Why your emails go to spam
Mail goes to spam for a short list of reasons. Most of them are visible in public DNS, so you can check yours in a few seconds and fix the record that is wrong.
Free: shows what is wrong and what your fix contains. The ready-to-paste records are $1.
1. The receiver cannot confirm the mail is really from you
Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook check three DNS records on the domain in your From address:
- SPF lists the servers allowed to send for your domain. Mail from a server not on the list fails.
- DKIM signs each message with a key published in your DNS, so the receiver can tell it was not altered.
- DMARC tells receivers what to do when SPF and DKIM do not match your From domain, and sends you reports.
A missing or broken record is the most common cause, and the easiest to fix. A new email tool you started using, such as a newsletter or CRM, is often the reason: it sends as you but was never added to SPF, or never set up DKIM.
2. Your SPF record is broken without you knowing
An SPF record that needs more than 10 DNS lookups is treated as an error, and receivers handle it as if you had no SPF at all. Each include counts, and so does every include nested inside it. How to fix too many SPF lookups.
3. You do not meet the Gmail and Yahoo sender rules
Since February 2024 both require authentication from everyone, and DMARC, aligned From domains and one-click unsubscribe from anyone sending around 5,000 messages a day or more. The rules in full.
4. Your sending reputation is low
Receivers also judge how recipients react. Mail that many people mark as spam, or that is sent to many addresses that do not exist, damages the reputation of your domain and IP address. Check lists before sending (the email check catches dead domains, typos and disposable addresses), keep complaints below 0.3% (Google's limit; under 0.1% is the target), and raise volume gradually on a new domain.
5. Your server is on a blocklist
If the IP address you send from is listed, some receivers refuse or spam-folder everything from it. VerifyPulse checks the SpamCop and PSBL lists over its API; your email provider can tell you about others and how to request removal.
Fix it for your domain
The Fix Kit reads your domain's live DNS and writes the corrected SPF, DMARC and DKIM records for your mail provider, ready to paste. See what it contains for free; the records are $1.
Free tools: full domain report SPF checker DMARC checker DKIM checker monitoring