Keeping up with changes in email marketing is critical to ensuring your messages land in inboxes, not spam folders. Gmail and Yahoo have announced new requirements for bulk senders, reinforcing the need for strong authentication, lower spam complaints, and easy unsubscribe options. These changes take effect in early 2024, and email marketers must act now to stay compliant and maintain deliverability.

Many of these updates should already be on your implementation checklist. If they are not, now is the time to make room—these changes take effect in February 2024.

Let’s break down what these changes mean for email marketers and the timelines to follow.

Gmail’s Guidelines (Effective February 1, 2024):

Gmail is tightening its security measures, especially for high-volume senders. Starting February 1, 2024, if you send more than 5,000 messages per day to Gmail accounts, you must meet the following requirements (Talk with your ESPs as soon as possible to ensure you can support these requirements):

  • Email Authentication: Implement SPF or DKIM email authentication for your domain.
  • DNS Records: Ensure valid forward and reverse DNS records (PTR records) for sending domains or IPs.
  • Spam Rates: Keep spam rates below 0.3% as reported in Postmaster Tools.
  • Message Formatting: Format messages according to the Internet Message Format standard (RFC 5322).
  • DMARC Authentication: Set up DMARC email authentication for your sending domain.
  • DMARC Enforcement for Gmail: Avoid impersonating Gmail From: headers, as Gmail will enforce a DMARC quarantine policy. You might need to talk to your ESP if you send emails from an @gmail.com email address for options.
  • Forwarded Emails: If you regularly forward emails, add ARC headers to outgoing emails, and mailing list senders should include a List-id: header.
  • DMARC Alignment: For direct mail, ensure alignment with SPF or DKIM domains to pass DMARC alignment.
  • Unsubscribe Feature: For subscribed messages, enable one-click unsubscribe with a clearly visible link.

Act quickly if you send more than 5,000 emails per day before the deadline. Failure to meet these requirements might result in email delivery issues.

Yahoo’s Changes (Effective First Quarter of 2024):

Yahoo, with a mission to deliver wanted messages and filter out unwanted ones, is making significant changes for bulk senders in the first quarter of 2024. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Email Authentication: Bulk senders must implement stronger email authentication using industry standards like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
  • Easy Unsubscription Options: Support one-click unsubscribe and honor user requests within two days.
  • Relevance Threshold: Ensure emails sent align with users’ preferences to maintain a clutter-free inbox.

Email marketers must adapt promptly. Strengthen authentication, streamline unsubscribe processes, and send relevant content. Gmail and Yahoo are prioritizing user experience—by meeting these standards, you improve deliverability and contribute to a safer, more efficient email ecosystem.

Other articles about these changes:
Word to the wise: New Requirements for Bulk Senders

Spam Resource: Gmail and Yahoo: New deliverability requirements coming in 2024