Email Deliverability Setup: Reach inboxes, not spam folders

Email marketing is only as effective as your ability to reach your recipients’ inboxes. Even the most compelling content won’t drive results if your emails aren’t delivered or flagged as spam. Email deliverability is crucial for building trust with your audience, maintaining a strong sender reputation, and driving meaningful engagement with your campaigns. For users of Go High Level, mastering email deliverability is essential to creating successful marketing strategies.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through every step of the Go High Level email deliverability setup. From configuring your domain settings and avoiding spam triggers to implementing authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, we’ll cover everything you need to know. By following these best practices, you can ensure your emails not only reach their destination but also grab attention, get opened, read, and inspire action. Whether you’re new to email marketing or looking to improve your current results, this guide sets you up for success.

What is Email Deliverability in Go High Level?

Email deliverability refers to the ability to successfully deliver emails to your recipients’ inboxes, ensuring they see your message. It’s different from “delivery,” which simply means the email has left your server. Deliverability focuses on whether the email avoids spam traps, gains the trust of email providers, and lands in the primary inbox rather than in the promotions or spam folders. This involves factors like sender reputation, authentication protocols, and content quality.

Why is email deliverability so important? Poor deliverability can result in lower open rates, wasted time and effort, and a diminished ROI on your email campaigns. Even the most compelling email won’t succeed if it doesn’t reach its intended audience. With the right tools, like Go High Level, and a proper email setup, you can significantly improve your email outreach performance.

Understanding Email Deliverability

At its core, email deliverability depends on how trustworthy your emails appear to inbox providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo Mail. It’s a measure of whether your emails successfully reach the intended recipients’ inboxes rather than getting flagged as spam or blocked altogether. Deliverability is influenced by several factors, including your sender’s reputation, the quality and relevance of your email content, and how well you adhere to anti-spam guidelines and best practices.

For example, inbox providers evaluate your sending domain’s reputation based on your email history, such as the frequency of your sends, your bounce rates, and whether your emails regularly engage recipients with opens and clicks. Additionally, the content of your emails matters—spam-like subject lines, misleading links, or excessive promotional language can trigger spam filters. A lack of proper authentication protocols, such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, further raises red flags that may cause your emails to land in spam folders or be rejected entirely.

Failure to address these issues creates a ripple effect, harming your credibility, reducing customer trust, and ultimately hindering your marketing goals. Ensuring strong deliverability requires consistent effort, such as maintaining a clean email list, personalizing content, and adhering to established email marketing best practices. By prioritizing deliverability, you can improve your chances of connecting with your audience and achieving your objectives.

Key Components of Email Deliverability

1. Sender Authentication: Properly authenticating your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is crucial to proving that your emails are legitimate and not spam. These protocols help email providers verify that your messages are coming from your domain and not being spoofed, increasing the chances of your emails landing in inboxes rather than spam folders.
2. IP Warming: When using a new IP address to send emails, gradually increasing your sending volume is essential to building trust with email providers. Sending too many emails too quickly can trigger spam filters, so this process ensures you establish a positive sending reputation over time.
3. List Quality & Engagement: Maintaining clean, well-targeted email lists is key to reducing bounce rates and improving engagement. Regularly removing inactive or incorrect email addresses helps keep your list healthy, while focusing on sending relevant content that encourages recipients to open and interact with your messages, boosting your overall sender score.
4. Compliance with Laws: Staying compliant with email regulations like CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and other regional laws not only protects recipient rights but also shields your business from potential legal risks and hefty penalties. Following these guidelines ensures transparency, consent, and proper handling of personal data, fostering trust with your audience.

Domain Authentication (DKIM, SPF, and DMARC)

Domain Authentication refers to a collection of essential protocols and mechanisms designed to verify the authenticity of an email sender and protect email recipients from spoofing, phishing, and other malicious activities. By ensuring that emails originate from legitimate sources, domain authentication helps build trust, improve email deliverability, and strengthen overall email security. The three key protocols involved in domain authentication are DKIM, SPF, and DMARC:

1. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): DKIM uses cryptographic signatures to confirm that an email has not been altered during its journey from sender to recipient. Specifically, it attaches a unique digital signature to each outgoing email, which the receiving server can validate by checking the public key published in the sender’s DNS record. This ensures that the email was sent by an authorized domain and that its content remains unchanged during transmission. With DKIM in place, recipients have an added layer of trust that the emails they receive are legitimate and unmodified. This is particularly critical for preventing email spoofing, where attackers forge the sender’s identity.
2. SPF (Sender Policy Framework): SPF allows domain owners to define which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of their domain. By publishing an SPF record in the Domain Name System (DNS), the domain owner creates a clear list of approved servers. When an email provider receives an incoming message, it cross-checks the email’s sending server against the SPF record to confirm its legitimacy. If the server isn’t listed, the message may be flagged as suspicious or outright rejected. This protocol is especially effective at preventing unauthorized servers from sending fraudulent emails that appear to come from trusted domains.
3. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): DMARC builds on the foundations of both SPF and DKIM, offering a more comprehensive approach to email authentication. It allows domain owners to define a clear policy on how emails failing authentication checks should be handled—whether they should be delivered, quarantined, or rejected outright. DMARC policies also empower domain owners by providing regular feedback and reports about authentication activity. These reports detail which messages passed or failed authentication and help identify any unauthorized usage of the domain. By enforcing consistent authentication policies across all emails sent from a domain, DMARC significantly reduces the risk of domain impersonation and phishing attacks.

Implementing these protocols not only strengthens your domain’s email security but also fosters trust with your recipients. When your domain is consistently authenticated, email providers are less likely to mark your emails as spam or suspicious. As a result, your email campaigns are more likely to land in inboxes, improving engagement and communication. In today’s digital landscape, where email remains a primary communication tool, robust domain authentication is a vital component of any organization’s cybersecurity strategy. By adopting DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, you can ensure that your domain operates securely, responsibly, and with confidence.

Setting Up Go High Level for Email Deliverability

Step 1: Navigate to the Email Service in Go High Level

Log in to your Go High Level account and navigate to the email service settings. In this section, you can manage and configure your email deliverability settings to ensure your messages effectively reach your audience’s inbox. This area provides you with a variety of important tools and options to fine-tune your email campaigns. You can customize sender information to ensure your emails appear professional and trustworthy, set up and verify email domains to boost deliverability and monitor delivery performance through detailed analytics. Additionally, you’ll find features like spam score testing and email authentication protocols (like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) to help improve your email reputation and avoid being flagged as spam. These steps will ensure your campaigns are optimized for better engagement and results.

Step 2: Adding a Dedicated Subdomain

Select the “Dedicated Domain” option. This section allows you to manage your existing domains or add a new dedicated subdomain specifically for your email campaigns. To begin, click the “Add Domain” button in the Domains section. A prompt will appear asking you to enter the subdomain you wish to use. Ensure the subdomain you choose is relevant to your business and aligns with your branding (e.g., “email.yourbusiness.com”). This ensures your emails look professional and maintain consistency with your brand identity. After entering the subdomain, click “Add” and proceed with the verification process. You will then receive a set of DNS records that must be added to your domain’s hosting provider. These records are essential for verifying ownership and ensuring smooth email delivery. Once configured, your subdomain will be ready for use in your email campaigns.

Step 3: Adding DNS Records in Your Domain Provider

To ensure your email campaigns are properly authenticated and avoid deliverability issues, you’ll need to update your DNS settings through your domain provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare). Proper authentication helps verify that your emails are legitimate and protects your reputation. Here’s how to do it:

1. Log in to your domain provider account and navigate to the DNS or domain management section.
2. Add the DNS records provided by Go High Level. These typically include SPF, DKIM, and CNAME records. SPF ensures your emails are sent by authorized servers, DKIM adds a digital signature for verification, and CNAME records help improve functionality for tracking and branding.
3. Carefully double-check all entries to ensure accuracy. Any errors in the records could lead to authentication failure or other issues with your email campaigns.

Once you’ve completed these steps, test your email setup to confirm that everything is working correctly. This process ensures your emails reach your audience reliably and securely!

Step 4: Setting Up DMARC

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is a critical protocol that adds an extra layer of email security by preventing unauthorized users from sending emails on your behalf. It helps protect your domain from phishing, spoofing, and other email-based threats by ensuring that only authorized senders can use your domain name to send messages. Setting up DMARC is a straightforward process, and here’s how to do it:

1. Go into easy DMARC. Add your dedicated subdomain and generate the DMARC record.
2. Log in to your domain provider’s control panel and navigate to your DNS settings. Locate the option to create a new record, as this is where your DMARC policy will be configured.
3. The record will look like the one given below as an example:

`v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com;`

• `v=DMARC1` specifies the version of DMARC you’re using.
• `p=none` indicates that you’re in monitoring mode, which allows you to receive reports without affecting email delivery.
• `rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com` specifies the email address where you’ll receive daily DMARC reports detailing any unauthorized activity.

3. After creating the record, test your DMARC policy by sending test emails and reviewing the reports. Monitoring allows you to identify any issues or unauthorized activity without disrupting legitimate email traffic. Once you’re confident your setup is correct, update the `p=none` policy to a stricter setting such as `p=quarantine` (to flag suspicious emails) or `p=reject` (to block them outright).

