With 超过18亿用户, there is no debate that Gmail is a leader among email providers. Chances are you have many subscribers on your business lists with Gmail addresses, and increasing your chances of successfully reaching them is essential to your company. Understanding the filters and criteria Gmail uses to determine email validity will create improved deliverability for your communications.

Gmail uses many different algorithms to determine inbox placement as well as delivery of your messages. Those algorithms use countless points of reference such as engagement, complaints, bad addresses for a combination of sending subdomain and top domain, bounce domain and DKIM, IP address, body content, branding, source coding, etc. Therefore when you have an issue, 排除故障会让人不知所措.

以下是你应该遵循的15项电子邮件送达最佳实践，以避免在向Gmail发送时开始出现问题。

1. Secure the Opt-in

鼓励你的用户选择加入你的通信，而不是默认勾选这些框。一些国际地区限制自动选择的做法，并对违规行为征收罚款或处罚。让你的企业保持合规，并取消默认选择。

Gmail强烈建议在可能的情况下采用双选或确认选入。然而，单一选择是必须的。重要的是，每个订阅者都要选择加入他们所收到的确切信息流。他们选择接受你的信息类型是不够的。比如说。凯蒂选择接收JobSiteA发送的信息。这并不意味着JobSiteB可以开始向Katie发送信息，仅仅是因为它与JobSiteA的主题相同，甚至是由JobSiteA的同一个母公司拥有。凯蒂必须明确地选择接受JobSiteB的信息。

2. Track Engagement

ǞǞǞ most important thing to remember is to send messages to subscribers who are engaged with your brand. They are opening, reading, clicking and interacting with your brand. Interacting may mean purchasing or even getting involved with the discussion depending on your business model. Develop a list hygiene process to remove nonengaged subscribers from your active sending list on a regular basis.

3. Keep Your Subscriber List Healthy

不要继续向不再存在或硬退货的电子邮件地址发送（SparkPost会抑制硬退货）。不要继续向那些在合理时间内没有打开或点击的用户发送。这个时间长度真的取决于你的商业模式。一个好的经验法则是，积极参与的订阅者将在30天内至少打开和/或点击你的每日信息，并在90天内至少打开和/或点击你的每周信息一次。任何在过去12个月内没有打开或点击你的信息的用户应该从你的名单中永久删除，因为他们有可能成为一个垃圾邮件陷阱。

自己建立你的用户名单，而不是从第三方名单供应商那里购买电子邮件名单。向没有要求的用户发送电子邮件会产生垃圾邮件投诉，并对你的发送声誉和交付能力造成潜在伤害。

4.践行良好的礼节

Being polite and professional helps create a positive impression for your business and increases Gmail deliverability. Your business name and purpose should be clear as the sender. Google also 推荐电子邮件主题词 relevant to message content and links whose purpose and destinations are clear and pertinent.

5.隔离你的电子邮件内容

虽然许多企业通过推荐额外的产品，将交易型电子邮件作为额外的促销工具，但如果你将营销内容排除在流程通信之外，你对Gmail账户的可交付性就会增加。如果你采用了一个以上的IP地址，你可以按IP将两类邮件分开，以确保交易类邮件保持较高的发件人信誉，防止它们被贴上垃圾邮件标签。

6. Monitor Blacklistings

Gmail 确实使用第三方黑名单（具体名单不详）来确定inbox 的位置。

7. Avoid URL Shorteners

如果在群发邮件中使用，Gmail会阻止其中大部分，特别是bit.ly。

8. Use the Unsubscribe Features

Make it easy for subscribers to unsubscribe from your message! Google’s one-click feature permits users to click the unsubscribe button inside the email to simplify the process and prevent a user complaint. Spam complaints are not shared back to you through feedback loops like other ISPs. Therefore it is crucial that your subscribers unsubscribe rather than reporting as spam. SparkPost deploys the list-unsubscribe header and suppresses unsubscribes.

9. Avoid Affiliate Marketing Links

Affiliate marketers — those who earn commissions by directing web traffic to specific sites — have been known for spamming in the past. Establishing an identification as a spam sender can affect the deliverability of all future communications from your business. For best performance, Gmail states you should avoid including affiliate marketing links as a tactic. It is also against SparkPost policy to send affiliate marketing through our system.

