Gmail is the largest email service in the world, and its features are constantly evolving to fit the needs of its users. It has undergone significant changes over the years, with each change impacting how email marketing works.
At WSI Web Enhancers, our digital marketing agency in Albuquerque continuously monitors the newest changes and updates in email marketing and technology. This ensures our clients receive impactful strategies aligning with the industry’s latest trends.
In this blog post, we’ll explain Gmail’s recent updates and how it affects email marketing.
Major Gmail Updates You Should Know About
Below, we’ve sorted and summarized recent Gmail updates in chronological order. We also explained its potential impact on your email marketing campaigns.
Gmail API Updates in 2016
The 2016 Gmail API updates granted users more access to their mailboxes, including history records, labels, and email headers. It also allowed users to filter results based on specified queries and enabled the deletion of multiple messages in a single batch operation.
Impacts on Email Marketing
These updates were quality-of-life changes that aimed to make Gmail inboxes easier to organize and sort.
For email marketing, this means that having clear and engaging email labels and headers is more crucial than ever. A messy, hard-to-remember, or misspelled email label or header means users won’t be able to find your email when they search for it.
General Major Update in 2018
Gmail received a substantial visual redesign for its web version. The new design featured a cleaner and flatter look. The changes included new action buttons for individual emails, making it easier to manage the inbox. The left navigation bar could be collapsed to create more room for the unread email list, and there were prominent, color-coded warnings on suspicious emails.
Gmail also introduced a new confidential mode that allowed senders to set an expiration date for sensitive emails or revoke access to them entirely. This ensured more control over email security.
Smart Reply, a feature previously available on mobile apps, was added to Gmail on the web. It provided users with auto-suggested replies to emails for quicker responses.
Gmail added features to boost productivity, including snoozing emails, quick access to other Google apps like Calendar, Tasks, and Keep, and a “nudging” feature to remind users of important emails.
Impacts on Email Marketing
The main impact of this update on email marketing is that emails are more likely to be marked as spam if the content you’re sending isn’t up to standard.
Low-quality emails will immediately be color-coded and flagged as suspicious, decreasing your open and click rates. This update aims to increase email security, so a clean and professional email strategy is essential to bypass spam protocols.
Integrated Gmail Layout Update in 2023
Google introduced a new integrated view for Gmail, organizing Mail, Chat, Spaces, and Meet all in one place. This layout allowed users to view app menus in a collapsible panel, receive notifications for new Chat and Space messages, and preview activity without switching contexts.
The integrated Gmail layout provided a more streamlined and efficient user experience emphasizing visual previews.
Impacts on Email Marketing
This update aimed to improve the user experience with enhanced organization tools.
An emphasis on Gmail previews means that your email’s subject line and first sentence are more critical than ever for email marketing. That small amount of text is the difference between someone opening up your email out of interest or sending it to the trash without a second thought.
Ensure your subject line and the first sentence in your emails are engaging and clear.
Our Digital Marketing Agency in Albuquerque Provides Effective Email Marketing Campaigns
At WSI Web Enhancers, our experts have the knowledge and expertise to craft high-performing email marketing campaigns for your business. We understand how the latest changes in email technology can significantly affect your marketing plan, and we’ll give your business proven tactics to increase your open and click rates.
Contact our digital marketing agency in Albuquerque today to start building your email marketing strategy!
Jukka founded WSI Web Enhancers in 2012. His progressive and pioneering SEO approaches help businesses increase traffic while improving conversion rates. As an accomplished digital marketing authority, he spins effective web design, SEO, and social media engagement into winning strategies for local and national companies.
