If your emails are going into spam, there are several steps you can take to improve your email deliverability. Here’s a breakdown of key areas to focus on:
1. Authenticate Your Email
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Make sure you have a valid SPF record to specify the mail servers allowed to send email for your domain.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Enable DKIM to sign your emails with a unique signature that email servers use to verify the integrity of the message.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): Set up DMARC to provide instruction to email servers on how to handle SPF and DKIM failures. This also lets you monitor email delivery.
2. Check Your Domain Reputation
Use tools like Google Postmaster or Microsoft SNDS to monitor your domain’s reputation. Low domain reputation can lead to emails being filtered as spam.
Domain Age: Newly registered domains are more likely to get flagged. Ensure you warm up the domain over time.
3. Review IP Address Reputation
If you're using a shared IP (common with email service providers), ensure it's not on a blocklist. Use tools like Spamhaus or MXToolbox to check the reputation of your IP address.
If using a dedicated IP, ensure that the IP has a clean history. Warm up the IP gradually by sending smaller volumes of emails initially.
4. Implement rDNS (Reverse DNS)
Ensure that your IP address has a reverse DNS record set up that matches your sending domain. This helps email servers identify where the email is coming from and adds credibility.
5. Monitor Spam Traps
Make sure your email list is clean by avoiding old, invalid, or purchased lists. Spam traps are email addresses specifically set up to catch spammers and can negatively impact deliverability.
Use email validation services like ZeroBounce or NeverBounce to regularly clean your lists.
6. Optimize Email Content
Avoid Spammy Words: Words like "Free," "100%," or excessive punctuation (e.g., "!!!") can trigger spam filters.
Message Headers: Check the email message headers for red flags, such as missing DKIM or SPF signatures, or inconsistencies in the "From" and "Reply-To" fields.
Text-to-Image Ratio: Ensure a good balance between text and images in your email content.
Personalization & Spintax: Using personalized tokens or spintax (text variations) can make your emails look less automated and help avoid spam triggers.
7. Check Blocklists
Regularly monitor blocklists to ensure your domain or IP is not listed. Use tools like MXToolbox to check if your domain or IP is on any blocklists. If you find you're listed, follow the procedure for each blocklist to request removal.
8. Warm-up Process
For new email domains or IP addresses, warm them up gradually by sending small volumes of emails over time to build a positive reputation.
Consider using warm-up tools, such as Warmup Inbox, to automate this process.
9. Monitor Bounces and Unsubscribes
Hard Bounces: Remove hard bounces immediately from your email list as they indicate permanent delivery failures.
Soft Bounces: Monitor soft bounces closely. A high soft bounce rate can indicate temporary issues, but if persistent, they may affect your deliverability.
10. Monitor Engagement
Low engagement rates (e.g., low open or click rates) signal to email providers that your emails are unwanted. Ensure you're sending emails to an engaged audience.
Remove inactive subscribers or send re-engagement campaigns to bring them back.
11. Use Dedicated Infrastructure
If you are sending a high volume of cold emails, consider using a dedicated domain and IP infrastructure to prevent overlap with your transactional or marketing emails.
If you have any specific data or reports you need help with, feel free to share, and I can provide a more tailored analysis!