Why are my emails going to spam?

When your emails keep landing in spam or junk, the cause is almost always one of a handful of things, and the most common one is fixable in 15 minutes: your domain isn’t proving the email really comes from you. Start by running your domain (or just your email address) through the SPF, DKIM & DMARC checker, then work down this list.

1. Your domain isn’t set up to prove it’s you

Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo check three DNS records on your domain: SPF (who may send), DKIM (a signature on each email) and DMARC (what to do when checks fail). Missing or broken records are the number one reason business email goes to spam. The checker shows which are missing and gives the exact records to add; the DMARC setup guide walks through Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

2. Something else sends email as you

Invoices from your accounting system, newsletters, booking confirmations or your website’s contact form often send “from” your address through servers your SPF doesn’t list. Those emails fail the checks and get junked. Add each service to SPF (one SPF record only) or turn on its DKIM option.

3. Your website contact form fakes the sender

Many website forms send email from the visitor’s address (for example from someone@gmail.com) through your web server. Gmail knows your server isn’t allowed to send as gmail.com, so it goes to spam. Set the form to send from your own address (like website@yourdomain.com) and put the visitor’s address in Reply-To. Using an SMTP plugin that logs in to your real mailbox fixes it on WordPress.

4. Your domain or server is new, or on a blocklist

A brand-new domain has no reputation yet, so start slowly: send normal one-to-one emails for a few weeks before any bulk sending. If you share a server (cheap hosting), another customer’s spam can get the server’s IP address blocklisted. Find your mail server’s IP in the email headers (or with a DNS lookup of your MX record), check it on Spamhaus’ free lookup, and ask your host to move you or delist it.

5. Link shorteners and odd links

Shortened links (bit.ly, tinyurl) are heavily used by spammers, so filters distrust them. Link straight to your own website. Not sure where a link in your email signature or template actually goes? Paste it into the redirect checker. Also avoid links whose text shows one address but point to another.

6. The email looks like marketing spam

All capitals, lots of exclamation marks, “FREE!!!”, “act now”, one big image with hardly any text, or a huge attachment all raise the spam score. Write like a normal person, keep a sensible text-to-image balance, and send big files as a link to your own site or cloud storage.

7. Bulk email without an easy unsubscribe

Gmail and Yahoo now require bulk senders to include a one-click unsubscribe and to keep spam complaints very low (under 0.3%). If you send newsletters, use a proper newsletter service, only email people who agreed to it, and make unsubscribing easy. When people can’t find the unsubscribe link, they press “Report spam”, which hurts every email you send afterwards.

8. You’re emailing old or bought lists

Lots of bounces from dead addresses, and spam-trap addresses hidden in bought lists, quickly ruin your reputation. Remove addresses that bounce and never buy lists.

9. You changed something recently

Moved email provider, website host or domain? Old SPF records, a missing DKIM record at the new provider, or DNS that hasn’t fully updated cause sudden spam problems. Check what the world currently sees with the DNS propagation checker.

10. The recipient’s own settings

Sometimes it’s one person’s filter. Ask them to mark your email Not spam / Not junk and add you to their contacts; future emails then land in the inbox. If it happens with many different people, it’s one of the causes above.

Quick fix checklist

Run the SPF/DKIM/DMARC checker and add what’s missing.
Make sure every service that sends as you is in SPF or has DKIM.
Fix the website contact form sender.
Remove link shorteners and big attachments.
Send a test to a Gmail and an Outlook.com address and look at the headers (“Show original” in Gmail): SPF, DKIM and DMARC should all say PASS.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my emails go to spam in Gmail but not Outlook?

Each service uses its own filters and reputation data. Gmail is strict about SPF, DKIM and DMARC alignment and about bulk-sender rules, so fix those first and test again with “Show original”.

How do I check if my email passes SPF, DKIM and DMARC?

Send an email to a Gmail address, open it, click the three dots and choose “Show original”. Google shows PASS or FAIL for each. You can also check the records on your domain with the FernTool checker.

Can one person marking my email as spam hurt me?

One report rarely matters, but many reports (above about 0.3% of emails sent) damage your domain’s reputation with that mail service, and more of your email then goes to spam.

How long does it take to stop going to spam?

Fixing SPF, DKIM and DMARC helps within a day. Rebuilding a damaged reputation can take a few weeks of normal, wanted email.