How to troubleshoot emails landing in spam despite passing DKIM, SPF, and DMARC?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that even with proper authentication (DKIM, SPF, DMARC), emails can still land in spam due to factors like poor sender reputation, low engagement, spammy content, blacklisting, and infrastructure issues. They recommend monitoring sender reputation, cleaning email lists, improving engagement, and avoiding spam trigger words.
Email marketer from EmailMarketingForum.com suggests that you should check your sending IP against various DNS-based blackhole lists (DNSBLs). Even if you've set up DKIM, SPF, and DMARC correctly, your emails might still end up in the spam folder if your IP has been blacklisted.
Email marketer from SendPulse shares that spam filters analyze email content, sender reputation, and user engagement. Common causes include low engagement rates, sending to inactive addresses, using spam trigger words, and poor IP reputation. Solutions involve warming up IPs, authenticating emails, segmenting lists, and creating engaging content.
Email marketer from Stackoverflow shares to ensure the sending domain and the domain used for tracking links are aligned. Inconsistencies can trigger spam filters.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that it's important to check if your sending IP or domain has been added to any public blacklists (like Spamhaus). Even if DKIM/SPF/DMARC are set up correctly, being on a blacklist will cause deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that sometimes shared IP addresses get a bad reputation, so you might want to look into a dedicated IP address. Also, check that your domain hasn't been blacklisted.
Email marketer from EmailAcademy responds that improving deliverability involves maintaining a clean email list, segmenting audiences, crafting engaging content, and monitoring sender reputation. They emphasize the importance of avoiding spam traps and consistently monitoring bounce rates.
Email marketer from Quora suggests that emails should be checked for common spam trigger words, such as 'free,' 'guarantee,' or excessive use of exclamation points. These can cause the email to land in the spam folder even with proper authentication.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if open rates are high (40%+) then the seed list results may not be reflective of actual inbox placement. However, if open rates are lower, it may indicate an engagement/reputation issue.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests the issue might be local filters, especially if seed list tests show 100% inboxing and open rates are high. Filters might be affecting mail from the domain that doesn't originate from the MX records, so it's worth investigating.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that even with authentication in place, content issues such as using URL shorteners, sending image-only emails, or having a high image-to-text ratio can trigger spam filters.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that maintaining a positive sending reputation is crucial. Negative reputation, stemming from spam complaints or low engagement, can result in emails being filtered as spam regardless of authentication.
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that poor list hygiene, including sending to old, unengaged addresses or spam traps, will undermine your deliverability even with proper authentication. Regular list cleaning is essential.
What the documentation says6Technical articles
Documentation from AWS shares that you need to maintain low bounce rates by regularly cleaning your email lists. High bounce rates can signal that you're sending emails to outdated or invalid addresses, which can negatively affect your sending reputation and cause your emails to be marked as spam.
Documentation from Microsoft shares that to avoid spam filters, ensure your sending IP is not on any blocklists, use a consistent sending volume, monitor bounce rates, and provide clear unsubscribe options. High complaint rates can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to emails being filtered as spam.
Documentation from SparkPost says to pay attention to the content and structure of your emails. They say to avoid using excessive images or large attachments as it will increase the likelihood of spam filters.
Documentation from RFC Editor responds that even with DMARC implemented, emails may fail authentication if the 'from' domain does not align with the DKIM or SPF domain, or if the DMARC policy is set to reject or quarantine and the email fails authentication checks. Proper alignment is crucial for passing DMARC.
Documentation from Google explains that low sender reputation can cause emails to be marked as spam even if authentication is properly configured. Sender reputation is based on various factors, including the number of spam complaints, the volume of sent mail, and the history of the sending IP address. They recommend using Postmaster Tools to monitor your reputation.
Documentation from AuthSMTP suggests your Return-Path domain is an essential part of email authentication and can affect deliverability. It should be set up correctly and align with your sending domain.