One major problem faced by many companies is that several times their emails do not reach their target audience as it gets either blocked or is spammed by Gmail. If you too are facing this problem, then this article will surely be helpful to you.
But before we move on to understand how you can overcome this situation, first let us examine what made you get into Gmail’s blacklist.
Though Gmail never discloses their email filtering policies, below are some important criteria which surely are taken into account:
- No. of emails sent
- Spam trap hits
- Complaint rates
- Bounce Rates
- Blacklisting
- Email sent to unknown users
- Changes in email volume
- History of IP address
- IP neighborhood
These factors play a vital role in determining how you score as an email sender. Thus it is strongly recommended that before you request for any blacklist removal, you check your sender score. SenderScore and SenderBase are some of the tools through which ISPs can get their sender score. A low score signals email delivery issues.
It is advisable that you follow the best email practices, so that your mails are not directed to the spam folder. Few of the good email practices are:
Concentrate on building your reputation
ISPs pay attention to the sending behavior when it makes filtering decisions. Based on your reputation your emails would either be delivered or blocked as a spam. So make it a point to build your reputation.
Make your permission practices secure
Your subscribers should be very clear that they on your list and about the kind of emails they will receive. Always choose a partner who follows a very strong permission practices. This way the subscribers will be sure about your message and will not flag it as spam.
Maintain a sturdy infrastructure
In case you use your own server to send emails, then make it a point to you comply with the ISPs. In spite of most of the errors being straightforward, fixing these errors does take some time. Using reputable third parties like SendGrid can make maintaining sturdy infrastructure even easier.
Make unsubscribing an easy task
Usually receivers’ direct mails to the spam folder as unsubscribing them are a difficult task. This badly affects your reputation. Thus it is very important that you keep the unsubscribing process easy and simple.
Monitor your emails regularly
This is very crucial for the success of your mails. Always rectify delivery failures instantly as they may harm your sending reputation. It will also be good, if you use tools which measure who actually received your mails and also how many among them responded to your messages. This way you will get a clear picture of how the whole email program is performing and which are the areas where things need to be improved.
Next thing which we will discuss is how can you avoid being blacklisted?
First and foremost do not spam. This is the basic step which you must follow. Secondly your server should be highly secure. You can do this by simply opting for a difficult password and keep changing it regularly. Updating CMS and Plugins also helps you avoid being blacklisted, especially if you are using WordPress. Instead of opting for cheap hosting providers, go for good quality hosting providers. Also do not host your site on shared-hosting.
Hopefully now you are clear about how you can avoid being blacklisted. So let us move on to understanding how your IP can be removed from the Gmail blacklist. The common error codes reflected on failed mail delivery are 421 and 550 errors.
While 421 errors are often temporary blocks, 550 errors are permanent failure. In case of 421 errors, email servers attempt to resend the emails. If without any loss of time you correct the spam or email flood issue, then these blocks can be resolved automatically. On the other hand if left unchecked Google may decide to block your email entirely.
The logs of 550 errors, which are permanent failures, often include links and additional information. In case of 550 errors you will have to take some action before Gmail removes your server IP address.
Request for removal from Blacklist
The best way to get out from the blacklist is by filling the form at Report a delivery problem between your domain and Gmail. You need to complete the form over here in detail. Once the form is submitted it takes around 3-7 days for the process to take place. There are high chances that you will not hear back from Gmail, rather your email will start flowing once you have fixed the reason you were blacklisted for.
In case you send bulk emails which are ‘legitimate’ in nature and get an error code in 400 series then you need to go through the Google’s Bulk Sender Guidelines and then complete the Bulk Sender Contact Form.
We are sure that if you follow the steps mentioned above you can remove your IP from Google’s blacklist. Also it is highly recommended that you stick to the basics and be proactive enough so that the IP does not get blacklisted in the first place.
