Are you tired of your emails ending up in the spam folder? Do you want to improve your email deliverability and ensure that your emails reach the inbox? If so, you’re in the right place. This comprehensive guide will explore the various factors influencing email deliverability and how you can improve it.

By the end of this guide, you’ll be informed of all the steps needed to make sure your emails arrive in your inbox. From selecting a dependable email service provider to constructing an accurate mailing list and implementing optimal procedures for sending emails – we’ll go through it all. This will help you comprehend how to get your messages delivered to the right place and in turn, enhance the efficiency of your email marketing campaigns.

What is email deliverability? 

Email deliverability is the process of effectively reaching the inboxes of each of your recipients. However, obstacles can stand in the way of this, including emails bouncing or landing in a recipient’s spam folder. That’s why following email deliverability practices is the way to go.

Why Does Email Deliverability Matter?

The successful arrival of emails to the intended receiver is an essential element since it decides if your messages can be seen or not. If your emails don’t make it to the inbox, they will be pointless in attaining your marketing objectives.

It is essential to keep a high deliverability rate as it will help you cultivate and sustain good relationships with your customers. When emails show up in their inbox, it shows that you are a reliable sender, prompting them to interact with your messages and building faith in your organization. But if emails don’t reach their destination, it can create frustration and mistrust, which can hurt the ties between you and your audience.

In short, email deliverability matters because it’s crucial for the success of your email marketing efforts and for building and maintaining strong relationships with your customers.

What is a good email deliverability rate?

A favorable email deliverability rate is normally over 90%. This implies that at the very least 90% of your emails are successfully conveyed to the recipient’s inbox. Yet, it is important to bear in mind that the particular deliverability rate that is deemed “good” can vary depending on different elements, for example, the industry you’re engaged with, the notoriety of your domain, and the excellence of your email list.

You can take advantage of services such as Sender Score or Postmark’s reputation inspector to determine your deliverability rate. These tools will give you an idea of your total deliverability level and help you pinpoint any problems that might be diminishing it.

To boost your deliverability rate, construct a valid email list, implement optimal tactics for dispatching emails and employ a dependable email service provider. Additionally, keep track of your sending reputation and bounce rate to guarantee that your emails are sent out properly.

How to test email deliverability? 

There are several ways to test email deliverability:

1. Ability testing an email delivery tool: Several tools can help you test email deliverability. These tools can send test emails to various email providers to see if they’re being delivered to the inbox or spam folder. Some popular email deliverability testing tools include GlockApps and Mail-Tester.

2. Send test emails to yourself: Another way to test email deliverability is to send test emails to yourself using different email providers. This can help you see if your emails are being delivered to the inbox or spam folder on different platforms.

3. Ask someone to check their spam folder: If you need to check if your emails are being delivered to the inbox or spam folder, you can ask someone to check their spam folder for your emails. This can give you a sense of your deliverability rate.

4. Use a tool to check your sending reputation: Your sending reputation is a measure of the quality of your emails. You can use tools like Sender Score or Postmark’s sending reputation checker to check your sending reputation. These tools give you a sense of your overall deliverability rate and help you identify any issues impacting it.

Using these methods, you can test your email deliverability and better understand how well your emails are being delivered to the inbox. It can help you identify any issues and improve your deliverability rate.

Why is email deliverability important?

There are many reasons why email deliverability is so important. As mentioned above, emails delivered to a recipient’s spam folder are more likely to be overlooked or deleted. Marketing emails are only helpful if the recipients read them. As a result, a lack of email engagement may impact your campaign data and increase the chances of your emails being marked as spam.

What factors affect email deliverability?

Several factors affect email deliverability. Some of the main ones tend to be:

1. Internet service providers (ISPs): ISPs provide internet access, and each internet protocol (IP) address is linked with one. There are numerous ISPs, and they all work in different ways. For example, some lower-budget, lower-bandwidth ISP slower-budget, lower-bandwidth ISPs, for example, may struggle with more significant emails.

2. Email Service Providers or Platforms (ESPs): ESPs have different capabilities. The ESP handling the email determines how it is sorted, displayed, and delivered.

3. Format: How an email is displayed varies greatly depending on the format. Emails, for example, look different on a smartphone versus a desktop. Emails can also be read using a smart speaker, which significantly alters deliverability.

4. Engagement: Regular engagement demonstrates that your audience finds value in your emails, which increases deliverability. The secret to successful engagement? Segment, comprehend, and maintain your audience’s interest.

5. Sender Reputation: This is a score assigned to a sender by an ESP. It is based on data, much like how search engines rank websites. Your sender reputation is primarily determined by your audience’s interaction with your emails. However, it also considers the content’s quality, frequency of communication, open rates, and authenticity. If an email has a poor sender reputation, ISPs automatically block it or route it to the spam folder.

