Glossary · SEO & Marketing

Email Marketing

Email marketing is the practice of sending promotional and relationship-building messages to subscribers who have opted in to receive them.

Updated October 6, 2026

Email marketing is communicating with people by email to promote products, share content and build relationships. It includes newsletters, announcements, automated welcome series, cart reminders and re-engagement campaigns.

Why it matters

You own the list, unlike a social audience controlled by a platform, and email often performs well for retention. It depends on deliverability, which requires consent, authentication and sensible sending habits.

Segment by behavior and interest, send consistently, and prune inactive addresses regularly; a clean, engaged list helps inbox placement more than a large one.

Example

Minimum technical setup for a sending domain:

SPF:    v=spf1 include:_spf.mailprovider.example ~all
DKIM:   selector1._domainkey.example.com  (provider key)
DMARC:  _dmarc.example.com  v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com

Common mistakes

  • Emailing people who never opted in, which violates laws such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR.
  • Not including a working unsubscribe link.
  • Sending from a new domain at high volume without warming up.

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Keep reading

Glossary · EmailBIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification)BIMI lets a brand display its logo next to authenticated email in supporting inboxes, but only if the domain enforces DMARC.Glossary · EmailDKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)DKIM signs outgoing email with a private key and publishes the public key in DNS so receivers can verify the message was not altered.Glossary · EmailDKIM Key RotationDKIM key rotation is the practice of replacing the key pair used to sign outgoing email on a regular schedule while keeping old signatures verifiable during the changeover.Guide · EmailBIMI Explained: Show Your Logo in the Inbox (Requirements and Setup)What BIMI is, what it requires (DMARC enforcement, SVG Tiny PS logo, VMC or CMC certificate), how the DNS record looks, and which mailbox providers display it.6 min readGuide · EmailCheck Your Email Domain Setup (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) in 15 MinutesA beginner's walkthrough to check that your business email domain has the right MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, with free tools and plain-language fixes.7 min readGuide · EmailDKIM Setup and Troubleshooting: Selectors, Key Length, RotationHow DKIM selectors and keys work, how to publish and test a record, choose key length, rotate safely, and diagnose the common reasons dkim=fail shows up.7 min read

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