Emails & SMS
Improve Email Deliverability and Increase Delivery Rates
This article shows you how you can improve email deliverability and increase delivery rates. This includes valuable tips on engaging your contacts, using legitimately obtained email addresses and the double opt-in process. You will also learn how to optimize the content of your emails and which techniques you should avoid to ensure a good delivery rate.
You will also receive tips on why your signature should contain at least two contact options and how DMARC can improve your delivery rates.
Practical Tips for Better Email Deliverability
Engagement of Your Contacts
- The engagement of your contacts plays a decisive role in consistently good email delivery rates.
- Ideally, your contacts will open your emails and click on the links they contain.
- Make sure that your contacts really want to receive your emails.
- Only use email addresses that you have obtained legitimately - they must not have been bought or come from public sources.
- You should always be able to prove when and how a contact has given their consent to receive your emails. Therefore, use the double opt-in procedure.
- Avoid sending emails to contacts who have been inactive for more than 6 months. Also take a look at the article: Exclude inactive contacts from sending.
Email Content
- Avoid hiding terms or words. Internet service providers (e.g. Google, GMX) recognize such techniques and this can affect your delivery rates.
- You should not do the following:
- Don't put dots between letters, e.g. → M.oney, for f.ree.
- Do not replace numbers with letters, e.g. → 1OOO instead of 1000.
- Avoid using too many blank lines in a row - a maximum of two blank lines is okay.
- Avoid direct links to external domains, e.g. → https://instagram.de/xy. Instead, link a text like → Here you can find my Instagram profile. Clear links are only allowed for your own domain.
- Do not use white text on a white background to hide content.
Consistent Sending Volume
Mailbox providers such as Google and Microsoft evaluate not only what you send, but also how consistently you send it. Irregular sending patterns can appear suspicious, even if your content and recipient list are perfectly legitimate.
Avoid the following:
- Large sending spikes followed by long periods of inactivity → e.g., sending 10,000 emails within 5 minutes and then nothing for several days.
- Sudden increases in sending volume after a long pause → e.g., immediately returning to full volume after weeks of inactivity.
- An inconsistent sending schedule with no recognizable pattern.
Keep in mind: If you're using a new sending domain or switching to a new mail server, increase your sending volume gradually over several days instead of sending at maximum volume right away. This helps protect your sender reputation and improves your email deliverability over time.
Avoid Misleading Subject Lines and Sender Names
Your subject line and displayed sender name are the first things recipients see—and the first things spam filters evaluate. Misleading information can negatively impact your deliverability, regardless of the actual email content.
Avoid the following:
- Using fake “Re:” or “Fwd:” prefixes when the email is not an actual reply or forwarded message.
- Using emojis or special characters that imitate verification badges or trust seals.
- Using sender names that suggest a personal one-to-one conversation when the email is actually part of an automated bulk mailing.
Goal: Your subject line and sender name should accurately reflect the content of the email and clearly identify the sender. Any mismatch between what recipients expect and what they receive increases the likelihood of spam complaints.
Signature with Two Contact Options
- Make sure that your signature in KlickTipp always contains at least two contact options, e.g. → email address, phone number, link to your contact form or fax number.
DMARC
- If you would like to further improve your delivery rates, you are welcome to take a closer look at DMARC. A complete DMARC setup requires the → quarantine or → reject policy.
By optimizing your spam score, you'll improve your email deliverability. At the same time, you'll build trust with your recipients. Use the tools and tips from this article to make sure your emails land in the inbox – not the spam folder. Your readers will appreciate it. And so will your open rates.