arrobaMail
Deliverability diagnosis

Why are my emails going to spam?

Short answer

Your emails go to spam, generally, for one of these reasons: the domain isn't authenticated (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC misconfigured or missing), sender reputation is low, the contact list is poor quality (purchased, old, or with many inactive contacts), the content triggers spam filters, or you have high bounce and complaint rates. The good news: in many cases it's fixed by reviewing these points in order.

The most common causes, ranked by frequency

  • Unauthenticated domain: missing SPF, DKIM, or DMARC, or they're misconfigured.
  • You're sending from a public mailbox (@gmail, @hotmail, @yahoo): it can't be authenticated and providers penalize it.
  • Low domain or IP reputation from previous problematic sends.
  • Poor-quality lists: purchased addresses, old ones, or many inactive contacts.
  • Content that triggers filters: misleading subject lines, words like "free" or "urgent," excessive capitalization, a single image with no text.
  • No visible unsubscribe link, or unsubscribes not processed in time.
  • High hard bounce rates and spam complaint rates.

How to fix it, step by step

  1. 1

    Authenticate your domain

    Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. It's the most important step. You'll find the full guide on the how-to-authenticate-your-domain page.

  2. 2

    Use a domain of your own

    Never send bulk campaigns from @gmail, @hotmail, or @yahoo. Use a domain of your own, for example [email protected].

  3. 3

    Clean your list

    Remove invalid addresses, bounces, and contacts inactive for more than 6 months. arrobaMail automatically purges blocked addresses.

  4. 4

    Warm up the domain if it's new

    Increase your sending volume gradually over 4 to 6 weeks to build reputation.

  5. 5

    Review your content

    Clear, honest subject lines, a balance of text and images, a visible unsubscribe link, and personalization with the recipient's name.

  6. 6

    Check your reports

    In arrobaMail you can review bounces, complaints, and reputation history to spot what's failing in each send.

How arrobaMail helps

Our own sending engine (aMailMTA) applies per-provider traffic shaping, automatic backoff on rejections, and IP warmup to protect your reputation. The panel also assists with SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication and gives you reports to track bounces, complaints, and reputation history.

Updated

May 2026

Reviewed by

arrobaMail Deliverability Team · 20+ years in the industry (TECSID since 2004)

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