Why are my Spanish language emails being flagged as spam in Gmail?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that issues may arise from IP reputation. If the IP address used to send emails has a low reputation due to past spam activities, Gmail might flag emails as spam. Check IP reputation using online tools and consider using a dedicated IP.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester says that issues may arise if you are not allowing one-click unsubscription. Gmail wants to see one-click unsubscription which may be causing your emails to be flagged as spam.
Email marketer from Reddit advises using a dedicated IP address, especially if you're sending high volumes of Spanish-language emails. This can help establish a positive reputation specifically for those emails.
Email marketer from Digital Ocean suggests that missing authentication records affect deliverability. Ensure proper setup of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to verify email authenticity and improve sender reputation with Gmail.
Email marketer from Sender.net shares that content may trigger spam filters. Certain words or phrases common in spam emails can cause emails to be flagged. Review the content for spam-like language and avoid excessive use of promotional terms or ALL CAPS.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that content in Spanish might be triggering spam filters if it contains words frequently associated with spam in that language. Review your content for commonly flagged terms and adjust accordingly.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests doing a deeper dive into how the two lists were compiled and the acquisition practices for the ES subscribers because it may have more to do with the differences in list quality between the two segments
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests ensuring that recipients have genuinely opted in to receive Spanish-language emails. If recipients are not expecting emails in Spanish, they are more likely to mark them as spam.
Email marketer from StackOverflow advises checking the character encoding of the emails. Incorrect encoding can lead to garbled text, which spam filters might interpret as suspicious.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that senders sometimes relax segmentation rules for other languages to bolster list numbers, suggesting a check on how lists for Spanish language emails are pulled.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains the important thing is that the root domain is the same to make sure that the domain reputation is factoring in.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that specific words or phrases, although legitimate in Spanish, may resemble spam content due to how they are perceived by spam filters or how frequently they are used in actual spam. This can lead to an increased spam score.
Expert from Word to the Wise answers, When dealing with deliverability issues related to language, Laura Atkins suggests ensuring that your content is properly localized and that your audience is expecting emails in that language. She recommends checking your sender reputation and ensuring your authentication is properly configured. She also suggests that you check your DNS configuration.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost shares that high spam complaint rates cause filtering. Monitor spam complaint rates in feedback loops. Investigate the cause of complaints by analyzing email content, targeting practices, and opt-in processes.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that low sender reputation affects inbox placement. Monitor sender reputation via Postmaster Tools. Address any negative trends by improving email practices, such as reducing spam complaints and ensuring proper authentication.
Documentation from RFC Editor details that DMARC policies can impact deliverability. Implement DMARC to instruct receiving mail servers on how to handle unauthenticated emails. A strict DMARC policy can prevent spoofing but might also cause legitimate emails to be filtered if not properly configured.
Documentation from Microsoft shares that problems with email body can cause spam filtering. Ensure a good text to image ratio and avoid using spam trigger words.