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Guide

Email deliverability basics for small shops

To reach the inbox, send from your own domain with SPF and DKIM passing and a DMARC record, support one-click unsubscribe, email only people who opted in, and keep the spam complaint rate below 0.10% as Gmail recommends.

By Tellnod team · Updated

Checklist

  1. Authenticate your domain

    Publish SPF and DKIM records for the domain you send from. Gmail asks all senders for SPF or DKIM, and senders of more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail for both S2.

  2. Add a DMARC record

    Bulk senders to Gmail need DMARC; a policy of p=none is accepted, and the From domain must align with SPF or DKIM S2.

  3. Support one-click unsubscribe

    Marketing messages from bulk senders must support one-click unsubscribe (RFC 8058) and show a visible unsubscribe link in the body S2S4.

  4. Watch your spam rate

    Keep the rate reported in Google Postmaster Tools below 0.10%, and never let it reach 0.30% S2.

  5. Ramp up gradually

    A new domain or a new provider should start with your most engaged contacts and grow volume over a few weeks.

What Tellnod does for you

  • Gives you the SPF, DKIM and DMARC records to copy and checks them before your first send.
  • Adds one-click unsubscribe headers, a visible unsubscribe link and your postal address to every campaign.
  • Ramps up new accounts gradually and pauses sending automatically if complaints pass 0.1%.
  • Sends each account in isolation, so another sender's mistakes do not affect your reputation.

FAQ

Do I need DMARC if I send only a few hundred emails?

Gmail requires DMARC for senders of more than 5,000 messages a day, but adding a DMARC record with p=none is quick and protects your domain from spoofing, so it is worth doing at any size S2.

Why do my emails go to spam?

The usual causes are missing authentication, emailing people who did not opt in, and a high complaint rate. Fix authentication first, then clean the list.

Sources

  1. [S2] Google Workspace Admin Help: Email sender guidelines, checked
  2. [S4] RFC 8058: Signaling one-click functionality for list email headers, checked