Starting in April 2024, Google and Yahoo are implementing significant changes to their email policies, impacting email marketing, especially in Australia. These changes, originally scheduled for February 2024, are focused on enhancing email authentication and reducing spam.
Here are the key changes and their implications:
1. Email Authentication: Email marketers will need to authenticate their emails using SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and for bulk senders, DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance). These protocols help in verifying that the emails are genuinely from the claimed sender and not altered during transit.
2. Unsubscribe Options: For bulk senders (those sending over 5,000 emails per day to Gmail or Yahoo accounts), there's a requirement to include a one-click unsubscribe option in emails. This makes it easier for recipients to opt-out of marketing emails, potentially leading to a more engaged and interested audience for email campaigns.
3. Spam Complaint Rates: Both Google and Yahoo will require email marketers to maintain a spam complaint rate below 0.3%. Exceeding this threshold could negatively affect the deliverability of emails and damage the sender's reputation.
4. Custom Domains for Sending Emails: Marketers using free email addresses from providers like Gmail or Yahoo will need to switch to custom domains. This is because free provider domains cannot be authenticated, making compliance with the new rules challenging.
These changes aim to reduce spam and improve email security, but they also necessitate adjustments from email marketers.
For effective compliance, marketers will need to focus on list hygiene, authenticating their sending domains, and ensuring their marketing emails are both wanted and compliant with these new standards.
Guide to Google and Yahoo's 2024 email deliverability news:
https://www.mailercheck.com/articles/googEmail Regulations: Yahoo & Gmail Changes You Need to Know About - Apiary Digital
Gmail and Yahoo’s Deliverability Changes | Bloomreach]https://www.bloomreach.com/en/blog/2024/navigating-gmail-and-yahoos-deliverability-changes-what-you-need-to-know)
Gmail introduces new requirements to fight spam https://blog.google/products/gmail/gmail-security-authentication-spam-protection/
New Gmail and Yahoo Policies Impact Ecommerce - Practical Ecommerce](https://www.practicalecommerce.com/new-gmail-and-yahoo-policies-impact-ecommerce)
What the Google and Yahoo Email Policy Update Means and Why It Matters - Iterable https://iterable.com/blog/what-the-google-and-yahoo-email-policy-update-means-and-why-it-matters/
Major email compliance changes: Steps to take by February 2024