Rick Duris thinks Google's a twicky wabbit

[RickDuris]

I think Google is dialing things in. Of course, there was the "Google Farmer Update." This I think, is different.

For instance, I have a gmail email account. I am noticing some strange anomalies. Anyone else notice these as well?

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1. When people send me emails, the spam ones filled with spam words end up in the spam folder. Nothing new there.

HOWEVER, recently I have received blatant stuff like "100% free money" in the subject line.

Today, it's in my main folder. Amazing. They did NOT filter or reroute. What gives, me asks.

I am almost certain it's because of Google now is tracking what emails I open. (I always open this particular SENDER) and I "think" Google has implicitly decided to show me these emails in my inbox based upon my prior behavior.

No affirmation required.

The upshot being, with Google, the more people like/open your emails previously and maybe even click through, THE LESS RELEVANT spam word filtering is.

Thats pretty cool. But you gotta get readers to open and read those first ones.

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2. I am also thinking, and I could be wrong about this:

Google is now watching the URLs in your emails you send and the more references and clickthroughs in your URLs, the higher they'll go in Google SERPS.

In other words, Google is now using gmail intel as "a signal" in the backlinking algo.

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Anyone else care to corroborate? Thoughts?

- Rick Duris

PS: Obviously, this has major implications for email marketers and copywriters. It's a mind blow for me.

Stated differently, here's one of the false positives:

You write an email for a Client. As a quick test, you send it to yourself in your own gmail account just to test. Of course it's going to land in your inbox and not the spam folder because, well, you're curious how it looks and such and you open. But that doesn't mean it will land in other people's gmail inboxes.

There are other implications as well.

[Stephen Dean]

I use an autoresponder I wrote from scratch and run on a shared server, so deliverability is something I have to pay close attention to.

From what I've read the big email providers pay attention to how often your emails get read - and if you continue to send emails to dormant email accounts then you could find yourself more likely to get sent to the spam folder.

If they pay attention to what emails you read, it certainly would be easier to place the ones you read inside your inbox.

And if you use the priority inbox, they usually give an explanation for why it shows up in your priority inbox. (I think you just hover your mouse over the "priority" icon to see it.)

And that's a great hypothesis, that maybe gmail clicks could help the SERPS. I never thought about that.

Maybe another reason to unsubscribe inactive subscribers?

Great insights, Rick.

Cheers,
Stephen Dean

[Alex Cohen]

Emails are not secure. There are numerous points along the cyber path where they can be viewed, including at your own ISP.

For example, somebody can install a "TCP/IP packet sniffer" and monitor every email that comes across a particular line.

Or a bored help desk technician at your ISP can sit there and read your email.

Rick, if your observations are correct, it sounds like Google has taken it to the next level.

Alex

[perryny]

I sent my list an email today asking if my mail landed in their spam folder, but the only replies were from inbox recipients.

[RickDuris]

Stephen and Alex,

You BOTH make good points. I am trying understand/appreciate what Google is doing. We just need 2nd, 3rd and 4th perspective.

From my vantage point, for those who market to folks using gmail as their inbox, this has major implications.

For instance:

You send 5 or 10 killer autoresponder emails which are opened and clicked on. From now until forever, you can say anything you want. Use any words you want--spam words included, even the "V" word.

I don't *know* if that's true. But that's what I'm trying to determine.

- Rick Duris

[RickDuris]

Originally Posted by perryny

I sent my list an email today asking if my mail landed in their spam folder, but the only replies were from inbox recipients.

Of course. Who replies to stuff in their spam folder? - Rick Duris

[perryny]

Exactly. Was feeling giddy and couldn't help myself.

But in all honesty, I did send my list an email today and I would love to know how many never actually get to see it because it got filtered.

[Stephen Dean]

In my welcome email I tell people to feel free to reply and introduce themselves. I figure if they do it's even more likely my emails will show up in their inbox.

Cheers,
Stephen Dean

[RickDuris]

Originally Posted by Stephen Dean

In my welcome email I tell people to feel free to reply and introduce themselves. I figure if they do it's even more likely my emails will show up in their inbox.

Cheers,
Stephen Dean

That's a wonderful idea, Stephen. - Rick Duris