post

<p>Gmail is the most heavily used mailbox provider, so it’s important that you understand how to reach the inbox of Gmail subscribers for success.</p>
<h2><img decoding="async" loading="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-28005 lazy" data-src="https://media.convertkit.com/post/QygRLVGK-4-gmail-inbox-criteria.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="All about Gmail: The spam folder, the promotions tab, postmaster tools, and more" width="1500" height="1980" /></h2>
<h2 id="chapter-1">All about Gmail</h2>
<p>Gmail has become ubiquitous as the leading mailbox provider. Gmail is also often considered the most advanced in terms of filtering and features among online mailboxes. And with so many users, it’s critical to understand how Gmail thinks about deliverability.</p>
<p>Apart from keeping your emails safe, Gmail also includes a ton of other features that are helpful to both senders and receivers. That said, it can be overwhelming if you’re just getting started.<br />
In this episode, we discuss how Gmail determines where to place emails, the promotions tab, <a href="http://postmaster.google.com/u/3/managedomains" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Postmaster Tools</a>, and how to fix spam filtering issues.</p>
<h3>Gmail’s first priority is safety</h3>
<p>Gmail’s priority is keeping recipients safe by filtering out any malicious emails. They’re able to filter mail using their own complex algorithm that identifies unsafe mail, unsolicited mail, and unwanted mail.</p>
<h3>Sender reputation matters most for inbox placement</h3>
<p>Gmail uses many different factors to determine if messages belong in the inbox or spam folder, but <a href="https://convertkit.com/sender-reputation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">domain reputation</a> is the most important factor. Each mailbox provider measures reputation differently, so having a healthy reputation with a different provider doesn’t mean you’ll also have a healthy reputation with Gmail.</p>
<p>When using your own domain, it’s important that you have a solid <a href="https://convertkit.com/sender-reputation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sender reputation</a> and <a href="https://help.convertkit.com/en/articles/4151040-email-sending-frequency-and-volume" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">consistent email volume</a>. If your volume is sporadic, a large portion of your emails could <a href="https://intercom.help/convertkit/en/articles/2502695-why-is-my-subscriber-showing-as-bounced" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bounce</a> or be <a href="https://help.convertkit.com/en/articles/3372365-why-are-my-emails-going-to-spam" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">filtered to spam</a>.</p>
<h2 id="chapter-2">The promotions tab is still the inbox</h2>
<p>A lot of senders get frustrated about their emails landing in the <a href="https://help.convertkit.com/en/articles/3854922-gmail-promotions-tab" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Promotions tab</a>, but trying to beat Gmail at their own algorithms doesn’t work. Gmail still considers the Promotions tab to be the inbox, and in some ways, it can actually help your emails perform better.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://help.convertkit.com/en/articles/3854922-gmail-promotions-tab" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Promotions tab</a> in Gmail separates the user’s subscription emails from the Primary tab where one-to-one messages land. If your email lands in the Primary tab, it might receive more opens while your subscribers are trying to achieve inbox zero, but they might not be in the right headspace to take action on your messages. Your email could be surrounded by urgent business, personal, or other timely emails.</p>
<p>If your email goes to the Promotions tab and someone opens it, they truly wanted to do so, and they&#8217;re more likely to take action on your email. When someone views their Promotions tab, they’re in a headspace to browse, shop, or otherwise take action on the emails that provide them value.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-28006 lazy" data-src="https://media.convertkit.com/post/bnbXlAI8-INSTA-DD-gmail-5.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="All about Gmail: The spam folder, the promotions tab, postmaster tools, and more" width="1080" height="1080" /></p>
<h2 id="chapter-3">Links</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://convertkit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ConvertKit</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.google.com/gmail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gmail</a></li>
<li><a href="https://postmaster.google.com/u/3/managedomains" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Postmaster Tools</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="chapter-4">Try ConvertKit&#8217;s deliverability in action</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s now free to use ConvertKit with an audience of up to 1,000 subscribers! Start building your audience and reaching their inboxes: <a href="https://convertkit.com/pricing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">convertkit.com/pricing.</a></p>
<h2 id="chapter-5">Stay in touch</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deliverability-defined/id1515377286" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Podcasts</a></li>
<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1ElZx2zrhvllOkbPzSfGxX" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spotify</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/convertkit" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/convertkit" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/convertkit" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.deliverabilitydefined.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deliverability Defined Website</a></li>
</ul>


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