Ever wish that email deliverability were as easy and organized as a paint-by-numbers project? Now it can be.

This 101 guide breaks down the nuances of deliverability into four main components, following the phases of the email lifecycle.

Within each section, we cover the basics, build upon that knowledge with expert considerations, and provide tangible recommendations on how to take your email marketing to the next level.

How to set up your email infrastructure for a strong reputation

Good deliverability isn’t built in a day. To construct a solid foundation, email marketers must consider the crucial roles of the following key areas.

Email Authentication

When emails are not properly authenticated, mailbox providers may classify them as suspicious or fraudulent, resulting in lower deliverability rates. The email authentication process impacts deliverability in several ways:

• Reputation and trust. Authentication mechanisms like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (see the callout below for definitions) contribute to a sender’s reputation and trustworthiness. A positive reputation increases the likelihood of emails landing in inboxes.
• Spam avoidance. Unauthenticated emails raise red flags for mailbox providers, which may flag messages as spam or even block them. Authenticating emails helps them bypass these filters and reach the intended recipients.
• Spoofing and impersonation prevention. Email authentication serves as a safeguard against domain impersonation and email spoofing, where malicious actors attempt to mimic trusted sources. This ensures that recipients receive emails from the actual sender, thereby fostering a safer email environment.

It’s important to note that authentication isn’t a nice-to-have—Google and Yahoo now require senders to pass both DKIM and SPF protocols, as well as have a passing DMARC record. This raises the bar for email marketers to continue providing the most value to their audiences.

Download the full Email Deliverability toolkit below.