Why this matters
In 2024, Gmail and Yahoo introduced stricter requirements for senders. If you don't meet them, your emails are much more likely to be sent to spam or rejected. These rules apply most strictly to bulk senders, but following them is good practice for everyone.
There are three requirements.
1. Authenticate your sending domain
Your domain must be authenticated so providers can confirm your emails are really from you.
- Add the DKIM record and make sure you have a DMARC record. See Authenticating your domain.
- New to these terms? See Understanding SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
2. Make it easy to unsubscribe
Recipients must be able to unsubscribe in one click, and you must honor unsubscribe requests promptly.
- Always include a working unsubscribe link in your campaigns. See Adding unsubscribe links.
3. Keep your spam complaint rate low
Gmail and Yahoo expect senders to keep spam complaints low (Gmail asks senders to stay below a 0.3% complaint rate). High complaint rates hurt your deliverability for everyone.
- Send only to people who opted in, and keep your list clean.
- See Building sender reputation and Feedback loops.
Who needs to comply
These requirements are enforced most strictly for bulk senders (Gmail defines this as sending roughly 5,000 or more messages per day to Gmail addresses). However, authentication, easy unsubscribes, and a clean list are best practices for every sender, so we recommend meeting all three regardless of your volume.
Related articles
- Authenticating your domain - Requirement 1
- Adding unsubscribe links - Requirement 2
- Building sender reputation - Requirement 3
- Getting started with senders and authentication - Set everything up