A properly configured DMARC policy not only enhances your domain’s security but also helps build trust with your email recipients by ensuring that your emails are authentic and safe to engage with.

Step 5: Verify Your Domain

Once all DNS records have been added, return to Go High Level and click on the “Verify Domain” button. This step confirms that your settings are correct and that your domain is authenticated for sending emails. This process may take a few minutes depending on your domain provider. After verification, your account is ready to send email campaigns with improved deliverability and security. Once your subdomain is verified, it will appear as an active domain in your settings. You can now use this dedicated subdomain for sending emails to improve deliverability and maintain brand consistency.

Best Practices for Optimizing Email Deliverability

Maintain List Hygiene and Use Segmentation

Keeping your email list clean and organized is essential for running successful email campaigns and ensuring long-term success. Regularly removing invalid or unengaged email addresses not only reduces bounce rates but also helps protect your sender’s reputation, ensuring that your emails reach inboxes instead of being flagged as spam. A clean list also allows you to focus on an audience that is genuinely interested in your offerings, maximizing your efforts.

Additionally, segmentation is a powerful tool that can transform your email marketing results. By grouping customers based on behavior, preferences, purchase history, or demographics, you can send highly targeted and personalized emails that resonate with your audience and drive engagement. For example, segmenting users into categories like “repeat buyers,” “inactive subscribers,” or “new customers” allows you to craft messages tailored to their specific needs and interests.

Go High Level’s advanced segmentation tools simplify this process, making it easy to create custom lists that align with your audience’s unique characteristics. These tools help you deliver the right message to the right person at the right time, increasing open rates, click-through rates, and customer satisfaction. With a clean, well-segmented email list, you can build stronger relationships and achieve better results from every campaign.

Craft Engaging Email Content

Great content is the heart of effective email campaigns, and crafting the right message can make all the difference. Personalization is key—address recipients by name, reference past interactions or recommend products and services tailored to their preferences. This not only grabs attention but also builds trust and strengthens customer relationships. To improve email engagement, focus on creating value for the reader, such as providing helpful tips or exclusive offers they can’t resist.

To ensure your emails land in inboxes rather than spam folders, avoid overusing trigger words like “Free!!!” or “Act Now,” and steer clear of excessive CAPS LOCK or too many exclamation marks, as these can negatively impact deliverability rates.

With Go High Level’s intuitive email editor, you can design professional, visually appealing emails that align with your brand identity. The platform allows you to test different subject lines, experiment with A/B testing on content, and fine-tune layouts to optimize performance. By doing so, you can ensure your message resonates with your audience and drives meaningful engagement that leads to results.

Monitor and Improve Engagement Metrics

The success of your email campaigns depends heavily on how effectively you monitor and respond to engagement metrics. These metrics provide valuable insights into how your audience interacts with your content and help guide improvements in your strategy. Key metrics to track include open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints. For example, a low open rate might indicate that your subject lines lack appeal or relevance, prompting you to test more compelling, personalized options. Similarly, high spam complaints could suggest the need to refine your targeting, ensure your emails are reaching the right audience, or adjust your content to better align with subscriber expectations.

Go High Level’s analytics dashboard is a powerful tool that breaks down these metrics with detailed insights, offering you a clear picture of how your campaigns are performing. With this data, you can identify patterns or trends, such as which types of subject lines or email designs generate the most engagement. Using these insights, you can fine-tune your future strategies for improved results, ensuring your emails stand out in crowded inboxes.

By continuously monitoring these metrics and refining your approach, you not only boost your campaign effectiveness but also build a stronger connection with your audience. This constant optimization ensures your emails remain impactful, relevant, and aligned with the needs and preferences of your subscribers.

Advanced Email Deliverability Features

Set Up Custom Tracking Domains

Custom tracking domains allow you to replace generic links with branded URLs, giving your emails a more polished and professional appearance. This not only enhances your brand’s credibility but also helps build trust with your audience, as recipients are more likely to engage with links that identify your business. Additionally, using a custom domain can improve your email deliverability rates by signaling to email providers that your messages are coming from a verified and trustworthy source.

This feature is particularly valuable for businesses looking to strengthen brand recognition and maintain consistent messaging across all communication channels. Setting up a custom tracking domain is simple: navigate to the “Tracking” section in your account settings, where you’ll find clear, step-by-step instructions to guide you through the process. Once configured, it’s important to test your domain to ensure everything is working correctly, so you can confidently send your campaigns knowing your links are branded and functioning as they should. By taking this extra step, you ensure a seamless experience for your audience while boosting the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts.

