Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender requirements

What it means

Gmail and Yahoo now apply strict rules to anyone who sends a lot of email to their users. Google counts a "bulk sender" as a domain that sends around 5,000 or more emails a day to Gmail addresses. Once you reach that level, you stay in that category.

The rules are simple to list:

• SPF and DKIM must both be set up for your domain.
• DMARC must be published, at least with p=none, and your From address must align with SPF or DKIM.
• One-click unsubscribe must be offered on marketing emails, and requests handled within two days.
• Spam complaints must stay under 0.3%, and ideally under 0.1%.
• Your sending servers need valid reverse DNS and must use TLS encryption.

Why it matters

Emails that do not follow these rules are sent to spam or rejected with an error. Even if you send less than 5,000 emails a day, SPF or DKIM is required for everyone, and following the full list protects you as you grow.

How to check

• Send a test email: on the home page, copy your unique test address, send it a normal email from the mailbox or tool you want to check, then open the report. It shows SPF, DKIM, DMARC, reverse DNS and TLS in one place.
• Use the Domain scanner: type your domain at /domain-scanner to check your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
• Watch your spam rate in Google Postmaster Tools (free), which shows the share of your emails marked as spam by Gmail users.

How to fix it

1. Set up SPF for every service that sends email for you. See the guide on missing SPF records.
2. Turn on DKIM in each sending tool (mailbox provider, newsletter tool, shop) and publish its key in DNS.
3. Publish a DMARC record, for example:

   _dmarc.yourdomain.com  TXT  "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com"

4. Check alignment. The domain in your From address must match the domain used by SPF or DKIM. Most newsletter tools offer a "custom domain" or "authenticate your domain" setting for this.
5. Add one-click unsubscribe. Your newsletter tool usually adds the List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers for you. Also keep a visible unsubscribe link in the email itself.
6. Lower complaints. Only email people who asked for it, say clearly who you are, and remove inactive contacts.

Things that do not count

• Sending marketing email from a free address such as @gmail.com or @yahoo.com: those domains have a strict DMARC policy, so your emails will fail.
• An unsubscribe link that requires logging in: it must work in one click.

Check that it is fixed

DNS changes are not instant. Most are visible within a few minutes, but some providers take up to 24 to 48 hours.

Send a new test email from the home page, from the tool you use for bulk sending. SPF, DKIM and DMARC should all pass for your domain. Then follow your spam rate in Postmaster Tools over the next weeks.

Official rules: Google email sender guidelines and Yahoo sender best practices.