Why am I seeing spam spikes in Google Postmaster Tools on days with no email sends?

Email marketer from Email on Acid answers that inconsistencies in sender reputation, authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and content quality can cumulatively impact spam scores, even when no emails are actively being sent. Ongoing reputation damage affects future assessments.

Email marketer from Hubspot shares that a sender's reputation is based on the history of sending and how recipients interact with emails. If your sender reputation decreases, email providers are more likely to mark the email as spam.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that if an email's 5322.From is your domain and it's sent to a Gmail address and a user marks it as spam, it goes into Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) and you can add a special header into the emails to identify individual campaigns in Google Postmaster Tools.

Email marketer from Litmus shares that issues with list hygiene (e.g., sending to old, unengaged addresses or spam traps) can cause spam complaints, even if no new campaigns are being sent. These addresses are more likely to report emails as spam.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests verifying dashboard accuracy with the ESP and implementing DMARC in report-only mode to identify potential spoofing issues that might be causing the spam spikes in Google Postmaster.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that sudden increases in spam complaints, even with consistent sending practices, could stem from changes in user behavior, aggressive spam filtering updates by ISPs, or issues with list hygiene, such as stale email addresses being marked as spam traps.

Email marketer from Reddit mentions that if you're on a shared IP address, another sender's poor practices could negatively affect your reputation and lead to spam spikes, regardless of your sending volume.

Email marketer from Reddit user suggests that your domain could be subject to a 'list bombing' attack where someone is submitting your email to multiple sign up forms. Ensure forms have CAPTCHA and use double opt-in.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests that a compromised email account or system could be sending unauthorized emails, leading to spam complaints even when you're not actively sending campaigns. Check security settings and audit user access.

Email marketer from Validity shares that the feedback loops could be delayed and reported later than expected. This means the spikes you're seeing on days when you don't send any emails could actually be related to the emails you sent on previous days.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that most complaints are reported the day they’re reported, not the day the mail was sent. A single complaint on a low-volume day can skew complaint rates.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that the problem might not be you. Are there third parties sending mail that looks like it's coming from your domain? If they're not authenticating properly, that could be hurting you.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the most useful thing a sender can do is review their feedback loops. They contain critical information about who is marking mail as spam.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that machine learning engines can cope with spikes in spam complaints, suggesting the user shouldn't be too concerned about them.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that delayed Spam Confidence Level (SCL) adjustments could contribute to spam spikes. Messages initially categorized as non-spam might later be re-evaluated, affecting your Postmaster Tools metrics on subsequent days.

Documentation from AWS Simple Email Service (SES) explains that consistently poor sender reputation metrics, such as high bounce or complaint rates, can trigger spam filtering even on days with minimal or no email activity. ISPs use these metrics to determine deliverability.

Documentation from SparkPost explains that investigating spam complaint spikes requires analyzing feedback loops, sender reputation metrics, and content analysis, and also suggests that delayed complaints from previous sends can affect current day's metrics even with no new sends.

Documentation from Google explains that spam rate spikes in Google Postmaster Tools can occur due to users marking legitimate emails as spam, which impacts sender reputation and deliverability. This can happen even on days with low or no sending volume.

Documentation from RFC specifies that DNS configuration problems (e.g., SPF, DKIM failures) can cause authentication issues, leading to increased spam filtering and potential spikes in spam complaints reported in Postmaster Tools, regardless of sending volume.