Google and Yahoo have announced new sender requirements that are starting on the 1st February 2024. Most things you now need to do, you're probably already doing as they are best practise for good email deliverability.
However, for brands sending more than 5000 daily emails, there are some extra steps to take, like setting up DMARC authentication, so that your email keep landing in Gmail and Yahoo inboxes.
If you're using Shopify and/or Klaviyo, to ensure that you are in compliance with the email requirements coming into effect on the 1st February, follow this simple checklist:
1. Watch the training video
Start by watching a quick 5-minute video that simply shows you what needs to be checked and done
2. Check you have a DMARC record
Go to https://easydmarc.com/tools/dmarc-lookup to check if the status box shows Valid in green, this will confirm if you have DMARC set up.
If not, add a TXT record to your DNS:
Type: TXT
Name: _dmarc
Data: v=DMARC1; p=none;
3. Set up your branded sender domain
- Access your Klaviyo account and head to Settings > Email > Domain
- Ensure that you have set up a branded sender domain
- Follow the provided steps from Klaviyo if needed and add the DNS records to your domain
Klaviyo's sending domain guide should help you do this last step, but it really is just a case of copy and pasting the records into your domain provider and then clicking authenticate
4. Check your domain is authenticated in Shopify
- Access your Shopify account and head to Settings > Notifications.
- Check to see if the domain is successfully authenticated (shown as 'Domain successfully authenticated in green')
- If not, follow authentication steps provided by Shopify, which may involve adding DNS records to your domain so have this open ready.
5. Use your domain email address NOT a Gmail
If your brand is using businessname@gmail.com for sending emails via Shopify or Klaviyo, this will no longer be acceptable after the compliance rules come into force. It's important to update it ASAP by following these steps:
- Go to https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_uk/pricing.html
- Set up an account on Google Workspace (Business Starter option will suffice)
- Follow instructions provided during setup, including adding necessary DNS records
- Go back and the follow the domain related steps above, making sure you have authenticated it in Shopify and Klaviyo
6. Make it easy to unsubscribe
Your emails must include a method to unsubscribe in just one step and there must also be an unsubscribe link in the message body. The first step here will be coverd by Klaviyo once the new rules come into force. They've confirmed they will automatically add a one-click unsubscribe link to the header of every email (which shows in the inbox). As for the second link, you just need to have this in the body, which most commonly is in the footer. So it's just worth double checking every flow, campaign and template you have includes this.
7. Keep spam complaints low
This one should already be on your email monthly list with list cleaning and only sending to engage subscribers. Low spam complaints are a key way to show inbox providers that you are a legitimate sender who follows deliverability best practices. To check on your metrics, head to your Klaviyo account > Analytics > Deliverability as you now get a score and a recommended actions list.
Please do go back and watch the training video first, as this will give you a better understanding of the 7 steps. Feel free to reach out to me if you encounter any difficulties.
I hope this checklist has been helpful! If it has, please let me know and consider sharing this information to other small business owners who may be concerned about these new requirements.
