Gmail and Yahoo Email Changes: What Email Senders Must Do

Malicious actors and spammers are a persistent threat. Email providers like Google and Yahoo constantly work to safeguard their users’ inboxes.

As you may know, last year Google and Yahoo have introduced a new set of requirements to enhance the security of users. Starting in February 2024, email senders who don’t meet these requirements face deliverability issues.

Below we’ll break down these changes, whom they impact, and what you should do to stay compliant.

Why are Gmail and Yahoo enacting new rules for email senders?

Spam, phishing, and impersonation scams are becoming increasingly prevalent. Google and Yahoo’s email policy changes of 2024 are a continuing effort to enhance email security. Securing the users’ inboxes from unwanted and malicious messages leads to a safer email experience.

Marcel Becker, Senior Director of Product Management at Yahoo, has stated that “a key mission of Yahoo is to deliver messages that consumers want to receive and filter out the messages they don’t”.

While the updates are geared towards protecting email recipients, they also benefit senders. These changes reduce the risk of false impersonation and minimize the chances of your legitimate emails being flagged as spam.

Whom Do These Gmail and Yahoo Changes Apply To?

Google and Yahoo email changes impact bulk email senders. Google explicitly defines bulk senders as those “who send more than 5,000 messages per day”. While Yahoo doesn’t give an exact definition, it is safe to assume that it might be similar. Moreover, if you are someone who sends less than that number, it’s wise to adhere to the rules as well.

The Google and Yahoo’s requirements can be boiled down to:

• Authenticating your emails
• Allowing quick and easy unsubscription
• Keeping spam rates below 0.3%

These requirements align with time-tested best practices in the industry. The key change is that now mailbox providers are making them compulsory for all email senders.

Will other major email providers follow suit?

Most definitely, yes. While Gmail and Yahoo are among the top email providers on the market, there are other major players which do not want to fall behind in such important matters. Gmail is particularly valued for its advanced spam protection which other companies strive to align with. Thus, they’ll start adopting similar requirements before you know it. 

To reiterate what we’ve said above, all senders who have not implemented the new requirements yet should do so now, for their own peace of mind.

How to adhere to the Gmail and Yahoo Mail changes

So, what changes should you make to stay compliant? We’ll go over how to implement the new requirements to ensure your message gets to the recipient’s inbox.

Use your own custom domain

If you’re using free mail domains for your business, it’s time to level up. Instead of using the name of email providers like @gmail.com in your ‘From’ address, send from your company’s domain (like @yourcompany.com). 

A custom domain has always been the best practice. It’s a necessary step to building trust with your audience.

Verify the authentication status of your domain

Neil Kumaran, Gmail Security & Trust Group Product Manager, explains in a product update:

“Many bulk senders don’t appropriately secure and configure their systems, allowing attackers to easily hide in their midst.”

Authentication is a crucial process that certifies your domain as secure and reliable. It demonstrates to the mailbox provider that the sender really is who they claim to be. That is why the Google Yahoo email 2024 changes require all bulk senders to authenticate their emails.

“Ultimately, this will close loopholes exploited by attackers that threaten everyone who uses email,” Neil says.

We’ll discuss the three main email authentication methods below.

DKIM authentication

Gmail and Yahoo require that you turn on DKIM for the domain that sends your emails. DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) is an email authentication protocol that adds a digital signature to each email. It confirms the domain owner actually sent the message, and the content has not been tampered with in transit.

To set up DKIM, add a TXT entry containing the public key for authentication to your domain’s DNS configuration. The sending email server must be configured to sign outgoing messages using a private DKIM key. The receiving server verifies them using the corresponding public DKIM key.

SPF authentication

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an authentication protocol that allows you to list all the SMTP servers you are authorizing to send emails for your domain. The receiving servers can check if the IP address an email is coming from is allowed to send messages on your behalf. SPF hinders spammers from forging emails that claim to originate from your domain.

DMARC policy

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is an email security standard that complements DKIM and SPF. It provides a DNS policy record that tells receiving servers, like Gmail, what to do with emails that don’t pass DKIM and SPF checks.

The policy options for emails that fail the check are none, quarantine, and reject. None tells the provider to take no action, quarantine sends the email to the recipient’s spam folder, and reject bounces the message.

DMARC is a powerful way to prevent spammers from impersonating you and damaging your sender reputation. To set up, add a DMARC record defining one of the policies to your DNS.

Tools to check authentication setup

After setting up DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, it’s essential to make sure everything works as expected. Free third-party tools like MXToolbox or DMARC Analyzer help you verify your email authentication setup. They can identify any misconfigurations or issues requiring attention. Always use one of these tools to perform additional checks whenever you make changes to your email setup.

