Your emails ended up in the spam bin instead of the inbox, which is every email sender’s nightmare. But why do emails end up in spam folders? We’ll explore the most likely reasons why legitimate emails wind up in spam in this article, and we’ll provide you with the tips that you need to avoid the dreaded spam folder. Let’s get started.
What exactly is a spam filter & how does it function?
Spam filters allow mailbox providers to detect unwanted or harmful emails and prevent them from reaching your inbox.
Spam filters examine emails using a variety of characteristics to determine whether they are spam:
- Some spam filters use scoring systems to determine whether an email is spam or not. If the spam score of an email reaches a specific level, the filter will designate it as spam.
- Others utilize fingerprinting, which involves spam filters keeping a database of existing spam communications and calculating the likelihood that even an incoming email would have a similar goal.
- Advanced filtering techniques also use machine learning to keep spam at bay.
It’s crucial to understand that no two spam filters are alike. Because Gmail’s spam scoring system differs from Yahoo! Mail, there’s a risk your email will reach the inbox of one provider but end up in spam with another.
Most spam filters have a thing in common: they’re designed to keep the inbox clean, safe, and enjoyable for the email receiver. When an email gets to spam, whether it’s personal messaging, your brand’s newsletter, or transactional emails, you’ve either done something to make inbox providers think your mail is unsolicited or perhaps even harmful, or the email is simply copying current spam trends.
There are 10 frequent reasons for emails ending up in the spam folder:
So, what are the triggers for spam filters? Bulk Email service providers will never reveal the inner workings of their spam filters. Why would they do that? Phishers, spammers, & other bad actors would have an easier time getting over spam filters if they shared their secret sauce.
Although anti spam algorithms are hidden secrets, people can learn from past mistakes. We’ve been helping responsible senders solve why their emails were identified as spam for over a decade. Generally, minor flaws or oversights within your email system trigger spam filters and send legitimate emails to spam. Let’s take a look at each one individually:
Your email hasn’t been adequately verified.
Spammers and phishers can send an email that typically comes from your company with surprising ease. But there’s good news: you can use a variety of ingenious email authentication standards to prohibit spammers from ever using your domain without your consent, and mailbox providers depend on these standards to determine whether emails are legitimate (and which are spam).
When a spam filter at an inbox provider detects an email without authentication, it raises red lights. One of the most likely reasons why genuine email is placed into the spam box is due to missing or poorly configured authentication. So, if you’re having trouble with spam, start here:
Your sending IP address has a terrible track record, and deliverability is highly dependent on the IP address you choose to send your emails. Every IP address has a past that mailbox providers keep records of, just like people build up a reputation through time. A history of low spam reports and bounce rates, for example, makes your transmitting IP more trustworthy, but a large number of complaints dents your IP’s trustworthiness.
When sending email from a shared IP, the IP reputation is based on the collective sending behaviors of senders on just that IP, not just your own.
Your emails were identified as spam by your recipients:
Users’ spam reports are the essential input that email service providers can use when appraising your emails. So it’s safe to assume that spam reports directly impact your deliverability. If many users click the spam button, your reputation as a sender will suffer, and future emails will be in the spam folder.
You don’t maintain an up-to-date email list.
Spammers and phishers are notorious for their poor list management. They shamelessly collect (or steal) personal emails from somewhere, don’t care about incorrect email accounts or bounces, and are unconcerned with interaction as long as a few unsuspecting people get into their traps.
Inbox providers will put you in the spam folder if they suspect your brand uses unethical list-building practices. That’s why a healthy email delivery starts with a clean email list.
Your website has a negative reputation.
Like your transmitting IP, your domain has a history, and spam filters are increasingly weighing domain reputation when evaluating your emails. That makes complete sense: You might switch email service providers or even use separate providers for various types of mails, all of which will send your emails using different IP addresses. Because your domain is likely to be the same for providers, evaluating your site reputation is a creative technique to determine your sender’s trustworthiness.
The forms are being misused.
Spam placements are surprisingly widespread due to form abuse. Spambots will detect unsecured forms, and they may provide invalid (and even valid!) email accounts, resulting in many hard bounces or spam complaints, which will swiftly harm your sending reputation. That must not happen.
- Use CAPTCHA to secure your forms.
- Put in place mechanisms to detect spam.
There is no plain-text version of your emails.
Spammers frequently fail to include a plain text form of the HTML emails, and if you’re not going to include one in yours, certain spam detection and firewalls may assume you’re a spammer.
So, add a plain-text version with each and every email you send. This is useful for demonstrating to spam detection that you’re a valid sender and for receivers who don’t see the HTML version in their inbox. Because screen readers commonly rely on plain-text emails to read your communications, plain-text emails play an essential role in making the emails more accessible.
When you create an email, numerous servers make it simple to include a plain-text version. Using DigitalAka, you can effortlessly switch between HTML and text mode within the mail editor by keeping it simple to add and amend your email’s text version.
You’re emailing potentially harmful attachments.
Attachments are popular among spammers: they may conceal viruses in ZIP files, insert harmful macros into office documents, or use PDFs to spread harmful code or misleading links to unwitting users. It’s no wonder that spam detection scrutinizes emails with attachments more closely.
If at all possible, avoid using attachments in any emails. If you want your receivers to download any file, upload it to your website and direct your email subscribers to download it. It will take a few more clicks, but your email will likely reach the inbox.
You haven’t set up a functional reply-to address.
What address will the response go to if someone replies to your email? You can provide a reply-to address as a sender, but you should never use “no-reply@example.com.” Some spam detection and firewalls consider “no-reply” email account handles to be spammy and assign a more excellent spam score to senders who use them.
Furthermore, no-reply email addresses don’t provide your recipients with a pleasant experience. Isn’t it true that mail is all about communication? When you use a no-reply address, you’re depriving your customers of the opportunity to contact you, which may irritate them.
You use link shorteners.
URL shorteners are popular among senders since they make tracking link clicks simple. Guess who else enjoys using free URL shorteners? Spammers! This is because link shorteners make it simple for infected sites & hosted files to be hidden from their victims.
If you use link shorteners in the emails, spam filters may mark them as spam (or ban them entirely, as we’ve seen with Gmail). Do not take that chance. Check to determine if the email provider supports link and engagement monitoring if tracking links is crucial to you.
You’re careless with your HTML
Spammers are known for using sloppy HTML since they wouldn’t have the time or resources to verify their mail code to ensure that the content renders correctly.
While errors with email rendering and faulty HTML may not immediately lead your emails to be marked as spam, they can anger your subscribers or encourage them to suspect your message and push the dreaded “mark as spam” button.