Adjust Email Throttling Settings

Email throttling is a powerful feature that allows you to regulate the number of emails sent per hour, giving you greater control over your email outreach. By pacing the delivery of your emails, you can reduce the risk of triggering spam filters and improve the overall deliverability of your campaigns. This is especially crucial when sending large email blasts, as it ensures your messages are more likely to land in your recipient’s inboxes rather than being flagged as junk mail.

Throttling also helps maintain a positive sender reputation, which is critical for long-term email marketing success. You can easily manage these settings within your Go High Level email configurations, customizing the email sending rate to suit your campaign goals, audience size, and specific timing needs. Whether you’re targeting a small audience or a large subscriber list, email throttling provides the flexibility and control required to optimize your email marketing efforts.

Troubleshooting Email Deliverability Issues

Common Problems and Solutions

• High Bounce Rates: High bounce rates are often caused by outdated email lists, invalid email addresses, or poor-quality data. When emails bounce, it can damage your sender’s reputation over time, leading to lower deliverability. To reduce bounces, make it a regular practice to clean your email list by removing inactive, incorrect, or duplicate addresses. Using an email verification tool can help you identify invalid emails before sending them, ensuring your campaigns are reaching real recipients. Additionally, consider implementing a double opt-in process when collecting new subscribers to verify their email addresses and ensure they want to receive your emails.
• Low Open Rates: Low open rates typically indicate that your audience isn’t engaging with your emails, either because the content isn’t relevant or the subject line fails to catch their attention. To boost open rates, focus on crafting compelling and concise subject lines that spark curiosity or highlight value. Segment your audience to send more personalized and targeted messages that resonate with their interests. Building trust is also key—maintain a positive sender reputation by sending consistently high-quality emails and avoiding spammy practices. Experimenting with different subject line styles, email timing, and A/B testing can provide valuable insights into what works best for your audience.
• Emails Marked as Spam: If your emails are being flagged as spam, it could be due to poor email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, or DMARC settings) or content that gets filtered by spam detection systems. Ensure your authentication settings are properly configured to prove to email providers that your messages are legitimate. Avoid overusing spam-trigger words like “free,” “guaranteed,” or excessive punctuation, as these can raise red flags. Also, keep your email list clean by removing disengaged subscribers who might flag your messages. Encourage your recipients to whitelist your email address or add it to their contacts to improve deliverability into their primary inbox. Regularly monitoring your email performance can help you stay ahead of spam issues and maintain a strong sender reputation.

FAQs

Final Thoughts on Go High Level Email Deliverability Setup

Successfully setting up email deliverability in Go High Level is critical to the success of your campaigns. Poor deliverability can cause your emails to end up in spam folders, leading to missed opportunities to connect with your audience and drive results. Without proper deliverability, even the most well-crafted emails won’t reach their intended recipients, making this a crucial step in email marketing. To avoid this, start by properly authenticating your domain through tools like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These protocols help verify your identity as a sender, building trust with email providers and significantly improving the chances of your messages landing in inboxes instead of spam folders.

Next, pay close attention to warming up your IP address gradually, especially if you’re sending emails from a new domain. This process involves slowly increasing your email volume over time, allowing email providers to recognize you as a reputable sender. Skipping this step or ramping up too quickly can harm your sender’s reputation, making it harder to reach your audience.

Additionally, optimizing your email content and engagement rates is essential for maintaining strong deliverability. Keep your subject lines clear and engaging, avoid spammy or overly promotional language, and ensure your emails provide real value to your audience. Segmenting your email list and targeting the right audience will also improve relevance and increase engagement, which are key factors in maintaining a good sender reputation.

Maximizing your email marketing efforts doesn’t stop with proper deliverability setup; it’s an ongoing process. Explore Go High Level’s robust analytics and tools to track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and delivery rates. Use this data to assess what’s working and what needs improvement. For example, if you notice low engagement on certain campaigns, consider A/B testing different subject lines, call-to-action buttons, or email layouts to see what resonates more effectively with your audience.

Additionally, consider using Go High Level’s automation features to streamline your follow-ups and nurture sequences. Automated workflows can help you maintain consistent communication with your leads and customers without requiring constant manual input. This not only saves time but also ensures that your audience receives timely and relevant messages, keeping your brand top of mind.

Remember, the right setup is just the beginning. By continuously monitoring your campaigns, refining your strategies, and engaging authentically with your audience, you can build stronger, more meaningful connections over time. Start optimizing your email marketing today and watch your campaigns deliver greater value as your business grows. For further details and help Contact Us!