Following email authentication best practices goes a long way to keep your emails from going to your subscribers’ spam folders.
When you choose an autoresponder service, it’s essential to choose one that has good feedback regarding their delivery rate. Sometimes an autoresponder service can end up with a bad reputation if it allows scammers to use their system.
That is why you have so many rules you need to follow. Looking at your autoresponder service’s benchmark testing and then ensuring that you follow email authentication best practices will help.
Benchmarks
Each autoresponder service puts out a benchmarks report so that you can use the information to improve your email marketing campaigns. Most email autoresponder services do this periodically so that you can learn from what others are doing and their system.
For example, they go through the data to figure out values for average opens, clicks, unsubscribes, abuse complaints, and more. They come up with a report that lets you know things like best phrases to use in subject lines and other options.
You can learn more about benchmark reports by looking at Get Response’s report here. (https://www.getresponse.com/resources/reports/email-marketing-benchmarks) What is exciting about this is that you can extrapolate best practices from the information.
You can prevent email fraud, increase your deliverability, and more by using proper email authentication. Email authentication is really part of the email sending, delivery, and receiving process. When a server receives the email, it checks certain factors to ensure it is not SPAM before allowing it to be delivered to the recipient.
To improve your email authentication, you’ll want to do the following:
- Avoid using email addresses that are associated with a parked domain. You’ll want to use email from an active website that is in use to showcase your authenticity.
- Ensure that the domain you’re using has all the proper security in place, including HTTPS, as this is another sign to the receiving host that your email is not SPAM and is safe for the recipient.
DNS Records for Email Authentication
The things you’re probably not looking into, but should, are:
Set up SPF Authentication
Sender policy framework verifies the identity of the email sender. You have to set this up in your DNS records, which involves knowing the IP addresses you will use to send all emails, all your sending domains, and to create an SPF record inside the DNS settings. Most services have step by step directions. In some cases, you don’t even need to do it, as it’s already done for you. Once you create your SPF record, you’ll need to add it to your DNS as a new TXT record.
Set up DKIM Authentication
This protocol verifies that you have a right to deliver messages to that email address. This helps prevent email spoofing. Your DKIM signature automatically attaches to the email header and helps ensure your emails are delivered as they are.
Set Up DMARC Records
Domain message authentication reporting and conformance gives you more control over your emails, but you do need to access your DNS to do it. Create a DMARC TXT file to improve your email deliverability.
Contact the place that you park or keep your domains such as Go Daddy, which may be different from who hosts your sites. First, find out if you need to do this. Then find out how to change your DNS records for these authentication processes.
Many fact
ors determine if you need to change these records for authentication purposes. Even if you currently use a host that is very accepted, and your deliverability rate is good, that may not last. Adding these authentications to your DNS records will help. Additionally, using good email sending practices that include using the right terms, a good “from” email address, and more will also do wonders for your email deliverability.
