Have you ever wondered why some emails seem to get a VIP pass to the inbox, while others get lost in the spam abyss? Let’s dive into the art (and science) of making sure your email shines in the inbox instead of getting lost in the 162 billion messages that end up in the spam folder. Let’s talk about email deliverability!
Picture this: You create a well-designed newsletter, hit the send button and… it ends up in the spam folder. Frustrating, right?
What is email deliverability?
Email deliverability is the ability of an email to successfully reach the recipient’s inbox, rather than being filtered as spam or rejected by the email server. In other words, it doesn’t matter how great your email is if it’s never seen by the person it’s meant for.
So having a high deliverability rate is pointless if your audience is receiving your emails in their spam folder, right?
Now for the fun part: how do you make sure your emails get through? Three key rules form the basis of this discussion:
Quality over quantity. Relevant and well-timed emails are more valuable than a constant barrage. It’s more like receiving a thoughtful letter from a friend than a daily barrage of promotional flyers.
Authenticity is key. Make sure you are who you say you are. Think of SPF, DKIM and DMARC not as alphabet soup, but as your security trio for a great reputation.
Engagement is king. The more your subscribers interact with your emails (hello, opens and clicks!), the better your chances of landing in the inbox.
What is a good email deliverability rate?
An email deliverability rate of 89% or higher is considered “excellent”. Rates between 83% and 88% are considered acceptable, while anything below 83% is considered “poor”.
Email deliverability is determined by the percentage of emails that successfully reach recipients’ inboxes or other tabs. Emails that are lost or routed to spam folders are not included in this rate.
What’s the difference between delivery and deliverability?
Delivery refers to the simple act of an email being accepted by the recipient’s email server. However, this doesn’t guarantee that the email will actually reach the inbox. It could end up in the spam folder or even be rejected later.
Deliverability is a broader concept that refers to the likelihood of an email being delivered to the recipient’s inbox. Deliverability is influenced by a number of factors, including the reputation of the sender, the quality of the email list and technical configurations such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
What is spam?
Spam is any unsolicited email sent in bulk, typically for commercial purposes. These emails are often irrelevant and unwanted, leading recipients to mark them as spam. This can damage the sender’s reputation and negatively impact the deliverability of future emails.
How do spam filters work?
Spam filters use algorithms and specific rules to identify emails that may be spam. They analyse various aspects of the email, such as content, sender, email structure and even recipient behaviour. If an email is flagged as spam, it is automatically routed to the spam folder or blocked altogether.
How to improve your email deliverability?
Email list validation: The foundation of good deliverability is maintaining a clean email list. This means removing invalid, inactive and bounce-prone emails. Tools such as Easy Email Verification can assist in this process by checking the validity of emails in real time, ensuring that only valid addresses remain on your list. This tool is known for its accuracy of up to 98.6% and offers an easy-to-use interface with multiple integration options.
Correct DNS configuration: Ensure that your domain is correctly configured with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. These records help prove to email servers that your emails are legitimate, increasing the chances that they will be delivered to the inbox.
List segmentation: Send personalised and relevant emails to different segments of your list. This not only improves your open rates, but also reduces the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam.
Reputation monitoring: The reputation of your IP and domain plays a critical role in deliverability. Using tools to monitor and manage your sender reputation can help you identify and resolve issues before they impact your campaigns.
User engagement: Encourage recipients to interact with your emails. Increasing click-through rates, responses and positive interactions helps signal to email providers that your messages are wanted.
What can affect email deliverability?
Several factors can affect the deliverability of your emails:
Domain and IP reputation: If your IP or domain has a history of sending low quality emails, email providers may choose to block your emails or redirect them to the spam folder.
Email list quality: Sending emails to invalid or inactive addresses can increase your bounce rate and damage your sender reputation.
Email content: Emails containing suspicious content, excessive links or keywords commonly associated with spam (such as “free”, “promotion”) may be flagged by spam filters.
Sending frequency: Sending emails too frequently can annoy recipients and cause them to mark your messages as spam.
