (‘p=none’). This means that the protocol will start monitoring emails but won’t block any yet.

Please note that even if you’ve previously validated your domain - unless you’ve already put DMARC in place -, your domain will be marked as invalid on Monday, December 11th, at 11:00 (GMT+2). This means you will need to update your DNS records to include DMARC. The records you've previously validated will remain valid, so no further action is required for these.

4. Make sure your ‘from’ address matches your sending domain

The email address your subscribers see (your ‘from’ address) should match your branded sending domain. This is why, once you validate your domain, theMarketer only allows you to add new email senders with that specific domain. This matching is important for DMARC and for the deliverability of your emails.

If you’re not sending your transactional emails through theMarketer, make sure you use your branded domain in the 'from' address for these too.

5. Add easy unsubscribe links

Under the new Google and Yahoo sender requirements, it's mandatory for every email to have a one-click unsubscribe link.

Luckily, if you're using theMarketer, we will automatically add a one-click unsubscribe link to the header of every email you send out. This means your recipients can opt out easily if they choose to, which is not only convenient for them but also a new standard you need to meet.

6. Keep spam complaints low

Having low spam complaints is important for everyone, not just big companies or frequent email senders. When you have fewer people marking your emails as spam, email providers like Google and Yahoo see you as a legitimate sender. This means they trust your emails more.

Keeping spam complaints low has always been a good practice for marketers. It shows you're following the rules and sending emails people want to see.

Remember to only send your newsletters to people who have chosen to receive them and keep their content interesting and relevant to your audience. Regularly check your spam rates and your account reputation and you should navigate these changes as smoothly as possible.