How to Test Your Email Deliverability: A Guide for Small Businesses
Why Email Deliverability Matters for Your Business
As a small business owner or entrepreneur, email is probably one of your most important marketing tools. But sending emails is only half the battle - you also need to make sure those emails actually reach your customers' inboxes. That's where email deliverability comes in.
Email deliverability refers to the ability to get your emails into subscribers' inboxes instead of their spam folders. Good deliverability means more of your emails get seen and read by customers. Poor deliverability can hurt your email marketing efforts and cost you sales.
Testing your email deliverability helps you find and fix problems before they impact your business. In this guide, we'll explain why deliverability testing matters and show you how to do it yourself.
Common Email Deliverability Problems
Before we dive into testing, let's look at some common issues that can hurt your email deliverability:
Spam Complaints
If too many people mark your emails as spam, it sends a red flag to email providers. They may start sending more of your messages to the spam folder.
Low Engagement
When subscribers don't open or click your emails, it can make providers think your messages aren't wanted. This can lead to more emails going to spam.
Poor Sender Reputation
Your sender reputation is like a credit score for email. A bad reputation from things like spam complaints can get you blocked by email providers.
Authentication Issues
Properly setting up email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM and DMARC helps prove your emails are legitimate.
Content Problems
Using "spammy" words or too many images can trigger spam filters to block your messages.
Why You Should Test Your Email Deliverability
Now that you know some common problems, here's why testing is so important:
Find Issues Early
Regular testing helps you catch deliverability issues before they seriously impact your email marketing. You can fix problems quickly.
Improve Inbox Placement
By identifying what's hurting your deliverability, you can make changes to get more emails into inboxes instead of spam folders.
Save Time and Money
Poor deliverability wastes the time and effort you put into creating emails. Testing helps ensure your investment pays off.
Protect Your Sender Reputation
Catching problems early prevents damage to your sender reputation that could take months to repair.
Stay Compliant
Testing helps ensure you're following email best practices and regulations like CAN-SPAM.
How to Test Your Email Deliverability
Now let's look at some ways you can test your deliverability:
Use Seed List Testing
Seed list testing involves sending emails to a list of email addresses at different providers (Gmail, Yahoo, etc). You then check to see where the emails land - inbox or spam folder.
To do seed list testing:
1. Create email accounts with major providers like Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.
2. Add these addresses to a separate list in your email service.
3. Send a test email to this seed list.
4. Check each account to see where the email landed.
5. Track results over time to spot trends.
Check Your Sender Score
Your sender score is a number between 0-100 that shows how reputable you are as an email sender. A higher score means better deliverability.
You can check your sender score for free at senderscore.org. Anything above 80 is considered good. Below 70 means you likely have deliverability issues to address.
Use Spam Testing Tools
Spam testing tools analyze your emails for content and technical issues that could trigger spam filters. Popular options include:
- Mail-Tester
- GlockApps
- Email on Acid
These tools give your email a spam score and flag specific problems to fix.
Monitor Engagement Metrics
Low open and click rates can hurt deliverability over time. Keep an eye on these metrics in your email service's analytics. If you see a decline, it could signal a deliverability problem.
Check Blacklists
Getting blacklisted can severely hurt your deliverability. Use a tool like MXToolbox to check if your sending IP or domain is on any blacklists.
Best Practices to Improve Email Deliverability
Along with testing, follow these best practices to keep your deliverability strong:
Clean Your Email List Regularly
Remove inactive subscribers and bounced email addresses from your list. This improves engagement rates and reduces spam complaints.
Use Double Opt-In
Have new subscribers confirm their email address before adding them to your list. This ensures you're only emailing people who want to hear from you.
Segment Your List
Send more targeted, relevant emails by segmenting your list based on subscriber interests and behaviors. This improves engagement.
Optimize Your Email Content
Avoid spam trigger words, use a good text-to-image ratio, and make sure your content is valuable to subscribers.
Set Up Authentication
Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication for your sending domain. This proves your emails are legitimate.
Warm Up New IPs
If you switch email services or get a new sending IP, gradually increase your sending volume to build a good reputation.
Make Unsubscribing Easy
Include a clear, easy-to-find unsubscribe link in every email. This reduces spam complaints.
When to Consider Third-Party Deliverability Testing
While you can do a lot of testing yourself, sometimes it helps to bring in the experts. Consider third-party deliverability testing if:
- You're experiencing a sudden drop in open rates
- You're about to start a big email campaign
- You're switching email service providers
- You've had past deliverability issues
Professional testers have access to more advanced tools and data. They can do a deep dive into your email program and provide specific recommendations.
Conclusion
Good email deliverability is crucial for small business marketing success. By regularly testing your deliverability and following best practices, you can make sure your messages reach customers' inboxes. This leads to better engagement, more sales, and a stronger return on your email marketing investment.
Don't wait for deliverability problems to impact your business. Start testing today and take control of your email performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How often should I test my email deliverability?
Test at least monthly, or before any major email campaigns. More frequent testing (weekly or bi-weekly) can help catch issues early.
2. What's a good email deliverability rate?
Aim for an inbox placement rate of 95% or higher. This means 95% of your emails are reaching the inbox instead of spam folders.
3. Does email list size affect deliverability?
Yes, larger lists can be harder to maintain and may have more inactive subscribers. This can hurt engagement rates and deliverability.
4. Can using free email services (Gmail, Yahoo) hurt deliverability?
For business emails, it's better to use your own domain. Free services may have sending limits and lower deliverability.
5. How long does it take to improve poor deliverability?
It depends on the issues, but expect it to take at least a few weeks to see improvements. Rebuilding a damaged sender reputation can take months.
Key Deliverability Statistics
1. 21% of opt-in emails never make it to the inbox. (Return Path)
2. 69% of email recipients report email as spam based solely on the subject line. (Convince & Convert)
3. Sender reputation influences 83% of email deliverability. (Return Path)
4. 77% of email deliverability issues stem from sender reputation problems. (Validity)
5. Improving email deliverability by just 5% can increase revenue by 20%. (Litmus)
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