Email deliverability is the ability to land your emails in subscribers' inboxes instead of spam folders. On average, 20% of legitimate marketing emails never reach the inbox. Poor deliverability means wasted effort and lost revenue.
Why Deliverability Matters
If your emails land in spam, it doesn't matter how good your copy is. ISPs like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook use complex algorithms to filter emails. They look at sender reputation, authentication, engagement signals, and content quality.
The Three Pillars of Deliverability
1. Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Email authentication proves you're who you say you are. Without proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, your emails are much more likely to be flagged as spam or rejected entirely.
2. Sender Reputation
Your sender reputation is like a credit score for email. It's built over time based on engagement rates, spam complaints, bounce rates, and sending practices. A good reputation means better inbox placement.
3. List Quality
A clean, engaged email list is essential. Sending to invalid addresses, spam traps, or unengaged subscribers hurts your reputation. Regular list hygiene keeps deliverability high.
Common Deliverability Mistakes
- Buying or renting email lists
- Not implementing authentication records
- Ignoring bounce and unsubscribe handling
- Sending to unengaged subscribers
- Inconsistent sending volumes
- Using spam trigger words in subject lines