Make unsubscribing quick and easy

Another vital part of the Yahoo and Google email requirements is the unsubscribe policy. Large volume senders should make unsubscribing as easy as possible. Both Google and Yahoo require a one-click unsubscribe, and the request should be processed within two days.

Keep your spam complaint rate under 0.3%

Mailbox providers also require that email senders keep their spam complaint rate below 0.3%. A high spam complaint rate will negatively impact your sender reputation, making it hard to reach the inbox. Constantly monitoring this number and other engagement metrics using tools like the Google Postmaster is crucial.

Industry Response to Gmail and Yahoo Email Changes

The Gmail and Yahoo email changes have prompted discussions within the email marketing industry. In response to the new requirements, the community is actively adjusting its marketing strategies.

At MailCon 2024, marketers from around the world gathered to discuss best practices and concerns in the new era. Some key insights shared by Amy Doyle Ellwood, Senior Director of Client Services at Campaigner, include:

• List attrition is more of a challenge than before with the new changes.
• Keeping a healthy list of subscribers and adopting industry’s best practices is essential.
• The requirement for a prominent unsubscribe option means that recipients can disengage before even opening an email.

Ebenezer Anjorin, lead project manager at Google, highlighted an important perspective during the event:

"The question I get from senders is when will Google, or Yahoo, start rejecting my messages."

However, he emphasized that senders are focusing on the wrong issue: "I think that's the wrong question. 'Will the domain be evicted?' That's the bigger question. It takes time to build up reputation."

By simplifying the unsubscribe process, senders can reduce the likelihood of negative subscriber reactions such as spam reports. These actions significantly harm the sender reputation.

"If you don’t make it easy to unsubscribe, the report spam goes up and then an outright block, and that’s just not good," he informed.

While some senders worry about making unsubscription too accessible, Anjorin's insights suggest the opposite.

Follow Best Practices for Better Reputation

Maintaining a strong sender reputation determines email marketing success in this new era. To reduce the chances of your messages landing in the spam folder or being blocked by the email provider, take effort to follow the best practices below.

• Implement email authentication methods like DKIM, SPF, and DMARC.
• It’s recommended that you send your emails from the same single IP address. If using multiple IP addresses is unavoidable, assign a dedicated IP address to each message type. For instance, use one IP address for marketing emails and another for notifications.
• Use consistent From: email address for similar messages. For example, a domain like example.com could use deals@example.com for promotions and alert@example.com for notifications.
• Focus on providing valuable content that resonates with your audience.
• Increase your sending volume gradually to avoid email deliverability problems.
• Maintain clean and up-to-date email lists by regularly removing invalid addresses.

How can UniOne help?

As senders navigate the Gmail and Yahoo policy changes, UniOne provides the tools and support needed to achieve optimal deliverability. We make it easy for our users to stay compliant, including setting up email authentication protocols. Our team is ready to help you implement these changes and maintain a strong sender reputation. We also offer detailed analytics and intuitive dashboards for monitoring email performance.

If you're looking for a reliable email service provider, consider UniOne by signing up for a free 4-month trial.

The bottom line

The Gmail and Yahoo email changes 2024 are an important step in ensuring a safer, more reliable inbox experience. For smaller email senders, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by these requirements. But they’re an opportunity to nurture your reputation and avoid future problems.

These updates reinforce best practices you're likely already implementing. If you have additional questions not covered in this guide, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help.

FAQ

Why are Gmail and Yahoo Mail changing the requirements for email senders?

Gmail and Yahoo mail policy changes aim to enhance user experience by reducing unwanted emails. These updates help protect users from malicious emails while ensuring legitimate senders maintain a good reputation and achieve better email deliverability.

When did the changes come into effect?

The changes came into effect in February 2024. Gmail and Yahoo announced these updates in late 2023, giving bulk senders time to adjust before enforcement began.

What's the bulk threshold for the changes?

These changes apply to anyone sending 5,000 or more emails per day to Gmail or Yahoo recipients. While the updates are primarily for bulk senders, people under this threshold should also comply for improved engagement and deliverability.

What happens if my emails don't meet these new requirements?

Your inbox placement will be affected if you don’t adhere to these updates. “If senders don’t meet these requirements, messages might be rejected or delivered to recipients’ spam folders,” Gmail announced.

Will other mail providers follow suit?

Other inbox providers will likely adopt similar policies in the future. Gmail and Yahoo are two of the largest email services, and their changes set a precedent in the industry.