Why are emails from a new .uk domain going to spam folders?

Summary

Emails from new .uk domains often go to spam due to a confluence of factors. Primarily, these domains lack an established sender reputation, making ISPs cautious due to the potential for spam and phishing. The 'newness' of the .uk TLD can also contribute to skepticism from email filters. Technical aspects like absent or misconfigured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records raise red flags, while high spam complaint rates and sending to unengaged recipients further damage deliverability. Building a positive reputation involves gradually warming up the domain, ensuring proper authentication, maintaining a clean email list, sending valuable content, and continuously monitoring sender reputation.

Key findings

  • Lack of Sender Reputation: New domains have no sending history, making ISPs cautious.
  • New TLD Skepticism: New TLDs, like .uk, may be viewed with suspicion by email filters.
  • Importance of Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for establishing legitimacy.
  • Impact of Engagement: Sending to unengaged recipients and high spam complaint rates negatively affect deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Gradual Domain Warm-up: Warm up the domain slowly by sending to engaged subscribers and gradually increasing volume.
  • Authentication Configuration: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured.
  • Email List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove unengaged or invalid addresses.
  • Valuable Content: Send relevant, valuable, and engaging content to minimize spam complaints.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and address any issues promptly.

What email marketers say
8Marketer opinions

Emails from new .uk domains often land in spam folders due to a combination of factors. Primarily, new domains lack established sender reputations, making email providers cautious. New TLDs, like .uk, may face initial skepticism. Lack of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), high spam complaint rates, and sending to unengaged recipients are also contributing factors. Warming up the domain gradually, sending valuable content, and actively managing your email list are crucial for improving deliverability.

Key opinions

  • New Domain Reputation: New domains lack sender reputation, causing suspicion from email providers.
  • TLD Skepticism: New Top-Level Domains (TLDs) like .uk may face initial skepticism.
  • Authentication Importance: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for establishing trust.
  • Engagement Matters: Sending to unengaged recipients increases the likelihood of spam classification.

Key considerations

  • Domain Warm-up: Gradually warm up the domain by sending low volumes of emails to engaged subscribers.
  • Authentication Setup: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove unengaged recipients.
  • Content Relevance: Send valuable and relevant content to increase engagement and reduce spam complaints.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that new TLDs often face skepticism due to a lack of data and inherent risk. TLDs carry reputation, with some considered riskier based on the amount of malicious activity originating from them.

October 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that spam filters analyze various factors, including sender reputation, email content, and authentication. To avoid spam filters, they advise using a dedicated IP address, warming up your IP/domain gradually, and monitoring your sender reputation. They also stress the importance of CAN-SPAM compliance.

May 2023 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that new IPs or domains have no sending history, making it difficult for ISPs to assess their trustworthiness. They recommend a gradual warm-up process, starting with small batches of emails to engaged subscribers and gradually increasing the volume over time. Monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints is also crucial.

May 2022 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass states the best ways to improve deliverability, including proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining a clean email list, sending relevant content, and avoiding spam trigger words. They recommend segmenting your audience and personalizing your emails to increase engagement and reduce spam complaints.

October 2021 - Gmass
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost Blog explains that new domains lack a sender reputation, which is crucial for inbox placement. Email providers are cautious of new senders until they establish a positive track record. They suggest warming up the domain gradually by sending low volumes of emails to engaged subscribers.

May 2022 - SparkPost Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendPulse shares that several reasons can cause emails to land in the spam folder, including a low sender reputation, lack of authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), high spam complaint rates, and sending to unengaged recipients. They also advise regularly cleaning your email list and avoiding spam trigger words.

April 2023 - SendPulse
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange mentions that domain age can influence deliverability, with newer domains often facing more scrutiny from spam filters. They recommend focusing on building a positive sender reputation by sending valuable content, segmenting your audience, and actively managing bounces and unsubscribes.

January 2022 - StackExchange
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that when setting up a new domain, it's common to experience deliverability issues initially. They suggest warming up the domain slowly, ensuring SPF/DKIM/DMARC records are correctly configured, and monitoring your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools. Engaging with subscribers who mark your emails as 'not spam' can also help.

June 2021 - Reddit

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Emails from new .uk domains frequently end up in spam folders due to a lack of established sender reputation and skepticism towards new TLDs. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are wary of unknown senders, leading to aggressive filtering to protect users from spam and phishing. Building a positive domain reputation requires consistently sending legitimate emails that recipients engage with. Warming up the domain, implementing authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining list hygiene, and carefully monitoring deliverability metrics are critical.

Key opinions

  • TLD Skepticism: Filter operators are skeptical of new TLDs, sometimes even blocking them.
  • Poor Reputation: New domains lack a history of sending legitimate mail, resulting in poor reputation.
  • Engagement is Key: Reputation is built through consistent engagement with legitimate emails.
  • Comprehensive Factors: Deliverability is affected by sender reputation, authentication, list hygiene, engagement, and content.

Key considerations

  • Domain Warm-up: Warm up the domain by sending to known recipients and asking them to mark emails as 'not spam', especially important for Microsoft.
  • Authentication: Implement authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
  • List Hygiene: Maintain a clean email list.
  • Monitor Deliverability: Closely monitor deliverability metrics.
  • Avoid Purchased Lists: Avoid purchasing email lists.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Atkins) explains that a new domain's reputation is built over time by consistently sending legitimate emails that recipients engage with. To improve domain reputation, implement authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), avoid purchasing email lists, and monitor deliverability metrics closely.

March 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource (John Levine) explains that new domains often suffer from poor reputation because they haven't built a history of sending legitimate mail. ISPs are cautious of unknown senders. Therefore emails are filtered more aggressively to protect their users from spam and phishing.

March 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that many filter operators are skeptical of new TLDs, with some even blocking them outright. New domains and low email volume can make inbox placement difficult, especially with Microsoft. Microsoft is very sensitive to new domains and suggests warming up the domain by sending to known recipients and asking them to mark the emails as 'not spam'.

January 2025 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise details that many things effect email deliverability including sender reputation, authentication, list hygiene, engagement and content. All of these are key factors to consider when launching a new domain.

April 2024 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

Emails from new .uk domains can end up in spam folders due to factors outlined in email deliverability documentation. Proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for proving sender legitimacy. Maintaining a low spam complaint rate, avoiding unwanted emails, and ensuring the domain isn't on any blocklists are also critical. Monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools is recommended.

Key findings

  • Authentication is Key: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for improved deliverability.
  • Reputation Matters: Sender reputation significantly impacts spam filtering.
  • Engagement Impacts Deliverability: Recipient engagement (or lack thereof) affects deliverability.
  • Spam Complaints Hurt: High spam complaint rates negatively impact deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Implement SPF: Specify authorized mail servers to prevent email spoofing.
  • Use Postmaster Tools: Monitor sender reputation with Google Postmaster Tools.
  • Avoid Blacklists: Ensure your domain isn't on any blocklists.
  • Address Spam Complaints: Use Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP) to address spam complaints.
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft details that factors contributing to spam filtering include sender reputation, email content, and recipient engagement. They recommend using the Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP) to identify and address spam complaints. Ensuring your domain is not on any blocklists and following best practices for email authentication are also important.

February 2025 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from RFC defines the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) standard. SPF allows domain owners to specify which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of their domain. This helps prevent email spoofing and improves deliverability by verifying the sender's authenticity.

October 2022 - RFC
Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools highlights the importance of authenticating your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve deliverability. They also emphasize the need to maintain a low spam complaint rate and avoid sending unwanted emails to users. Google recommends monitoring your sender reputation using Postmaster Tools.

January 2023 - Google Postmaster Tools