Best practices to improve your email deliverability
To ensure your email journey is successful, here are six recommended email deliverability best practices to follow:
1. Email Authentication
First and foremost, let’s assume that you already have your own space on the web, with your own domain and an email address that exudes professionalism. If you don’t, check out Hostinger’s services – they are highly professional and offer great value for money.
- Email authentication is like your email’s ID card. It confirms that the message is really from you and helps protect everyone from unwanted and malicious emails. There are a few key methods to achieve this:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): This tells you which email servers are authorised to send messages on your behalf. When your email arrives, the recipient’s server checks that it was sent from an authorised server.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Think of this as a digital signature that accompanies your email. It helps verify that the content is legitimate and really comes from you, providing an extra layer of security for the recipient.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance): This is an additional security measure that works in conjunction with SPF and DKIM. It defines what should happen if the other two methods aren’t clear. It can decide whether an email should be gently rejected or sent to the spam folder.
With SPF, DKIM and DMARC (along with other authentication friends), you strengthen the security of your messages and increase the chances that they will be well received.
How to set up email authentication?
It’s important to note that each email provider and domain registrar (such as Hostinger, Hostgator, GoDaddy, etc.) has its own unique way of configuring email authentication. So be sure to check their manuals or contact their support teams to get it right!
2. Your sender reputation
Think of your sender reputation as your digital fingerprint in the email world. It’s a metric that email service providers (ESPs) use to measure the quality of your digital presence. Essentially, the better your reputation, the more likely your emails are to end up in recipients’ inboxes.
Here are some tips on how to keep your reputation strong:
- Double opt-in: It’s like asking for permission before you enter. Make sure people really want to receive your emails. It’s a way of saying, “Hey, we’re in this together, right?”
- Warm up before you sprint: Jumping in with mass emails from a brand new account can cause problems. Start slow and gradually increase your email volume to build a solid and trustworthy foundation. Don’t rush to send thousands of emails on your first day!
- Be a good guest: Use clear subject lines, avoid cluttering your emails with too many images and links, and always provide an easy and visible way for people to unsubscribe.
- Take care of your list: Keep your email list clean and healthy by regularly removing addresses that no longer bear fruit (inactive or invalid addresses).
By adopting these practices, you will not only maintain an excellent reputation. You will also ensure that your emails are welcomed with open arms by inboxes.
3. Ensure great content
If your email is packed with too many images and links, or is filled with those spammy keywords like “free”, “you won’t believe” or “act now”, it’s likely to be blocked at the gate.
On the other hand, if your email offers something of value, something that really resonates with the recipient, there’s a good chance it will be warmly received in the inbox.
What not to do:
- ALL CAPS – It’s like shouting, especially with too many exclamation marks!
- A rainbow of different coloured fonts in different sizes.
- Sending emails with broken links.
- Overloading the email with images and links, making it too heavy.
What you should do:
- Always provide an easy way to unsubscribe.
- Keep your content well written, relevant and to the point.
- Include a call-to-action (CTA) that leads the reader to the next step, whether subtle or direct.
- Personalise your email to make each recipient feel special and unique.
- Send only what your recipients want and expect to keep relevance high.
- Make sure your email is ready for any device, especially mobile, so that your message comes across clearly and beautifully wherever it’s read.
- Check the Spam Score of your email message!
How to run a spam check:
- Send a test of your finished email to your personal email (or any other email you prefer).
- Open the email you received, click on the options (usually the three dots in the top corner).
- Select ‘View original’. This will display your email in HTML.
- Copy everything.
- Go to the Spam Score tool.
- Paste the content and click CHECK.
And that’s it – you’ve got a score!
4. Engagement is key
Engagement is key – you already know that. Just like social media, the more engagement you have, the better your deliverability.
In other words, when your recipients open, click and even reply to your emails, it’s a sign of success! This invitation to interact not only strengthens the connection between you and your audience, but also signals to email service providers (ESPs) that what you’re sending is worth reading and not marked as spam.
- High open rates: Sends a green light to email providers that your content is welcome, increasing the likelihood that your future messages will go straight to the inbox.
