Gmail, Yahoo Implementing New Requirements for Bulk Email Senders

Starting next month, Gmail and Yahoo are implementing new stringent requirements for bulk email senders, marking a significant shift in email validation, affecting whether your emails will be blocked. These platforms (and others will likely follow) are mandating email authentication, making it essential for senders to verify their identity to avoid having their messages marked as spam or not delivered.

Spoofing, a deceptive practice where the ‘From’ address of an email is forged to make it appear as if it’s from a different organization or domain, poses a significant threat to email authenticity. To combat this, DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is used. DKIM helps detect any modifications to email messages and unauthorized alterations to the ‘From’ address, ensuring the message’s integrity. Without DKIM validation, emails have a higher risk of being flagged as spam by receiving mail servers, compromising their deliverability and trustworthiness.

Symantec reports that 85% of all emails are spam or malicious, and email volumes have doubled since the pandemic. Google is leading the charge in closing these loopholes exploited by spammers by focusing on verifying sender identities. This will reduce the clutter in users’ inboxes and improve overall email security. You need to check with your tech people and with your email service provider to verify that DKIM has been set up on your email systems.

Check with your marketing platforms, like AgencyZoom or Agency Revolution, to see how these changes will affect your agency marketing efforts.