How I Fixed Gmail's "Be Careful – New Domain" Warning After a Financial Advisor Rebranded (Live Case Study)
- Kathy Farah
- Jan 20
- 9 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Quick Results So Far (Jan 28, 2026):
Old domain: 57% average open rate
New domain initial spam rate: 14%
After new strategy: 0% spam rate
Re-engagement email 1 opens: 37.56-71.43% (vs typical 20–40%)
Re-engagement email 2 performance: 35–70% open rates (proving the second touch works)
Workshop welcome opens: 44.1% (vs typical 20–31%)
Spam complaints: Zero across 800+ emails sent What We Learned After Week 1 (The Pivot)
After the first week of sends, we noticed something interesting:
Email 1 ("We've updated our name") worked great for most groups (37–71% opens).
So we tested a subject line change for Email 2:
Changed from: "What happens in a 15-minute call with me?"
Changed to: "What changed for retirees this year" (Still leads to a 15-minute call)
Result: Opens jumped from 41% to 57–70% for similar groups. Why this matters: Even with a perfect technical setup, you still need to test and adapt. This is a live strategy, not a set-it-and-forget-it.
When ClearPath Retirement Planning changed their name from Stewart Smith Financial in late 2025, they also got a new website address (we call this a "domain").
For 4+ years, their emails had been going great—57% of people opened them. But the new website address?
⚠️ Google didn't trust it yet
⚠️ Warning messages appeared saying "Be Careful – Newly Registered Domain"
⚠️ 14% of their emails went straight to spam on the first try ⚠️ They had old contacts from past workshops who hadn't heard from them in months
Here's how we got their emails back into inboxes and reconnected with people who hadn't engaged in 6-9 months.
The Problem (And Why Google Doesn't Trust New Website Addresses)
Why Gmail Treats New Domains Like Spam
Here's what most business owners don't know: When you change your email domain, you look exactly like a spammer to Gmail and other email providers.
Here's what spammers do:
Buy a new website address
Send thousands of emails right away
Get blocked for being spam
Abandon that website and buy a new one
Start over
So when Gmail sees a brand-new domain sending lots of emails, their system thinks: "This is probably spam."
They don't know you're a real financial advisor who just rebranded. All they see is:
✅ Brand new website address
✅ Lots of emails going out
✅ People getting emails from an address they've never seen before
To Gmail, you look exactly like a spammer—even though you're not.
What My Client Wanted to Do (And Why It Backfired)
When my client planned their rebrand, their plan made total sense:
"I need to email my entire list and tell everyone about our new website address. I'll send one email to everyone so nobody misses it."
That sounds perfectly reasonable, right?
You want to be upfront with people. You want everyone to know what's happening.
But here's what happened when we tried that: 14 out of every 100 emails went straight to spam.
Not the "Promotions" tab. Not delayed. Immediate spam folder.
Why? Because we accidentally did exactly what spammers do:
New website address (no history with Gmail)
Large email blast (sent to everyone at once)
People don't recognize the new sending address
No pattern of people actually wanting these emails
What We Were Really Dealing With
Changing your domain when you have an email list is tricky because:
Email providers flag new domains automatically as a safety measure
Google showed warning messages to recipients: "Be Careful – Newly Registered Domain"
Old workshop contacts from earlier in 2025 hadn't heard from the business in months
Two types of contacts: Recent workshop attendees (warm) and older contacts (cold)
High stakes: One wrong move could mean most emails go to spam forever, people unsubscribe in frustration, or the new domain gets blocked completely
This is especially tough for financial advisors because Gmail and other providers already watch financial emails more closely than most industries.
We needed a completely different game plan.
The Fix: How We Rebuilt Trust with Gmail
After seeing that 14% spam rate, we started over with a plan that would prove to Gmail "this is a real business, not a spammer."
Step 1: Set Up the Technical Stuff Correctly
I set up three email security protocols that prove to Gmail that this email really came from ClearPath. Without these, you're not even in the game.
We also set up Google Postmaster Tools, which is like a report card from Google that shows:
Are your emails going to spam?
