Why are my emails suddenly going to spam in Gmail?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit suggests that a sudden increase in spam complaints from recipients could trigger Gmail's spam filters. Reducing sending frequency and ensuring recipients have opted-in can help.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests that if you're using a shared IP address, the actions of other senders on that IP can impact your deliverability. Consider switching to a dedicated IP address for more control.
Email marketer from Litmus suggests monitoring email placement using seed lists and inbox placement testing tools to identify if emails are landing in the inbox, spam folder, or being blocked altogether. This provides valuable insights for troubleshooting deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that segmenting your email list and sending targeted content to each segment can increase engagement and reduce spam complaints. This is because relevant content is less likely to be marked as spam.
Email marketer from ReturnPath highlights that subscriber engagement (opens, clicks, replies) is a crucial factor for deliverability. Encourage subscriber interaction and remove inactive subscribers to improve engagement rates.
Email marketer from GlockApps says to ensure your email service provider (ESP) has a good reputation and follows email best practices. Poor ESP practices can negatively impact your deliverability.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests setting up a CNAME/domain alias on the pro plan to protect from future tracking domain issues.
Email marketer from Neil Patel shares that sudden spam placement can be due to a drop in sender reputation. He advises warming up your IP address, authenticating your email, and cleaning your email list to improve deliverability.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that their spam issue was due to a specific link tracking root domain from their ESP being flagged. The issue was resolved by the ESP swapping out the domain.
Email marketer from HubSpot Support, advises A/B testing subject lines, content, and send times can help improve engagement and reduce the likelihood of emails being marked as spam.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that even though new tracking domains don't need a full warmup, introducing them gradually with smaller test sends can help avoid triggering spam filters.
Email marketer from Sender advises checking if your sending IP or domain has been blacklisted. Being listed on a blacklist can significantly impact deliverability and cause emails to land in spam.
What the experts say6Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks recommends using Aboutmy.email to identify potential link and hostname issues that might be causing spam problems.
Expert from Word to the Wise warns against using URL shorteners in emails, as they can be associated with spam and malicious activity. Using full, transparent URLs is recommended to improve deliverability and build trust with recipients.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that it is key to understand and monitor feedback loops (FBLs) to identify and address any issues causing recipients to mark your emails as spam. This allows for proactive measures to improve deliverability.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests checking for unusual links, mentioning a domain with a problem, or specific S3 buckets as potential causes for emails going to spam.
Expert from SpamResource explains that a sudden drop in sender reputation can cause emails to go to spam. It suggests warming up your IP address gradually, especially if you've recently acquired a new IP or increased sending volume.
Expert from SpamResource highlights the importance of maintaining a clean and engaged email list. Removing inactive subscribers and regularly verifying email addresses can reduce bounce rates and spam complaints, improving deliverability.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost explains that certain words, phrases, or URL patterns within your email content can trigger spam filters. Reviewing your content and avoiding common spam triggers is crucial.
Documentation from Microsoft outlines that maintaining a good sender reputation is critical for email deliverability. Consistently sending valuable content and adhering to best practices are key to building and maintaining a positive reputation.
Documentation from Mailchimp emphasizes the importance of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Failure to properly authenticate can lead to emails being flagged as spam, especially if there's been a recent change in your sending practices.
Documentation from Google Support explains that Gmail uses a complex algorithm to filter spam, taking into account factors like sender reputation, email content, and user reports. Sudden changes in these factors can cause emails to go to spam.