Klaviyo email deliverability
I make sure your Klaviyo emails land in the inbox, not in spam. That starts with a branded sending domain and correct SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, but it doesn't stop there. Your reputation, list quality, engagement, and sending habits decide where every email ends up, so I work on all of them.
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Brands I've worked with
What deliverability means
Gmail or Yahoo accepted the email.
Where the accepted email actually shows up: the inbox, the Promotions tab, or spam.
Klaviyo can tell you an email was delivered, but it can't always tell you which folder it landed in. A 99% delivery rate can still hide a spam folder problem. That's why I look at deliverability as a whole system, not a single setting.
Your sending domain
New Klaviyo accounts can send through Klaviyo's shared sending infrastructure. It works, but for a serious ecommerce brand I set up a branded sending domain.
brand.comhello@brand.com via Google Workspace or Microsoft 365send.brand.comtrk.brand.comhello@brand.comsend.brand.comThe sending subdomain works behind the scenes. Your customers still see hello@brand.com, never hello@send.brand.com. It keeps your email infrastructure organized: your website on the root domain, Klaviyo marketing on send., and link tracking on trk..
Klaviyo also supports separate branded domains for marketing, transactional, and service email, so a heavy promotional month doesn't drag down the reputation of your order confirmations.
Authentication
These three DNS records prove to Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook that your emails really come from you.
SPF lists the services allowed to send email for your domain. When I connect Klaviyo with a branded sending domain, Klaviyo's records handle SPF, so I don't add a new SPF record just because Klaviyo is involved.
A domain should have only one SPF record. If Google Workspace and another tool both need one, I combine them correctly instead of creating duplicates.
Two competing records: wrongv=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
v=spf1 include:someprovider.com ~allDKIM adds a digital signature to every email. The receiving server checks it against a public key in your DNS, which proves the email was authorized by your domain and wasn't changed on the way.
Klaviyo generates the exact records for your account, whether they're CNAME, TXT, or NS records. I add them wherever your DNS is managed: Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Shopify, IONOS, and others. I never invent these values.
DMARC sits on top of SPF and DKIM. It tells mailbox providers what to do with email that fails authentication or alignment, and it sends you reports about who is sending email as your domain.
TXT record at _dmarc.brand.comv=DMARC1; p=none;p=noneMonitorFailing emails aren't rejected because of DMARC; you collect reports. This is where I usually start.p=quarantineTreat as suspiciousFailing emails may go to spam.p=rejectRejectFailing emails are refused. The strongest protection against spoofing.I don't jump straight to p=reject. First I find every system that sends email from your domain: Klaviyo, Google Workspace, Shopify, Zendesk, Gorgias, Recharge, invoicing software, your CRM, and review platforms. A strict policy set up too early can block your own legitimate email.
Alignment and infrastructure
For DMARC, the domain that authenticates your email has to match the domain in your From address.
hello@brand.comsomeotherdomain.comhello@brand.comsend.brand.combrand.comWithout it, the links in your emails can run through a provider's tracking domain. With trk.brand.com, your links stay connected to your brand. Mailbox providers judge the domains inside an email too, so I include this in every professional setup.
They're different things. Most serious brands should have a dedicated sending domain. A dedicated IP means you own the IP's reputation completely, which only helps with high, consistent volume and excellent sending habits. A small store doesn't become more deliverable just because it has one.
A new domain or IP has no history with mailbox providers, so I never send 100,000 emails on day one. I start with your most engaged people and grow the audience gradually, based on your sending history, list size, and previous platform.
Gmail and Yahoo rules
Gmail and Yahoo now require authentication from every sender, with stricter rules for bulk senders. Google counts you as a bulk sender at around 5,000 or more emails a day to personal Gmail accounts.
| Requirement | All senders | Bulk senders |
|---|---|---|
| SPF and DKIM | SPF or DKIM | Both SPF and DKIM |
| DMARC | Recommended | Required, with alignment |
| One-click unsubscribe | Recommended | Required for marketing email |
| Honoring unsubscribes | Promptly | Within two days |
| Spam complaint rate | Keep it low | Below 0.3% |
Warming a new domain
Recent clickers and buyers who are almost certain to open.
Positive signals give the domain its first reputation.
Volume grows while engagement stays high.
The broader active audience.
Unengaged profiles go to re-engagement, not the main campaigns.
That's why I don't use one universal warming table for every client.
Beyond authentication
You can have perfect SPF, DKIM, and DMARC and still land in spam if people ignore, delete, or report your emails. Deliverability is as much about marketing as it is technical.
I set up 30, 60, and 90-day engaged segments. Apple Mail Privacy Protection makes opens unreliable, so I also use clicks, purchases, site activity, checkout activity, and recent signups, not just “opened at least once.”
