Beginners Guide to Email Deliverability for Gmail & Google Workspace

Email deliverability determines whether your emails land in the inbox, get filtered to spam, or are blocked entirely. Poor deliverability wastes time, damages sender reputation, and can lead to account restrictions.

This guide explains what affects email deliverability and provides actionable best practices for successfully sending bulk emails from Gmail or Google Workspace.

Email deliverability is the ability of your emails to reach recipients’ inboxes rather than being filtered to spam or blocked entirely.

Key factors that affect deliverability:

• Sender reputation – How email providers view your sending history
• Email authentication – Proving your emails are legitimate (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• Content quality – Avoiding spam triggers in subject lines and body text
• Engagement signals – Opens, clicks, replies indicate your emails are wanted

Today’s email filtering uses AI-driven spam detection, analyzing everything from sending patterns to recipient behavior. A strong sender reputation is essential for consistent inbox placement.

Sending bulk emails from Gmail or Google Workspace comes with specific constraints:

• Gmail (@gmail.com): 500 emails/day
• Google Workspace: 2,000 emails/day

Exceeding these limits can temporarily suspend your sending ability. Learn more about email quotas.

Unlike traditional email service providers (ESPs), Gmail doesn’t provide dedicated IP addresses. Your deliverability depends entirely on your domain reputation and sending behavior.

Google’s spam filters analyze:

• Email content (subject lines, body text, links)
• Sender reputation and authentication
• Recipient engagement (opens, clicks, replies, spam reports)

Poor signals in any of these areas can land your emails in spam or get them blocked.

Gmail automatically sorts bulk emails into tabs:

• Primary: Personal emails
• Promotions: Marketing emails (most bulk email ends up here)
• Updates: Automated notifications

Even legitimate emails may land in Promotions, reducing visibility.

Email authentication proves your messages are legitimate and prevents spoofing. Without proper authentication, your emails are more likely to be flagged as spam.

Essential authentication protocols:

Action steps:

1. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your domain – Google Workspace setup guide
2. Verify your SPF record with our Free SPF Checker tool
3. Monitor DMARC reports to catch authentication issues

Sending from a custom domain (e.g., you@yourdomain.com) instead of a generic Gmail address (e.g., you@gmail.com) significantly improves credibility and deliverability.

Benefits of custom domains:

• ✅ Looks more professional
• ✅ Builds domain-specific reputation separate from shared Gmail IPs
• ✅ Allows proper SPF/DKIM/DMARC configuration
• ✅ Protects your main domain by using a subdomain for bulk sending

Best practice: Use a subdomain like mail.yourdomain.com or newsletter.yourdomain.com for bulk email campaigns. This isolates bulk sending reputation from your primary domain used for transactional emails.

Sending to invalid or unengaged contacts damages your sender reputation and wastes your daily quota.

Email list hygiene checklist:

✅ Remove hard bounces – Invalid email addresses that permanently fail

✅ Suppress soft bounces after 3-5 attempts – Temporary failures (full mailbox, server issues)

✅ Remove unsubscribes immediately – Continuing to email them risks spam complaints

✅ Segment inactive recipients – People who haven’t opened in 6+ months

✅ Validate new emails before importing – Catch typos and invalid addresses upfront

Tools:

• Use BetterMerge’s Email Verification feature to validate addresses before sending
• Regularly export campaign results and remove bounced addresses from your master list

Spam filters scan subject lines and body content for red flags.

Common spam triggers to avoid:

❌ Misleading subject lines – “Re:” or “Fwd:” when it’s not a reply/forward

❌ Excessive capitalization – “AMAZING DEAL FOR YOU!!!”

❌ Spam words/phrases – “Act now,” “Click here,” “Free money,” “Guaranteed”

❌ Too many links – Especially shortened links (bit.ly, tinyurl)

❌ Image-heavy emails – All image, no text raises red flags

❌ Missing unsubscribe link – Required by law (CAN-SPAM, GDPR)

❌ HTML/CSS errors – Broken formatting looks unprofessional

Best practices:

• Write like you’re emailing a colleague, not shouting in an infomercial
• Use a balanced text-to-image ratio (at least 60% text)
• Always include a clear, working unsubscribe link
• Test emails before sending with our Free Spam Checker tool

Gmail’s algorithms prioritize emails that recipients engage with. High open rates, clicks, and replies signal that your emails are wanted.

