How to Ensure Your Email Marketing Meets Google and Yahoo’s New Sender Requirements

Your Checklist to Meet the New Sender Requirements

These new sender requirements will mean great things for email user privacy, but they won’t mean great things for non-compliant businesses and brands. Senders who don’t meet every requirement will have issues delivering to Google and Yahoo email addresses… and that’s a hit no email marketer wants to face!

So, if you want to avoid those dreaded delivery issues but you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry — DIDO Agency is here to help!

We’ve compiled a checklist that outlines everything you need to do before February 2024 to ensure you’re complying with every aspect of Google and Yahoo’s new requirements.

1. Use a domain you own for the “from” address.

When choosing your brand’s “friendly from” name and address, avoid using Gmail or Yahoo addresses as it can easily be marked as spam or suspicious activity. Instead, use an email address from a website domain you own to improve the legitimacy of your email efforts .

For example:

❌ [email protected]

❌ [email protected]

✅ [email protected]

Helpful Resources:

→ “Understand the domains that play a role in email deliverability” by Klaviyo Help Center

→ “How to change your sender email address and sender name” by Klaviyo Help Center

2. Set up your branded sending domain.

A branded sending domain — or a dedicated sending domain — means your emails will look like they were sent from your brand directly, excluding information about the ESP you use (e.g. “via [ESP]” or “sent on behalf of”). Setting up a branded sending domain instead of a shared sending domain gives you better control over your sender reputation and is generally best practice for email deliverability.

For example:

❌<[email protected]> via klaviyomail.com (Shared Sending Domain)

✅ <[email protected]> (Branded/Dedicated Sending Domain)

Helpful Resources:

→ “Understanding branded vs. shared sending domains” by Klaviyo Help Center

→ “How to set up a branded sending domain” by Klaviyo Help Center

3. Configure your brand’s DMARC policy.

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance — otherwise known as DMARC — is an authentication protocol that makes sure emails are only sent from legitimate senders. You can use DMARC reporting to monitor emails that are sent using your name, meaning you’re always aware of spoofing, phishing, and other spam attempts.

Helpful Resources:

→ “Overview of DMARC” by DMARC

→ “DMARC Setup Guide” by Global Cyber Alliance

4. Match the root domain on your branded sending domain and “from” address.

Once you set up your branded sending domain, you need to make sure your “from” address uses the same root domain. If your branded sending domain and “from” address aren’t using the same root domain, you won’t properly comply with DMARC policy and will face deliverability issues beyond just Google and Yahoo.

For example:

❌Does not match

→ Branded sending domain: send.didoagency.com

→ Root domain: didoagency.com

→ “From” address: hello@dido.com

✅Does match

→ Branded sending domain: send.didoagency.com

→ Root domain: didoagency.com

→ “From” address: [email protected]

Helpful Resources:

→ “Understand the domains that play a role in email deliverability” by Klaviyo Help Center

→ “Connect your email sending domain” by HubSpot

5. Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe.

Your email marketing should already offer a clear unsubscribe option. However, with the new sender requirements, all unsubscribe links need to be one-click. Make sure any new templates, campaigns, and flows have an easy-to-find, one-click unsubscribe link (and don’t forget to update your existing emails, too!).

Helpful Resources:

→ “Stay compliant with one-click unsubscribe for emails” by Microsoft

→ How to add an unsubscribe link

■ Klaviyo

*Note: To help their users meet the new requirements, Klaviyo will automatically add a one-click unsubscribe to all email headers going forward.

■ MailChimp

■ HubSpot

■ Campaign Monitor

■ Mailer Lite

6. Monitor your spam rates (and work to keep them low).

Regardless of new sender requirements, it’s always best practice to monitor your spam rates and make adjustments to keep them as low as possible. Low spam complaints show inbox providers (like Google and Yahoo) that you’re a legitimate sender who consistently follows email best practices.

Helpful Resources:

→ “How to reduce spam complaint rates” by Klaviyo Help Center

→ “Postmaster Tools” by Gmail