People who haven't engaged for a long time get a re-engagement flow first. If they still don't respond, I suppress them, rather than sending to them for years.
Purchased and scraped lists bring invalid addresses, spam traps, and people who never asked to hear from you. They're one of the fastest ways to damage deliverability, so I never import them into Klaviyo marketing.
A confirmation email means fewer fake addresses and stronger intent. Some real subscribers never confirm, so it isn't automatically better for revenue. I recommend it when signup quality is a problem.
Hard bounces are permanent, like an address that doesn't exist, and Klaviyo suppresses them. Soft bounces are temporary, like a full mailbox, and Klaviyo suppresses them after repeated failures. A consistently high bounce rate is a warning sign.
One of the worst signals you can send. Complaints usually come from too many emails, poor segmentation, misleading signups, irrelevant content, aggressive promotions, or a hard-to-find unsubscribe link.
Unsubscribes aren't the enemy. I'd much rather someone unsubscribe than report you as spam. A clear unsubscribe protects your reputation. What worries me is a sudden spike, because it usually points to the wrong audience, too many emails, or content that doesn't match what people signed up for.
Sending behavior
The goal isn't to reach the most people. It's to reach the right ones. I rarely send to the whole list.
Sudden jumps like this look suspicious to mailbox providers. I plan a steady rhythm all year, then ramp up gradually before big sales.
Content
“FREE” doesn't automatically send you to spam. Modern filters care far more about reputation, engagement, authentication, and complaints. Some habits still hurt, though.
This is one reason I prefer native or hybrid Klaviyo templates. Badly coded custom HTML gets heavy fast. See how I approach Klaviyo email design.
Monitoring
For brands with enough Gmail volume, I check spam rate, domain reputation, IP reputation, authentication, and delivery errors. Klaviyo recommends it as part of deliverability monitoring too.
When one campaign has normal complaints and the next has a sudden spike, I investigate that specific send: the audience, subject line, message, frequency, and offer.
My deliverability audit
| Area | What I check |
|---|---|
| Sending domain | Shared or branded |
| DKIM | Correct authentication |
| SPF | Correct setup, no conflicting records |
| DMARC | Exists, valid policy, alignment |
| Domain alignment | From address vs sending domain |
| Click tracking | Dedicated, branded domain |
| Sender reputation | Domain and IP signals |
| Warming | New infrastructure ramped correctly |
| List quality | Invalid and unengaged contacts |
| Engagement | Opens, clicks, and purchases |
| Bounces | Hard and soft |
| Complaints | Spam complaint trends |
| Unsubscribes | Rate and spikes |
| Segmentation | Sending to engaged audiences |
| Campaign frequency | Over- or under-sending |
| Flow frequency | Campaigns and flows colliding |
| Sunset strategy | Suppressing unengaged profiles |
| Signup forms | Consent and list quality |
| Gmail requirements | Authentication, unsubscribe, complaints |
| Yahoo requirements | Authentication and one-click unsubscribe |
| Postmaster Tools | Gmail reputation, when data is available |
Deliverability is one part of my full Klaviyo audit. If your flows, campaigns, and segments need a review too, I cover everything in one report.
Results
One client's Klaviyo deliverability score went from 40 (Poor) to 90 (Excellent) after I cleaned up their setup and sending.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate | 16.8% | 27.6% |
| Click rate | 0.82% | 1.65% |
| Bounce rate | 1.16% | 0.15% |
| Unsubscribe rate | 0.66% | 0.08% |
| Spam complaint rate | 0.03% | 0% |
Kugellager24 · SwitzerlandSpam complaints from over 0.4% to 0.01%, and email revenue share from 6% to 34% in 11 weeksRead the case study →
MantaSocks · SingaporeFrom $18.7K to $205K in email revenue, a 10× growth in 8 monthsRead the case study →Obaid rebuilt our entire Klaviyo from scratch in under two weeks. He didn't just execute, he explained every decision. Within 60 days our email was driving 34% of revenue.
Obaid U is a stellar freelancer in email marketing, showcasing STRATEGIC thinking and meticulous attention to detail. Working with him is a breeze thanks to his quick responses, politeness, and deep understanding of the project needs. Highly recommend! 👏
Working with Obaid U in the realm of Email Marketing was an EXCEPTIONAL experience. The professionalism and attention to detail in his work exceeded expectations, while his proactive communication and cooperation made the process smooth and efficient. Highly recommend for anyone looking to elevate their email marketing efforts! 🙌
FAQ
Let's talk
Tell me what you're seeing: low open rates, a spam complaint warning, or a new domain you need to set up. The first conversation is free, and you'll leave it knowing what to fix first.
