What is a Deliverability Audit?
A deliverability audit is a comprehensive review of your
email marketing practices to ensure that your emails are reaching your subscribers' inboxes and not getting lost in spam or junk folders. This process involves evaluating various factors that affect email delivery and making necessary adjustments to improve overall deliverability.
Why is Deliverability Important?
Deliverability is crucial because it directly impacts the success of your email campaigns. High deliverability rates mean that more of your
target audience is receiving your messages, which can lead to higher engagement rates, improved brand reputation, and increased revenue. Poor deliverability, on the other hand, can result in low open rates, high bounce rates, and potential blacklisting by ISPs.
Sender Reputation: ISPs evaluate the sender's reputation based on past email sending behavior.
Email Content: Poorly designed emails, excessive use of certain keywords, and lack of personalization can trigger spam filters.
Recipient Engagement: High engagement rates signal ISPs that recipients find your emails valuable.
Authentication: Proper email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help establish your identity and credibility.
List Hygiene: Keeping your email list clean by removing inactive or invalid email addresses is essential for maintaining good deliverability.
Analyze Email Metrics: Review metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints to identify any issues.
Check Sender Reputation: Use tools like Sender Score or Google Postmaster Tools to check your sender reputation.
Evaluate Email Content: Ensure your emails are well-designed, relevant, and free from spam triggers.
Verify Authentication: Make sure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured.
Assess List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
Common Issues Identified in a Deliverability Audit
During a deliverability audit, you may uncover several common issues: Poor sender reputation due to high spam complaints or low engagement rates.
Emails being marked as spam due to content or design issues.
Authentication protocols not correctly set up.
High bounce rates due to outdated or unverified email lists.
Best Practices to Improve Deliverability
Here are some best practices to enhance your email deliverability: Use a double opt-in process to ensure you’re only adding engaged subscribers to your list.
Segment your email list to send targeted and relevant content to different audience groups.
Regularly monitor and clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers.
Personalize your emails to increase engagement and reduce spam complaints.
Test your emails before sending them to identify any issues that could affect deliverability.
Conclusion
A deliverability audit is essential for maintaining the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. By regularly reviewing and optimizing your email practices, you can ensure that your messages reach your audience's inboxes, leading to higher engagement and better overall results. Implementing best practices and addressing any issues identified during the audit will help you achieve optimal deliverability rates.