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30-Point Email Deliverability
30-Point Email Deliverability
Audit Checklist
The exact checklist used by 2,000+ email senders to diagnose and fix inbox placement issues. Covers authentication, reputation, list hygiene, and more. Updated for 2026 Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook mandates.
Want the explanation behind each item? Read the complete checklist guide →
- 🔐 Authentication — 5 checks
- ⭐ Sender Reputation — 5 checks
- 🧹 List Hygiene — 5 checks
- 📤 Sending Practices — 5 checks
- 📧 Content & Engagement — 5 checks
- 🚨 2026 Platform Mandates — 5 checks
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🔐 Authentication
- SPF record published and includes all sending sources
- DKIM keys configured for all sending domains
- DMARC policy set to at least p=quarantine
- DMARC aggregate reports (rua) routing to a monitored inbox
- BIMI record set up with VMC or CMC (if applicable)
⭐ Sender Reputation
- Google Postmaster v2 Compliance Dashboard shows no failures
- IP reputation checked against Spamhaus, Barracuda, and URIBL
- Not listed on any major email blacklists
- Spam complaint rate below 0.10% in Google Postmaster Tools
- Dedicated sending IP warmed up properly (if applicable)
🧹 List Hygiene
- Double opt-in enabled (or explicit single opt-in with clear consent)
- Hard bounces suppressed after first occurrence
- Soft bounces suppressed after 3–5 occurrences
- Spam complainers unsubscribed immediately
- Inactive subscribers segmented and sunset after 90–180 days
📤 Sending Practices
- Consistent sending schedule established (no sudden volume spikes)
- Engagement-based segmentation: active subscribers sent most frequently
- Unsubscribe requests processed within 2 business days (Gmail/Yahoo requirement)
- List-Unsubscribe header present in all campaigns
- From name and address consistent and recognizable
📧 Content & Engagement
- Subject lines avoid spam trigger words (free, urgent, !!!)
- Text-to-image ratio at least 60% text
- All links use your sending domain (no URL shorteners in transactional)
- Open rate above 20% on engaged segments
- Click-to-open rate (CTOR) above 8%
🚨 2026 Platform Mandates
- One-click unsubscribe uses RFC 8058 POST method (not just a link)
- Unsubscribe requests processed within 2 business days (Gmail/Yahoo requirement)
- Microsoft SNDS set up and monitored alongside Google Postmaster Tools
- DMARC policy progressing toward p=quarantine or p=reject (p=none flagged as risk)
- Spam complaint rate monitored in Postmaster Tools — warning at 0.10%, block at 0.30%
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