Email still feels like one of the most reliable bridges between a brand and its audience. It is personal, direct and predictable. But none of your effort matters if the email never reaches the inbox. Deliverability is the quiet engine behind every result in email campaigns. Whether you are designing email marketing flows or planning your next customer journey, inbox placement decides everything.
This guide walks through a complete deliverability checklist and shows how email teams can use good practices, testing and even AI in email marketing to keep performance strong and consistent.
Understanding email deliverability
Email deliverability is the ability of your emails to reach the inbox without being flagged as spam or lost in junk folders. When deliverability drops, engagement drops, conversions drop, and sender reputation declines. When deliverability is strong, everything else becomes easier.
Good inbox placement is the outcome of clean data, trusted authentication, relevant content and a track record of responsible sending behaviour.
The email deliverability checklist
Build a quality email list
Quality lists always outperform large lists. Start by collecting real subscribers who want to hear from you.
• Ask for clear consent
• Remove inactive or invalid email addresses
• Use a double opt in to confirm interest and avoid fake sign ups
A clean list protects your sender reputation and improves inbox placement over time.
Authenticate your domain
Authenticating your domain is just as important as building a strong digital presence. Authentication tells inbox providers you are a trusted sender.
• Set up SPF and DKIM
• Configure DMARC so receiving servers understand how to treat unauthenticated messages
These are essential for anyone designing email marketing flows that scale.
Monitor your sender reputation
Your sender reputation works like a quiet credit score for email.
• Keep an eye on your sender score
• Reduce complaints by making it easy to unsubscribe
• Respond to concerns quickly
The stronger the reputation, the easier it is to land in the inbox.
Craft relevant and human content
Inbox providers want to deliver emails people care about. So relevance wins.
• Personalise your content
• Avoid exaggerated wording
• Offer a clear unsubscribe link
Good content is the heart of designing email marketing strategies that follow strong user experience foundations that people enjoy instead of ignoring.
Optimise for mobile
Most people check email on their phone first. Poor responsive layouts kill engagement instantly.
Make sure every email is mobile friendly and legible across devices.
Test and preview before sending
A/B testing in email marketing is one of the fastest ways to improve performance. Before sending a campaign:
• Preview the email in different email clients
• Test subject lines
• Test send times
• Test variations of layout, call to action and headline
Small changes often have the largest effect on deliverability, engagement and conversions.
Track engagement and refine
Inbox providers reward positive engagement signals.
• Monitor opens, clicks and conversions
• Segment subscribers based on behaviour
• Send more focused content to highly engaged groups
AI in email marketing can support this process by analysing patterns and suggesting send time optimisation, subject line ideas and content personalisation.
Stay compliant
Regulations protect both the sender and the recipient. Make sure you understand:
• GDPR
• CAN SPAM
• Local email requirements
Include your business address and an easy way to unsubscribe. This protects your brand and your domain reputation.
Final thoughts
Deliverability is not a one time task. It is a long term discipline. As tools evolve, inbox algorithms shift and user expectations rise, your email practices must evolve too. Focus on clean data, relevant content, consistent testing and the growing role of AI in email marketing.
When these pieces come together, your email channel becomes stable, predictable and ready to scale. If you want guidance for improving your email deliverability or designing email marketing flows tailored for your brand, contact us.
