Why Are My Emails Going to Spam? Complete Troubleshooting Guide

Published December 21, 2025 · 11 min read

Why Are My Emails Going to Spam? How to Fix It

Nothing's more frustrating than spending an hour crafting the perfect email only to have it land in spam. I've been there - launched a SaaS, wrote out onboarding emails, and wondered why nobody was responding. Turns out 100% of them were hitting spam folders.

Here's everything I learned debugging that mess, and the step-by-step process I use now to fix email deliverability.

Start Here: The Quick Check

Before you spend hours troubleshooting, run through this list:

About 80% of the time, it's one of the first three. Let's go through each.

Missing SPF Record

SPF is a DNS record that says "these servers can send email for my domain." Without it, receiving servers have no way to verify your email is legit.

You know it's an SPF problem if:

• You see "SPF: NONE" or "SPF: FAIL" when you view email headers
• Emails from a new tool you added (like SendGrid or Mailchimp) go to spam
• Your main emails work but transactional ones don't

Check your SPF with our DNS Health tool. If it's missing, add this to your DNS:

\\\

\\\

Swap the include for whatever email services you actually use. Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, SendGrid, Mailchimp - they all have different includes. You can chain them together:

\\\

\\\

Missing DKIM

DKIM cryptographically signs your emails. It proves the email wasn't tampered with in transit and that it actually came from your servers.

To check if you have DKIM:

If it's missing, you need to set it up in your email provider:

• Google Workspace: Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Authenticate email
• Microsoft 365: Admin center > Settings > Domains > Your domain
• SendGrid/Mailchimp/etc: They each have their own setup guides, usually involves adding a TXT or CNAME record

DKIM setup is more annoying than SPF because each service needs its own records. But it's worth it.

No DMARC Policy

DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do when checks fail. Without it, Gmail and Yahoo (and most others) treat your emails with suspicion.

Add this to your DNS:

\\\

\\\

Start with p=none - that's "monitor only" mode. You'll get reports but emails won't be rejected. Once you're confident everything's working, move to p=quarantine or p=reject.

You're on a Blacklist

This one hurts. If your domain or sending IP got blacklisted, your emails get filtered before they're even looked at.

Signs you're blacklisted:

• Deliverability dropped suddenly
• Bounce messages mention blacklists by name
• Works fine to Gmail but not to corporate addresses (or vice versa)

Our Security Audit checks the major blacklists. You can also check MXToolbox or look up your sending IP directly on Spamhaus.

Getting off a blacklist:

Your Domain Is Too New

Email providers are suspicious of new domains. Makes sense - spammers burn through domains constantly.

If your domain is less than 30 days old and everything else checks out, you might just need to wait and warm up slowly. Send emails to people who actually want them. Get some replies. Build a history.

Don't blast 10,000 people on day one. Start with 50-100 engaged contacts, then gradually increase over weeks.

Your Email Content Looks Spammy

Even with perfect authentication, spam filters look at content. Things that get you flagged:

• ALL CAPS IN THE SUBJECT LINE
• Excessive punctuation!!! or $$
• Phrases like "Act now," "Limited time," "Free money"
• Way more images than text
• Sketchy URL shorteners
• Mismatched links (text says "google.com" but links elsewhere)
• Big attachments
• One giant image with no text

Write like a human writing to a human. That's basically the rule.

Gmail/Yahoo Requirements (Enforced Since 2024)

If you're sending more than 5,000 emails per day, Gmail and Yahoo now require:

• Valid SPF or DKIM (both strongly recommended)
• DMARC record
• One-click unsubscribe in marketing emails
• Spam complaint rate under 0.1%
• Valid reverse DNS (PTR record)
• Proper From: header

They've been enforcing this since February 2024. If you're a bulk sender without these, you're going to have problems.

After You Make Changes

Frequently Asked Questions

DNS changes usually propagate within an hour, though can take up to 48. Reputation fixes take much longer - weeks to months.

Different providers have different spam filters. If it passes Gmail but fails Outlook, check your content and make sure you're authenticating for Microsoft's requirements too.

They can help for brand new domains. But they can't fix missing SPF/DKIM or bad content. Get the basics right first.

For personal stuff, sure. For business, get your own domain. It looks more professional and you control the reputation.