Did you know that Gmail addresses make up about 80% of our current email lists? That makes Google’s rules for email delivery extremely important to anyone sending emails in bulk.
In 2024, Google introduced stricter guidelines for “bulk senders” (if you send 5,000 or more emails in 24 hours, you’re a bulk sender!). Following a gradual rollout, Google announced near the end of 2025 that it would begin rejecting emails from senders who fail to meet these requirements. If your sending practices aren’t compliant, your emails will start bouncing instead of landing in the inbox.
Monitoring Your Status with Google Postmaster
To ensure success, it is crucial to monitor your domain’s status. Google has released a new version of the Google Postmaster tool that details each requirement and shows whether your domain is compliant or needs work.
A key point is that this tool looks at the entire domain. All senders associated with myschool.edu, including subdomains like admissions.myschool.edu and athletics.myschool.edu, are included in a single dashboard for myschool.edu. The actions of any single sender (from admissions, athletics, or advancement) can therefore impact the reputation of the others.
Meet the Email Security Trio: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
Think of these three protocols as your email’s digital passport, signature, and verification system. Getting them right is now critical, especially as providers like Google impose stricter requirements.
1. SPF: The “Approved Sender” List
SPF is a public record that lists which servers (by IP address or domain) are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain.
When a provider like Gmail receives an email, it checks your domain’s SPF record. If the sending IP address is on that approved list, the email passes. If not, it’s a red flag. The biggest takeaway: Google now requires that the sending IP address be listed in your SPF record.
2. DKIM: The Digital Signature
DKIM adds a unique digital signature to every email. This signature guarantees that the email has not been tampered with between the moment it leaves your server and the moment it reaches the recipient’s inbox.
Setup requires coordination: your Email Service Provider (ESP) signs the email, and you must have a corresponding public record so the receiving provider can validate the signature.
3. DMARC: The Alignment Checker
DMARC ties the other two together through alignment. It ensures that the domain in the “From” address (e.g., myschool.edu) matches the domain used for at least one of the security checks (SPF or DKIM).
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- For DKIM: The signature record must reside on your domain (myschool.edu).
- For SPF: The email’s “return address” must be a myschool.edu address.
The good news: You only need one of these (SPF or DKIM) to align for DMARC to pass, though implementing both is always the safest strategy!
The Easy Button for Slate Users!
If all this technical talk is overwhelming, Slate offers a simple solution. If you navigate to Database → DKIM configuration and click Lookup, it will generate the records needed to satisfy all the requirements above. Send that information to your IT team so they can add it to your DNS records. Once they confirm the update, you can hit “Validate Configuration,” and your sends through that system are covered!
Keep Your Emails Out of the Spam Folder
Remember: even if your sends are perfectly secure, the actions of everyone else sending from your overall domain still impact your school’s reputation!
This is just the start of what is required, but getting these security items corrected is a vital first step to maintaining a good sending reputation with Google and other providers.
If you are a Waybetter client, we are keenly focused on understanding this “domain”—pun intended for you technical folks!—and we are committed to your email deliverability. You’re taken care of, and you’ll hear from us if we see any red flags related to our shared mailing reputation.