Ensuring your emails reach the inbox is crucial for successful email marketing. No matter how well-crafted your message is, it won’t drive results if it lands in the spam folder. Email deliverability is the key to maximising engagement and conversions.
In this guide, we’ll explore best practices to improve your email deliverability and keep your messages out of the spam folder.
1. What is Email Deliverability?
Email deliverability refers to the ability of an email to successfully reach a recipient’s inbox. Factors such as sender reputation, authentication, and email content affect whether your emails are delivered, blocked, or marked as spam.
2. Key Factors Affecting Email Deliverability
Several elements influence whether your emails reach inboxes:
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Sender Reputation: ISPs (Internet Service Providers) assess your email-sending history. A poor reputation can result in blocked emails.
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Email Authentication: Proper authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help verify your email’s legitimacy.
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Engagement Rates: High open and click-through rates signal to ISPs that your emails are valuable, improving deliverability.
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Spam Complaints: If recipients mark your emails as spam, it damages your reputation and reduces deliverability.
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Bounce Rates: Too many undelivered emails (bounces) can indicate a poor-quality email list.
3. Best Practices to Improve Email Deliverability
Follow these strategies to ensure your emails land in the inbox:
A. Use a Reputable Email Sending Domain
Using a verified domain instead of a free email provider (e.g., @gmail.com) builds trust with ISPs. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to authenticate your emails.
B. Maintain a Clean Email List
Regularly remove inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses to lower bounce rates and improve engagement.
C. Personalise and Segment Your Emails
Sending relevant, targeted content increases engagement, reducing spam complaints and improving deliverability.
D. Monitor and Improve Email Engagement
Encourage opens and clicks by:
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Writing compelling subject lines
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Using a clear and engaging email design
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Including a strong call-to-action (CTA)
E. Avoid Spam Trigger Words
Words like “free,” “limited time,” and “guaranteed” can increase the chances of your email being flagged as spam. Keep language natural and avoid excessive capitalisation and punctuation.
F. Monitor Your Sender Reputation
Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score to track your sender reputation and make necessary improvements.
G. Implement a Double Opt-In
A double opt-in process ensures that subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails, reducing spam complaints and improving engagement.
4. How to Check Your Email Deliverability
Regularly assess your email performance with these tools:
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Google Postmaster Tools – Monitors sender reputation and spam complaints.
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Mail Tester – Checks email spam scores.
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MXToolBox – Tests authentication settings and blacklist status.
5. Conclusion: Take Control of Your Email Deliverability
Improving email deliverability is essential for maximising your email marketing success. By following these best practices—cleaning your email list, segmenting your audience, authenticating emails, and monitoring performance—you can ensure your emails consistently reach your subscribers’ inboxes.
Need help optimising your email deliverability? Our team specialises in ensuring your email marketing strategy achieves maximum impact!
