Gmail and Yahoo's New Sender Requirements
What Marketing Cloud and Pardot customers need to know
What Marketing Cloud and Pardot customers need to know

Starting in February 2024, both Google and Yahoo have implemented new requirements for marketers that send emails to personal Gmail and Yahoo accounts. There are additional requirements for those that send bulk emails to the same audience.
Don't get caught unprepared! Keep reading to find out what Marketing Cloud and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (will be referred to as Pardot to avoid confusion) users need to be compliant, and ensure your emails don't get sent to spam.
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1
What are the new Gmail and Yahoo Sending Requirements?
- Implement SPF or DKIM
- Keep spam rates below 0.3%
- Implement SPF AND DKIM
- Keep spam rates below 0.3%
- Set up a DMARC policy
- Implement DMARC alignment
- Adhere to one-click unsubscribes
- Ensure that sending domains have valid forward and reverse DNS records
- Use a TLS connection for sending email
- Format messages according to the RFC 5322 standard
- Don’t impersonate Gmail From: headers
- Add ARC headers
2
Who qualifies as "All Sender" or "Bulk Sender"?
3
What counts as a personal account?
Everyone should adhere to the 'Bulk Sender' requirements
Regardless of how many emails you send to personal Gmail and Yahoo accounts, everyone should comply with the bulk sender requirements. These requirements are best practice, and will lead to improved deliverability and sender reputation. It's no surprise that Google stated that many senders already met these requirements before being introduced! While it may take some collabortion between IT and marketing departments, you'll find that the bulk sender requirements aren't that much more difficult to implement that the all sender requirements. Best practices are always evolving and it’s better to stay ahead of the curve rather than playing catch-up. The vague definition for bulk sending by Yahoo is all the more reason to follow these requirements now rather than worry about it in the future. Your email deliverability will thank you.

SPF and DKIM
April 2024 (hard deadline)
April 2024 (hard deadline)
DKIM must be configured for every email sending domain. Your IT team will need to configure DNS entries from Pardot. Learn about implementing DKIM in Pardot.
In order for DKIM to authenticate, you must send emails from the same domain as your SAP domain. For example, if your SAP domain is @mail.salytics.com, the from address for emails can be hello@mail.salytics.com, but not hello@salytics.com. From address verification is not the same as DKIM. If you want to send emails from a domain that is not your SAP domain, you must purchase a private domain from Marketing Cloud. Learn more about Private Domains.
Spam Rates
April 2024 (hard deadline)
April 2024 (hard deadline)
You can track your Yahoo spam rate using their Complaint Feedback Loop (CFL). When you sign up for CFL, you provide a report email. When a Yahoo user marks your email as spam, you get an abuse report sent to this email. Using the number of reports you get and volume of emails sent to Yahoo addresses over a period of 30 days, you can calculate your spam rate. Learn more about Yahoo's CFL.
When you acquire a Sender Authentication Package, Marketing Cloud registers you for Yahoo's Complaint Feedback Loop (CFL) automatically. As such, you get report on Yahoo spam rates within Marketing Cloud. Learn more about spam complaint reports in Marketing Cloud.
DMARC
- SPF alignment:The mail from domain is a subdomain of the from domain (relaxed alignment) or an exact match of the from domain (strict alignment)
- DKIM alignment: The DKIM signature domain is a subdomain of the from domain (relaxed alignment) or an exact match of the from domain (strict alignment)
Your IT deparment must also define a DMARC policy on your sending domain. According to Google, your DMARC enforcement policy can none. Learn more about setting up a DMARC policy.
One-click Unsubscribe
Email providers use these unsubscribe headers to dynamically display an unsubscribe link in your emails.

These requirements are illustrate Google and Yahoo’s commitment to combat spam and ensure their users get only the emails they want. By complying, you join in the fight against spam while enjoying improved deliverability.
If you need any help at all with configuring Pardot or Marketing Cloud to meet these requirements, reach out and one of our experts will get back to you.