Email deliverability is a critical factor in the success of any email marketing campaign. When your emails fail to reach your audience’s inboxes, it can significantly impact your business’s growth. Based on my experience, I have learned that email deliverability issues stem from three main areas: technical issues, content-related problems, and domain reputation or blacklisting.

Technical Issues

Technical issues are often the easiest to fix, and you should see improvements in deliverability almost immediately once they are addressed. Common technical problems include improper email authentication, such as incorrectly setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Email providers use these protocols to verify that emails are genuinely coming from the domain they claim to come from.

Another technical issue might involve using a shared IP address with a poor reputation. If other users on the same IP are sending spammy emails, your deliverability could be affected. To resolve this, you may need to switch to a dedicated IP address, which isolates your reputation from that of others.

Timeline: Fixing technical issues can typically be done within 24 hours, with improvements in deliverability often seen almost immediately after addressing the issues.

Content Issues

Content issues refer to the use of specific words or phrases in your email subject lines or body that trigger spam filters. Words like “100% discount,” “on offer,” and other promotional language are often flagged as spammy. To avoid this, use language that mimics natural conversation in your emails and steer clear of excessive sales jargon. Additionally, overloading your email with images can trigger spam filters; if possible, consider using plain text emails.

Timeline: Content issues can usually be resolved within 24 hours.

Domain Reputation Issues (Blacklisting)

Domain reputation or blacklisting is a more complex problem and involves your domain or IP being blacklisted by major email providers like Gmail or Yahoo. This can occur if your emails have been reported as spam or if you’re using an email marketing service with a bad reputation. If you’re using a hosted email marketing platform and encounter blacklisting issues, you may need to switch to a dedicated IP address, which usually comes at an additional cost.

In some cases, if your domain has a poor reputation, you might be forced to consider using a new domain for email marketing. However, identifying the exact cause of blacklisting—whether it’s your domain, IP, or provider—can be challenging, and there is no definite timeline for resolving this issue.

Best Practices for Maintaining Good Email Deliverability

To prevent future deliverability issues and maintain a positive sender reputation, consider implementing these practices:

1. Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses.
2. Implement a double opt-in process for new subscribers to ensure you are sending emails to users who are interested in your topic
3. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your domain email.

Read more about new Gmail and Yahoo email-sending guidelines.