10. Authenticate Your Emails

用SPF和DKIM进行认证。

11. Use Subdomains Wisely

谷歌建议在你所有的电子邮件发送中使用一个单一的IP地址，以将发件人的声誉聚集在一个标签下。当用子域名分离通信类型时，如果可能的话，确保它们都指向同一个IP。

Different subdomains can define your different email streams. (Example: newsletter.example.com; deals.example.com; confirmation.example.com) Be consistent. Don’t add too many as you want to be able to develop a reputation for each subdomain. However, remember that the top level domain reputation is also important.

12.获取技术

确保你的指针（PTR）或反向DNS（rDNS）记录是最新的和正确的。遵守标准的信息、HTML和国际域名格式。保持编码的清洁和透明 - 隐藏代码可能导致Gmail将你的邮件归类为垃圾邮件。

13. Execute a Configuration Warm-up

一般来说，当有变化时，预热IP或域名是营销人员所关注的。然而，Gmail在预热期间将信誉与整个DNS配置联系起来。声誉与SPF、DKIM、IP设置、域名等集体挂钩，因此，在开始发送之前，你必须设置并锁定你的配置。一旦完成并通过测试验证，不要做任何改变，除非你准备为新的配置做另一次预热。在下面的图表中，我们提供了一些最佳实践的预热指南，当你把你的流量引入GMAIL网络时。

Gmail预热卷

14. Boost Engagement

关键是先向最活跃的人发送，然后随着时间的推移，在参与度较低的人中添加。

15. Research Promotions vs. Primary Tabs

由于引入了文件夹，用户流量现在可以传送到其他位置，而不仅仅是inbox 或垃圾邮件文件夹。它不像被称为垃圾邮件文件夹的丢失邮件的可怕荒地。如果您有一个有趣的主题行和一个订阅者希望与之合作的品牌engage ，促销选项卡仍会为您带来打开率和点击率。

促销与主要标签

由于引入了文件夹，用户流量现在可以传送到其他位置，而不仅仅是inbox 或垃圾邮件文件夹。它不像被称为垃圾邮件文件夹的丢失邮件的可怕荒地。如果您有一个有趣的主题行和一个订阅者希望与之合作的品牌engage ，促销选项卡仍会为您带来打开率和点击率。

• 按用户过滤。 Remember that just because some subscriber messages may be in the promotions tab does not mean that all subscriber messages are in the promotions tab. Filtering is done on the individual subscriber level not bulk sender level.

• HTML到文本的平衡。 Keep the balance of HTML to text similar.

• 鼓励互动。 Subscriber awareness is important. Train your subscribers to expect the message and move the message into the Primary tab. ǞǞǞ messages should start going 到 Primary tab after a few moves.

• 不要发送促销信息。 When the above fails and you need a message to get into the inbox design your message to NOT look like a promotion.

  • 使你的信息个性化。 Include the reader’s first name in your message to Gmail subscribers.

  • 失去了图像。 Gmail sees images as a sign of a promotion or spam message. You will increase your readership by not having pictures.

  • 使用信件格式。 Design the Gmail template to look more personal and natural like an email.

  • 不要包括明显的行动呼吁。 The best way to keep from looking like a promotion is to have no more than 1 link and no upsells or RSS Feeds. Keep it short and simple like talking to a friend.

• 欣赏促销标签。 When it comes down to it, if a subscriber wants your message in the primary tab they can move it there and will receive it there after a few moves. However, Gmail’s tabs are not new and subscribers know how they work and often go to that tab for promotions they are interested in. The promotions tab can actually work in your favor. For example, if a subscriber is very involved in social media and receives a large volume of social media notifications, marketing messages can get lost in the inbox and separating them out 到 social tab can actually be a plus, which leaves your message to be seen 在 top of the promotions tab easily found by your engaged subscriber. Just remember that if you send your subscribers what they want and leave them wanting more they will go to that promotions tab to see what you have to say!