Gmail expands BIMI support: What it means for email senders
Google announces significant updates to BIMI support in Gmail, introducing Common Mark Certificates and expanding verified checkmarks to mobile apps. Learn what these changes mean for email senders and how they impact brand reputation.
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Email authentication and brand protection are key ingredients for a successful email program. Google's latest updates to its BIMI support for Gmail represents a continued industry focus on securing the inbox. How does BIMI protect senders and their brands and build trust? In this post, we'll explore the why, the how, and what this update means for senders.
Table of contents
Increased trust and engagement
Expanded access to brand protection
Mobile-first brand recognition
Enhanced security ecosystem
Reputation building
Table of contents
01What's new with Gmail's BIMI support?
03Common Mark Certificates (CMCs): Expanding BIMI access
04Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs): Mobile expansion
05What does Google BIMI support mean for email and sender reputation?
06How to implement BIMI for your organization
What's new with Gmail's BIMI support?
Google has announced two major updates to its BIMI support, set to roll out gradually starting September 24, 2024:
Support for Common Mark Certificates (CMCs)
BIMI verified checkmarks on Android and iOS Gmail apps
Let's dive deeper into these changes and what they mean for email senders.
But first, what is BIMI?
BIMI, or Brand Indicators for Message Identification, is an email specification that allows organizations to display their logo next to authenticated emails in recipients' inboxes. It works alongside existing email authentication protocols like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM to provide visual confirmation of an email's legitimacy. By implementing BIMI, senders can enhance brand recognition, increase recipient trust, and potentially improve email engagement rates.
Learn more: Dive deeper into BIMI and other email authentications in our post on the BIMI email specification.
Common Mark Certificates (CMCs): Expanding BIMI access
Previously, BIMI required a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), a checkmark issued to brands based on their logos bearing a registered trademark. Now, Gmail is introducing support for Common Mark Certificates (CMCs), a new type of BIMI certificate issued by Certificate Authorities.
CMCs allow a broader range of senders to utilize BIMI, even if they don't have a registered trademark. With a CMC, the sender's brand image will be displayed in Gmail, just without the verified checkmark that accompanies VMCs.
Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs): Mobile expansion
For senders using VMCs, Google is expanding the visibility of the verified checkmark icon. Previously only visible on Gmail's web interface, the checkmark will now appear on the Gmail apps for Android and iOS devices.
It's worth noting that this update only applies to the official Gmail apps – other email clients on mobile devices, including Apple Mail, are not supported. Get the full Google Workspace Update here.
What does Google BIMI support mean for email and sender reputation?
These BIMI updates have significant implications for email marketers and senders, let’s break down the top ways BIMI impacts sender reputation.
Increased trust and engagement
By displaying verified brand logos and checkmarks, BIMI helps recipients quickly identify legitimate emails. This visual confirmation can lead to higher open rates and engagement.
Expanded access to brand protection
The introduction of CMCs allows more businesses to benefit from BIMI, even if they don't have registered trademarks. This democratizes access to brand protection in the inbox.
Mobile-first brand recognition
With verified checkmarks coming to mobile Gmail apps, senders can bring more brand recognition across devices.
Enhanced security ecosystem
BIMI requires the adoption of strong authentication practices, particularly DMARC. This raised bar for security benefits the entire email ecosystem by making it harder for bad actors to spoof legitimate brands.
For senders to take advantage of BIMI, they must be enforcing DMARC with a policy of either p=quarantine or p=reject. While Gmail’s updated sender guidelines only require a DMARC policy of p=none, that won’t be enough to qualify for BIMI. Learn more about DMARC in our step-by-step guide.
Reputation building
Implementing BIMI signals to mailbox providers that a sender is committed to best practices. This can positively influence sender reputation over time, potentially improving inbox placement rates.
Learn more: There are a lot of metrics to keep track of. Get Industry pro Luara Atkins’ take on the future of email deliverability and break down the difference between delivery rate, and deliverability/inbox placement rate in our recap post from her 2024 Email Camp session.
How to implement BIMI for your organization
To take advantage of BIMI for your outgoing emails to Gmail and other supporting platforms:
Ensure your organization has adopted DMARC with an enforcement policy of quarantine or reject.
Validate your logo with either a VMC (for full verification including the checkmark) or a CMC (for logo display without the checkmark).
Create a BIMI DNS record with your logo information.
Remember, while CMCs provide an easier entry point to BIMI, obtaining a VMC offers the highest level of verification and trust indicators to your recipients. Industry adoption for these specifications can be slow, want to gain an edge in the inbox? Then think about getting the highest level of authentication now.
Learn more: You can’t have BIMI without DMARC. Check out how the industry is changing its stance on DMARC enforcement and what this authentication actually does for you and for inbox providers in our post featuring Dmarcian on the age of stricter authentication enforcement.
The future of email authentication
Google's expansion of BIMI support underscores the growing importance of visual trust indicators in email. As we’ve said, as more mailbox providers adopt BIMI, the senders who implement it early will have a competitive advantage in the inbox.
These changes also reflect a broader trend towards stronger email authentication and security practices. Senders who prioritize these aspects of their email program are more likely to see improved deliverability and engagement in the long run.
Learn more: Senders have been through many changes this past year as inbox providers enforce stricter requirements. Get the lay of the land in our post on the Gmail and Yahoo sender requirements.
Wrapping up
At Sinch Mailgun, we're committed to helping our customers navigate the evolving landscape of email authentication and deliverability. Our platform makes it easy to implement authentications like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. We're excited to see how these new BIMI options will help our customers build trust and improve their email performance.
As the email industry continues to evolve, staying informed and adapting to new standards like BIMI will be crucial for maintaining a strong sender reputation and ensuring your messages reach the inbox.