- Low unsubscribe rates: Fewer people unsubscribing is a good sign that you’re on the right track. Keeping unsubscribes to a minimum signals to ESPs that your audience is interested and engaged, which in turn can improve your reputation and email deliverability.
- Reduced complaint rates: When spam complaints are rare, it’s like clear skies for your email to sail smoothly into the inbox. Email providers see this as proof that you’re a reputable sender, which can greatly improve your email deliverability.
- More clicks, more fun: Each click on a link in your email is like a virtual handshake, a confirmation of interest and engagement. This not only strengthens your relationship with your audience, but also paints a positive picture for ESPs, suggesting that your content is valuable and relevant – paving the way for future messages to be well received.
In summary, building genuine and positive engagement with your emails is like tending a garden – with care and attention you will not only cultivate a thriving relationship with your audience, but also ensure that your messages find their way under the bright sun of the inbox.
How can you increase engagement?
Here are some strategies to ensure this relationship grows stronger over time:
- Know your audience: Segmenting your subscribers allows you to send content that matches their interests and makes each email feel like a personalised letter just for them. This not only increases your chances of being read, but also increases your click-through rates.
- Welcome emails: Surprisingly, these emails stand out because of the freshness of the sign-up. Tests show that open rates can soar to 86.03%. It’s that first impression, and if your contact opens it, it already shows they’re interested in your communication. It’s a great start!
- Constant cleaning: Sometimes less is more. Cleaning up and saying goodbye to inactive subscribers may seem harsh, but it’s necessary. Not only does it improve engagement, but it also keeps your list sharp and interesting for those who really want to hear more from you.
- Test and test again: The world of email marketing is your creative laboratory. A/B testing is key. Play around with subject lines, email designs and calls-to-action to find the perfect combination. Use these insights to fine-tune your future performance.
- Visual appeal: Using designs that capture the essence of the message can transform a simple email into a visual masterpiece. Eye-catching images and layouts that flow naturally guide your audience through the journey.
Why has email engagement become critical to deliverability?
Email engagement has become a critical deliverability factor because ESPs closely monitor how recipients interact with your emails. High engagement signals that your content is relevant and valuable, making ESPs more likely to deliver your emails to the inbox. Conversely, low engagement can trigger spam filters and reduce your chances of reaching your audience. By focusing on engagement, you will not only strengthen your relationship with your recipients, but also significantly improve your email deliverability.
How to monitor email deliverability
- Delivery rate: The percentage of emails sent that are successfully delivered.
- Open rate: The percentage of emails that are opened by recipients.
- Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of recipients who clicked on links within the email.
- Bounce rate: The percentage of emails that fail to be delivered.
Email marketing tools such as Mailchimp or HubSpot offer detailed reports to help you track these metrics. By regularly reviewing these reports, you can gain valuable insight into the performance of your email campaigns and make informed adjustments to improve your deliverability.
Tools to increase email engagement
Tools such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact and ActiveCampaign offer advanced segmentation, email automation and A/B testing features that are essential for increasing engagement. These platforms allow you to better tailor your email campaigns to your audience’s interests, increasing the likelihood of interaction and response.
Why use a verification tool like Easy Email Verification?
As well as helping to keep your email list clean, Easy Email Verification offers a range of additional features such as ‘accept all’ domain detection and real-time email verification. These features ensure that your emails are sent to valid and engaged recipients, reducing bounce rates and improving overall deliverability. By using tools such as these, you can maintain a high-quality email list, which is essential for maintaining strong engagement and a positive sender reputation.
Reliable and high deliverability
To maintain high deliverability, it’s important to follow email marketing best practices, invest in email verification tools like Easy Email Verification and continually monitor your performance metrics. These combined efforts will ensure that your emails reach the right destination and are well received by your recipients.
Understanding email deliverability is fundamental to the success of your campaigns. Think of it as a key indicator of whether your messages are reaching their intended destination – right into your recipients’ inboxes.
By adopting the practices we’ve discussed, you’re essentially creating a treasure map that will ensure your emails not only arrive, but are warmly welcomed, ready to engage and connect with your audience.