Addressing Email Delivery and Free Email Accounts

When it comes to sending transactional emails at scale, many software providers, including Limo Anywhere, use third-party communication platforms. These services, such as SendGrid, offer efficiency and convenience to allow you to send numerous system emails to your clients, affiliates, etc. However, relying on a free email account in conjunction with a third-party sender can lead to a range of challenges and limitations. For example, recent changes made by Google are disallowing email delivery when sent from free Gmail addresses, resulting in a 550 Unauthenticated Sender response from Limo Anywhere’s SendGrid server.

To overcome this limitation, users should use custom email addresses associated with their own domain (ex. reservations@mylimocompany.com) rather than relying solely on free email accounts. With free email accounts, the domain belongs to the email service provider (ex. Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook), and users are unable to control or modify the DNS records associated with those domains. Email authentication protocols, such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), rely on having control over the domain's DNS records.

Here are some other reasons you may want to consider moving away from using a free email account to manage your business communications:

1. Branding and Professionalism:

Maintaining a consistent brand image is crucial for businesses. Free email accounts often include the provider's branding in the email address (ex. outlook.com). This branding can undermine the professional appearance of your communication, particularly when sending emails on behalf of your business or organization. With a dedicated email address linked to your domain, you can reinforce your brand identity and establish a more trustworthy image.

2. Email Deliverability Issues:

Free email providers have robust anti-spam measures in place to protect their users. While these measures are essential for the users, they can pose challenges for businesses using a third-party sender. Due to shared IP addresses and domains among multiple clients, any negative actions by one client can affect the reputation and deliverability of others using the same sender. This can lead to emails being marked as spam or not reaching the recipients' inbox at all.

3. Data Privacy and Ownership:

When using a free email account, you must consider the implications of data privacy and ownership. Free email providers often have terms of service that grant them extensive rights over the content and data within your account. This lack of control can raise concerns about the confidentiality and security of your business communications. By using a dedicated email service provider, you gain more control over your data and can ensure compliance with privacy regulations.

To request domain authentication, please contact support@limoanywhere.com and provide them with your domain name for authentication. Limo Anywhere will provide you with several CNAME DNS records which need to be added to your domain. Once added, the domain should be authenticated and Limo Anywhere will have express permission to send email on your behalf which should provide a more successful email delivery rate for your company.