Do people mark your emails as spam?
Is your setup done correctly?
Why this matters: Without these verifications, Gmail has zero reason to trust you. With them, you're at least in the game, but you still need to prove yourself through how you send emails.
Step 2: Send Emails the Opposite Way Spammers Do
Here's how we showed Gmail this was NOT a spam operation:
What spammers do:
Blast everyone at once
Use clickbait subject lines
Don't care if people engage
Move to a new domain when they get blocked
What we did instead:
Sent to small groups (13–40 people at a time)
Grouped by event (people who came to the May workshop, people who came to the February workshop, etc.)
Started with recent contacts (people most likely to remember the business and open the email)
Waited 5–8 days between sending to each group
Watched the results after each send before moving to the next group
Adjust subject lines or PS based on the results from previous emails.
Used a careful timing pattern (explained below)
The Timing Pattern That Built Trust
This is where patience really paid off. Here's exactly how we spaced out the emails:
We sent to 5-8 groups over 10 days, starting with the most recent contacts and waiting 5 days between emails to the same group. Each group's engagement built trust for the next.
We never sent to multiple groups on the same day (kept volume low)
Each group had time to engage before we moved to the next
Gmail saw a steady pattern, not sudden spikes
We could monitor results before the next group started
If something went wrong with Group 1, we'd know before contacting Group 2
Why start with the most recent contacts?
Because they were most likely to remember the business, open the email, and engage positively.
Every time someone opens, clicks, or replies, it builds the new domain's reputation with Gmail.
We used those early wins to build credibility before reaching out to contacts from earlier in the year.
Think of it like building momentum: You start with people who know you well, and get great engagement numbers. Then, when you reach out to older contacts, Gmail gives you the benefit of the doubt.
Why send to small groups? Because if 30 people open your email, click on things, and maybe even reply, that tells Gmail: "People want these emails. This is not spam."
If you blast 1,000 people and only 50 open it? That looks suspicious.
Step 3: Write Emails That Get People to Respond
The actual email content was just as important as the technical setup. We needed people to open, click, and ideally reply because every time someone replies to your email, it tells Gmail "this person wants to hear from this sender."
We wrote two simple emails: one explaining the name change, one offering a low-pressure conversation. The P.S. lines asked for replies ('just say hi') - and people did."
The Results (Real Numbers)
First attempt: 14% spam rate, Strategic approach: 0% spam rate
That's 140 more emails reaching inboxes per 1,000 sent.
Here's what happened with each workshop group:
Re-Engagement Campaign (People from older workshops)
These are early results from small batches (Jan 15–20, 2026). Full campaign ongoing—updates weekly.
Workshop Group | Subject line | % Who Opened | %Who Clicked | Unsubscribed |
Workshop 1 (May 2025) | We've updated our name | 69.2% | 7.7% | 0 |
Workshop 2 (Feb 2025) | We've updated our name | 71.4% | 7.1% | 1 person |
Workshop 3 (Aug 2025) | We've updated our name | 52.9% | 17.6% | 0 |
Workshop 4 (Aug/Sept 2025) | We've updated our name | 32.5% | 0 | 0 |
Workshop 1 Group for email 2 | What a 15-minute call with us looks like | 41.67% | 0 | 0 |
What this means:
📬 Average: 60 out of 100 people opened (normal for old contacts is 20-40 out of 100)
📈 Between 0-18 people clicked out of every 100 (some emails focused on awareness vs. action)
📉 Unsubscribe rate: 0.8-7.14% (highest unsubscribes from oldest contacts—2022 workshops reached in 2026—which is expected and healthy list cleaning)
🎯 Spam rate: 0% (down from 14% and holding steady for 14+ days)
⚠️ Zero spam complaints across 800+ emails sent
From 14.52% spam rate to 0% in 24 hours and staying there for 14+ days.
This shows the exact moment we switched from 'blast everyone' to 'small strategic batches.' The technical setup mattered, but the sending strategy is what kept us at zero.
