Ever hit “send” on an important email and later question whether it reached your recipient’s inbox? Many emails end up in spam folders, leaving your customers unaware of your message entirely.
This is where email deliverability comes in.
Simply put, email deliverability is the ability of your email to land in the recipient’s inbox—bypassing spam filters, avoiding bounces, and overcoming other delivery pitfalls. Without it, even the most important messages and campaigns can fall flat.
But don’t worry—help is here! As an email deliverability expert, I’ve helped thousands of businesses’ emails go from Spam to Inbox over the past decade.
And you know what? I’ve learned exactly what works. That’s why I’m sharing 10 tried-and-tested tips to improve email deliverability that have never failed me. So, let’s get started!
How To Improve Email Deliverability: 10 Expert Tips
You can either do all these technical steps yourself, just to get it wrong to risk the email reputation of your business, or if you’re a business, you can schedule a FREE call with an email deliverability consultant to do it for you.
Having said that let’s look at the 10 tips curated for you to improve your email deliverability:
1. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records
Achieving consistent email deliverability requires a strategic approach, beginning with establishing your authenticity.
Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to verify your sending practices. Think of these as your email credentials, signaling to receiving servers that you’re a valid sender.
SPF designates authorized sending servers, DKIM ensures message integrity through digital signatures, and DMARC dictates how to handle unauthenticated mail.
Proper authentication, especially DMARC, is important for establishing trust. And, if you’re still wondering how to set up DMARC, you can go through our detailed blog which provides you with step-by-step instructions.
2. Ensure your sending IP has a good reputation
Your sender reputation, including both IP and domain, significantly influences deliverability. Consistent delivery of valuable content is important for you to build a positive reputation.
Avoid sudden and large increases in the volume of emails you send, as it can trigger suspicion. For high-volume senders, you can use a dedicated IP address that gives you greater control over reputation management.
To increase your reputation fast, you should use a Free email warmup to send emails from your behalf to its network of users to reply to you and mark them as important so your email deliverability improves over time.
3. Maintain a Clean Email List To Improve Deliverability
An outdated or unengaged email list negatively impacts sender reputation and email deliverability. So, you need to regularly review your email list to remove:
- Hard Bounces: Non-existent or invalid email addresses or domains.
- Soft Bounces: Temporary delivery failures (e.g., full mailbox or server issues). Remove these if they persist over time.
- Inactive Subscribers: Users who haven’t engaged with your emails for a defined period (e.g., 6 months or more).
By maintaining a clean list, you’ll reduce bounce rates and improve overall deliverability.
Also, you can install the email deliverability tester to check if your emails are going to spam and fix it so that it reaches the inbox every time.
4. Personalize Email Content To Improve Deliverability
An important thing that can increase your open and click-through rates is ‘Email personalization.’ For this, you can use dynamic fields to customize key elements such as:
Recipient’s name: “Hello/Dear, Mary” instead of a generic “Dear Valued Customer.”
Relevant recommendations: “Based on your recent purchase, you might like…”
For example, an e-commerce company can use purchase history to personalize recommendations. Suppose a customer recently bought a pair of tennis shoes. The company could send a follow-up email with the subject line:
“Dear Mary, Don’t let your work trips stop you from hitting your fitness goals!”
To top it off, you could also include a discount code for their next purchase. So now your email feels more relevant and this can surely increase the likelihood of a click or conversion.
5. Validate Email Address With An Email Verification API
Use a reliable email verification API to verify email addresses business for you so you don’t risk the email reputation and deliverability of your business by sending email to emails that no longer exist.
Verification can also be performed periodically to identify outdated or invalid emails that may have become inactive over time.
By verifying your email list regularly, you can prevent sending messages to such addresses, reducing bounce rates and safeguarding your sender score.
6. Implement a double opt-in process
Double opt-in improves email deliverability by requiring users to confirm their signups, which validates email addresses and filters out invalid, mistyped, or fake signups.
This reduces bounce rates and spam traps, signaling to ISPs that your domain sends legitimate and relevant emails. As a result, your sender reputation improves, leading to better inbox placement and overall deliverability rates.
7. Avoid Triggering Spam filters in subject lines
Subject lines are your first impression—make it count, but tread carefully. Avoid using spammy words like “Free,” “Urgent,” “Act Now,” or excessive punctuation (!!!).
Instead, focus on crafting clear, concise, and enticing subject lines that align with the email content. Testing different versions through A/B testing or an authentic spam checker can help you find the most effective approach while steering clear of spam filters.
8. Test Emails for Deliverability
Before hitting “Send,” you should do a Free email deliverability test to see if your emails are going to Inbox or Spam.
This can help you identify potential issues, like a high spam score, broken links, or formatting errors. By addressing these problems in advance, you can maximize the chances of your emails landing in the primary inbox rather than promotions or spam folders.
Testing your emails is crucial, and while basic checks are helpful,a dedicated email deliverability software can provide deeper insights.
9. Optimize for Mobile Devices
With over 59% of emails opened on mobile devices, optimizing for mobile is very important. Use responsive email designs that automatically adjust to different screen sizes. Key elements that you need to focus on include:
- A single-column layout for readability.
- Font sizes that are legible on small screens (e.g., a minimum of 14px for body text).
- Buttons with a tappable area of at least 44px by 44px.
For instance, a promotional email should have clear CTA buttons like “Shop Now,” which are easily clickable on smartphones. Also, you can test your emails on multiple devices to ensure consistency.
10. Include an Easy Unsubscribe Option
While it may seem counterintuitive, making it easy for users to unsubscribe is essential for maintaining email deliverability. Not just that, providing a straightforward unsubscribe process is also important for compliance.
So, make sure you place a clearly visible unsubscribe link in your email footer like “If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click here to unsubscribe.”
Final Words
Email deliverability can make or break your communication efforts. But the good news is, you now have the tools to turn things around. From setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to personalizing your emails and keeping your list clean, these tips are your roadmap to inbox success.
The strategies we covered—like using email verification APIs, crafting spam-friendly subject lines, and optimizing for mobile—aren’t just best practices; they’re everything that makes your email campaigns successful.
For businesses seeking comprehensive solutions, you can explore some of the best email deliverability services for expert strategies and support.
Need help to get started? Let’s connect—I’d be happy to guide you!
FAQs
Does DKIM improve deliverability?
Yes, DKIM helps improve email deliverability by verifying that the email has not been altered, increasing sender credibility with email providers.
Why is my email deliverability low?
Low deliverability can be due to poor sender reputation, lack of authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), spammy content, invalid recipient addresses, or frequent user complaints.
Does DMARC improve deliverability?
Indirectly, yes. DMARC enforces SPF and DKIM policies, preventing spoofing, which builds trust with email providers and improves email deliverability over time.
Should I use SPF or DKIM?
Use both. SPF verifies the sender’s IP, while DKIM ensures message integrity. Together, they strengthen email authentication and improve deliverability.
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