There are changes to Google's Gmail requirements for email senders, effective February 2024. Google is implementing these changes to enhance email security, reduce spam, and protect users from unwanted or malicious emails. Following these guidelines contributes to a safer and more reliable email ecosystem. If your institution sends 5,000 or more messages daily to Gmail accounts, please take note of the following guidelines to ensure successful email delivery.
In this article we'll cover:
How to know if this change impacts you
How to Know If This Change Impacts You
If your institution sends 5,000 or more messages daily to Gmail accounts, you are directly affected by these changes. Internal emails do not count toward the 5,000 threshold. Email sent to personal Gmail accounts do count; these are Gmail accounts ending in @gmail.com or @googlemail.com and this policy is domain-specific. Reviewing and updating your email-sending practices to comply with Google's new requirements is crucial.
Senders who meet the threshold of 5,000 or more at least once are permanently considered bulk senders. Google offers this definition for what is a bulk sender.
While you cannot directly check your position against Gmail's daily sending limit, you can make an informed estimate by:
- Checking your email reporting. You are under the threshold if you have yet to send 5000 or more emails per day.
Reporting > Apps Reports > Gmail, Click on Manage Reports at the top left if you aren't seeing the Outbound email: delivery chart - Using the Investigation Tool to look closer. You can create an email investigation and group by the recipient to hone in on a count. If you use a third-party email platform, those emails may not appear in the investigation results.
What You Need to Do
- Review Your Sending Threshold: Assess your current email-sending practices against Google's new requirements.
- Authenticate Your Domain: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your domains.
- Infrastructure Check: Ensure PTR records for sending IP addresses and monitor shared IP reputations.
- Subscription Management: Only send to opted-in recipients and provide easy unsubscribe options.
How CDW Education Can Help
Navigating these changes can be complex, but you don't have to do it alone. You can use our Getting Started with Gmail Security stack (see links below) to guide you through the implementation process for this Google policy change. To get started with the support stack, enter a support ticket here. We're here to make this transition smooth and seamless for your email-sending practices.
Support Stacks/Hours Contacts
K-12: Contact your Google Customer Success (GCS) Team member, formerly known as the Regional Account Manager (RAM), serves as your primary point of contact for our products and services including support hours.
Higher Education institutions: Contact your Business Development Manager (Higher Ed Sales), serves as your primary point of contact for our products and services including support hours.
| Document Version | Date | Description of Change |
| 1.0 | 1/17/2024 | First publish |
| 1.1 | 3/18/2024 | First 2 links changed to open in new window, updated contact links at the bottom |