Why Are My Emails Going To Spam

jessica
August 21, 2023

Why are my emails going to spam? Find out the possible causes and effective solutions to ensure your emails reach the inbox of your recipients.

Emails may go to spam when the filters are triggered. There can be several reasons- the sender has a bad IP address, opt-ins are unverified, they contain improper attachment types, lack proper domain authentication and poor email subject lines, etc.

Let's unravel the secrets of spam filters, discover the art of engagement, and learn how to navigate the complex landscape of email deliverability. Get ready to transform your email strategy and ensure your messages shine in the inbox spotlight!

why-are-my-emails-going-to-spam

How Do Spam Filters Work?

Spam filters are like email assistants that figure out if emails are good or bad. They work in email services to organize emails. They use clever tools to decide if an email is normal or maybe a sneaky or unwanted one. This helps people see the emails they like and stay away from the bad ones.

The filter gives each email a grade. If the grade is really high, the email goes to a special folder for bad emails. If the grade is okay, the email goes to the regular inbox for good emails. There are a few things to remember to make this work well.

Content Analysis

Spam filters examine the email campaign content to detect signs of spam. These can include the subject line, body, and attachments. Keywords commonly associated with spam emails or bad sender reputations are flagged. They contribute to the overall spam score assigned to an email.

Sender Reputation

The sender's reputation really matters when it comes to stopping spam. If someone sends good and trustworthy emails, their emails usually go to the right place. But if someone has a bad reputation for sending spammy stuff, their emails might end up in the spam folder instead.

Engagement Metrics

Email services decide if marketing emails are good by seeing how people treat them. They check if many people open, reply, and interact with the emails. If people like the emails, they won't be marked as spam and will go to the important email folder.

Authentication Protocols

Emails with proper email authentication indicate a legitimate sender. Protocols like Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) contribute positively to email deliverability. These authentication mechanisms verify that the email is coming from a valid source and hasn't been tampered with.

Recipient Feedback

Sometimes, recipients may mark emails as spam or move them to junk folders. Such actions can provide signals that influence spam filters. High spam complaint rates and low engagement can lead to emails being classified as spam.

Bounce Rates

A high bounce rate might indicate to filters that the sender's mailing list isn't well-maintained. This can potentially affect email deliverability and contribute to spam classification. As a result, your email may remain undeliverable.

Attachment Types

Certain attachment types are commonly used in spam emails. Therefore, filters examine the types of attachments in emails. Suspicious attachments can lead to emails being flagged.

Anti-Spam Laws and Regulations

Some countries have enacted anti-spam laws that set standards for email marketing practices. For instance, Canada with its Canada Anti-Spam Law. Compliance with these laws can impact the chances of emails being flagged as spam.

If not many people are opening your emails, here's a simple trick to fix it. If you send a lot of emails at once, email services might think you're a spammer. But if you start by sending a few emails and then gradually send more, the services will like you better and more people will open your emails. And to automate the process, you can use a tool called Warmbase to make this easy and see how well it's working.

Why Are My Emails Going to Spam? 10 Culprits To Blame

It is common to wonder, “Why are my emails going to spam?” Research shows that the following 10 reasons are often the culprits for sending emails to the spam folder.

01. Spam Filters Are Triggered

Email Service Providers (ESPs) use filters to tell apart real emails from spam. So, if you're sending marketing emails, you need to be careful. These filters look at many things in your email to decide if it's spam. This includes the email's content, subject, and who it's from.

To avoid the filters, don't use words that seem like spam. Also, follow the rules against spam and the advice from groups fighting spam. If you do this, your emails are less likely to be seen as spam. That means they won't end up in spam or junk folders.

02. Engaged Subscribers

To keep your emails from going to spam, it's important to make your subscribers interested in what you send. Email services pay attention to how much people like your emails. They look at things like how often people open, click, and reply to your emails.

When subscribers really like your emails and interact with them, it tells email services that your emails are good and wanted. This helps your emails land in the right place in people's inboxes, like Yahoo Mail and Apple Mail. So, if your subscribers stay interested and active, your emails are less likely to be treated as spam.

03. Bad Sender Reputation

Imagine you're sending emails. You want people to see your emails as real and helpful, not as annoying spam. Your "sender reputation" is like your email reputation score. Email services check if you're sending good emails by looking at things like how many emails bounce back, how many people complain about your emails, and how people react to your emails.

If you're a good sender with a high reputation, you send useful stuff to people who like it. This makes email services like you, and they put your emails where people can see them easily. But if you're a bad sender with a low reputation, you might send unwanted emails or get lots of complaints. This makes email services think you're up to no good, and they might hide your emails in spam folders.

