What is Email Deliverability?

Email deliverability refers to the ability of an email to successfully reach a recipient’s inbox rather than being diverted to the spam or junk folder. This is a critical metric for email marketers and businesses as it affects how many of their emails are actually seen by their intended audience. Achieving high email deliverability means that your emails are not only delivered but also have a higher chance of being opened and engaged with by recipients.

Email deliverability involves various factors, including sender reputation, email content, and recipient engagement. It’s not just about whether an email reaches the inbox; it’s also about whether it avoids spam filters and other barriers that could prevent it from being read. Ensuring good email deliverability requires understanding and managing these factors effectively.

Why Does Email Deliverability Matter?

Email deliverability is crucial because it directly impacts the success of your email marketing efforts. Here’s why it matters:

• Reputation Management: A high deliverability rate indicates a good sender reputation, which is essential for maintaining trust with email providers and recipients.
• ROI: High deliverability means that more of your emails reach your audience, leading to better engagement rates and potentially higher returns on your marketing investments.
• Engagement Metrics: Good email deliverability ensures that your emails are reaching real, engaged subscribers, which helps in accurately measuring your campaign’s performance.

If your emails are frequently marked as spam or do not reach the inbox, you may miss opportunities for conversions, brand awareness, and customer engagement.

What is a Good Email Deliverability Rate?

A good email deliverability rate typically falls between 95% and 98%. This means that 95% to 98% of your emails successfully reach recipients’ inboxes. Achieving and maintaining this rate requires consistent attention to various factors influencing email deliverability, including email list hygiene, sender reputation, and compliance with email marketing best practices.

What Affects Email Deliverability?

Several factors can influence email deliverability:

• Sender Reputation: This is largely determined by your email sending practices, including the frequency and volume of emails, as well as your engagement rates. A poor sender reputation can lead to emails being flagged as spam.
• Email Content: Content that includes spammy words, excessive use of images, or broken links can trigger spam filters. Well-crafted, relevant content is more likely to be delivered successfully.
• Email List Quality: Sending emails to outdated or invalid addresses can negatively affect your deliverability. Regularly cleaning your email list helps maintain high deliverability.
• Spam Complaints: High rates of spam complaints can hurt your sender reputation and reduce your email deliverability. Ensure your emails are relevant and provide a clear unsubscribe option.
• Authentication Protocols: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication protocols can help improve your email deliverability by verifying that your emails are coming from a legitimate source.
• Engagement Metrics: Low open rates and high bounce rates can signal to email providers that your emails are not relevant, which can impact deliverability.

How to Check Deliverability of Emails?

Checking the deliverability of your emails involves several steps:

1. Use Deliverability Tools: There are various tools available that can help you assess your email deliverability. These tools provide insights into how your emails are performing and offer recommendations for improvement.
2. Monitor Bounce Rates: High bounce rates can indicate issues with your email list quality. Regularly check your bounce rates and take action to address any issues.
3. Review Spam Complaints: Monitor the number of spam complaints received. A high number can indicate that your emails are being flagged as spam by recipients.
4. Analyze Engagement Metrics: Track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to gauge how well your emails are performing. Low engagement can signal deliverability issues.
5. Check Blacklists: Ensure that your sending IP or domain is not listed on any email blacklists, as this can severely impact deliverability.

How Do You Fix Email Deliverability?

To improve email deliverability, consider the following strategies:

• Clean Your Email List: Regularly remove inactive or invalid email addresses to maintain a healthy email list. Use email verification tools to ensure the accuracy of your list.
• Improve Email Content: Create engaging and relevant content that resonates with your audience. Avoid spammy language and ensure your emails are well-formatted.
• Authenticate Your Emails: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication to verify that your emails are legitimate and reduce the chances of being marked as spam.
• Monitor and Improve Engagement: Focus on increasing open rates and click-through rates by sending targeted and personalized emails. Regularly review engagement metrics to adjust your strategies.
• Manage Your Sender Reputation: Avoid practices that could harm your reputation, such as sending large volumes of emails to unengaged recipients. Build and maintain a positive sender reputation by following best practices.

Email Delivery vs. Email Deliverability Comparison

While “email delivery” and “email deliverability” are closely related, they refer to different aspects of email marketing:

• Email Delivery: This refers to the process of successfully sending an email to a recipient’s inbox. It is a binary outcome: either the email is delivered or it is not.
• Email Deliverability: This is a broader concept that encompasses not just the act of sending an email but also whether the email actually reaches the inbox and avoids being flagged as spam.

Email deliverability is a measure of how well your emails are received and handled by email providers, while email delivery simply indicates whether the email was sent.

Ways to Avoid Sending Spam Email & Improve Your Email Deliverability

To avoid sending spam and enhance email deliverability, follow these practices:

• Obtain Permission: Ensure that you have explicit permission from recipients before sending them emails. Use opt-in forms and double opt-ins to confirm subscription.
• Segment Your List: Divide your email list into segments based on criteria such as demographics or past interactions. This allows for more targeted and relevant content.
• Craft Relevant Content: Tailor your email content to meet the interests and needs of your recipients. Avoid generic content that may be perceived as spam.
• Provide Clear Opt-Out Options: Include an easy-to-find unsubscribe link in every email. This helps reduce spam complaints and keeps your list clean.
• Avoid Spam Triggers: Refrain from using excessive capitalization, exclamation points, or spammy words in your subject lines and content.
• Maintain a Clean List: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid email addresses. This reduces bounce rates and improves overall deliverability.
• Monitor Engagement Metrics: Track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Low engagement can be a sign of potential deliverability issues.
• Use a Reputable Email Service Provider (ESP): Choose an ESP with a strong reputation for good deliverability practices. They often provide tools and support to help manage and improve email deliverability.
• Implement Personalization: Personalize your emails with the recipient’s name and relevant content. Personalized emails are more likely to engage recipients and avoid spam filters.
• Optimize Send Frequency: Avoid sending emails too frequently, which can lead to recipient fatigue and increased chances of being marked as spam. Find a balanced frequency that keeps your audience engaged without overwhelming them.
• Test Your Emails: Before sending out large campaigns, test your emails using various tools to check for deliverability issues, spam triggers, and rendering problems across different email clients.
• Adhere to Email Regulations: Comply with regulations such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM. Following legal requirements helps build trust and improves your sender reputation.
• Use a Consistent Sender Address: Consistently use the same sender address and name. This helps recipients recognize your emails and reduces the likelihood of them being marked as spam.
• Include a Physical Address: Legally required in many jurisdictions, including your physical business address in your emails can enhance credibility and reduce the likelihood of being flagged as spam.
• Monitor and Address Spam Traps: Spam traps are email addresses specifically set up to catch spammers. Regularly monitor for and address any potential spam traps on your list to prevent deliverability issues.

Email Deliverability Test Tools

Several tools are available to test and improve your email deliverability:

• Mail Tester: Analyzes your email for spammy content, provides a deliverability score, and checks for technical issues.
• SenderScore: Offers insights into your sender reputation and helps identify factors affecting your deliverability.
• MxToolbox: Provides comprehensive email diagnostics, including blacklist checks and SMTP diagnostics.
• GlockApps: Tests your email against various spam filters and inbox placement to evaluate deliverability.
• Litmus: Offers tools for testing email renderability and tracking how emails perform across different clients.