Deliverability is your ability to land in the inbox
Deliverability refers to the likelihood that your message will successfully reach the inbox. In other words, how likely is it that your message is going to be blocked or filtered out as spam? There are many factors that influence whether or not your messages are successfully delivered to your audience. Watch the video below to learn more about what email deliverability is and why it is crucial to your long-term success.
Understand the factors that influence deliverability
Deliverability is the sum of many factors. Use the table below to compare each factor, what it involves, and the signal it sends to inbox providers.
Factor | What it involves | Signal it sends to inbox providers |
|---|---|---|
Domain authentication and alignment | Adding the right DNS records so your domain passes verification checks, then making sure your sender “from” address uses the same domain as your root domain. | An authenticated, aligned domain marks you as a legitimate sender. Covered in much more detail later in this course. |
Clear and easy unsubscribe options | Klaviyo automatically adds a one-click unsubscribe snippet to the header of every marketing email. Add a clear unsubscribe link to the bottom of every email as well. | Easy opting out means recipients leave quietly instead of filing a spam complaint against you. |
Spam complaint rate and bounces | Complaints happen when recipients manually mark your email as spam, often because they could not find an easy way to unsubscribe. Bounced messages never reach the inbox at all. Learn more about the different types of bounces. | A complaint is a direct report that recipients do not want what you send. Enough of them can route your messages to spam automatically, or get you blocked altogether. |
Open and click rates | How often recipients open your emails and click the links inside them. | Inbox providers look for positive signals too. Consistently high opens and clicks show you send relevant messages that recipients want. |
Quality of your subscriber list | Only send marketing emails to people who explicitly opted in. As you build your list:
| A high-quality recipient pool is the main driver behind good open and click rates, which feed directly into your sender reputation. |
Quality of your message content |
| Clipped emails frustrate recipients and can cut off the unsubscribe link, prompting spam complaints. Links to unrelated sites are a red flag that your content is unwanted or harmful. |
Local laws and regulations | Depending on where you do business, your messages may be subject to:
| Violating any of these rules can result in huge losses and potential legal action against your business. Take the time to learn the laws that apply to you and your customers. |
Klaviyo cannot provide you with any legal advice. Speak to your legal counsel or advisors about any specific questions you may have related to laws and regulations in your region.