 |
| Email spamming |
"How to avoid spam filter algorithm"
Since the first step of email analysis is performed automatically through algorithms, you need to understand the impact of technical aspects on email arrival rates.
Index:
1. Avoid using Dynamic IP
2. Regularly check IP Reputation
3. Verify the list of all email addresses
4. Track the open rate and spam complaint rate of your email activity
5. Understand he Bounce Rate
6. Before sending large mass emails, before warm up your new email account
7. Avoid spam trigger words
8. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records
9. Create a separate email for outbound mass mailing
10. Pay attention to HTML
11. Send personalized emails
14. Comply with email laws and regulations
15. Follow links correctly
1. Avoid using dynamic IP
A dynamic IP is an address used by two or more people at the same time, for example, when using the same ISP or local Wi-Fi connection (in the workplace or in a coffee shop). If you use an IP that was previously used for control purposes, you will not be able to control the Sender Reputation of that IP. Low sender reputation means a higher probability of being marked as a spammer.
For security, you need a dedicated IP address (Dedicated IP). A dedicated IP is a unique IP address associated with a specific hosting account that only you have access to.
2. Regularly check IP reputation
If you are not sure about the reputation of the IP, you can check it at any time. There are many free apps that can help you do this.
3. Verify (Verify) the list of all email addresses
First of all, it is not recommended to buy email lists. In other words, all email lists you own must be verified, including lists that have been verified before. Regardless of the source, you can't be 100% sure about the quality of the list, because every day you throw away, type errors, or block emails.
Over time, any email list needs to be cleared.
So why is verification email so important?
When you send emails to an invalid email address, they will be returned. The higher the bounce rate, the lower the IP reputation, and the lower the IP reputation, the easier it is for you to be blocked by ESP. Therefore, you always need to make sure that the email you send will reach the real recipient. In addition, it can save you a lot of budget. Always verify and test emails.
4. Track the open rate and spam complaint rate of your email activity
Low open rate and high spam complaint rate are the direct reasons for the suspension of ESP. Track the effect of mail sending, and make corresponding modifications to improve the effect. If you need to compare the price with the price, please refer to the industry average:
– The average open rate of B2C emails is 20.81%, and the average open rate of Bussiness2Bussiness emails is 15.1%
-The average unsubscribe rate is 0.23%
-Spam complaint rate threshold) is usually 0.5%.
5. Understand the Bounce Rate
The bounce rate is the ratio of emails that did not reach the recipient's inbox to the total number of emails sent. There is a difference between Hard Bounce and Soft Bounce, but the higher the bounce rate, the greater the damage to the sender’s reputation. Of course, the ideal bounce rate is 0, but this is not very realistic. We generally try to keep it below 2%.
6. Before sending large mass emails, please Warm Up your new email account
If you send a large mailing group to more than 500 recipients, please continue reading. If you regularly process a large number of emails and change the sender's account from time to time, you need to remember to warm it up first. Start with an email every day (which will definitely open), and then keep increasing this number every day to improve Sender’s Reputation.
7. Avoid spam trigger words
Each email sent will be analyzed in detail. Every word is the same. If you abuse the words that trigger the spam filter (such as Free, 50% Discount, Buy now, etc.), your email may be sent to the "Spam" folder. We have compiled a list of more than 550 spam trigger words to keep your email content tidy. Or, you can use a tool such as an email copy checker to test your email in case you forget to check the email content for spam.
8. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records
SPF, DKIM and DMARC are three protection steps that can protect the sender from phishers, hackers and data capture, and help avoid the recipient's "spam" folder.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a special DNS record that contains all IP addresses from which you can send emails from domain names. SPF checking is the first step in email authentication. If the recipient's server finds your sender IP in the SPF record, it will make the email pass the second check.
Learn how to create an SPF record for your domain here. Domain Key Identified Mail (DKIM) is a mechanism that uses two encryption keys (private and public) to work. This is the second step to prevent Spam. The private key encrypts the invisible header in each email. The public key is the TXT record in the DNS record. When the recipient's server receives the email, it will request the public key and decrypt the header to prove that you are the sender. If you do not set up DKIM, many mail servers will only reject your email.
The domain-based mail authentication report and conformance (DMARC) protocol defines what to do if the email sent fails the first two authentication steps (SPF and DKIM). This is the third and final step of email authentication. You can set one of the following three options: take no action on the email, mark the email as spam or reject the email.
9. Create a separate email account for outbound mass mailing
When sending mass mailings, you need to ensure 100% credibility. Unfortunately, this can be difficult when the entire company uses the same domain name and IP. Therefore, many companies create a separate domain name for mass mailing so as to be able to control the reputation of the sender. It is best to separate all your email series-unfamiliar emails, Promotion emails, Newsletter emails, Transactional emails, etc.
10. Pay attention to HTML
Incorrectly coded HTML is a very unique feature of spammers, and Filter can recognize this. Make sure your HTML template is perfect, or don't use HTML templates.
11. Send personalized emails
Spam emails are essentially bulk emails and do not consider any personal methods to be sent. Every email looks the same.
This is why most marketing emails are marked as spam! The Spam Filter is looking for this. To prevent emails from looking like spam, you need to add some variable personalization settings to each email.
It can be the person's first name, last name, company, etc., without limitation. Adding personalized settings can not only help you avoid Filter, but also increase your open rate, click-through rate, and sometimes even increase conversion rate. Use custom email variables to add a sense of humanity, which is true for ESP Filter and recipients.
12. Adhere to the best text-to-image ratio
Pictures are loved by spammers because it is a good way to hide spam trigger words from Filter. Therefore, excessive use of pictures will attract the attention of garbage Filter. The best text to picture ratio is 80:20.
13. Easily handle attachments
The deliverability of e-mail is mainly affected by the size of the e-mail. Experiments have shown that the larger the email, the more frequently ESP will filter it as spam. In this way, the open rate and conversion rate decrease, and the spam rate increases. The solution is simple: include sending links to Google Drive files (rather than sending them as email attachments) (by the way, these files are automatically scanned for viruses and are trustworthy for both the ESP and the recipient ).
14. Comply with email laws and regulations
According to the Anti-Spam Law, every sender should abide by certain rules to ensure safety. they are:
- Don't send email via open relay
- Include an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email
- The email should contain the real header
- An email should contain at least one sentence and cannot be empty
- The CAN-SPAM law is just one of the main regulations. Make sure that your campaign complies with the regulations of the country where you (and the recipient) are located.
15. Follow links correctly
Link tracking is essential for analyzing the success of email campaigns. In other words, if you make a mistake, it may harm the delivery rate of emails. The best way to include links in email content is to use anchor words instead of including the link as-is.