04. Lack Of Proper Domain Authentication

When you send emails as a marketer, it's important to prove they're really from you and not changed by anyone. There are two ways to do this: DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Sender Policy Framework (SPF). These check your emails to make sure they're genuine.

To make things even better, you can connect a special web address to your email system. But the people who manage your web address need to say it's okay. If you don't do this right, your emails might be seen as bad and put in the spam folder instead of the inbox.

05. Lack Of Proper Subject Lines

When you send important or marketing emails, the words you put in the email's title are super important. These words need to grab people's attention so they open your email. But, if you make mistakes like tricking people or using too many big letters, your email might get caught in spam filters.

The email title should match what's inside the email and be straightforward. This way, email providers know your email is real and not spam. So, use clear and honest words in the title to make sure your email goes to people's regular inbox and not the spam folder.

06. Lack Of Professional Email Address

To make your emails seem trustworthy and reliable, use a professional email address that matches your company's website. This shows people that your email is real and connected to your business.

On the other hand, if you use a common or free email address, people might think your emails are not genuine. These emails could even end up in the spam folder. So, it's better to use an email that matches your company's website to make a good impression and avoid doubts.

07. Unverified Opt-ins

Creating a good email list is really important. You should only send emails to people who have said "yes" to getting your emails. If you send to others, your emails might be seen as spam.

When you make sure people truly want your emails, your list will have people who really like your stuff. By having them confirm twice that they want your emails, you can know for sure if they're interested. This way, you lower the chance that people who don't care about your emails will say they're spam.

08. Attachment Types

When you send emails, adding files can be handy. But some kinds of files might make spam filters think your email is bad. These bad files can have viruses or trick you into sharing personal info.

To avoid this, it's smart to put big files on other websites and share links instead. This way, email services won't think your email is fishy because of bad files. It makes your emails safer and less likely to get in trouble.

09. Not Requesting To Be Whitelisted

A whitelist is like a special list of friends for your email. If you're on this list, your emails won't get caught in the spam filter and will go straight to the inbox.

You can ask people nicely to add you to their whitelist so your emails always reach them. It's a good idea to remind them in your welcome emails too. This helps your emails stay out of spam folders and reach the right place.

10. You Do Not Follow Up On Your Emails

Keeping track of how people interact with your emails is really important for email marketing success. If you don't follow up or keep an eye on how people respond to your emails, it could cause problems with your emails being delivered.

If you don't follow up, people might think your emails aren't important and even mark them as spam. But if you regularly send follow-up emails and keep people interested, it shows email providers that your emails are worth reading and they'll be more likely to put them in the main inbox instead of the spam folder.

email deliverabiity tools 587e952ac406a0571422f63b44b99b95 800
Copyright: Rawpixel Ltd.

How To Prevent Emails Going To Spam: 9 Best Tips

After knowing the answer to “Why are my emails going to spam?” the question that will arise in our minds is - “How to stop emails from going to spam?” or more specifically, “How to prevent emails going to spam?”

By following these 7 tips, it will be a breeze to know how to fix emails going to spam.

01. Use A Warmup Tool

To keep your emails out of the spam folder, it's important to warm up your sending reputation. Warmbase is a tool that helps you do this by gradually sending more emails over time.

This way, email providers get to know you as a trustworthy sender. Warmbase lets you send emails in small steps and keeps an eye on how people engage with your emails, how many bounce back, and how many actually get delivered.

It also helps you create a personalized sending schedule and gives you real-time stats. This prevents sudden email blasts that could look like spam. Following Warmbase's method helps you build a good reputation and makes sure your emails don't get marked as spam.

02. Avoid Spam Trigger Words

As an email marketer, while writing an email copy, you might get hyper and add spam words. This might trigger the spam filter and your email is bound to jump to the spam box instead of inbox. Thus, you need to ensure you do not write words that will trigger the spam filter.

Words commonly associated with spam, such as "Earn $," "Work from home," "$$$," "Free," "Money," "50% off," "100% free," "Terms and conditions," and others, are detrimental to your email's quality. These phrases frequently trigger spam identification.

03. Add Unsubscribe Link

Adding an unsubscribe link to your emails is really important. It helps prevent problems like people saying your emails are spam. If you don't have this link, more people might call your emails spam, and that's like a math problem.

When there's no easy way to unsubscribe, more people will say your emails are spam. This can hurt your reputation, and you might lose customers, which means you lose money. So, having an unsubscribe link is a good solution to this problem.

