How to comply with Google & Yahoo's new sending requirements
Gmail and Yahoo Mail announced they are putting new protections in place to keep inboxes safer and less spammy, which means email senders will need to adhere to specific requirements to get delivered to inboxes. These new rules will be enforced by Gmail and Yahoo Mail starting February 2024 and apply to all senders everywhere, not just AWeber users.
- New Gmail protections for a safer, less spammy inbox (By Google)
- Enforcing Email Standards for a Better Experience (By Yahoo)
New rules apply to all senders.
These rules are NOT specific to AWeber. It applies to all senders regardless of the marketing platform you choose. Deciding to ignore the requirements will result in your mail ending up in the spam folder or being rejected starting in February 2024.
AWeber users with >400 subscribers must comply with the following requirements to avoid sending interruption.
Three Step Checklist
Step 1: Send mail from a professional email address with a custom domain
Rule: Your email address must be a custom domain.
Example: Send from dave@millerlandscaping.com instead of millerlandscaping@gmail.com.
Learn more:
- How to buy a custom domain, set up a professional email address, and connect it to AWeber
- Why businesses need a professional email address
If you’re sending from an @gmail or @yahoo address, or similar, it's time to level up. These email addresses are for sending emails back and forth to friends and family—not for sending your newsletter or promotional email to thousands of subscribers. So, it's time to use your own professional email address with a custom domain.
Step 2. Authenticate your domain with custom DKIM
Rule: You must connect your email address's domain to AWeber for custom DKIM signing
Show me how: How do I set up DKIM records for my domain?
Important: If you don't own your email sending domain, you'll need to buy one and set up an email address before continuing.
Once you have your professional email address with a custom domain, configure custom DKIM for that domain. DKIM is like a digital signature for emails, a way for the sender (you) to prove they really sent the email and that it hasn't been changed by anyone in between.
Step 3. Set up a DMARC Policy
Rule: You need to publish a DMARC policy for your custom domain in the form of a DNS record. It needs to have a policy of None, Quarantine, or Reject. If you're just publishing one for the first time, do not configure Quarantine or Reject.
Show me how: How to set up DMARC to comply with Gmail and Yahoo Mail sender requirements
Learn more: What is DMARC authentication?
DMARC helps make sure that the emails you send are really from you. If someone tries to fake your email address, DMARC helps block those phony messages from reaching others, keeping your email reputation safe and sound.
Other important factors to keep in mind
Keep spam complaints low
Aim to limit Spam complaints to 0.1%. The best way to achieve this goal is to make sure you're sending to subscribers who actually asked for your mail, and to make sure your messaging is what they're expecting to receive from you.
Make it easy for people to unsubscribe (done for you)
AWeber already inserts the necessary unsubscribe headers for all of your email messages. This enables links located next to the sender name of an email allowing email recipients to easily unsubscribe without having to dig through an email or resorting to hitting the "Mark as Spam" button.
AWeber also includes a link in your message body making it easy for your subscribers to update their preferences or to unsubscribe altogether.
Key concept: It's better to have someone unsubscribe from your mail than to mark you as a spammer.
Get started
- Login to AWeber.
- Go to "My Account" in the bottom left corner.
- View "Domains and Addresses".
On that page use the "gear" icon next to your domain to get the configuration settings for adding DKIM and DMARC.
Ask for help if you need it
As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions. We're here to help you meet these requirements.