Outgoing mail ends up in spam at large providers: what to do
The problem: your mail is sent neatly but lands in the spam folder
You write a normal business mail (a quote, an appointment, a reply to a customer) and yet at the recipient it disappears into the spam or junk folder. Frustrating, because you see in your sent items that everything went out neatly. To the recipient it looks as if you never replied.
This mainly happens at the large mail providers. They process enormous amounts of mail every day and let their filters watch strictly. If they get too little proof that you're really the sender, they play it safe and set your message aside.
Why does this happen?
There are four causes that most often play a role. Usually it's a combination of them.
- Missing or incorrect authentication. Without correct SPF, DKIM and DMARC, the receiving server can't check whether you're actually allowed to send on behalf of your domain. This is by far the most important cause.
- A weak IP reputation. If you send via a server with a mediocre reputation (for example shared, cheap hosting where spammers also sit), that reputation rubs off on you.
- The content of your message. Lots of links, one big image without text, or words that typically appear in spam raise your risk.
- Sending behaviour and volume. Suddenly sending a lot of mail at once, or to addresses that don't exist, gives the wrong signal.
If you want to read up on the underlying mechanics calmly, then why does my email end up in spam explains the full picture.
How do you know it's really happening to you?
Before you start tinkering, it's handy to be sure the problem sits with the sending. Send a test message to an address at a large mail provider that you manage yourself, and see whether it ends up in the inbox or in the spam folder. Also ask a few regular contacts whether your mail arrives well at their end.
If you find the message in spam, open the details or "show original" of that mail. In it you see whether SPF, DKIM and DMARC passed or failed. If you see notices like "fail" or "softfail", you immediately know where to start. That way you fix exactly what goes wrong, instead of trying at random.
How to fix it
The two things that weigh the heaviest are authentication and reputation. Tackle those first, and often a large part of the problem is already gone.
Set up your authentication correctly. SPF, DKIM and DMARC are arrangements you set through your DNS. Together they prove to the recipient that a message really comes from your domain and wasn't altered in transit. How to set them up together is in setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
Send from a server with a good reputation. You can set everything up perfectly yourself, but if the sending server has a bad name, you'll keep having trouble. What IP reputation is exactly and why cheap hosting can block your mail is covered in IP reputation and email.
Mind your content and your behaviour. Write ordinary, personal messages, alternate text and images, and only send to people who expect your mail. Build larger sends up gradually rather than sending hundreds of mails out at once.
Checklist: get your mail back into the inbox
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC are set up correctly for your domain.
- You send via a server with a clean IP reputation.
- Your sending address really exists and can receive replies.
- Your messages have a normal ratio between text and images.
- You only send to recipients who expect your mail.
- For larger sends you build the volume up gradually.
- You check now and then that your domain isn't on a block list.
How Mailflux takes care of this for you
At Mailflux you don't have to tinker with deliverability yourself. We manage SPF, DKIM and DMARC and guard the IP reputation of our sending servers, so your mail sends the right signals to the recipient. On top of that, every plan filters with machine learning against spam, phishing and malware, and includes antivirus, antispam and antimalware as standard.
Your email runs on your own domain, hosted in Europe and GDPR-compliant, from €4.99 per mailbox per month (billed annually). That way good deliverability starts at the foundation, without you having to dive into DNS settings.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is it down to my text if my mail ends up in spam?
Usually not. The content plays a part, but authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and the reputation of the sending server weigh the heaviest. If those aren't right, even a tidy mail ends up in spam. Fix those signals and the problem usually resolves itself.
Can I fix it myself or do I need a provider?
You can set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC yourself if you have access to your DNS. The IP reputation of the sending server is out of your hands. That belongs to your hosting party. If you choose managed email hosting, that part is taken care of for you.