How can I improve email deliverability when emails are going to spam?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from SuperOffice recommends checking if your domain is on any email blacklists. If it is, take steps to get removed from the list, as being blacklisted can significantly impact your email deliverability.
Email marketer from StackOverflow user TechBloke88 mentions using a dedicated IP address for sending emails. This helps build a positive sender reputation with ISPs, as your email activity isn't influenced by other senders sharing the same IP.
Email marketer from Litmus recommends providing an easy and straightforward way for recipients to unsubscribe from your emails. Making it difficult to unsubscribe can lead to recipients marking your emails as spam, negatively impacting deliverability.
Email marketer from Constant Contact recommends segmenting your email list based on demographics, behavior, or purchase history. Sending targeted content increases engagement and shows ISPs that your emails are relevant to recipients, which improves deliverability.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that sending from Gmail or Marketo IPs means PTRs are unlikely the problem. Recommends registering the domain with Google Postmaster Tools to assess domain/IP reputation.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid explains to avoid using spam trigger words in your email subject lines and body copy. Words like 'free,' 'guarantee,' or 'urgent' can flag your emails as spam and prevent them from reaching the inbox.
Email marketer from Neil Patel explains to test your emails before sending them to your entire list using tools like Litmus or Email on Acid. This ensures that your emails render correctly across different email clients and devices, preventing potential deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares the importance of cleaning your email list regularly to remove inactive or invalid email addresses. This reduces bounce rates and improves your sender reputation, making it more likely that your emails reach the inbox.
Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailExpert123 shares that creating engaging content that encourages recipients to interact with your emails, such as clicking links or replying to messages is important. High engagement rates signal to ISPs that your emails are valuable, improving deliverability.
Email marketer from Email Geeks states that scraping from LinkedIn is a classic cause for bad domain reputation.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains to authenticate your emails by setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. These protocols verify that your emails are genuinely sent from your domain and haven't been tampered with, significantly boosting deliverability.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource, Laura Atkins, explains the importance of sender reputation, suggesting that understanding and managing your sending reputation is crucial. She highlights that ISPs use reputation metrics to assess the trustworthiness of email senders, affecting whether emails land in the inbox or spam folder.
Expert from Email Geeks explains the spamming activity has damaged domain reputation. Suggests stopping the spamming to allow it to recover, but notes enterprise spam filters are less forgiving. Recommends using GPT as a data point.
Expert from Word to the Wise staff emphasizes the role of email authentication in ensuring deliverability. They stress the importance of properly configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify the authenticity of your emails and prevent spoofing, which can significantly improve inbox placement.
Expert from Email Geeks explains the main reason emails get marked as spam is because people didn’t ask for them, suggesting to start by evaluating how email addresses are acquired. He notes that PTR records aren't the primary cause and that adding DMARC records without understanding their function can worsen the situation.
Expert from Spam Resource, Steve Linford, answers the question of what spam traps are, how they affect deliverability and how to avoid them. He says that it is important to maintain email hygiene and to regularly clean your email list to avoid sending to email addresses that could turn into spam traps.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org highlights Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) helps protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. DMARC policies instruct email providers on how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks, enhancing deliverability and security.
Documentation from RFC Editor specifies DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is crucial to implement. DKIM uses cryptographic signatures to verify the authenticity of email messages. By signing your emails with DKIM, you demonstrate to email providers that your messages are legitimate and haven't been tampered with during transit.
Documentation from Google explains that using Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain's reputation and identify deliverability issues is important. It provides data on spam rates, domain reputation, and feedback loop information, enabling you to address any problems that impact deliverability.
Documentation from Microsoft shares the importance of implementing Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records in your DNS settings. SPF records specify which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain, preventing spammers from forging your email address.
Documentation from SparkPost explains the value of monitoring your sender reputation regularly with services like Sender Score or Return Path. This allows you to identify any issues affecting deliverability and take corrective action promptly.