Here’s a sobering thought: While you’re reading this, thousands of important business emails are landing in spam folders instead of inboxes. And the worst part? Many senders don’t even know it’s happening.
A recent survey by Sinch of over 1,100 email senders worldwide reveals a startling disconnect: While 78.5% of businesses rate email deliverability as crucial to their success, many are missing the basic steps that ensure their messages actually reach their destination.
The Hidden Gaps in Email Deliverability
Think of email deliverability like a car’s maintenance schedule. Skip the regular check-ups, and you’re asking for trouble. Yet that’s exactly what’s happening:
- 70% of senders never check their sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster
- 53% don’t monitor if they’re on email blocklists
- 39% rarely or never clean their email lists
It’s like driving with your eyes closed and hoping for the best. In today’s digital landscape, where every email can mean a potential deal, this approach isn’t just risky – it’s costly.
Why 2025 Is Different
The email landscape has changed dramatically in three key ways:
- Stricter Requirements Google and Yahoo introduced new sender requirements in 2024, raising the bar for inbox placement.
- Growing Awareness 63% of senders know about these changes, but many haven’t adapted yet – creating an opportunity for those who act now.
- Positive Shifts We’re seeing an 11% increase in DMARC adoption, showing that businesses are starting to prioritize email security.
Understanding the Real Impact
Poor email deliverability isn’t just a technical issue – it’s a business problem. When your emails don’t reach inboxes:
- Sales opportunities disappear
- Customer relationships suffer
- Marketing ROI plummets
- Your brand reputation takes a hit
Even more concerning, nearly 1 in 10 senders admitted to purchasing email lists or scraping contacts. In 2025’s stricter environment, these practices aren’t just risky – they’re potentially devastating to your email deliverability.
What You Can Do Today
- Check Your Reputation: Think of your sender reputation like a credit score for email. Just as you monitor your credit report, you need to track your sending reputation using tools like Google Postmaster. Yet 70% of senders skip this crucial step. Regular monitoring helps you catch and fix problems before they impact your deliverability.
- Clean Your Lists Regularly: Email lists naturally decay by about 22.5% each year. Tools like Scrubby can automatically validate your email lists, identifying risky addresses before they harm your sender reputation. This is especially crucial now that major providers are cracking down on poor sending practices.
- Strengthen Your Authentication: Among senders who’ve adapted to new requirements, 79% focused on improving email authentication. This isn’t just a technical checkbox – it’s essential for reaching inboxes. Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols tells email providers you’re a legitimate sender.
- Focus on Engagement: Clean lists are just the start. Modern email deliverability depends heavily on how recipients interact with your messages. Regular list cleaning with Scrubby ensures you’re sending to engaged, valid addresses, improving your overall engagement metrics.
- Validate Your Risky Emails with Scrubby: Risky email addresses—like spam traps or disposable emails—can damage your sender reputation and lead to poor inbox placement. Scrubby’s advanced email validation ensures your list is free from risky contacts, so you can focus on reaching real leads.
Looking Ahead: Your 2025 Email Strategy
The path to better deliverability isn’t complex, but it requires attention. Regular list cleaning with tools like Scrubby, combined with proper authentication and reputation monitoring, can dramatically improve your inbox placement rates.
Consider this: Every email that lands in spam is a missed opportunity. Every bounced message damages your sender reputation. In an era where email remains a critical business channel, can you afford to ignore these basics?
The Bottom Line
Email deliverability isn’t just about technical compliance – it’s about reaching your audience reliably. As we move through 2025, the businesses that thrive will be those that take these fundamentals seriously.
Start by validating your email lists, monitoring your reputation, and following authentication best practices. Your future campaigns (and your bottom line) will thank you for it.
The time to act is now. Begin with a thorough validation of your email lists – it’s the foundation of every successful email strategy in 2025 and beyond.
