Email Deliverability Rates
According to Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo email filters block “over 15 billion spam messages daily” [http://antispam.yahoo.com/]. That’s right, 15 billion. Yahoo and other email clients are constantly updating their spam filters, anti-virus scanners and algorithms to protect users from annoying, unwanted and even malicious email messages in a quest to rid the Internet of black-hat marketers, phishing and cyber criminals.
While the extraordinary efforts your favorite email provider puts in to protecting you from spam may sound impressive, those same anti-spam filters could be keeping your legitimate email marketing messages from reaching your subscriber’s inboxes. And even if your messages make it through the gamut of filters and scans, there’s no guarantee your recipient will actually read your message. There are dozens of reasons why even the most creditable white-hat marketers are stymied by low email deliverability rates; here’s the top 4 reasons why you might also be experiencing problems with your email deliverability:
You’re Using “Spammy” Words
Certain words and phrases have been designated as “spammy“ by email filters, meaning that messages that contain these words usually get derailed long before they reach the recipient’s inbox. Terms like “credit card”, “sex”, “buy now”, “urgent”, “lottery” and “guarantee” are known red-flag words among email filters; ensure your messages are free from terms like these to help boost your email delivery rates.
Your Email Messages Contain Massive Images:
Few things are more annoying than opening an email message, only to find the page filled with a massive data-eating image. With the increase in mobile device usage, consumers are very aware of the amount of data they use as well as load times for email messages – large files like pictures take up a lot of data and time. Email providers have responded to this concern by actively blocking email messages that contain large images, so if you’re guilty of sending your recipients huge pictures, this practice could be hurting your email delivery rates.
You Aren’t Using A Creditable “From” Address:
Email client filters (as well as some savvy recipients) have been programed to look for suspicious “from” addresses, particularly those that are not linked to a specific domain. Always use “@yourdomain.com” addresses in your “from” address field, and if possible, use a creditable account name such as “support@”, “customerservice@” or “contact@” rather than a random numerical address like “49572@,” which can look like spam.
You’ve Failed To Provide An “Unsubscribe” Link
While making it easy for email subscribers to opt-out of your email lists may seem counter-productive, not giving recipients an easy way to unsubscribe leaves them only one option – hit the dreaded “spam” button. Once enough users flag your email address as a spammer, you’ll be blocked by the email servers. Avoid being unjustly labeled as a spammer by providing your recipients with a quick and easy way to opt-out; this will both help with email deliverability and help improve your image as a creditable marketer to both customers and clients.
Consider how your email messages appear to both email filters and the intended recipient; removing “spammy” words and large images while adding a clear “unsubscribe” link and using a creditable “from” address will help increase your email deliverability rates and improve your image as a white-hat email marketer.
