# 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. Canonical: https://tellnod.com/guides/email-deliverability-basics Last updated: 2026-10-15 Author: Tellnod team ## Checklist 1. **Authenticate your domain.** Publish [SPF](https://tellnod.com/glossary#spf) and [DKIM](https://tellnod.com/glossary#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](https://tellnod.com/glossary#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](https://tellnod.com/glossary#one-click-unsubscribe) (RFC 8058) and show a visible unsubscribe link in the body [S2][S4]. 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 - [S2] Google Workspace Admin Help: Email sender guidelines: (checked 2026-10-15) - [S4] RFC 8058: Signaling one-click functionality for list email headers: (checked 2026-10-15)