What is email deliverability and how can you improve it?

What is email deliverability?

Email deliverability is the ability of your email to reach your subscribers’ inboxes. It’s more than just having an email bounce; it’s having your email land in the correct place in someone’s inbox.

Think of it like this:

  • Delivery means the receiving server accepted your email.
  • Deliverability means it dodged the spam folder and showed up in the inbox.

That’s a subtle but critical difference. You can achieve a 100% delivery rate and still have your emails end up in the junk folder.

What impacts deliverability?

1. Your sender reputation

Like a credit score for email. ISPs (like Gmail or Outlook) keep track of your behaviour:

  • Are your subscribers opening your emails?
  • Are they clicking or just ignoring?
  • Are you being reported as spam?

If your sending is consistent and clean, you’ll be rewarded with a good sender reputation.

2. Authentication settings

Three boring acronyms that make a BIG difference:

  • SPF (Sender Policy Framework) – It tells email servers which IP addresses are allowed to send emails on your behalf.
  • DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) – It adds a digital signature to your emails, proving the message wasn’t altered in transit and that it really came from you.
  • DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) – It brings SPF and DKIM together and tells email providers what to do if something looks fishy.

These prove you are who you say you are. Without them, you look like a spammer (even if you’re not).

3. Your list quality

Bad data = bad deliverability

  • If you keep old, dead data, you’ll get more hard bounces
  • Bought lists? Big no no, you’ll just end up with a ton of bounces and spam complaints

4. Your email content

Spam filters are picky. They scan:

  • Spammy words (“free,” “buy now,” “guarantee” = red flags)
  • Your email format (too many images, all caps, broken code)
  • Your links (especially dodgy-looking ones)

If any of your content seems spammy, then it’ll likely end up in the spam folder.

How can you improve your deliverability?

You don’t need to be technical. You just need a checklist and some good habits.

Here’s what works:

  1. Set up proper authentication
    Get SPF, DKIM, and DMARC sorted.
    This should be done at the domain level. Your email platform or agency can help with this.
  2. Send from a custom domain
    Ditch the Gmail address if you’re sending bulk communications. Use a proper business email domain (like [email protected]), and warm it up properly.
  3. Clean your list regularly
    Remove inactive and dormant subscribers, and ensure that you are handling bounce data correctly.
  4. Use a double-opt-in 
    Yes, it adds friction. But it ensures that the person really wants your emails, and that their email address is real.
  5. Send consistently 
    Consistency = trust. Trust = inbox placement.
  6. Segment your database
    Send the right content to the right people. A new subscriber shouldn’t get the same thing as someone who’s been with you for 2 years.
  7. Monitor your email engagement 
    Watch open rates, clicks, unsubscribes, and spam reports. If engagement tanks, your deliverability will follow. Pro tip: Create re-engagement campaigns before removing cold contacts.
  8. Avoid spammy designs
    Basically, make it look like something you’d open

The bottom line

Good deliverability isn’t luck. It’s built, email by email, habit by habit.

Want help improving your deliverability?
TouchBasePro works behind the scenes to get you into more inboxes and out of spam.

 

Contact us now