As a marketer or business owner, you know how important it is to have a strong email marketing strategy. But what happens when your emails aren't reaching your subscribers' inboxes? This is where email deliverability comes in. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about testing your email deliverability and ensuring your emails are getting delivered.
What is Email Deliverability?
Email deliverability refers to the ability of your emails to reach your subscribers' inboxes. It's not just about sending an email, but also about making sure it gets delivered. There are many factors that can affect email deliverability, including spam filters, email authentication, and the quality of your email list.
Why is Email Deliverability Important?
Email deliverability is important because if your emails aren't getting delivered, then your email marketing efforts are essentially useless. You could have the best email content in the world, but if it's not reaching your subscribers, then it's not going to have any impact. Additionally, poor email deliverability can damage your sender reputation, which can make it even harder to get your emails delivered in the future.
How to Test Your Email Deliverability
Now that you understand the importance of email deliverability, let's talk about how to test it. There are several tools and methods you can use to test your email deliverability, including:
Email Deliverability Testing Tools
There are several email deliverability testing tools available that can help you test your email deliverability. Some popular options include:
These tools will test your email deliverability by sending a test email to your inbox and analyzing the results. They'll look at factors like spam score, email authentication, and more to give you a comprehensive report on your email deliverability.
Manual Testing
If you don't want to use an email deliverability testing tool, you can also manually test your email deliverability. Here's how:
- Create a new email account with a popular email provider like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook.
- Add this email address to your email list.
- Send a test email to this email address.
- Check your spam folder to see if the email was marked as spam.
- If the email wasn't marked as spam, check your inbox to see if it was delivered.
This method isn't as comprehensive as using an email deliverability testing tool, but it can still give you a good idea of whether your emails are getting delivered.
Tips for Improving Email Deliverability
Once you've tested your email deliverability, you may find that there are areas for improvement. Here are some tips for improving your email deliverability:
Clean Your Email List
One of the biggest factors that can affect email deliverability is the quality of your email list. If you have a lot of inactive or invalid email addresses on your list, this can hurt your sender reputation and make it harder to get your emails delivered. Make sure to regularly clean your email list and remove any inactive or invalid email addresses.
Authenticate Your Emails
Email authentication is the process of verifying that an email is actually from the sender it claims to be from. This can help improve email deliverability by reducing the likelihood that your emails will be marked as spam. Make sure to authenticate your emails using methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Avoid Spam Trigger Words
Certain words and phrases can trigger spam filters and cause your emails to be marked as spam. Avoid using words like ""free,"" ""discount,"" and ""limited time offer"" in your subject lines and email content.
Send Relevant Content
Sending relevant content to your subscribers can help improve email deliverability by reducing the likelihood that they'll mark your emails as spam. Make sure to segment your email list and send targeted content to each segment.
Conclusion
Email deliverability is a critical component of any email marketing strategy. By testing your email deliverability and implementing best practices for improving it, you can ensure that your emails are getting delivered and reaching your subscribers' inboxes. Use the tips and tools outlined in this guide to test your email deliverability and improve your email marketing efforts.
FAQs
What is a good email deliverability rate?
A good email deliverability rate is typically around 95% or higher. If your email deliverability rate is lower than this, it may be a sign that there are issues with your email marketing strategy.
What factors can affect email deliverability?
There are many factors that can affect email deliverability, including spam filters, email authentication, the quality of your email list, and more.
How often should I test my email deliverability?
It's a good idea to test your email deliverability on a regular basis, such as once a month or once a quarter. This will help you identify any issues and make improvements to your email marketing strategy."