Gmail sender guidelines

Overview

Starting in 2024, email senders must meet specific requirements to send email to Gmail personal accounts (@gmail.com or @googlemail.com). These guidelines help ensure the successful delivery of messages and reduce the risk of them being blocked or marked as spam.

Requirements for all senders (any volume)

• Set up SPF or DKIM email authentication for your sending domains
• Ensure sending domains/IPs have valid forward and reverse DNS (PTR) records
• Use a TLS connection for transmitting email
• Keep spam rates reported in Postmaster Tools below 0.3%
• Format messages according to the RFC 5322 standard

Requirements for high-volume senders (5,000+ messages/day)

• Set up SPF and DKIM email authentication
• Set up DMARC email authentication (enforcement policy can be set to "none")
• The domain in the sender's From: header must align with either the SPF domain or the DKIM domain (required to pass DMARC)
• Marketing messages must support one-click unsubscribe and include a clearly visible unsubscribe link in the message body

Infrastructure requirements and guidelines

IP address configuration

• The sending IP address must match the IP address of the hostname specified in the pointer (PTR) record
• Set up valid reverse DNS records pointing to your domain

Shared IP considerations

• The activity of any sender using a shared IP address affects the reputation of all senders for that shared IP address
• Verify the shared IP isn't on any blocklist
• Monitor shared IP reputation through Postmaster Tools

Content guidelines

• Format HTML messages according to HTML standards
• Don't use HTML and CSS to hide content in your messages
• Make web links visible and easy to understand
• Keep sender information clear and visible

Display name best practices

What to do

• Display names should reflect a consistent, clear, and accurate statement of the sender's identity
• Use display names exclusively to identify the sender
• Maintain consistency across messages

What to avoid

• Don't include subject or message content in display names
• Avoid misleading names like "URGENT REQUEST" or "Last Chance"
• Don't include the recipient's name in the display name
• Display names should never be used to deceive the recipient

Subscription management

One-click unsubscribe setup

For high-volume senders, include both headers:

List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click
List-Unsubscribe: <https://yourdomain.com/unsubscribe/example>

Best practices

• Make it easy for recipients to opt in with confirmed email addresses
• Provide easy unsubscribe options
• Consider unsubscribing recipients who don't engage
• Send only to people who want your messages

Monitoring & compliance

• Regularly check Google Postmaster Tools for current reputation status and delivery errors
• Keep spam rates reported in Postmaster Tools below 0.10% and avoid reaching a spam rate of 0.30% or higher
• Monitor overall compliance status on the Google Sender Compliance page: https://postmaster.google.com/v2/sender_compliance
• Check domain status with Google Safe Browsing regularly
• Use the Google Admin Toolbox to review DNS and fix domain settings

Gmail – email delivery issues

If you are experiencing lower delivery rates due to soft bounces, Gmail may be rejecting messages. Common Gmail error messages include:

421, "4.7.0": Messages are rejected because the sending server’s IP address is not on the allowed list for the recipient’s domain.

550, "5.7.1": Messages are rejected because the sending server’s IP address is on an IP suspended list. This can happen when using a shared IP with poor reputation.