Email deliverability is a critical factor in ensuring that your messages reach their intended recipients. Whether you are running email outreach campaigns, newsletters, or transactional emails, your success depends on your ability to avoid spam filters and land in the inbox. In this guide, we’ll explore the key factors that influence email deliverability and actionable steps to improve it.
What Is Email Deliverability?
Email deliverability refers to the ability of your emails to successfully reach the inbox rather than the spam folder. It is influenced by factors such as sender reputation, authentication protocols, email content, and user engagement. Even if you have a well-crafted email, poor deliverability can significantly hinder your outreach and marketing efforts.
Factors That Affect Email Deliverability
Understanding the factors that impact email deliverability will help you optimize your email strategy. Here are some of the key elements:
- Sender Reputation
Your sender reputation is a score assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) based on your email-sending practices. A low sender reputation can cause your emails to be blocked or sent to spam. Factors that influence sender reputation include:
- Email volume and consistency
- Spam complaint rates
- Bounce rates
- Engagement metrics (opens, replies, clicks)
- Email Authentication Protocols
Email authentication helps ISPs verify that your emails are legitimate. Implementing proper authentication protocols can improve deliverability. The key protocols include:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Helps prevent spoofing by verifying that mail servers are authorized to send emails on your domain’s behalf.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Uses cryptographic signatures to verify that an email has not been altered in transit.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Combines SPF and DKIM to prevent phishing attacks and improve domain reputation.
- Email List Quality
A clean and engaged email list is essential for high deliverability. If your list contains outdated or invalid email addresses, you risk high bounce rates and poor sender reputation. Best practices include:
- Regularly cleaning your email list
- Using double opt-in to ensure valid sign-ups
- Removing inactive subscribers
- Email Content and Structure
Your email content plays a crucial role in deliverability. Spam filters analyze subject lines, body text, and formatting. To optimize your content:
- Avoid spam-triggering words (e.g., “free,” “limited-time offer”)
- Use a balanced text-to-image ratio
- Personalize your emails to improve engagement
- Ensure proper HTML formatting
- Engagement Metrics
ISPs monitor engagement metrics to determine email relevance. If users frequently open, read, and interact with your emails, ISPs will consider them valuable. To boost engagement:
- Craft compelling subject lines
- Provide relevant, high-value content
- Encourage replies and interactions
- Segment your email list based on user behavior
How to Test and Improve Email Deliverability
Testing your email deliverability is crucial to identifying and resolving potential issues. Fortunately, tools like lemlist’s Free Email Deliverability Test allow you to analyze your deliverability and gain insights into potential improvements.
- Run a Deliverability Test
Using a deliverability testing tool can help you:
- Detect whether your emails are landing in inboxes, spam, or being blocked
- Identify authentication issues
- Analyze spam scores and potential content issues
- Warm Up Your Email Domain
If you are sending emails from a new domain or have experienced deliverability issues, warming up your email domain can help establish a positive sender reputation. Gradually increasing email volume over time reduces the risk of getting flagged as spam.
- Monitor Email Metrics
Regularly track key email metrics such as:
- Open rates
- Click-through rates
- Bounce rates
- Spam complaint rates
Analyzing these metrics can help you identify trends and adjust your email strategy accordingly.
- Use a Custom Tracking Domain
If you use link tracking in your emails, consider using a custom tracking domain. Generic tracking domains can sometimes be flagged as spam. A custom domain ensures consistency with your branding and improves trustworthiness.
- Maintain a Consistent Sending Schedule
Sending emails sporadically or in large bursts can trigger spam filters. Instead, maintain a consistent schedule that aligns with recipient expectations.
Conclusion
Improving email deliverability is essential for any business or marketer relying on email outreach. By focusing on sender reputation, authentication protocols, email list quality, and engagement metrics, you can ensure your emails reach the inbox rather than the spam folder.
By following these best practices, you can enhance your email campaigns and maximize the success of your email outreach efforts.