Recent Workshop Contacts (with new domain)
The welcome sequence for new workshop attendees is running on the new domain, and it's performing well:
Email 1 (welcome): 45.2% opened
Email 2 (taxes question): 42.3% opened
Click rate: 2.4% on welcome email
Unsubscribe rate: 6% (3 out of 49 people)
Normal for financial services welcome sequences: 20-31% open rates.
The takeaway: Even starting from scratch on a new domain, the foundation we built allows new subscribers to engage at nearly double the industry standard.
The Technical Scorecard
Google's trust score: Passing all requirements
Verification badges: Went from 0% to 70% approved in just a few days
Spam complaints: Zero
Bounced emails: 1 (Email address may no longer be valid)
What You Can Learn From This
1. Your First Instinct Will Get You Flagged
The natural business owner reaction—"I'll just email everyone about the change"—looks exactly like what spammers do. Even though your reasons are totally legitimate, you have to resist the urge to email your whole list at once.
2. Think Like Gmail, Not Like a Business Owner
Gmail doesn't know your business history. Gmail only sees patterns. You need to create the pattern that says "real business with engaged customers," not "spammer blasting random people."
3. Start with Your Best Contacts First
Contact your most recent, most engaged people first. Their positive response (opens, clicks, replies) builds your new domain's reputation, which helps when you reach out to older contacts later.
4. Make the Connection Obvious Before They Even Open
Don't make people guess who's emailing them. Use recognizable names, mention both the old and new business name in the preview text, and remove any moment of "wait, who is this?" confusion.
5. Old Contacts Aren't Dead Contacts
We got 60 out of 100 people to open emails from contacts who were 6-9 months old. Most people would have given up on these contacts, but with the right approach (small groups, friendly message, low pressure, clear recognition), they came back to life.
6. Getting Replies Is Powerful
Those P.S. lines that said things like "Just say hi" or "What's changed for you?" got people to reply. Every reply tells Gmail "yes, I want these emails" more strongly than just opening or clicking.
7. Scale Email Volume Using the "Earn Your Growth" Method
Start with 10-50 recipients and earn the right to send to more by proving engagement. Here's the framework we used:
Weeks 1-2: Send to 13-40 people per batch. Target: 30-50% opens, <3% spam complaints Week 3: If hitting targets consistently, send to 60-100 people. Target: 35-55% opens, <2% complaints Week 4+: Scale to 125-200 people, but only if previous sends averaged 40%+ opens
The decision rule: After each send, ask three questions:
Did opens meet or exceed 40%? (Yes = safe to grow)
Were spam complaints under 2%? (Yes = domain reputation intact)
Did send volume increase by less than 2x the previous batch? (Yes = sustainable growth)
If you answer "yes" to all three, you can safely increase your next send by 50-100 people. We planned to send 343 but pulled back to 125 when we realized we'd be tripling our typical volume—that's how you protect long-term deliverability. Domain warming isn't about speed; it's about building sustained trust with inbox providers through consistent, positive engagement signals.
8. A Rebrand Can Actually Help
When you frame it as "here's what this change means for you" instead of "look at our cool new logo," people get curious. The name change became a reason to reconnect, not a reason to unsubscribe.
9. Technical Setup Matters, But It's Not Everything
Yes, you need those verification badges (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). But having them doesn't automatically mean your emails get delivered. You also need to send emails the right way—small groups, engaged people, gradual growth, and clear recognition.
Need to rebuild your email system after a rebrand?
I offer a 21-day Fix-It Package that solves problems like these, both the tech and the strategy.
I can help if you're:
Changing your website domain and worried about losing email deliverability
Sitting on an old email list you're scared to contact
Seeing your open rates drop and don't know why
Getting more emails marked as spam than usual
Planning a rebrand and want to avoid problems
I handle both the technical stuff (those verification badges, monitoring your reputation with Gmail) AND the strategy (who to email when, what to say, how to warm up your list safely, how to make sure people recognize you, and the exact timing between sends). Check out the Fix It Package on Contra Book a strategy session if you want to talk about your situation first Last updated: January 28, 2026
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