What is Email Deliverability?
Email deliverability is the ability of your emails to reach recipients' inboxes rather than being blocked, bounced, or filtered to spam folders. It's measured by inbox placement rate—the percentage of emails that actually arrive in the primary inbox.
Deliverability Spectrum:
| Outcome | What Happens | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered to Inbox | Email reaches primary inbox | Goal—full visibility |
| Delivered to Spam | Email filtered to spam folder | Low visibility, hurts reputation |
| Soft Bounce | Temporary failure (mailbox full) | Retry later |
| Hard Bounce | Permanent failure (invalid address) | Remove immediately |
| Blocked | Rejected by receiving server | Reputation crisis |
Deliverability is not the same as delivery rate. You can "deliver" an email to the spam folder—technically delivered but effectively worthless.
Why Deliverability Matters
1 in 6 marketing emails failed to reach recipients' inboxes in 2024. Gmail's inbox placement dropped from 89.8% to 87.2% during the year, indicating increasingly aggressive filtering.
Business Impact:
- Poor deliverability destroys ROI even with great open rates
- Reputation damage is cumulative and hard to reverse
- 2024 requirements: Gmail and Yahoo now mandate authentication for bulk senders
- Cold email depends on deliverability—100% of unopened emails = 0% response rate
- Proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication
- Easy one-click unsubscribe options
- Spam complaint rates below 0.3%
Benchmarks
| Metric | Good | Warning | Critical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inbox Placement | 87%+ | 80-87% | Below 80% |
| Bounce Rate | Under 2% | 2-5% | Above 5% |
| Spam Complaints | Under 0.1% | 0.1-0.3% | Above 0.3% |
| Gmail Placement | 87%+ | 80-87% | Below 80% |
2024 Trends:
- Global deliverability: 83.1% average
- Europe leads: 90-91% inbox placement
- Gmail placement: 87.2% (down from 89.8%)
- Cold email optimized: up to 95.2% possible
Best Practices
- Authenticate Everything: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC properly
- Warm Up New Domains: Gradually increase volume over 14-21 days
- Keep Bounces Low: Remove hard bounces immediately
- Monitor Spam Complaints: Stay below 0.3% threshold
- Send Consistently: Regular sending patterns build trust
- Clean Your Lists: Regular validation removes dangerous addresses
- Use Dedicated Domains: Separate marketing from cold email domains
- Test Before Sending: Use deliverability testing tools
Common Mistakes
- Buying email lists (guaranteed spam traps and bounces)
- Sending from new domains without warmup
- Ignoring spam complaints until too late
- Using URL shorteners (spam filter red flag)
- Sending too frequently to inactive subscribers
- Neglecting authentication setup
- Not tracking inbox placement (only delivery rate)
- Mixing transactional and promotional emails
Key Takeaways
- Deliverability determines whether your emails are seen or ignored
- Gmail inbox placement declined to 87.2% in 2024—trend is worsening
- 87%+ inbox placement is the goal for healthy email programs
- Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is now mandatory
- Keep bounce rates under 2% and spam complaints under 0.1%
- Domain reputation takes months to build and days to destroy
- Test deliverability regularly, not just open rates
- 2024 requirements from Gmail/Yahoo changed the game forever
Sources:
Related Terms
Dark Funnel
Buyer research happening outside tracked channels. LinkedIn, podcasts, communities.
Data Enrichment
Adding firmographic and contact data to leads. Improves targeting and personalization.
Data Validation
Verifying email addresses are valid before sending. Reduces bounce rates.
Deal Velocity
Speed at which deals move through pipeline. Faster indicates better fit.