04. Opt-In For A Dedicated ESP

You can enhance your chances of achieving high inbox placement rates by collaborating with a dedicated Email Service Provider (ESP). Specialized ESPs possess in-depth knowledge of anti-spam systems, email authentication, and domain reputation management.

Furthermore, they follow industry best practices to ensure your emails adhere to anti-spam laws and guidelines set by major inbox providers. A reputable ESP helps maintain a positive sender reputation. It can prevent emails from being diverted to spam folders.

And double opt-in means making sure people really want your emails. You do this by sending them an email asking if they want to subscribe. They have to click a box or a link to say "yes, I want your emails." This makes sure they're okay with getting your messages.

Moreover, the CAN-SPAM Act says that if you want to send marketing emails to someone, they need to agree first by signing up or saying "yes".

05. Keep Subscriber Lists Arranged

Taking good care of your email lists is really important for making sure your emails get delivered properly. To do this, you should clean your lists by getting rid of people who don't really pay attention to your emails. Also, avoid using email addresses that aren't working or haven't been used for a while.

Doing these things makes more people interested in your emails and helps your emails do better overall. Just remember, having a neat and organized list means your emails are more likely to go to people who actually want them. This way, you're less likely to have your emails seen as spam.

06. Establish Appropriate Authentication

Implementing strong email authentication is a cornerstone of maintaining a positive sender reputation. Popular authentication services include DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Sender Policy Framework (SPF).

These mechanisms validate your emails. Therefore, you can prove your identity as a legitimate sender and contribute to your credibility with inbox providers. Your emails are less likely to be marked as spam when authentication is effective.

07. Practices For Sending Emails

To be a good marketer, you need to make sure your emails always reach people's inboxes. This means you should follow some important rules when sending emails.

Write interesting emails, use relevant subjects, avoid sounding like spam, and let people unsubscribe easily. These rules show you care about sending helpful stuff. If you do this, more people will like your emails and trust that you're sending real marketing messages.

08. Email Whitelisting Through Requests

Ask your leads to add your email address or domain to their approved list if you want your emails to land in the inbox instead of their spam folders. This way, their email system knows you are legit. By this, your messages will land in their regular inbox. Just remind them to do this in your emails, and it will help your emails reach the right place!

09. Utilize Anti-Spam Systems

Good email services usually have tools to stop spam. You can use these tools before sending emails to check for problems. If you need more help, ask the email service to check your emails first.

These tools look for things that might make your email look like spam, like bad links. By using these tools, you can fix problems that could make your emails go to spam. This way, you can make sure your emails don't end up in the spam folder.

how to prevent emails going to spam c0c24eeaf1cc24e0fcc1606f4217d2b6 800

Bottom Line

Solving email deliverability issues doesn't have to be confusing. If you're wondering why your emails end up in spam, you're already on the right track. Good content, verifying your sender info, and following best practices help you avoid spam.

Also, try Warmbase—a tool that helps your emails get noticed. Say goodbye to spam and hello to better email success. With email warmer Warmbase, your emails will stand out and reach the right people at the right time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Emails Go To Spam Instead Of Inbox?

Emails might go to spam folders if they trigger spam filters. Among many reasons, emails go to spam because of low engagement rates or a lack of proper email authentication.

How To Stop Emails Going To Spam In Gmail?

There are plenty of ways to prevent Gmail from marking your emails as spam. You can start by focusing on engagement rates, using proper email authentication, and following anti-spam guidelines.

How To Stop Emails Going To Spam In Outlook?

In Outlook, if you want to stop emails from going to spam, you should improve deliverability with higher engagement rates. At the same time, you should adhere to email authentication and follow inbox providers' guidelines.

How Do I Unspam An Email On My Phone?

You need to implement a few steps to unspam an email on your phone. First and foremost, open the spam folder on your phone. After that, select the desired email and mark it as "Not Spam." This will unspam the email and move it to your inbox.

How To Check Why My Emails Are Going To Spam?

There are several things you can do to find out why emails are going to spam. For instance, you can analyze engagement metrics, review email content, ensure proper email authentication, and make sure you don't have a poor reputation as a sender.

Jessica is a professional writer who has been working in the field for three years. She predominately works as a ghostwriter and takes great pride in helping other people share their stories. Jessica loves to read, and her favorite genre is science fiction. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, both of whom are the light of her life.
Increase email deliverability with Warmbase and never land in your prospect's spam box again. 
Warmbase - Built with love for email marketers 💛
crossmenuarrow-right