Gmail and Yahoo are on a mission to protect their users from spam and unwanted emails, but if senders fail to properly secure their systems and leave the door for exploitation wide open, that job is a whole lot harder. That’s why Gmail and Yahoo decided that proper email authentication and following deliverability best practices are no longer a “nice-to-have.”

Gmail has introduced new requirements for email senders, set to be enforced starting February 1, 2024. Non-compliant senders will initially receive temporary errors, with Gmail gradually rejecting increasing percentages of non-compliant sends from April 2024. Yahoo and Gmail have postponed the one-click unsubscribe requirement to June 2024.

Changes Effective February 1, 2024:

Domains sending 5,000 or more emails to personal Gmail addresses within 24 hours are considered bulk senders. Subsequent to meeting this threshold, a domain is permanently categorized as a bulk sender.

• For Bulk Senders:
  • Secure Your Identity: Make sure your emails are authenticated using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols.
  • Easy Goodbyes: Include a clear unsubscribe link in your marketing emails. Support list-unsubscribe functionality, and ensure all requests are processed within two days.
  • Stay Clean: Maintain a spam rate below 0.3% to keep your email reputation healthy.

  For All Senders (Bulk and Non-Bulk):

  • Prove Your Identity: Authenticate your domain using SPF or DKIM.
  • Keep It Clean: Maintain a spam rate below 0.3% to ensure your emails are well-received.

Consequences of Not Playing By the Rules:

• Your emails might end up in spam folders or, worse, be rejected.

More Info You Might Find Handy:

• Your CSP (cloud service provider) should be able to accommodate these changes
• Why All the Fuss? These requirements are all about making the email world safer, and reducing the risk of scammers pretending to be legit brands.

Getting Ready with Your Emails:

• Prove It’s You: Authenticate your email domain using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
  
  • Sender Policy Framework (SPF): Defines the servers and domains permitted to send emails on behalf of your organization.
  • DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): Appends a digital signature to each outgoing message, enabling receiving servers to authenticate that the message genuinely originates from your organization.
  • Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC): Empowers you to instruct receiving servers on how to handle outgoing messages from your organization that fail SPF or DKIM verification.
    
• Let Them Go Easily: Set up a simple way for people to unsubscribe from your emails, and get ready for a one-click unsubscribe option soon.

Remember, sticking to these guidelines isn’t just a formality – it’s crucial for your emails to reach their destination safely. For more in-depth details, head over to Gmail’s help center, and keep an eye out for similar guidelines from Yahoo.