How to comply with new rules from Gmail and Yahoo Mail.

Gmail and Yahoo Mail have announced they are putting new protections in place to keep inboxes safer and less spammy, which also means bulk 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 in 2024 and apply to all bulk senders everywhere, not just on the AWeber platform.

• New Gmail protections for a safer, less spammy inbox (By Google)
• More Secure, Less Spam: Enforcing Email Standards for a Better Experience (By Yahoo)

The new rules apply to all bulk senders.

Google and Yahoo specifically are making it so you cannot send emails using a gmail or yahoo address from anywhere other than the gmail or yahoo email clients. This rule is NOT specific to AWeber. It applies to all bulk senders regardless of the marketing platform you choose. Deciding to ignore the requirements will result in your mail ending up in the spam folder come February, 2024 and later.

Important deadlines

AWeber has established the following deadlines in order to help you meet these new requirements in advance of February 1, 2024 when Gmail and Yahoo Mail begin enforcement. This is to make sure you are prepared and don't experience an interruption to your normal marketing cadence.

Please meet the following deadlines to avoid an interruption to your mail sending.

You must comply with the following requirements below by February 1, 2024

✅ Send mail from a professional email address with a custom domain

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 emails. So, it's time to set up your own professional email address with a custom domain.

• Why businesses need a professional email address (AWeber Blog)

✅ Authenticate your emails

Once you have your professional email address with a custom domain, you’ll need to set up DKIM and DMARC. 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. 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.

• How do I set up DKIM records for my domain? (AWeber Support)
• How to set up DMARC to comply with Gmail and Yahoo Mail sender requirements (AWeber support)

We created a Domain Authentication Flowchart to guide you along the path to full authentication. Please take a look here: Domain Authentication Flowchart

✅ Keep spam complaints low

Spam complaint rates of 0.3% may get you banished from inboxes. This rate is generous, however, we anticipate they will eventually inch towards a stricter threshold, so best to keep it below 0.1%. 

• Where do I find out how many complaints I've received? (AWeber support)
• What is an acceptable complaint rate? (AWeber support)

✅ 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 allows email recipients to easily unsubscribe without having to dig through an email or resorting to hitting the Report 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.

• What is the unsubscribe link that AWeber appends to my messages? (AWeber support)

Get started and ask for help if you need it

It's best to get started on the above checklist as soon as possible. We recommend you start by swapping out your @yahoo.com or @gmail.com email address for a professional one. 

As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. We're here to help you meet these requirements.