For Australian small businesses, email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to drive sales and foster loyalty. However, if your sender reputation is poor, your carefully crafted newsletters will land straight in the 'Junk' folder, meaning your customers never even see your offers. Think of your sender reputation like a credit score for your email address; it determines how much trust mailbox providers like Gmail, Outlook, and BigPond place in your messages.
Prerequisites: What You’ll Need
Before we dive into the steps, ensure you have the following ready:
- Access to your website’s DNS settings (usually via your domain registrar like GoDaddy, VentraIP, or Crazy Domains).
- Access to your Email Service Provider (ESP) dashboard (e.g., Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or ActiveCampaign).
- A list of your primary sending domains.
- Your Australian Business Number (ABN) details (sometimes required for verification in specific tools).
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Step 1: Check Your Current Reputation Score
You can’t fix what you haven’t measured. Start by using free tools to see how the world perceives your emails.
Action: Visit SenderScore.org or Talos Intelligence. Enter your IP address or domain. Screenshot Description: You should see a dashboard displaying a numerical score from 0 to 100. A score above 90 is excellent; anything below 80 requires immediate intervention.Step 2: Set Up Google Postmaster Tools
Since a large portion of Australians use Gmail, Google’s own reporting tool is essential.
Action: Go to Postmaster Tools. Add your domain and verify ownership by adding a TXT record to your DNS settings. Once verified, Google will provide data on your spam rate, encryption, and delivery errors.Step 3: Authenticate with SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SPF is a DNS record that lists which mail servers are authorised to send emails on behalf of your domain. Without this, hackers can easily spoof your address, which tanks your reputation.
Action: Log in to your DNS provider. Create a TXT record that includes the 'include' tags provided by your email platform (e.g.,v=spf1 include:servers.mcsv.net ~all for Mailchimp).
Step 4: Implement DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, proving to the recipient’s server that the email hasn't been tampered with during transit.
Action: In your ESP settings (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, etc.), find the 'Domain Authentication' section. Generate your DKIM keys and copy them into a new CNAME or TXT record in your DNS settings.Step 5: Configure DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)
DMARC tells receiving servers what to do if an email fails SPF or DKIM checks.
Action: Start with a 'none' policy (p=none) so you can monitor reports without blocking emails. As you become more confident that your setup is correct, move to p=quarantine or p=reject to fully secure your domain.
Step 6: Purge Your Email List (List Hygiene)
Sending emails to addresses that don't exist (hard bounces) or to people who never open your mail makes you look like a spammer.
Action: Filter your list for 'Unengaged' subscribers (those who haven't opened an email in 6+ months). Send them one final 're-engagement' offer, and if they don't respond, delete them. Quality over quantity is the golden rule in Brisbane's competitive market.Step 7: Optimise Your 'From' Name and Subject Lines
If people don't recognise you, they will mark you as spam.
Action: Ensure your 'From' name is clearly your business name (e.g., "Local Marketing Group"). Avoid clickbait subject lines like "URGENT: YOU WON!" which trigger automated spam filters.Step 8: Make Unsubscribing Easy
It sounds counter-intuitive, but you want people to unsubscribe if they aren't interested. If they can't find the unsubscribe link, they will hit the 'Report Spam' button instead, which is far more damaging to your reputation.
Action: Ensure your unsubscribe link is in a clear font at the bottom of every email. Avoid using tiny, light-grey text that is hard to read.Step 9: Monitor Your Bounce Rates
Keep a close eye on your bounce rates after every campaign.
Action: Check your ESP reports. A bounce rate higher than 2% is a red flag. If you see a spike, investigate if a specific domain (like @bigpond.com or @outlook.com) is blocking you.Step 10: Use a Dedicated IP for High Volumes
If you are sending more than 50,000 emails per month, sharing an IP address with other (potentially spammy) businesses can hurt you.
Action: Speak to your ESP about upgrading to a dedicated IP address. This gives you total control over your reputation, though it requires a 'warming up' period.Step 11: Implement a Double Opt-In Process
To ensure your list is high-quality from day one, use a double opt-in.
Action: When someone signs up on your website, send an automated email asking them to click a link to confirm their subscription. This prevents bot sign-ups and fake email addresses from entering your database.---
Pro Tips for Success
- Avoid 'No-Reply' Addresses: Using
no-reply@yourbusiness.com.audiscourages engagement. Use a real monitored address likehello@orsupport@to encourage two-way communication, which signals to ISPs that you are a legitimate sender. - Consistency is Key: Sending 10 emails in one week and then nothing for two months looks suspicious. Stick to a regular schedule (e.g., every Tuesday morning).
- Check Blacklists: Regularly check if your domain has been blacklisted using tools like MXToolbox.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Buying Email Lists: This is the fastest way to ruin your reputation and potentially violate the Australian Spam Act 2003. Never, ever buy lists.
- Ignoring Mobile Users: Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile. If your email looks broken on a phone, users are more likely to delete it or mark it as spam.
- Too Many Images: Emails that are just one large image often get flagged. Aim for a healthy 60/40 balance of text to images.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Issue: My emails are suddenly going to spam for everyone. Check: Look at your DMARC reports or Google Postmaster Tools. You likely have an authentication failure (SPF/DKIM) or your domain has been added to a major blacklist. Issue: My open rates have dropped significantly over the last month. Check: You may be suffering from 'Greylisting' or your reputation score has dipped below 80. Review your recent 'Spam Complaint' rates in your ESP. Issue: I'm getting high bounce rates from BigPond/Telstra addresses. Check: Australian ISPs can be quite strict. Ensure your SPF records are 100% correct and you aren't using too many 'salesy' keywords in your subject lines.Next Steps
Now that you've secured your sender reputation, it's time to focus on the content that converts. Check out our guide on "Crafting High-Conversion Email Subject Lines" or learn more about "Segmenting Your Audience for Better Engagement."
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the technical setup of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, we can help. Contact the team at Local Marketing Group to audit your email health: https://lmgroup.au/contact