How Do I Improve Email Deliverability?

Improving email deliverability means ensuring your emails are not marked as spam, they don’t bounce, and they actually make it to the recipient's inbox. This is easier said than done, as email service providers use complex algorithms to filter out unwanted emails, and sometimes legitimate emails get caught in the net. However, with the right practices, you can significantly improve your email deliverability and ensure your messages are seen by your audience.

Email deliverability is a critical component of a successful email marketing strategy. This article will walk you through various strategies to improve email deliverability and ensure your messages reach your subscribers.

Shift to Your Custom Domain

Moving your email communications to a custom domain is not just a branding exercise; it’s a critical step in establishing your identity and improving email deliverability.

• Build Your Reputation. A custom domain allows you to build a sending reputation that is entirely your own. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) track sender reputations by domain. If you’re sending from a free email provider, you’re sharing your reputation with countless other businesses, which can negatively affect your deliverability.

• Avoid Domain-Based Blacklisting. If you’re using a shared domain and another business using the same domain gets blacklisted, you could find your emails being blocked as well.

• Improve Brand Recognition and Trust. Emails sent from a recognizable domain can increase trust, reducing the likelihood that recipients will mark your emails as spam.

Regularly Segment by Delivered Email Addresses and Clicks

Strategic segmentation ensures you are sending the right messages to the right people, leading to better engagement and deliverability.

• Boost Open and Click-Through Rates. By segmenting based on past engagement, you can tailor your content more closely to what your subscribers find interesting and valuable, boosting your open and click-through rates.

• Identify and Re-Engage Inactive Subscribers. Segment email addresses to identify subscribers who haven’t engaged with your emails over a certain period. You can then create targeted re-engagement campaigns to win them back.

Do Thorough A/B Testing of Email Components

A/B testing (also known as split testing) involves comparing two versions of an email to see which one performs better in terms of open rates, click-through rates, or other metrics.

• Test One Component at a Time. To get clear results, only test one component of your email at a time — whether it’s the subject line, call to action, images, or email copy.

• Use Significant Sample Sizes. Ensure that your sample size is large enough to give you statistically significant results.

• Apply Your Learnings. Use the insights gained from A/B testing to optimize future emails.

Become a Legitimate Sender

Being recognized as a legitimate sender in the eyes of ISPs is crucial for your emails to reach the inbox.

• Avoid Using No-Reply Addresses. Sending from a no-reply address can hurt your deliverability. Instead, encourage replies to show ISPs that recipients are engaging with your emails.

• Authenticate Your Emails. Use email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify your emails’ legitimacy.

Adjust Your Email Campaign for Audience Engagement

Engagement is a key metric ISPs look at when deciding whether your email should go to the inbox or the spam folder.

• Segmentation and Personalization. Use segmentation and personalization to send more relevant, engaging content.

• Send Triggered Emails. Send emails triggered by a subscriber’s behavior, such as a welcome email after they sign up or a cart abandonment email.

Create Content for Your Subscribers Love

Providing valuable, relevant content is essential to keeping your subscribers engaged and ensuring your emails make it to the inbox.

• Understand Your Audience. Use surveys, feedback forms, and data analysis to understand what content your audience wants.

• Provide Exclusive Content. Give your subscribers content they can’t get anywhere else, such as exclusive tips, early access to sales, or members-only content.

Maintain a Consistent Sending Schedule

Consistency helps build sender reputation and subscriber trust, contributing to better deliverability.

• Avoid Sudden Volume Spikes. A sudden increase in email volume can trigger spam filters. If you need to increase volume, do so gradually.

• Stick to Your Schedule. Once you’ve established a sending schedule, stick to it as closely as possible.

Use List Validation and Minimize Bad Data

Keeping your email list clean ensures you’re sending to valid addresses and reduces the risk of hitting spam traps.

• Use an Email Verification Tool. Regularly run your list through an email verification tool to check for invalid addresses.

• Avoid Purchased Lists. Never buy email lists, as they are likely to contain invalid addresses and spam traps.

Use List Validation and Minimize Bad Data

Keeping your email list clean ensures you’re sending to valid addresses and reduces the risk of hitting spam traps.

• Use an Email Verification Tool. Regularly run your list through a mail tester software to check for invalid addresses. Atompark Mail Verifier is perfect for this task.

• Avoid Purchased Lists. Never buy email lists, as they are likely to contain invalid addresses and spam traps.

Lengthen Your Email Copy

While you don’t want to send unnecessarily long emails, providing enough content in the email itself can improve deliverability.

• Balance Text and Images. Make sure your emails are not image-heavy and include a good balance of text.

• Provide Value. Make sure every email provides value to the subscriber, even if it’s just a quick tip or piece of advice.

Conclusion

Improving email deliverability is a continuous process that requires attention to detail, understanding your audience, and adapting your strategies based on performance and feedback. By implementing the strategies outlined in this guide, you are setting the foundation for successful email campaigns that not only reach your subscribers' inboxes but also engage and convert them.

Remember, the goal is not just to send emails, but to send emails that are welcomed, opened, and acted upon by your audience. Invest the time and resources into improving your email deliverability, and you will see a positive impact on your overall email marketing performance. Use email marketing tools to make your daily email campaign routine easier. Verify your lists with our Mail Verifier to avoid wasting time, money and sender reputation.