Google and Yahoo announced new email sending policies this month that could impact e-commerce and omnichannel marketers.
This policy requires email verification, single-click unsubscribe, and low complaint rates.
The new rules will come into effect in February 2024. G-mail and “in the first quarter of 2024.” Yahoo and AOL email clients.
Messages from non-compliant senders can be automatically marked as spam, reducing deliverability and, in the case of marketing emails, clicks and conversions.
New policies from Gmail (seen here) and Yahoo aim to reduce unnecessary email messages.
Reduce spam and increase security
The new policy is aimed at reducing the number of unnecessary email messages.
“We strongly believe that users around the world need a more secure email environment with fewer unnecessary messages to improve their overall experience. We look forward to working with others to accelerate the adoption of these email standards that benefit everyone,” Neil Kumaran, Product Manager, Gmail Group, said in a released statement. states.
Change email sender
This policy reflects the practices most trusted senders already have.
Authenticate email messages. For years, smart marketers have authenticated their emails, but starting in 2024, any unauthenticated message will be spam.
This requirement means email senders must implement Sender Policy Framework (SPF) or DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) by 2024. It's best to use both. — and Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) records. The policy applies to All Email: Transactional and Marketing.
Finally, senders who frequently transfer email (perhaps not e-commerce) should also use Authenticated Received Chain (ARC) to maintain authentication from one email server to another. there is.
Unsubscribing is easy. Senders who deploy 5,000 emails per day to Gmail or Yahoo Mail must provide a one-click unsubscribe link.
Links are only required for “subscriptions,” or email marketing, and not for transactional messages such as order confirmations or shipping notifications.
Businesses that use an email service provider will almost certainly meet this requirement. However, the potential risks for these sellers are: over-implementation If ESP attaches a one-click link to every message containing a transaction.
Send emails that people want. The following policy is not a change. Google and Yahoo want email senders to be able to develop messages that recipients want. This has always been the case, but now it is necessary.
Specifically, email senders must continually report their spam rates. Google Postmaster Tools 0.3% or less. Yahoo has shared this rate with some email senders and may soon release it publicly in its report. sender hub.
Marketing impact
While there are other new requirements, the ones most likely to impact online or in-store commerce are authentication, one-click unsubscribe, and low spam rates. Google said it doesn't want businesses to delay implementation until February, adding that early adoption could improve email deliverability.
Once you meet these new requirements, you should see more email marketing messages reach your inbox.
However, there are some things to keep in mind.
Delivery availability. Businesses that use external domains to send email can use DMARC to add their own domains to build a trusted reputation and improve deliverability.
Further unsubscribe. Some email experts wonder if single-click unsubscribe links lead to accidental cancellations by humans and anti-spam bots.
list hygiene. Keeping reported spam rates low typically requires list health, meaning removing unengaged subscribers.
different from apple
Google and Yahoo's announcements differ from Apple's efforts to protect email privacy.
Google and Yahoo's policies are primarily focused on ensuring that email is legitimate, authenticated, and required. The goal is to reduce spam and fraud. Apple's focus is to prevent senders from collecting actionable information about opens and openings. number of clicks.
Google and Yahoo's policies should improve email performance, but Apple's policies can complicate measurement.
