Google & Yahoo 2024 Sender Requirements
Meet the new email authentication requirements to ensure your emails reach Gmail and Yahoo inboxes.
Quick Overview
Overview
Starting February 2024, Google and Yahoo require email authentication for all senders. Bulk senders (5,000+ emails/day to Gmail) have additional requirements.
Failure to comply may result in emails being rejected or marked as spam.
Requirements for All Senders
1. SPF or DKIM Authentication At minimum, set up SPF or DKIM for your sending domain.
2. Valid Forward/Reverse DNS Your sending IP must have a PTR record that resolves back.
3. Low Spam Rate Keep spam complaints below 0.1%. Never exceed 0.3%.
4. RFC 5322 Compliance Follow standard email formatting rules.
Additional Bulk Sender Requirements
If you send 5,000+ emails/day to Gmail:
1. Both SPF AND DKIM Required You need both authentication methods, not just one.
2. DMARC Policy Required At minimum: v=DMARC1; p=none
3. DMARC Alignment Either SPF or DKIM must align with your From domain.
4. One-Click Unsubscribe Include List-Unsubscribe-Post header for marketing emails.
Quick Checklist
Use IntoDNS.ai's Sender Requirements Checker to verify:
□ SPF record exists and is valid □ DKIM configured for your email provider □ DMARC record exists (at least p=none) □ PTR records for sending IPs □ Spam rate monitored (use Google Postmaster Tools) □ Unsubscribe header in marketing emails
Visit /sender-requirements on IntoDNS.ai to check your compliance automatically.
Implementation Priority
If you're starting from scratch:
1. Week 1: Set up SPF record 2. Week 2: Configure DKIM with your email provider 3. Week 3: Add DMARC with p=none and monitoring 4. Week 4: Implement one-click unsubscribe 5. Ongoing: Monitor reports and spam rates
Helpful Resources
• [Google Email Sender Guidelines](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/81126) • [Yahoo Sender Best Practices](https://senders.yahooinc.com/best-practices/) • [Google Postmaster Tools](https://postmaster.google.com/) • IntoDNS.ai Sender Requirements Checker
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Missing DMARC record
Bulk senders must have at least v=DMARC1; p=none. No DMARC means delivery issues.
- High spam complaint rate
Keep complaints below 0.1%. Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor.
- No one-click unsubscribe
Marketing emails must include List-Unsubscribe-Post header for one-click unsubscribe.
- SPF and DKIM not aligned
For DMARC to pass, either SPF or DKIM must align with your From domain.