{"id":16793,"date":"2023-10-23T14:16:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T14:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/?p=16793"},"modified":"2024-07-25T12:49:07","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T12:49:07","slug":"gmail-and-yahoo-inbox-updates-whats-changing-inbox-security-enhancements-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/blog\/gmail-and-yahoo-inbox-updates-whats-changing-inbox-security-enhancements-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Gmail and Yahoo Updates: What&#8217;s Changing &#038; Inbox Security Enhancements Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As frontrunners in the email space, Gmail and Yahoo often set the pace for providers in the digital marketing space.\u00a0 Together, these two providers account for 31.52% of email clients*.\u00a0 In early October, both <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/products\/gmail\/gmail-security-authentication-spam-protection\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Gmail<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.postmaster.yahooinc.com\/post\/730172167494483968\/more-secure-less-spam\" rel=\"noopener\">Yahoo<\/a>\u00a0issued statements about making changes in authentication requirements in ongoing efforts to reduce the occurrence of unwanted commercial emails in their subscribers\u2019 inboxes.\u00a0 Their updates, predominantly focused on authentication and sender practices, are intended to improve the subscriber experience and are poised to have a definite impact on senders who are unprepared.<\/p>\n<p>Marketers operating in the digital space have many concerns when crafting campaigns.\u00a0 Ultimately the objective is to inform, incentivize, or incite the recipient to heed their call to action. Yet, the road to this objective is built on a foundation of best practices.\u00a0 Email content should provide value to the recipient, be relevant to their interests, and exist because of a consent-based arrangement established at opt-in.\u00a0 Emails based on these foundations will see more effectiveness as opposed to senders who shortcut or ignore these. At best, they face recipient disinterest, leading to resource expenditure with minimal returns, and at worst, recipients&#8217; frustration as inbox providers grant them increasing control over email permissions.<\/p>\n<p>Most digital marketers adhere to best practices but that does not negate a feeling of anxiety when mailbox providers make changes. Concerns about whether they are prepared for the changes or, if not, what efforts be undertaken to be compliant are natural.\u00a0 At Mapp, we frequently field questions like this and help our senders maintain their campaigns at optimal levels.\u00a0 This article will touch on these recently announced changes from Google and Yahoo.\u00a0 In addition, it will touch on what senders should do to remain compliant and give their mail the best opportunity to reach their audience\u2019s inbox.<\/p>\n<h2><span lang=\"EN-US\">What Gmail And Yahoo Have Announced For 2024<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item\" style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 780px; height: auto; min-height: 440px; margin-top: 0px;\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/Q-sdJ4KsVns\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/products\/gmail\/gmail-security-authentication-spam-protection\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Google<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.postmaster.yahooinc.com\/post\/730172167494483968\/more-secure-less-spam\" rel=\"noopener\">Yahoo<\/a> released updates via their respective blogs,\u00a0 both highlighting authentication while referring to sender best practice pages which each of the providers maintains.\u00a0 Beyond this, both announcements declared the intent to expand measures taken to prevent unwanted commercial email (a.k.a. spam).<\/p>\n<p>Gmail has had a busy year. They <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/technology\/safety-security\/updating-our-inactive-account-policies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> a cleanup of inactive accounts earlier this year and they would no longer accept unauthenticated IPv4 mail (to complement a similar announcement about IPv6 last year).\u00a0 With this latest announcement, they plan to expand on that and have set February 2024 as the timeline for senders to be compliant.\u00a0 Yahoo seems to be keeping a similar timeline though it\u2019s a less defined \u201cfirst quarter 2024\u201d timeline.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, each announcement called out three main points:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Senders are expected to authenticate their mail<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Traditionally, Gmail and Yahoo have accepted mail, and the placement of that mail could vary depending on how closely senders adhere to best practices. In the update, the term \u201cstrong authentication\u201d is explicitly mentioned as the industry standard SPF and DKIM authentication measures.\u00a0 Non-compliant senders could face the typical spam placement or a 5.7.26 rejection error.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Make Unsubscribing Easy\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Google has offered one-click unsubscription for a while now, but allowing recipients to easily opt out of campaigns has become more important. It might seem counterproductive to make it easy for recipients to leave but, when the unsubscription process is overly complex or burdensome, recipients may find the spam button an easier alternative.\u00a0 For the first time, senders are given clear guidance that a 0.3% rate of user-reported spam is where they expect senders to stay under.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Ensure sent mail is desired\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Keeping mail relevant to the permission grant given to senders is critical but it also must be maintained through efforts to align with subscriber preferences for content, cadence, and more. Users who are sent mail that they strongly desire rarely complain; however, when consent is not obtained, or maintained, or mail is simply not relevant to their needs, it can lead to complaint.\u00a0 As noted above, Google is taking a firm stance on the level of spam which senders should not exceed so measures to ensure your audience desires mail need to become as much a part of sender\u2019s programs as SPF and DKIM.<\/p>\n<h2>Senders: What must be done to prepare?<\/h2>\n<p>Senders have always been encouraged to adhere to these best practices so this might not seem like a big deal at first glance. However, they emphasize a rising wave of concern with authenticity in digital communications that providers are working to address.\u00a0 To best position your email marketing program, we\u2019ve nailed down some of the following actions for you to take.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>BASIC<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>1. SPF and DKIM: <\/strong>Senders who delegate their domain to Mapp can rest easy as Mapp ensures the validity of the entries. Senders who do not must maintain this themselves &#8211; and Mapp can assist you with any needs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. One-Click Unsubscription:<\/strong>\u00a0Take advantage of one click unsubscription on each send. The announcement indicates that senders have two days to process the unsubscription and Mapp platforms process this feedback automatically without any delay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Consent:<\/strong> Obtain express permission from a prospective recipient to send them your mail. Do not opt-in on a recipient\u2019s behalf or presume, because of some other action (such as a purchase) that they consent to receive your mail.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>ADVANCED<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>1. Postmaster Tools:<\/strong>\u00a0Configuring sending domains in this tool allows for feedback to be given on mail for that domain. Aggregated ratings for IP and Domain reputation can be found but, most directly, the User Reported Spam rating they reference in this update can be found there.\u00a0 Monitor the spam rate closely.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Strong DMARC policy: <\/strong>As of this announcement, Google only requires a \u201cnone\u201d policy for handling of mail that fails either DKIM or SPF. It has not been required yet but, given their stance on rejecting unauthenticated mail, a \u201creject\u201d policy is a natural alignment with the direction these providers want senders to go.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Preference Management:<\/strong>\u00a0Taking the time to engage users about their preferences can go a long way toward keeping complaint levels low. If a sender sends too much mail, it could cause complaints.\u00a0 Too little and a recipient might forget why your mail is showing up at all.\u00a0 There is no \u201cone size fits all\u201d cadence which makes it important to obtain and maintain as many details about user preference as possible.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Hear from Mapp\u2019s Deliverability Team\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>At Mapp, we\u2019re committed to empowering senders.\u00a0 With our knowledge of these best practices, we can help make sense of what can be a daunting list of requirements.\u00a0 We keep current with the latest requirements through continuing education and industry outreach so senders can focus more on creating compelling collateral that inspires their recipients to action. So, if you&#8217;re looking for help, <a href=\"https:\/\/mapp.com\/demo-request\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">why not have a chat with our experts?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>*Mapp MTA statitstics\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As frontrunners in the email space, Gmail and Yahoo often set the pace for providers in the digital marketing space.\u00a0 Together, these two providers account for 31.52% of email clients*.\u00a0 In early October, both Gmail&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":16797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-email-deliverability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16793"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20711,"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16793\/revisions\/20711"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}