How To Avoid Hurting Your Emails & Domain Reputation In 2024

In a significant move to combat spam and phishing, email giants Google and Yahoo have announced stringent requirements for bulk email senders, set to take effect on February 1, 2024.

Google and Yahoo are implementing stricter border control measures to distinguish between legitimate and harmful emails. This sends a clear message to mass email senders: “Stick to the rules or face consequences.” The upcoming changes are poised to enhance the identification of legitimate emails, ensuring a safer and more secure email environment.

This is something that we mentioned many times in the past and we always inform our users how critical it is to set up SPF/ DKIM and DMARC, since we don’t hide/mask any domain name of a sender in our service.

This article highlights the urgency of complying with these new regulations and the potential consequences for businesses that fail to do so.

Regardless of email volume, all senders must adhere to the following technical changes.

How We Addressed That

Here is a list of actions we already took:

• SPF or DKIM authentication ✔️
• Valid forward and reverse DNS records for all domains and IP addresses ✔️
• Use of TLS connection for email transmission ✔️
• Maintaining reported spam rates below 0.10% in Google Postmaster Tools ✔️
• Compliance with RFC5322 for correct email formatting ✔️
• Avoiding impersonation of Gmail From headers ✔️ ( WE NEVER DID THAT and we are proud of it!)
• Strongly recommended addition of ARC headers for forwarding and mailing list use ✔️

Rules For Bulk Email Senders

In addition to the general requirements, bulk email senders must adhere to specific rules:

• Valid DMARC record with at least a none policy
• SPF or DKIM authentication
• Alignment of domains on at least one of the protocols (SPF or DKIM) for a DMARC pass
• Mandatory one-click unsubscribe option in all emails requiring unsubscribe. ( You are safe, we do that already for you!) 

The Risks Of Missing The Deadline

Time is of the essence, and failure to comply with these requirements by the deadline can result in serious consequences. Google and Yahoo may mark emails as spam or block them, impacting overall email activities and domain reputation. The proverb, “Policies delayed is policies denied,” aptly captures the situation’s urgency.

With the February 1st deadline approaching, taking proactive steps to meet the new requirements is crucial. Don’t risk your future with Google and Yahoo, contact the best teams out there to guide you about Dmarc : DMARC Advisor and Easy Dmarc to ensure compliance and safeguard your email communications before it’s too late.

About SPF and DKIM, you can always contact our Deliverability Team.