Tactics to boost engagement:

📝 Personalize subject lines – Use recipient’s name, company, or other details

• Generic: “Our new product is here”
• Personalized: “{{First Name}}, see how {{Company}} can save 30%”

🎯 Segment your audience – Send relevant content to specific groups, not one-size-fits-all

⏰ Optimize send times – Test different times to find when your audience is most active

• B2B: Tuesday-Thursday, 10 AM - 2 PM
• B2C: Evenings and weekends often perform better

✉️ Write compelling subject lines – Clear, concise, and curiosity-inducing

• Keep under 50 characters for mobile visibility
• Ask questions or create urgency (without being spammy)

🔗 Include clear CTAs – One primary call-to-action, easy to click

📊 Track and iterate – Monitor open/click rates and refine based on data

BetterMerge features to help:

• Create personalized templates with merge tags
• Use Delivery Automation to optimize send times and pacing

New email accounts or domains have no sending reputation. Sending high volumes immediately triggers spam filters and can damage your reputation permanently.

Email warmup schedule (for new accounts):

Warmup best practices:

1. Send to engaged recipients first – People likely to open/click (past customers, subscribers)
2. Monitor bounce rates closely – Keep below 2%
3. Watch for spam complaints – Should be under 0.1%
4. Avoid sudden volume spikes – Gradual increases signal normal behavior
5. Maintain consistent sending – Don’t send 500 one day, then 0 for a week

Tools:

• Use Delivery Automation in BetterMerge to automatically pace your emails
• Set daily limits and time gaps to mimic natural human sending patterns

Regular monitoring helps you catch problems before they damage your reputation.

Key metrics to track:

What to do when metrics are unhealthy:

🚨 High bounce rate → Clean your list, validate emails before sending

🚨 High spam complaints → Review content, ensure clear unsubscribe links, segment better

🚨 Low open rate → Improve subject lines, optimize send times, re-engage inactive subscribers

🚨 Low click rate → Improve email content, clearer CTAs, better audience targeting

Monitoring tools:

• BetterMerge Tracking features – Opens, clicks, unsubscribes per campaign
• Google Postmaster Tools – Domain reputation, spam rate, authentication status
• Gmail’s spam folder – Send test emails to yourself and check if they land in spam

Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices. If your emails don’t render well on phones, engagement suffers.

Mobile optimization checklist:

✅ Responsive design – Email adapts to screen size automatically

✅ Readable font size – At least 14px for body text, 22px for headings

✅ Large, tappable buttons – CTAs should be at least 44x44 pixels

✅ Short subject lines – Under 50 characters (mobile truncates longer ones)

✅ Single-column layout – Easier to read on narrow screens

✅ Compressed images – Load faster on mobile networks

Test before sending: Send yourself a test email and open it on your phone to verify formatting.

Sending too frequently annoys recipients and triggers spam complaints. Too infrequently, and they forget who you are.

Finding the right frequency:

Signs you’re sending too much:

• Increasing unsubscribe rates
• Rising spam complaints
• Declining open rates over time

Best practice: Let recipients choose their email frequency preferences when they subscribe.

Tool: Use Delivery Automation to control daily sending limits and pace your campaigns.

The tool you use matters for deliverability. Manual sending or poorly-built tools can trigger spam filters.

When to use BetterMerge:

• Sending under 2,000 emails/day
• Using Gmail or Google Workspace
• Need personalization at scale
• Want tracking and automation features

When to consider alternatives:

• Sending 10,000+ emails/day → Use dedicated ESPs (Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun)
• Transactional emails → Use transactional email services (Postmark, Mailgun)
• Marketing automation → Use full-featured platforms (HubSpot, ActiveCampaign)

BetterMerge is designed specifically for Gmail/Google Workspace users who need personalized bulk sending within Google’s limits.

Email deliverability isn’t a one-time setup—it requires ongoing attention and optimization.

Quick wins (do these first):

1. ✅ Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication
2. ✅ Clean your email list (remove bounces and invalid addresses)
3. ✅ Use BetterMerge’s spam checker before sending
4. ✅ Start with small batches if you’re using a new account

Ongoing optimization:

• Monitor bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement metrics
• Gradually increase sending volume over weeks/months
• Personalize content to improve open and click rates
• Keep your list clean by regularly removing unengaged subscribers

Remember: Gmail’s deliverability algorithms favor emails that recipients engage with. Focus on sending relevant, valuable content to people who want to hear from you—not blasting generic messages to massive lists.

Need help? Check out:

• Delivery Automation guide for warmup and pacing strategies
• Email Verification feature to validate your list
• Free Spam Checker tool to test your content

Most emails are opened on mobile. Ensure:

• Responsive design for all screen sizes.
• Readable fonts and clear CTA buttons.

Too many emails can trigger spam complaints. Balance frequency based on recipient engagement and preferences.

1. Use the Delivery Automation feature in BetterMerge to set a daily sending limit.

Using a reliable email platform ensures better deliverability. Some options:

• BetterMerge (for bulk sending with Gmail)
• Google’s built-in mail merge
• Third-party bulk email services (if Gmail limits are restrictive)

Improving email deliverability requires a combination of authentication, engagement, and list management. By following these best practices, Gmail/Google Workspace senders can maximize inbox placement and avoid spam filters. Regular monitoring and adjustments are key to maintaining a strong sender reputation.