Improve Email Deliverability For Your Ecommerce Business

Picture this: You’ve poured your heart and soul into crafting the perfect email campaign. You’ve spent hours writing copy, picking the perfect subject line, designing the perfect graphics, and getting the whole thing staged and ready. But when you press send…hardly anyone opens. Click rates are nil. You know your content was good–so what went wrong?

If any of this sounds familiar, chances are you’re facing email deliverability issues. Email deliverability is what will get your emails sent straight to your subscribers’ inboxes, but on the flip side, it can also be responsible for your emails disappearing into the spam folder. Deliverability will make or break your email marketing strategy, which means it’s important to get it right. 

Understanding Email Deliverability

In simple terms, email deliverability refers to the ability of your emails to successfully land in recipients’ inboxes rather than being flagged as spam or getting lost in the digital abyss. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook act as the gatekeepers to subscribers’ emails. They scrutinize various factors (we’ll talk specifics below) to determine the legitimacy and trustworthiness of your emails. 

As an email recipient, this is a great thing–it keeps spam and junk mail out of your inbox. For ecommerce business owners sending marketing emails, this is actually a good thing too! It means that once you’ve optimized your email deliverability, customers getting your emails will know to trust them. 

So what factors actually influence the ability of your emails to get through? Sender reputation, authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, quality content, and list engagement all play pivotal roles in making sure your email content is accepted by ISPs.

There’s a lot to unpack here, so in this blog we’ll focus on a few email deliverability heavy hitters. But if you want more details, be sure to download our Deliverability Guide to understand more of what’s going on behind the scenes. 

Best Practices For Improving Email Deliverability

There’s actually a lot you have control over when it comes to email deliverability. Yes, you have to play by the rules, but once you figure out what the algorithm wants from you, you’re golden. 

If there are three things you can do to keep your email deliverability high, these are what you should focus on:

Building A Quality List

One of the best things you can do for your email deliverability is to build a quality email list. This means that only people who are genuinely interested in your brand and in your content should be added to your list. Subscribers should explicitly consent to joining your list, whether that’s through a pop-up form or an “accepts marketing” checkbox at checkout.

And remember, once someone unsubscribes from your list, don’t send them any more emails! These people aren’t going to open your emails, which tells inbox providers that people aren’t liking your content and lowers your deliverability. Not to mention emailing unsubscribers is often illegal–there are a surprising amount of laws surrounding email marketing!

Another no-no? Never, ever purchase lists of subscribers. These people haven’t given you consent to email them, which can make it illegal to send them marketing content. Plus, you don’t know them, and they may not be interested in your brand, resulting in low open, click, and conversion rates which can damage your sender reputation.

Warming Your Accounts

Another email deliverability biggie is warming your accounts. Account warming is the process of gradually increasing your send volume over time, both in number of recipients and in frequency of email campaigns. 

This process is critical when you first start email marketing, or when switching to a new email provider. It gives ISPs time to verify your account and determine that you’re a reputable sender. During the warming process, you start by sending emails to your most highly engaged subscriber base–the ones most likely to open and click your content. This signals to inbox providers that your content is trustworthy. Then, gradually, you can start broadening your subscriber base until you’re finally sending to your full audience. 

Depending on the size of your list and how engaged your subscribers are, this process can take anywhere from several weeks to a few months. Keep this in mind when changing email providers, and try to make the switch during the slower season for your ecommerce business so you’re not missing out on big sales. 

Optimizing Your Email Content

When it comes to optimizing your email content, attention to detail can make all the difference in improving your email deliverability. 

Avoiding common spam triggers, like excessive exclamation marks, all caps, or too many emojis, is a simple way to maintain a positive sender reputation. Compressing images and GIFs will reduce the file size of your emails and make it easier for subscribers to open and load your content. This improves your open rate, which helps your sender reputation while also reducing the risk of getting stuck in spam (large file sizes can be a spam trigger). Choosing quality subject lines is another way to encourage subscribers to open your content and make your emails seem more trustworthy. Need help brainstorming subject lines? We have a guide with over 100 ideas to help get you started!

Above all, adding value-based content to your emails and making sure your newsletters are something your audience actually looks forward to are the best ways to boost your email deliverability. A consistently engaged audience means higher open rates, click rates, and conversion rates–all of which signal to ISPs that your content is worth delivering to inboxes. 

Prioritize Your Email Deliverability

Mastering deliverability is a game-changer for any ecommerce business, especially if you’re looking to maximize your marketing efforts. By understanding what’s happening behind-the-scenes with your email deliverability and having a few strategies in your back pocket to get ahead of any issues, you’re well on your way to a kickass email marketing strategy.

Interested in learning more options for boosting your email deliverability, or need more insight and support into digging yourself out of deliverability problems? Our Deliverability Guide is the best place to start. Packed with expert tips and practical resources, this guide is your roadmap to email deliverability success.

And of course, if you have specific questions, feel free to reach out on our contact page or via social media. Don’t let email deliverability problems stand in your way; we can help you out. 

Happy emailing!