How to improve email deliverability: Best practices for your email campaigns

Here are some tips for improving email deliverability:

1. Use a reputable email service provider (ESP): One of the initial steps in augmenting delivery is to look at the ESP you’re using. Some ESPs have a superior standing than others, and utilizing a credible one can assist with getting your emails delivered to your intended recipient.

2. Build a clean email list: A clean email list is crucial for deliverability. Ensure you’re only sending emails to people who have opted-in to receive emails from you. This will reduce the chances of your emails being marked as spam.

3. Double opt-in: Double opt-in is a process where a user must confirm their email address before being added to your email list. This ensures that the person you’re sending emails to is interested in receiving them and reduces the chances of your emails being marked as spam.

4. Use a dedicated IP address: A dedicated IP address is an IP address that’s exclusively used by your business. This can improve your deliverability because it allows you to build up a positive sending reputation over time.

5. Follow best practices for sending emails: There are certain practices you should follow when sending emails to improve your deliverability. This includes using a clear and concise subject line, a professional-looking sender name, and avoiding spam trigger words.

6. Monitor your sending reputation: Your sending reputation is a measure of the quality of your emails. It’s essential to monitor your sending reputation and ensure it’s as high as possible. You can do this by using tools like Sender Score or Postmark’s sending reputation checker.

7. Monitor your bounce rate: Your bounce rate is the percentage of emails returned as undeliverable. A high bounce rate can indicate a problem with your email list or sending practices.

8. Authentication methods: Authentication methods help ensure that your emails are legitimate and not spam. Some standard authentication methods include SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

By following these tips, you can increase the chances that your emails will be delivered to the intended recipient. This will help to foster stronger connections with customers, as well as enhance the overall success of your email marketing campaigns.

Common Email Deliverability Challenges

One of the biggest challenges facing email marketers is ensuring that their emails reach the inbox of their intended recipients. There are several common challenges that can impact email deliverability, including:

Spam Filters

One of the biggest challenges facing email marketers is ensuring that their emails are not flagged as spam by email providers. Spam filters are designed to detect and prevent unwanted emails from reaching the inbox. To avoid triggering spam filters, it’s important to avoid using trigger words and phrases, such as “earn money fast” or “limited-time offer.” Additionally, it’s important to use a clear and concise subject line that accurately reflects the content of your email.

Inactive Subscribers

Inactive subscribers can also impact your email deliverability. If a large number of your subscribers are no longer engaged with your emails, email providers may flag your emails as spam. To avoid this, it’s important to regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers.

Email Content Issues

The email content is another critical factor in determining email deliverability. If your emails contain content that is considered spammy or irrelevant, they are more likely to be flagged as spam by email providers. To avoid this, it’s important to create high-quality, relevant content that is targeted to your subscribers’ interests.

Email Sending Frequency

Finally, the frequency at which you send your emails can also impact your email deliverability. If you send too many emails too frequently, your subscribers may begin to mark your emails as spam. On the other hand, if you send too few emails, your subscribers may forget about your business. It’s important to find a balance that works for your subscribers and ensures your emails are delivered.

By understanding these common email deliverability challenges and taking steps to mitigate them, you can improve the deliverability of your emails and ensure that they reach the inbox of your intended recipients.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the success of any email marketing drive is reliant on email deliverability. Reaching a recipient’s mailbox is indispensable if one wishes to foster and maintain a bond with consumers. There are various issues that can influence email deliverability, such as the sender’s reputation, the excellence of the mailing list, the contents of the email, and the email service provider.

To ensure successful email delivery, using a reliable email service provider, constructing an up-to-date contact list, adhering to established email-sending standards, and employing authentication techniques are all essential. Additionally, tracking your sender status, bouncing rate, and unsubscribe rate can assist you with attaining optimum deliverability.

Maintaining a high rate of successful email delivery is essential for creating and preserving strong ties with your customers. When your emails arrive at their inbox, this reflects that you are a dependable source, which can motivate your customers to interact with your emails and gain faith in your company.

On the other hand, if your emails are not being delivered to your inbox, it can lead to frustration and mistrust, which can damage your relationships with your customers.

By following best practices for email deliverability and monitoring your deliverability rate, you can ensure that your emails are reaching the inbox and effectively achieving your marketing goals.

Ramakant Jawalkar

Ramakant Jawalkar

Founded & CEO of Yukthi Systems, IT Consultant

Over 30 years experience in the Information Technology sector, starting from hardware design, server side software & database development; managing product development & rollout; general management.

I have been an early adopter of Linux and Open Source Software, and founded Yukthi Systems to provide solutions around Open Source; and have been reasonably successful in this. Yukthi is probably the oldest surviving company in India on FOSS/Linux.

Apart from our infrastructure solutions on Linux, we provide software solutions to SMBs such as document Management & workflow systems, Issue/Request Tracking and Automation – including email, SMS processing, document generation, data processing & report generation