Adapting to the Upcoming Gmail and Yahoo Requirements Before February 2024

Learn how to comply with the new Gmail and Yahoo Mail standards in three stages.

Gmail and Yahoo Mail have announced new safeguards to keep inboxes safer and less spammy, which means bulk email senders will need to follow specified guidelines in order to be delivered to inboxes.These new limitations will be applied by Gmail and Yahoo Mail in 2024, and they will apply to all mass senders.

New Gmail safeguards for a less spammy inbox (By Google)
Enforcing Email Standards for a Better Experience (By Yahoo)

Google and Yahoo, in particular, are making it impossible to send emails from gmail or yahoo addresses from anywhere other than the gmail or yahoo email applications. This is NOT a rule that applies only to a specific email marketing service. It applies to all mass senders, independent of marketing platform. If you choose to ignore the conditions, your email will end up in the spam inbox in February 2024 and after. 

To avoid an interruption in sending, you must meet the requirements listed below by February 1, 2024

Guideline: Ensure that your email address is linked to a bespoke domain.
For instance: Opt for using [email protected] rather than [email protected].

Using common email providers like @gmail or @yahoo for business communications, especially for newsletters or promotional emails, might not project the professional image your business deserves. These platforms are generally more suited for personal interactions. Elevate your business's credibility by establishing an email address that features your unique domain. This not only enhances your brand's professionalism but also helps in building trust with your audience. Remember, a custom domain email address can significantly impact how clients and subscribers perceive your business.

Requirement: Link your domain to an email service provider for custom DKIM authentication.

Using common email providers like @gmail or @yahoo for business communications, especially for newsletters or promotional emails, might not project the professional image your business deserves. These platforms are generally more suited for personal interactions. Elevate your business's credibility by establishing an email address that features your unique domain. This not only enhances your brand's professionalism but also helps in building trust with your audience. Remember, a custom domain email address can significantly impact how clients and subscribers perceive your business.

Guideline: Establish a DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) Policy for your domain, recorded as a DNS entry. Choose a policy level of None, Quarantine, or Reject.

Instructional Guide: Setting Up DMARC to Align with Gmail and Yahoo Mail Sender Protocols

DMARC is a critical security protocol that ensures the authenticity of the emails sent from your domain. By implementing a DMARC policy, you not only affirm that the emails originate from your authorized systems but also provide instructions to the receiving email servers on how to handle emails that fail this authentication. For instance, emails that do not align with the DMARC policy can be directed to the spam folder (Quarantine) or entirely rejected, based on your specified policy.

This not only protects your domain from being used for email spoofing or phishing attacks but also significantly strengthens the trustworthiness of your email communications. As a result, DMARC plays a pivotal role in safeguarding your email reputation, maintaining the integrity of your email communications, and enhancing the overall security of your digital correspondence.

Attempt to keep Spam complaints to less than 0.1%. The easiest approach to accomplish this goal is to ensure that you are delivering to subscribers who have specifically requested your email and that your messaging is what they expect to receive from you.

Most of email marketing services automatically adds unsubscribe headers to all of your email messages. This enables email users to easily unsubscribe by clicking a link next to the sender's name rather than digging through an email or hitting the "Mark as Spam" button. You can also use a link in your message body so that your subscribers may easily adjust their preferences or unsubscribe entirely.

The key principle is that having someone unsubscribe from your email is preferable to having them designate you as a spammer.

It is essential to begin working on the aforementioned checklist as soon as feasible. We propose that you begin by replacing your @yahoo.com or @gmail.com email address with a professional one.

As always, if you have any questions or issues, please contact us. At Specialists.email We're always ready to assist you in meeting these standards.