Problem
How do I setup Gmail Feedback Loop emails?
I have unsubscribe links in my mail-shots, but I'm still having trouble delivering to Gmail recipients. Why?
Overview
Google provides the ability for email recipients to mark the email as 'Spam'. Users can (and do) report email as spam, despite signing up for - or legitimately receiving email.
Email Feedback Loops (FBLs) are a critical tool for email senders who want to maintain a positive sending reputation and improve email deliverability. A FBL alerts senders when recipients mark their emails as spam.
This knowledge base article will explain FBLs, why they're essential, and how to set them up for Gmail recipients. Monitoring your domains' reputations is critical if you send emails to these domains.
Why Feedback Loops Matter
Unlike Yahoo and Hotmail, Gmail does not provide traditional FBL services. Instead, Gmail offers Postmaster Tools, which give detailed information about the performance of your email campaigns, including spam rate, reputation, and delivery errors.
Although it is not a traditional email FBL, in that it doesn't reply feedback on specific email recipients, it is still a critical tool to monitor and analyse when sending mail-shots to gmail accounts.
Setting Up the Gmail Feedback Loop (Postmaster Tools)
Requirements:
- Domain authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
- Gmail account with access to the domain’s DNS records for verification.
Steps to Set Up Gmail Postmaster Tools:
- Go to Gmail Postmaster Tools: Visit Gmail Postmaster Tools.
- Sign in with a Gmail Account: Use an active Gmail account that you will use to monitor Postmaster Tools.
- Add and Verify Domain:
- Enter the sending domain you want to monitor.
- Gmail will generate a TXT record for you to add to your domain’s DNS to verify ownership.
- Once the DNS record is added, return to Postmaster Tools and complete the verification.
- Access Insights:
- Gmail Postmaster Tools will show metrics such as spam rate, domain and IP reputation, and any delivery errors.
- These insights can help you make data-driven decisions to improve email engagement and avoid spam filters.
Note: Gmail does not send individual complaint notifications but provides overall engagement metrics and reputation insights.
How to Use the Reports
Just like using Google Analytics, you will need to correlate the results of the Postmaster Tools reports with changes your email sending campaigns to understand the impact of those changes. There is no direct ability to see which users have reported your email as Spam.
