Google defines bulk sender as 5,000+ messages/day to personal Gmail accounts. Once reached, you're permanently categorized as bulk.
Requirements for ALL senders:
- ✅ SPF or DKIM must pass
- ✅ Spam complaint rate < 0.3%
- ✅ Valid forward & reverse DNS (PTR records)
- ✅ TLS encryption
Additional for BULK senders (5,000+/day):
- ✅ Both SPF AND DKIM implemented
- ✅ DMARC published (
p=noneminimum) - ✅ From header alignment with SPF or DKIM
- ✅ One-click unsubscribe (RFC 8058) for marketing email
- ✅ Unsubscribe processing within 2 days
- ✅ Spam rate below 0.10% (target)
| Requirement | Gmail | Yahoo | Microsoft |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPF | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| DKIM | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| DMARC | ✅ (p=none min) | ✅ (p=none min) | ✅ (p=none min) |
| One-click unsub | ✅ | ✅ | "Functional link" |
| Spam rate max | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Reputation weight | Domain-heavy | Balanced | IP-heavy |
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