You’ve got this (and we’ve got you).
In order to send emails successfully, you must abide by Google and Yahoo’s requirements for email senders. If you followed the steps in our sender requirements checklist, then you should be in good shape!
However, you may be asking yourself “How do I actually know that I set up all of this correctly? Am I really good to go?”.
This guide will show you how to verify that you’ve done what you need to do in order to meet sender requirements.
Validate your setup
Expand each of the requirements below to learn how to validate that each item has been addressed properly.
Set up a branded sending domain
In Klaviyo, navigate to Settings > Account > Domains. If you have configured your sending domain successfully, you will see an icon next to your sending domain that says Active.
- If you have not set up a branded sending domain yet, follow this setup guide.
- If you have set up a branded sending domain but your domain could not be verified, refer to our branded domain troubleshooting guide.
Align your “from” address with your root domain
In Klaviyo, navigate to Settings > Account > Organization and make sure that your default sender email address is an address that uses your root domain (ie. it is not a freemail address ending in @gmail.com or @yahoo.com).
Set up a DMARC policy on your root domain
If you have added a DMARC policy to your root domain, you can make sure that the policy is functioning properly by using a tool like EasyDMARC checker. Simply input your root domain (brand.com) into the search box and click Check DMARC. You will see a status bar that shows you whether your DMARC record is working properly.
Scroll down in the EasyDMARC page to view a more detailed explanation of how to interpret your results. The Domain Policy tile will show what your p-tag is currently set to. Remember, your Domain Policy only needs to be p=none. If you see a status set to Warning with a callout similar to the one below, your DMARC policy will still meet the minimum requirements since the p-tag only needs to be set to none for now in order to meet requirements.
Make it easy to unsubscribe
One-click unsubscribe will be taken care of automatically in every marketing email that is sent from Klaviyo, so no action is needed here!
You should, however, make sure that every email template you’re currently using includes a clear unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email, as well. The harder it is for a recipient to unsubscribe, the higher the likelihood they will mark it as spam (which has a much worse impact on your reputation).
Keep spam complaints low
Aim to keep your spam rate below 0.1%. The best way to keep spam complaints low is to:
- Send relevant messages that are free of errors and link directly back to your own site
- Only message contacts who have explicitly opted into email marketing
- Set all lists to double opt-in
- Use an engagement-based sending strategy
- Clean your list regularly by suppressing unengaged contacts
In order to view your spam complaint rate, you’ll need to check the following tools:
- Deliverability hub for email in your Klaviyo account: this will show spam complaint rate for all providers except Gmail
- Google Postmaster Tools: monitor spam complaint rate for Gmail users specifically
Check your compliance with Google Postmaster Tools
Google recently released a new sender compliance checker within the Postmaster Tools suite that allows you to easily and quickly check if your domain is compliant with their new requirements.
Not familiar with Google Postmaster Tools? Check out their quick setup guide you can access this report, along with other tools like spam complaint monitoring.