Why did my email have lower open rates in Gmail, and go to spam?

Email marketer from Constant Contact shares that email content can be a significant factor. Avoid using spam trigger words (e.g., 'free,' 'guaranteed,' 'urgent'), excessive links, or large images without alt text. Ensure your email is properly formatted and accessible on different devices.

Email marketer from Moosend explains that your from name and address can make or break your delivery rate. Ensure that you are using the correct details.

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that several factors determine whether an email lands in the inbox or spam folder. These include your sender reputation (IP address and domain reputation), email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), email content (keywords, links, and attachments), and recipient engagement (opens, clicks, and replies).

Email marketer from HubSpot suggests improving sender reputation by consistently sending valuable content, avoiding spam trigger words, authenticating your emails, and asking recipients to add you to their address book. Maintaining a clean email list and regularly removing inactive subscribers is also crucial.

Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that if you are sending from a new domain the email providers don't know your reputation so there is a higher risk of being marked as spam. He suggests warming up the domain by sending slowly to engaged users first.

Email marketer from EmailToolTester responds that if your IP address is on a blacklist, your emails are likely to be blocked or sent to spam. Check your IP address against common blacklists and take steps to remove it if necessary. Use a dedicated IP address for sending emails to maintain control over your reputation.

Email marketer from Litmus shares that poorly designed emails with broken HTML, excessive images, or large file sizes can trigger spam filters. Ensure your emails are properly coded, responsive, and accessible on different devices.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that a misleading or overly aggressive subject line can trigger spam filters. Subject lines that use ALL CAPS, excessive exclamation points, or spammy keywords are more likely to be flagged. A/B test different subject lines to see what resonates with your audience.

Email marketer from GMass explains that using personalization can make your emails more likely to make it to the inbox. The email should also be segmented to the right audiences.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that spam filters are algorithms used by email providers (like Gmail) to analyze incoming emails and decide whether they should be delivered to the inbox or marked as spam. Multiple factors can contribute to this, including sender reputation, email content, and recipient engagement.

Expert from Spam Resource responds that Gmail heavily relies on engagement data. If recipients are not opening or interacting with your emails, Gmail will likely filter them to spam. Encourage engagement by providing valuable content and segmenting your audience.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that if an email went to spam, you can’t just blame the subject line or a specific link, particularly at Gmail because the way Gmail calculates spam is not a simple a + b + c + d. It’s more like “if a then a+2b, if not a then -b”, meaning certain factors can weigh more than others.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that the email could have been placed in updates or the promotions tab, with potential drop in opens, and says that the ‘opens’ from the inbox over promotions are more the user down arrowing through their inbox whereas what’s in the promotions tab they’re actually reading and opening the mail.

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that a negative sender reputation is a primary driver of emails landing in the spam folder. This reputation is built over time based on your sending practices, content, and recipient engagement. Maintaining a positive reputation is critical for inbox placement.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that poor list hygiene is a major factor in deliverability issues. Sending to old, unengaged addresses will lead to bounces and spam complaints, damaging your sender reputation.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests lower open rates indicate a higher spam folder rate, pointing to an issue with the email's content, but it can be hard to diagnose a single send.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that high complaint rates are a surefire way to end up in the spam folder. Monitor your complaint rates closely and take immediate action to address any issues. Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe and honor their requests promptly.

Documentation from RFC shares that a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record is a DNS record that specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. Implementing SPF can help prevent spammers from forging your email address and improve your deliverability.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an email authentication method that uses digital signatures to verify the sender's identity and ensure that the message has not been altered in transit. Implementing DKIM can improve your deliverability and protect your domain from spoofing.

Documentation from Google explains that Gmail uses a variety of signals to identify and filter spam, including user reports, sender reputation, and content analysis. They recommend following their sender guidelines to ensure your emails are delivered to the inbox.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) is an email authentication protocol that allows senders to specify how email receivers should handle messages that fail SPF or DKIM checks. Implementing DMARC can help protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks.