Beginning in February 2024, Google and Yahoo are set to gradually implement new limitations on the sending of high-volume, bulk emails to their respective domains. The definition of a bulk sender is emailing more than 5000 emails a day to Google and Yahoo domains.
We understand that this may raise questions about how these changes affect your email outreach strategies. To help you navigate these changes smoothly, we've compiled a list of frequently asked questions and our expert answers.
1. What exactly are these changes?
Google and Yahoo are implementing stricter requirements for bulk email senders. The definition of a bulk sender is emailing more than 5000 emails a day to Google and Yahoo domains.
2. Who will be affected by these changes?
Any organization sending more than 5,000 emails per day to Google or Yahoo personal addresses will be impacted. This applies at the domain level rather than platform level - for example, all emails sent from a domain (e.g. 'company.com') will be counted regardless of whether they are sent manually, utilising SourceWhale or using a marketing automation platform.
Please note, Google's current guidance is that the new sender guidelines only apply when sending emails to personal Gmail accounts, not Google Workspace accounts (e.g. any domain which utilises Google as their email provider but ends in @company.com).
3. How soon will these changes come into effect?
Google and Yahoo have confirmed that these changes will be introduced gradually from February 2024.
4. Should non-bulk senders be concerned?
While the immediate impact is on bulk senders, we recommend implementing our best practices to maintain a good sender reputation. Learn more here.
5. What is the daily sending limit?
The limit is 5,000 emails per day, aggregated across your organization’s entire domain and IP addresses.
6. How is the 0.3% spam rate calculated?
The 0.3% spam rate is based on the volume of abuse reports received via the “Report Spam” function or its equivalent. This means, regardless of whether a recipient has blocked a sender or whether the user filters the customer to their Spam folder, the only data point that will be used in determining whether or not a sender is <0.3% abuse rate is the user reports.
7. What are the consequences of exceeding the spam rate threshold?
Starting February 2024, exceeding the 0.3% spam complaint rate threshold may result in your messages being directed to spam folders, with no eligibility for mitigation.
8. What if we receive an "undeliverable" error from Google?
Google’s SMTP error message will provide details on the issue. You can address these through the Workspace Admin Help section on their site.
9. How can we ensure compliance and review error messages?
Both Google and Yahoo offer tools for senders to check domain issues, review error messages, and meet compliance requirements.
10. Are there specific guidelines for unsubscribe links?
Yes, your unsubscribe link must be functional and comply with Google’s one-click unsubscribe requirement. Even temporary unavailability can flag your messages as spam. You can set this up from your profile settings. If you believe you are receiving excessive amounts of rejections, you can follow a mitigation process through Google for email delivery issues. Yahoo also offers similar support via their Specialist Contact form.
11. Should we create more email addresses to bypass these requirements?
Creating more email addresses or domains is not a viable long-term solution. Google’s requirements focus on the sender, not just the domain. Building your brand and following best practices is crucial.
12. What if an email is rejected by Google?
Google will provide a rejection code and reason, with further data available in Postmaster tools. Yahoo offers similar feedback through their Complaint Feedback Loop.
13. Google announced that the Bulk Sending requirements will only apply to emails being sent to personal accounts, not workspace accounts. Does this mean I don’t need to take any action at this time?
Currently, these changes don’t apply to Google Workspace accounts, but it's expected that the policy will extend to all recipients soon.
We recommend following our best practices to mitigate risk.
14. How can we track our daily email volume?
You can coordinate with your IT Email Admin and marketing teams. Tools like Google Postmaster Tools, Yahoo Sender Hub, and Microsoft SNDS report volume as well also provide volume reports.
15. Will emails going to recipients with corporate email addresses not be at risk of the .3% spam threshold? Is this only for personal accounts?
Google's current guidance is that the new sender guidelines only apply when sending emails to personal Gmail accounts, not Google Workspace accounts (e.g. any domain which utilises Google as their email provider but ends in @company.com).
While the focus is on personal accounts, maintaining a good sender reputation is key for all types of email communications.
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