New Email Authentication Requirements from Google and Yahoo are Sending Business Emails to Junk Folders

Discover how Google and Yahoo's new email authentication requirements may be causing your business emails to land in 'Junk' folders and learn how to solve it.

Importance of Email Authentication and Domain Security

Email authentication and domain security are crucial for small businesses to ensure the delivery of their emails to recipients' inboxes. Without proper authentication, emails may be flagged as spam or phishing attempts, causing them to end up in 'Junk' folders. By implementing email authentication measures, small businesses can enhance the trustworthiness of their emails and improve deliverability.

As a small business owner, staying ahead of these sorts of changes helps ensure that we can continue emailing our customers. From general customer care to invoicing, email is the primary form of communication when conducting business with our customers, potential customers, and vendors.

Small Business Owner
Local Manufacturing Supplier in Texas

Domain security, such as DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework), helps verify the authenticity of the sender's domain and prevent email spoofing. Email spoofing is a popular tactic that leads to Business Email Compromise (BEC) and costly wire transfer fraud. These authentication protocols add an extra layer of security and ensure that the emails sent from a small business's domain are legitimate and trustworthy. By implementing these measures, small businesses can reduce the chances of their emails being marked as spam or getting missed.

Google's New Email Authentication Requirements

Starting mid-2024, Google will require additional email authentication to enhance email security and prevent email spoofing. These requirements include implementing DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), which helps protect against phishing attacks and domain spoofing.

To meet Google's new email authentication requirements, small businesses should ensure that their email domain is:

1. properly authenticated using DKIM that adds a digital signature to outgoing messages
2. properly authenticated using SPF that specifies the mail servers allowed to send email from your domain
3. configured with a DMARC policy to specify how email receivers should handle unauthenticated emails from their domain

By incorporating these strategies, small businesses can enhance the likelihood of their emails reaching recipients' inboxes successfully and avoid the risk of being categorized as spam or landing in the dreaded 'Junk' folders.

Yahoo's New Email Authentication Requirements

Similar to Google, Yahoo has also announced similar email authentication requirements to enhance email security and protect against spoofed emails. These requirements include implementing DMARC, DKIM, and SPF.

Small businesses should ensure that their emails are properly authenticated using DKIM and SPF to meet Yahoo's new email authentication requirements. They should also configure their DMARC policy to specify how email receivers should handle unauthenticated emails from their domain. By following Yahoo's email authentication requirements, small businesses can lower the risk of their emails being flagged as spam or overlooked.

Negative Impact on Business Emails

When business emails end up in 'Junk' folders, it can have a significant impact on a small business's communication and reputation. Emails that are flagged as spam or land in the dreaded 'Junk' folder are less likely to be opened and read by recipients. This can result in missed business opportunities, reduced customer engagement, and decreased trust in the business's email communications. Poor email deliverability negatively impacts important revenue-generating notifications and communications from Accounting, Sales, and Marketing.

By understanding and implementing the new email authentication requirements of Google and Yahoo, small businesses can ensure that their emails are delivered to recipients' inboxes and avoid the negative impact of their emails ending up in 'Junk' folders. Improved email deliverability can lead to better communication with customers, increased engagement, and a stronger reputation for the small business.

Email Authentication Made Easy

Implementing email authentication measures may seem daunting for small business owners or IT managers, but it doesn't have to be complicated. There are tools and services available that make email authentication easy and accessible for small businesses.

Because email service heavily impacts small businesses, Centre recommends DMARC Email Domain Security as part of Managed IT Services and Microsoft Office 365 for small businesses. Centre security experts set up and manage DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records, so small businesses can ensure compliance with Google and Yahoo's new email authentication requirements.

Implementing DMARC and email authentication is a simple approach for small businesses to decrease the likelihood of their domain being spoofed by malicious actors and their emails being marked as spam by their recipients.

Todd Smith
Chief Technology Officer at Centre Technologies

Looking to secure your brand reputation? Centre Technologies has been helping local businesses just like yours add the necessary layered protections, like DMARC email domain security, that prevent hackers from standing in the way of growing your business. Contact us to enact DMARC before your business emails land in 'Junk' folders.