If people say your emails end up in their spam or junk folder, these are the usual causes and fixes.
1. Check SPF, DKIM and DMARC
These records prove email really came from you. Without them, Gmail and Outlook are much more likely to mark your email as spam. See How to Set Up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
2. Check Your Content
Spam filters look at what's in the email. Avoid:
- Subject lines in ALL CAPS, or lots of exclamation marks
- Words often used in spam, like "free", "urgent" or "act now", especially in the subject
- Emails that are just one big image with little text
- Link shorteners like bit.ly
- Large attachments to people who haven't emailed you before
3. Sending to Lots of People?
Sending the same email to many people from your normal account looks like spam to other providers, and there are hourly sending limits. Use a proper newsletter service such as Mailchimp, and set up its SPF and DKIM too.
4. Ask the Recipient to Mark It "Not Spam"
When someone moves your email out of spam, their provider learns that your email is wanted. Asking regular contacts to add you to their address book helps too.
5. Check You're Not on a Blocklist
If your website was hacked and sent spam, your domain may have been blocklisted. Check at mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx. If anything shows up, contact our Technical Support team and we'll help you get it cleared.
Test Your Email
Send an email to the address shown at mail-tester.com. It gives your email a score out of 10 and tells you what to fix.
