6 best practices for better email deliverability

Email is a great way to engage users with your business or website, let clients know about discounts and deals, and encourage repeat visits. But the time and effort you put into these emails is all for nothing if they end up in a spam folder. Follow these six best practices for better email deliverability.

Do confirm your opt-ins

Taking an initial email opt-in for granted is a slippery slope. Your subscriber may have been OK entering their email address to get that sweet 15% discount you’re offering, but could be less thrilled once they start receiving daily emails. To ensure happy customers and eager subscribers, and to avoid any negative social chatter, asking your subscriber to confirm their subscription is a great precaution to take.

Don’t send from a free email service

With the recent growth in the implementation of DMARC, it’s more important than ever to use a professional email address from a paid service to show providers that your emails are trustworthy. Sending mass emails from a free email address is almost a guarantee that your emails will get caught in spam filters and your credibility will plummet. Using a service like Name.com Email or Professional Email by Google is a better alternative to improve your email deliverability that won’t break the bank.

Do segment your email list

There are some people out there who have no problem receiving an email from you every single day. Others only want to hear from you about once a week and only if there’s something REALLY good going on. Giving your subscribers options about the frequency and types of content they receive will help you retain subscribers that you could have otherwise lost.

Don’t make it difficult to unsubscribe

Sure, losing a subscriber is never fun, but making your subscribers jump through hoops to remove themselves from your email list is just going to annoy them. And what will they do if they no longer want to see your emails but can’t figure out how to unsubscribe? They’ll hit the spam button and you’ll have a black mark in your ledger that could have been avoided. Making it simple and straightforward to unsubscribe can prevent unnecessary spam flags and leave your former subscriber with a positive impression.

Do pay attention to feedback loops

Most major email services allow senders access to feedback loops, which will let you know when a receiver marks your email as spam. This is helpful because it lets you pinpoint the subscribers who are tossing your emails in the junk folder. Feedback loops not only allow you to proactively remove unhappy receivers from your email list, but can also help you understand what content is not resonating with your audience.

Don’t keep unresponsive email addresses on your list

There comes a time when it’s better to part ways with a subscriber who has not opened or clicked on any of your emails rather than clinging to the hope that they’ll magically start engaging with your content. Don’t be afraid to clean your email list every once in a while to remove the recipients that never interact with your emails. Your bounce rate will be better for it, and you’ll filter out any fake, outdated, or typo-ridden email addresses.