Email deliverability – How to optimize?

Introduction

Email delivery, in other words the placement of the email in the recipient’s inbox, is perhaps the most important part of email marketing. With advanced spam filters, this is quite a challenge. There are factors that Xendy can influence, but also factors you as a Xendy user can influence.

What does Xendy manage?

Good email deliverability depends on multiple technical and organizational components. It’s not only about configuring the right DNS records, but also about carefully managing your sending reputation and handling undeliverable emails.

Domain authentication / DNS

DNS management is essentially the digital phone book of the internet, where you configure which phone number (server) belongs to your name (domain). Before you can send your first email from Xendy, you must create several records in this DNS. Three types of records must be created:

• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): adds a digital signature to your emails to confirm they haven’t been tampered with.
• SPF: ensures that emails are sent from servers that are authorized to send on your behalf.
• DMARC (Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): validates SPF and DKIM policies to improve security and deliverability.

Receiving mail servers (such as Gmail and Outlook) check for the presence of these three elements. If one of the three elements is missing, there is a high chance the email will be marked as spam.

IP reputation

Emails you send are delivered from an IP address with a strong reputation. This means we continuously scan which emails are being sent. For example, we check the number of bounced emails, open rates, and the number of emails marked as spam by recipients.

We actively address customers about this, create plans to improve statistics, or choose to no longer work with these customers. The better the reputation of our IP addresses, the fewer emails end up in spam filters.

Bounce management

It sometimes happens that the email address you are sending to no longer exists or that emails cannot be delivered temporarily. Sending too many emails to email addresses that ‘bounce’ can lead to more emails being filtered as spam. That’s why Xendy processes bounces automatically. Two types of bounces are distinguished:

• Hard bounces: emails that permanently fail (e.g. invalid addresses) are automatically marked as inactive in Xendy.
• Soft bounces: emails that are temporarily undeliverable (e.g. full inboxes) are retried and marked if the issue persists.

Additional components for good deliverability

In addition to the three core elements above, there are other factors that contribute to good email deliverability. For example, we check that, depending on your previous performance, a maximum number of emails per minute is sent.

What can you do yourself?

Good email deliverability starts with the right settings, but you can also do a lot yourself to ensure your emails actually land in the inbox. Below you’ll find practical steps you can apply directly in Xendy.

Check contact information

Make sure your contact details are accurate. Invalid or incomplete email addresses often lead to bounces and a lower reputation. When importing or manually adding contacts, check that fields are properly filled in.

Read more about managing contacts in the article ‘managing contacts’.

Personalize your emails

Emails that are personal and relevant are opened and clicked more often. Use fields such as first name or previous purchases to tailor your message to the recipient. This increases the chance of your emails landing in the inbox.

Read more about email personalization in the article ‘email personalization’.

Optimize email content

Avoid too many images, large files, or spam-sensitive words (such as “free” or “buy now”). Write a clear subject line and use a balanced ratio between text and images. A clear email is better assessed by spam filters.

Exclude low-engagement contacts

If you continue sending emails to contacts who no longer open or click, this can negatively impact your deliverability. Set up segments to automatically exclude less active contacts from sending, or send them a reactivation campaign. Here’s how to set this up:

1. In the left menu, choose ‘Inactive contacts’ and then click in the top right on ‘All inactive contacts’ and select the dynamic segment for which you want to configure the filter rules. Now click in the top right on ‘Filter rules’ to open this menu.
2. Click on ‘New rule’ to add a new rule.
3. Select ‘Contact field: has opened the last X emails’ and then ‘not opened’. Now choose the number, for example 5. This automatically marks contacts as inactive when they haven’t opened 5 emails.
4. After setting the correct filter rules, click on ‘Update rules’ to save them.
5. You will now see under ‘Contacts’ everyone who meets your filter criteria. Review these to ensure you have marked the correct people as inactive.

A dynamic segment is updated automatically. This means it re-evaluates which contacts meet the configured filter criteria. This happens at three moments:

• When you as a user open the dynamic segment
• When a newsletter is sent
• When emails are prepared for an email automation

Recognizable sender name and email address (no no-reply)

Always use a sender name and email address that your contacts recognize. Avoid generic addresses such as no-reply@, as this can reduce trust and increase the chance of being marked as spam. Instead choose a personal or recognizable address such as info@yourdomain.com.

Segmentation

By smartly segmenting your contacts list, you can send more targeted emails. This ensures your customers only receive emails that are relevant to them, increasing the chance of opens and clicks and reducing unsubscribes. Segmentation also improves the reputation of your sending domain with email providers.

Read more about creating and managing segments in the article ‘managing contacts’.

Frequently Asked Questions