Navigating Google's 2024 Email Updates: Compliance and Strategic Approaches

Welcome to the 28th issue of The Outbound Manifesto.

As we near the end of 2024, we have witnessed this year some major changes that have shown us cold emailing is evolving faster than ever, and we’re here to guide you through them all.

Google's this year recent policy updates are reshaping the landscape of cold email outreach ever more than before.?

But don’t worry—these aren’t obstacles; they’re opportunities to elevate your strategy and build stronger connections with your audience.?

Ignoring these changes, however, can be costly—leading to lower deliverability, higher spam complaints, and even damaged sender reputations.

In this issue, we’ll recap some of the major policies and best practices to navigate through them.

Let's dive into it!

Some of the Important Google's 2024 policy updates you should know

1. Mandatory Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are now required for bulk senders, ensuring better domain protection and email authenticity.
2. Privacy-Centric Emailing: Open rate tracking for bulk emails is no longer allowed, pushing people to rethink performance metrics.
3. Stricter Spam Policies: The allowable spam complaint rate has been reduced to 0.3%, making list hygiene more critical.
4. Inactive Subscriber Removal: Google now mandates that inactive emails must be removed to reduce the chances of hitting spam traps.
5. Streamlined Unsubscribe Process: A one-click unsubscribe option is now a legal requirement, empowering users with more control over their inboxes.

Adaptation Strategies for Your Email Campaigns

1. Prioritize Strong Authentication

Email security and deliverability go hand in hand. With Google’s mandatory requirement for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, it’s important to ensure your domains are well-protected.

• Implementing DMARC increases the chances of inbox delivery by 10-15%, according to Agari, as it shows ISPs that your emails are authenticated and trustworthy.
• Emails that pass SPF and DKIM checks are 90% more likely to be delivered to the primary inbox instead of the spam folder.

How to Implement It:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework) allows domain owners to specify which servers can send emails on their behalf.
• DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) ensures that the content of your email hasn’t been altered in transit.
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) ties SPF and DKIM together, providing instructions to email providers on how to handle messages that fail authentication.

Example:

• If your DMARC policy is set to "reject," the recipient's inbox will automatically block any emails that fail both SPF and DKIM checks.
• Regularly monitor your DMARC reports to see if any unauthorized sources are sending emails using your domain.

2. Shift Focus to Engagement Metrics

With Google no longer supporting open rate tracking for emails, the focus should shift toward more actionable metrics like click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and reply rates.

• Campaigns with strong CTAs and well-targeted lists see up to a 3X higher conversion rate compared to generic campaigns.

How to Adapt:

• Use clear and compelling call-to-actions (CTAs) to encourage users to click on links or respond to your emails.
• Segment your email list by behavior and interests to increase relevance, leading to higher engagement.

Example:

• Replace "See more" with a stronger CTA like "Get your exclusive offer now!" to drive clicks.
• Track user interaction with specific CTAs to measure success.

3. Elevate the List Hygiene Practices

Maintaining list hygiene is critical for improving engagement and avoiding deliverability issues. Google now removes inactive or unengaged subscribers from their lists regularly.

How to Adapt:

• Conduct regular list cleaning to remove unengaged users. You can use Saleshandy email verification credits.
• Run re-engagement campaigns to win back inactive subscribers before removing them from your list.

Example:

• A re-engagement campaign can include an email asking users, "Do you still want to hear from us?" with options to stay subscribed or unsubscribe.
• If no interaction is received within 30 days, remove these users from your active list.

4. Enhance Content to Improve Engagement

Crafting relevant, personalized content is crucial for increasing user engagement and reducing the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam.

How to Adapt:

• Personalize emails with recipient names, past interactions, dynamic content, or specific offers based on their preferences. Use the Saleshandy merge tag and variable merge tag for hyper personalization.
• Use storytelling or educational content to add value and resonate more with your audience.

Example:

• If a user recently purchased a product from you, send a follow-up email offering related items or tips on how to use their purchase.
• Use variable tags in your email sequence to automatically insert personalization, such as time-based, or calendar-based personalization.

5. Adjust Your Sending Frequency

Sending too many emails in a short period can hurt your sender's reputation, while sending too few may cause subscribers to forget about you. Finding the right balance is key.

How to Adapt:

• Start with email warm-up for new domains, gradually increasing the number of emails sent over a few weeks. Use smart sending settings like - Daily sending quota, time interval, and ramp-up with Saleshandy.
• Segment your audience by engagement level and send at different frequencies based on their interactions.

Example:

• For a new domain, send 10–20 emails per day for the first week, then gradually increase the volume by 10-20% each week until you reach your target volume.
• Send daily or weekly emails to highly engaged users, while sending less frequent emails to those who engage sporadically.

6. Make Unsubscribing Simple

With Google requiring a one-click unsubscribe option for all bulk emails, simplifying this process is essential to maintain compliance and build trust with your audience.

How to Adapt:

• Ensure that your unsubscribe link is easily visible, ideally at both the top and bottom of the email.
• Provide a clear, hassle-free one-click process for users to remove themselves from your mailing list.

Example:

• Use a simple "Unsubscribe" button at the bottom of your email. After the user clicks it, take them to a confirmation page where the action is completed with one more click.
• Consider offering a "Manage Preferences" option, where users can reduce email frequency or choose which content they want to receive instead of completely unsubscribing.

43% of users report marking emails as spam simply because they couldn’t easily find the unsubscribe link. Making the process simple helps maintain trust and avoid spam complaints.

Follow these practices for best results using Saleshandy

Important Resources For you:

1. Where to check if all the authentication is set up properly before sending Sequence?
2. Make informed decisions with Graphical Reports
3. How to Remove spammy words from your Emails?
4. How to clean your email list?
5. Set smart sending pattern for improved sender reputation