Optimising SMTP Email Deliverability With New Authentication Requirements: A Complete 2024 Guide

Email deliverability stands at the crossroads of effective digital communication.

 It determines whether your carefully crafted email messages reach their intended recipients or are sent immediately to the spam box. 

When an email doesn't reach its intended recipient's inbox, it has zero chance of achieving its purpose.

Cyberthreats like spam and phishing were the leading causes of these undelivered messages. Understanding these risks, email service providers were pushed to tighten their regulations, making it more necessary for senders to authenticate their identities. 

This is where compliant SMTP delivery comes in, like Maileroo. 

Maileroo is not just another transactional email delivery solution but also a compliant one to ensure that users are secured from data breaches and attain a 100% delivery rate. 

This article will cover the latest SMTP for email authentication requirements anticipated in 2024, focusing on new standards like BIMI and updated DMARC policies and how their implementation can optimise email deliverability. 

Understanding Email Deliverability

Email deliverability is the email's ability to reach the recipient's inbox without being flagged as spam or bounced back.

Various factors contributing to successful email deliverability are email content, the sender's reputation, and the recipient's server settings. 

A crucial part of getting high deliverability is the idea of authentication, which checks the sender's identity to stop email spoofing.

Business owners let their marketing team use email deliverability as a gauge for their marketing campaigns to reach company subscribers. 

New Authentication Requirements

In 2024, new benchmarks have been set to ensure optimal email deliverability. These requirements focus on securing sender identity, minimising the potential of phishing, and protecting recipients from unwanted emails.

To keep any business' email deliverables in balance with these new requirements, Maileroo recommends that companies with over 5,000 people on their mailing lists adhere to the following guidelines:

• Send from a Domain You Own: Businesses should use their own domain (not @gmail or @yahoo). If a business doesn't own a domain, consider purchasing one.
• Install DKIM and SPF Records: DKIM and SPF records are crucial for the deliverability of any business email. Businesses should install DKIM and SPF records so they can proceed to set up DMARC records. All three records are required.

However, by acquiring an SMTP service provider, specifically Maileroo, the business doesn't have to worry about installing these manually. Maileroo has it covered. 

• Implement a DMARC policy-  To stop malicious actors from spoofing your email program, DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is necessary.

For assistance setting up your DMARC records, contact Maileroo at your reply-to email address. We'll help businesses have the necessary details to install a DNS record.

• Maintain a Spam Complaint Rate under 0.3%: Businesses should familiarise themselves with good deliverability practices and set up Google PostMaster to stay under the required spam complaint rate.
• Implement One-Click Unsubscribe, a Valid IP Pointer Record, TLS Connection for Transmitting Email, Correctly Formatted Messages, and Include an Unsubscribe Link: Fortunately, Maileroo has implemented almost all of these to improve your email deliverability. The one-click unsubscribe has yet to be released this year.

In what ways do these changes affect the senders?

To sum it up, Yahoo and Gmail have emphasised these high priorities for senders to be seen as legitimate senders this year: 

1. Authenticate the business' email: Enterprises, as senders, are required to verify their identities per standard protocols like DKIM, SPF, and DMARC.
2. Send what the recipients want: Both Yahoo and Gmail are firm with their regulations when it comes to spam monitoring, and senders should make sure to keep below the spam rate threshold. Businesses should better strategize what their clients need.
3. Unsubscription made easy for recipients: Enterprises, as senders, should create an easy one-click unsubscribe button to allow recipients to opt out easily. Enterprises should create direct yet engaging content to avoid automatic unsubscription. 

Leveraging Google Postmaster for Enhanced Deliverability

Google Postmaster is a tool provided by Google that provides crucial statistics on businesses' email program's performance within Gmail. 

It allows companies to track spam rates, domain reputation, authentications, and delivery errors from any email campaign sent. Utilising Postmaster can give businesses extensive insights into how Gmail is handling emails. 

This enables the marketing team or other departments in the organisation to monitor and assess the program's performance and adjust accordingly.

Other Tools and Resources for Improved Deliverability

To further optimise SMTP email deliverability, there are several tools and strategies that can be employed. Here are some of those:

• Deliverability guides and checklists - These resources can prove invaluable, providing comprehensive instructions on crafting effective emails that adhere to spam laws and are more likely to reach the intended inbox. 

They also typically offer insights on improving subject lines and content to enhance recipient engagement and minimise spam complaints.

• Deliverability dashboards- These dashboards can provide real-time tracking of an email campaign's performance. It offers critical metrics such as bounce rates, open rates, and spam complaints, allowing for immediate adjustment and optimisation of strategies. 

By closely monitoring these statistics, you can proactively mitigate issues affecting your deliverability.

• SMTP email hosting delivery - Utilising a dedicated SMTP server like Maileroo instead of a shared server can drastically improve deliverability. A dedicated server ensures a stable and secure pathway for email transportation, reducing the risk of emails being marked as spam or bounced back.

It also allows for greater control over your sending reputation, further enhancing deliverability rates.

Maintaining good deliverability requires consistent effort, attention, and strategy. Other key elements in optimising email deliverability include verifying email lists to ensure accurate and up-to-date contact information.

Regularly test email content and layout, maintain a healthy IP reputation by minimising bounce rates and spam complaints, and consistently adhere to email best practices.

Maileroo as a Transactional Email Delivery Solution

Maileroo is designed to maximise email deliverability. Its infrastructure and finely tuned algorithms ensure that any business' marketing email campaigns reach the inbox and generate the desired engagement. 

It maintains a high sending reputation, reduces bounce rates, and ensures secure and efficient email delivery.

Compliance of Maileroo with New Authentication Requirements

Maileroo fully complies with the new authentication requirements of various ISPs and email providers. It supports standards such as DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, which are critical for maintaining a solid sender reputation and ensuring high deliverability. 

Maileroo's adherence to these standards demonstrates a commitment to security and reliability, making it a trusted partner in email delivery.

Leveraging Maileroo and Its Compliance for Enterprise

Enterprises can leverage Maileroo's compliance with new authentication requirements to optimise their email deliverability. 

Maileroo's infrastructure and compliance with its email authentication protocols ensure that your emails reach their intended inboxes rather than being flagged as spam or lost in cyberspace. This could mean the difference between a successful campaign and a missed opportunity.

Compliance with a transactional email delivery solution like Maileroo is not just a regulatory requirement; it's an integral part of ensuring high email deliverability. 

Takeaways

The success of business communication largely depends on email deliverability. 

As cyber threats proliferated, email service providers tightened their regulations and the new authentication standards set for 2024, making email sender authentication an imperative step in obtaining high deliverability rates. 

The likes of BIMI and updated DMARC policies are now important considerations for businesses seeking to optimise their email deliverability. 

As for a transactional email delivery solution, compliance is not just a regulatory requirement but a crucial element in ensuring high email deliverability. 

Maileroo stands out as a transactional email delivery solution fully compliant with the new authentication requirements. Its infrastructure and commitment to SMTP protocol, security, and reliability make it a compelling case as the best transactional email delivery solution. 

Make the smart choice, choose Maileroo.