--- title: "Google's New Anti-Spam Measures and the Necessary Configuration Changes for Email Delivery" url: 'https://www.peaknetworks.com/about-us/blog/google-anti-spam-changes-email-deliverability' markdown: 'https://www.peaknetworks.com/about-us/blog/google-anti-spam-changes-email-deliverability.md' lang: en date: '2024-05-13' description: "Google is renowned for continuously working to improve its services, particularly in terms of security and user-friendliness. One area where Google regularly introduces updates and improvements is in handling spam and unwanted emails in Gmail. In this blog post, we will delve deeply into Google's …" --- # Google's New Anti-Spam Measures and the Necessary Configuration Changes for Email Delivery 1715595960 ![](https://www.peaknetworks.com/user/pages/10.about-us/06.blog/23.google-anti-spam-changes-email-deliverability/Antispam_Massnahmen.webp) Google is renowned for continuously working to improve its services, particularly in terms of **security** and **user-friendliness**. One area where Google **regularly introduces updates** and **improvements** is in handling spam and unwanted emails in Gmail. In this blog post, we will delve deeply into Google's latest **anti-spam measures** and explain the **necessary configuration changes** to ensure that your legitimate emails reach Gmail users. ## Google's New Anti-Spam Measures Google has recently **updated its algorithms** to be **more effective against spam**. These enhancements include both **machine learning** and **improved filtering** based on **user feedback**. Google utilizes these technologies to detect patterns and features in emails that typically indicate spam. Consequently, emails that do not contain spam may also be not delivered more often. ### Improved Filtering Based on Behavioral Patterns One of the **key components** of the new anti-spam measures is the ability to **recognize behavioral patterns commonly associated with spam activities**. These include **unusual sending rhythms**, **high bounce rates**, and **sending large volumes** of **similar messages** within a **short period**. Beyond that, additional email **header checks** have been introduced. ### User Feedback Gmail also extensively uses **user feedback** to improve the **efficiency** of **spam detection**. When a user marks an email as spam, this action helps **train** the **filtering system** and better recognize similar emails in the future. ### Necessary Configuration Changes for Email Delivery To ensure that your emails reach Gmail users and are not **mistakenly classified as spam**, certain **configuration changes** and **best practices** are required. ### Use of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Recently, **one or more of the following authentication methods** must be set up for emails: - **SPF** allows recipients to verify if an email was sent from an authorized mail server. - **DKIM** provides a method to digitally sign the email content, ensuring the integrity of the message. - **DMARC** uses SPF and DKIM to communicate to recipients how to handle emails that fail the authentication checks. ### What peaknetworks Customers Need to Consider If your **DNS zone** is with **peaknetworks** and you use **mail servers** from **peaknetworks**, the following **DNS entry** for SPF is correct: TXT v=spf1 a mx include:\_spf.peaknetworks.net ~all ### Using Real Email Addresses with Authentication **Before** the new measures by Google and Microsoft, it was possible to send emails using **generic PHP mail() functions**. Due to the new measures from Google and Microsoft, this is no longer feasible, as the **Return-Path and From part** in the headers of the emails do not match. ### What peaknetworks Customers Need to Consider For all emails to be delivered to Google or Gmail, the following points must be implemented for a **WordPress hosting** named **test.com**: - Create a **real mailbox** on the **mail server** - In the **control panel**, a real mailbox is set up, e.g., \[\]() - Switch to **SMTP Authentication** for email delivery - Instead of using PHP's mail() function, email delivery must be switched to SMTP Authentication. For example, in WordPress, the WPSMTP plugin is installed and configured with the parameters of the mailbox \[\]() with parameters Port 465, TLS, the mailbox, and the mailbox password. ### The Most Important Thing From this point on, the website's emails using the **domain name** must not contain any **spam content** in forms on the website, otherwise, the emails from this domain will not be accepted. This means that **anti-spam protection** (e.g., Captcha) must be **active on all forms of the website**, otherwise, there is a risk that the domain will be **blacklisted** and **no email deliveries will be possible.** If it cannot be ensured that the forms do not forward spam, it is advisable to disable the forms until a solution is found. ### Regular Review of Your Email Lists Ensure your email lists are **up-to-date and free of outdated or invalid addresses**. **Regular checks** and **removing non-responsive or unsubscribed users** can **lower your bounce rate** and improve your sender reputation. ### Adjustment of Email Content **Avoid using words and phrases commonly associated with spam**. **Personalize** your messages as much as possible and ensure to provide relevant and valuable content for your recipients. ### Monitoring and Adjustments **Monitor** the performance of your **email campaigns**, especially the rate of emails marked as spam. Use **analysis tools** to identify **trends and make necessary adjustments**. ## Conclusion Google's new anti-spam measures are an important step toward improving email security for all Gmail users. By implementing the above configuration changes, you can ensure that your legitimate emails reach their target audience. Stay informed about the latest developments and adjust your strategies accordingly to achieve optimal results. [back](#) --- ## Navigation - Parent: [peaknetworks Blog](https://www.peaknetworks.com/about-us/blog.md) - Previous: [Why Page Speed is a Crucial Factor for the Success of Your Website](https://www.peaknetworks.com/about-us/blog/why-page-speed-matters-for-website-success.md) - Next: [Matomo: The alternative to Google Analytics](https://www.peaknetworks.com/about-us/blog/matomo-privacy-focused-google-analytics-alternative.md)