Google and Yahoo’s email sender requirements in 2024, don’t go in the spam folder!

Many people using CRMs & email marketing tools are going to miss this big update, don’t let it be you!

In February 2024, Google and Yahoo are implementing changes that affect sending emails. Everyone is affected by this update so pay attention!

This update affects everyone but especially bulk email senders that send more than 5,000 emails per day.

Don’t use Gmail or Yahoo email addresses to send bulk emails!

If you’ve been using a gmail or yahoo address to send emails for business, stop! This needs to change, make sure you setup and use your companies website domain from now on. You will need this from the 1st February 2024 or you risk a massive drop in email deliverability. It looks more professional to use your brands domain to send emails.

Setup your branded sending domain

In your CRM/email marketing tool setup a sending domain for your brand. You’ll need to find the specific instructions for this on the system you are using. Usually you have to add a few DNS records pointing to various DNS records on your system and it’s ready to go.

Please keep in mind that when you setup a branded domain email, you should spend 2-4 weeks warming it up. Sending less email through it and building up over time. Usually you would start by sending emails to your more engaged users first.

Configure DMARC policy on your DNS

DMARC authentication is something servers use to make sure emails are coming from the genuine domain owner.

Here is a quick run down on how to setup the following records on your root domain.

For example, on hanleydigital.com (root domain), we would add a TXT record with the following values:

• v=DMARC1
• p=none
• rua=mailto:dmarcreports@hanleydigital.com, this line is recommended but not required

We use Amazon Route53 as our DNS provider, so our record input would look like this:

If we run a DMARC check with MXToolbox we get something like this:

If you already have DMARC setup on your sending domain, you don’t need to make these changes. Make sure you do have a RUA tag setup with a valid email address to receive reports from inbox providers.

DMARC Reports

DMARC reports allow you to monitor the emails being sent using your domain. The RUA tells the inbox provider who to send the DMARC status reports to.

It is important to keep an eye on the reports and pass them on to the right team or person at your company to handle them.

Align your friendly “from” with your branded domain

A friendly “from” address is what your subscribers see in their inbox as the brands email address.

Make sure in the CRM or email marketing system you use, the sending email is your reachable email address and not the branded sending domain. So for example, our sender email address would be hello@hanleydigital.com not hello@send.hanleydigital.com.

Is it easy to unsubscribe?

Are your emails easy to unsubscribe to?

Most email marketing tools add an Unsubscribe link to your emails headers, which the email providers show near the from email.

But, it is important to check all your email campaign templates to make sure you have an easily identifiable Unsubscribe link in the body of the emails.

Speak to an expert about your CRM

Bringing all of your tech together to work like one well-oiled machine is key to unlocking the next level of growth for your business.

To do this, you need the right software specialist on board who can advise you, support you, and make sure your business grows with your ambitions. 

Hanley Digital specialises in CRMs & email marketing and delivers custom software integration solutions for a multitude of organisations, from small businesses to global corporations.

If you’re ready to work smarter rather than harder, let us support you to do just that with confidence and ease thanks to a seamless software solution powering you to achieve more. Get in touch on hello@hanleydigital.com or 0114 4055 330 and let’s take it from there.