Navigating new email compliance: Mastering Google's February 2024 email compliance with ease

You've probably heard word about Google and Yahoo updating their compliance requirements. They made the announcement in October 2023, creating a little bit of a stir among all of us deep in BFCM preparations. 

Now that we're in December, it's time to act before the February 1 deadline.

Understanding and adapting to these changes is crucial for every business that relies on email marketing.

If you send over 5,000 messages to Gmail addresses in a single day, this concerns you and you have until February 1, 2024 to comply or risk your emails not being delivered as expected.

To be safe, we highly recommend implementing these measures even if your list size is below 5,000 because this includes flow emails and transactional emails too. Plus your list size is going to grow, right? 🙂

In order to comply these are the main four areas* that need attention: 

1. Align your “From:” header with your domain
2. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC email authentication for your domain.
3. One-click unsubscribe + unsubscribe in email body
4. No spam complaint higher than 0.3%

* Note that we'll focus on the Google requirements (detailed in these Email Sender Guidelines) because they're stricter than Yahoo and will cover you for both. 

In this article we'll break down what you need to do in order to remain compliant and avoid your emails getting blocked by Google and Yahoo. 

Note that most of this is pretty technical and requires a good understanding of DNS records. Mistakes and oversights could have a significant negative impact on your email marketing efforts. If you aren’t technical, we have a very affordable “done-for-you” offering where we take care of everything. Click here if you’d like to discuss this with our team. 

1. Align your “From:” header with your domain

As a bulk sender, your emails can no longer appear like this in the inbox: 

In other words, the "From" field cannot say "via shared.klaviyomail.com". 

To align your "From" with your domain, you have to use your own sending domain rather than the shared Klaviyo sending domain. 

To take care of this requirement, you'll need to follow these Klaviyo instructions.

This involves: 

• Selecting a unique subdomain (not currently used in any other email provider you're using)
• Generating DNS records via Klaviyo
• Updating DNS records with your DNS provider (eg. Bluehost, GoDaddy, etc.) 
• Verifying all is working correctly

Note that Sending Domain is not the same as IP Address. You do not need to move to a dedicated IP Address. 

If you are a new Klaviyo user, you'll need to warm up your Sending Domain. However, all existing Klaviyo accounts with a 30 day sending history do not need a warming period.

You also need to authenticate your Domain Name to use with Shopify Transactional emails. If you haven't done this yet, you'll see the following message when you access your "Notifications" in Shopify's settings. 

You'll need to generate another set of DNS records within Shopify, add these to your DNS provider and confirm everything was set up correctly. 

2. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC email authentication for your domain

This is the most technical part. 

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are all DNS records. They let inboxes know that YOU are truly the one sending your emails. 

You'll need to make sure they are properly set up so your emails don't get flagged and sent to spam. 

One piece of good news is that SPF and DKIM are taken care of by Klaviyo and Shopify when you set up your Dedicated Sending domain (instructions linked in the last section). 

In case you're curious, DKIM is used to validate the authenticity of email messages. And

SPF is a way for ISPs (like Gmail, Yahoo, etc) to confirm that a mail server is authorized to send email for your domain. 

That leaves us with DMARC. 

The most important thing to know is that DMARC helps prevent spammers from using your domain to impersonate you in people's inboxes. 

DMARC is a standard that reviews emails sent from your Domain to see if they pass your SPF and DKIM authentication. If they do not pass either of these, you have the option to tell inboxes what to do with fishy emails: receive it normally, quarantine it, reject it. 

In order to set this up correctly, you'll need to generate and add a DMARC record to your DNS set up. Klaviyo shares some instructions here.

We recommend also setting up DMARC Reports. These reports will help you understand if emails sent from your domain do or don't pass SPF and DKIM authentication. 

If all Klaviyo and Shopify emails pass SPF and DKIM authentication, then you're all set. If they don't, you'll want to investigate further to understand if there's a concern with your domain. 

3. One-click unsubscribe + Unsubscribe in email body

Klaviyo shared that they plan on launching a “list unsubscribe header”. This will satisfy the “one click to unsubscribe” requirement. 

It's not clear yet how this will look in all your emails, so stay tuned. But it will satisfy the one-click unsubscribe requirement. 

Additionally, you'll need to add an unsubscribe link within your email body. The current Klaviyo footer unsubscribe link does the trick. 

4. No spam complaint higher than 0.3%

It's pretty clear why you'd want to keep your spam complaints low. But if you inadvertently hit 0.3% Google will block your emails, so you really shouldn't leave this to chance. 

Step one is setting up a tracking system. We recommend using Google’s Postmaster Tools to monitor your spam complaint rates. To set this up you will need to add a TXT record to your DNS configuration for your brand. 

Step two is making sure you follow email marketing best practices to send quality content to relevant audiences. 

Following these new requirements is very important. So while there's no reason to panic, you cannot leave any of this to chance or think you can take care of it last minute. 

As you navigate these new compliance waters, you don't have to go it alone. Partner with us at Fuel Made, and leverage our expertise as a Klaviyo Master Elite Partner with 8 years of dedicated service.

Why trust us? Here's the Fuel Made difference:

• Klaviyo Elite Expertise: As Master Elite Partners, we're not just experienced; we're recognized as one of the top 20 leaders in the field. This means we stay ahead of industry changes and bring you the most current strategies.
• Proven Track Record: With 8 years under our belt, we've mastered the art of email marketing. Our long-standing experience translates into deep insights and nuanced strategies that newer agencies might miss.
• Peace of Mind: Handing over the reins to us means you can focus on what you do best, while we ensure your email marketing is not only compliant but also impactful and engaging.
• Custom Solutions: Every business is unique, and so are our strategies. We tailor our approach to fit your specific needs and goals, ensuring you get the most out of your email campaigns.

Ready to make compliance a breeze and elevate your email marketing? Let's talk. Click here to connect with our team and take the first step towards stress-free, effective email marketing.