From February 1, 2024, Gmail and Yahoo’s e-mail policies will undergo significant changes. What was once a general recommendation will now become a requirement. The new policy requires that all e-mails sent come from a verified domain, be signed with DKIM, SPF and DMARC (mainly for mass senders sending over 5,000 e-mails per day), maintain a spam rate below 0.3% and offer a one-click unsubscribe option.
Understanding policy changes
With concerns about security and email fraud on the rise, Gmail and Yahoo are tightening their requirements. Understanding and implementing these changes is crucial to staying compliant and maintaining email deliverability.
What is DKIM?
DKIM, or DomainKeys Identified Mail, is a security standard used for e-mail authentication. Its main aim is to combat fraud and phishing by enabling e-mail senders to digitally sign their messages. This digital signature helps verify that the e-mail has indeed been sent by the claimed sender, and that it has not been altered in transit.
SPF’s role in e-mail security
SPF, or Sender Policy Framework, is an e-mail authentication protocol that helps prevent spoofing and phishing. It works by adding a DNS record to the domain, indicating a list of authorized mail servers. When an e-mail is sent, the recipient’s mail server can check the SPF record of the sender’s domain.
The importance of DMARC
DMARC, or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance, is a protocol that builds on SPF and DKIM. It allows domain owners to specify how to handle e-mails claiming to come from their domain if they fail SPF or DKIM checks. DMARC’s main objectives are to combat phishing and increase the reliability of e-mail authentication and delivery.
Keep spam rates low
A spam rate of less than 0.3% is now a requirement. This means that, out of every 1,000 e-mails sent, less than 3 should not be reported as spam. Keeping your spam rate low is crucial to your reputation as a sender and to avoiding penalties or blocking by e-mail service providers.
The importance of easy one-click unsubscribing
Offering an easy and visible unsubscribe option in your e-mails is essential. It shows that you respect your recipients’ choices and reduces the risk of your e-mails being flagged as spam.
Impact on email senders and steps towards compliance
For users of our E-mail Marketing and Automation services, most requirements are already in place. However, it is recommended that everyone, and especially mass senders, add a DMARC record. For DKIM and SPF, our e-mail servers, operated by Amazon, already apply them. Finally, our policy has always been to keep spam levels below 0.3%.
It’s also a good idea to include an unsubscribe link in every e-mail by default, and we recommend making it more visible to make unsubscribing easier.
We’re here to help you navigate these changes and stay compliant.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
