Best Settings to Prevent Emails from Going to Spam

Email marketing is a critical tool for businesses today to engage with customers and reach potential clients. However, if the emails you send end up in the spam folder, your efforts may be wasted. In this article, we will examine in detail the best practices and settings you can implement to ensure your emails pass through spam filters and reach the recipient's inbox.

1. Sender Reputation and Domain Authentication

Email service providers (ESPs) and recipient email clients determine whether emails are spam by evaluating the sender's reputation. A good sender reputation increases the likelihood that your emails will be perceived as more trustworthy and therefore reach the inbox.

1.1. Domain Authentication

Domain authentication helps prevent unauthorized individuals from sending spam using your domain name by verifying that your emails are sent on your behalf. The most commonly used domain authentication methods are:

SPF (Sender Policy Framework): An SPF record specifies which email servers are authorized to send emails for your domain. Recipient servers verify whether the email was sent from an authorized server by checking the SPF record.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails. This signature proves that the email has not been altered since it was sent and that it is authorized by your domain.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): DMARC further enhances the email authentication process using SPF and DKIM. The DMARC record specifies what to do with emails that fail SPF and DKIM authentication (reject, quarantine, or deliver) and provides email providers with reporting capabilities.

Example SPF Record:

v=spf1 a mx include:_spf.google.com ~all

This record specifies that the servers specified in your domain's A records, the servers specified in the MX records, and the servers specified in Google's SPF record are authorized to send emails. The "~all" expression indicates that emails from servers other than those specified will be marked as "softfail". This means that the email will not be rejected but may be marked as spam.

Example DKIM Record:

The DKIM record is stored as a TXT record in your DNS server. The content of the DKIM record is provided by your ESP and usually contains an encrypted key in the form of a long string.

Example DMARC Record:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]; ruf=mailto:[email protected]; adkim=r; aspf=r;

This record specifies that DMARC is enabled, no action will be taken on emails that fail SPF and DKIM authentication (p=none), and reports will be sent to [email protected] and [email protected]. The "adkim=r" and "aspf=r" expressions indicate that DKIM and SPF are running in "relaxed" mode, meaning that the domain name matching does not have to be exact.

1.2. Warming Up

When you start sending emails with a new domain name, it is important to gradually increase the volume of emails you send. This process is called "warming up". Sending sudden and large volumes of emails can be perceived as suspicious by email providers and cause you to get caught in spam filters. During the warming-up process, start with a small group first and gradually increase the number of emails you send each day. Closely monitor the engagement rates (open, click, unsubscribe) of the emails you send, and reduce the sending speed if you encounter a negative situation.

2. Email Content and Design

The content and design of your emails are reviewed by spam filters. It is important to avoid elements that may trigger spam filters and provide valuable content that will attract the recipient's attention.

2.1. Avoid Spam Words

Avoid using words that may be perceived as spam, such as "Free", "Win", "Now", "Opportunity", "Money", "Guarantee". If you need to use such words, be sure to use them naturally and in context. Try to express your words creatively.

2.2. Pay Attention to Link Ratio

Keep the number of links in your email limited and make sure the links point to trusted sources. Too many links or links that point to unknown sites can trigger spam filters.

2.3. Visual and Text Balance

Instead of using only visuals in your email, try to provide a balanced ratio between text and visuals. Emails containing only visuals are perceived as more suspicious by spam filters. Be sure to fill in the "alt" tags of the visuals. This allows the recipient to know the content of the visual if the visuals cannot be loaded and increases accessibility.

2.4. Clean and Responsive Design

Make sure your emails have a clean, organized, and responsive design. Complex and cluttered designs can trigger spam filters. Make sure your emails are displayed correctly on different devices (desktop, tablet, mobile).

3. List Management and Subscription Operations

Managing your email list and performing subscription operations correctly is critical to preventing your emails from being marked as spam.

3.1. Double Opt-In

Asking new subscribers to verify their email addresses helps you bypass spam filters. Double opt-in requires the user to confirm their subscription by clicking on a verification email sent to them after entering their email address. This verifies that the email address actually belongs to the user and that the subscription request was made intentionally.

3.2. Easy Unsubscription

Making it easy for subscribers to unsubscribe from your email list not only is a legal requirement but also reduces your spam marking rate. Clearly state the unsubscribe link in your emails and make the unsubscribe process simple and fast.

3.3. List Cleaning

Regularly clean your email list and remove invalid, inactive, or spam trap email addresses from the list. This helps you protect your sender reputation and helps your emails reach more people.

4. Feedback Loops

Email service providers (ESPs) offer feedback loops (FBLs) that notify you if subscribers mark your emails as spam. Signing up for FBLs helps you improve your email marketing strategy and reduce the number of emails marked as spam.

FBLs allow you to identify the sources of emails marked as spam and resolve these issues. For example, if you notice that a particular campaign has a high spam marking rate, you can review the campaign's content, target audience, or sending time.

Conclusion and Summary

Preventing emails from ending up in the spam folder is a process that requires constant attention and care. By implementing the best practices mentioned in this article, such as domain authentication, email content optimization, list management, and feedback loops, you can improve your email sender reputation and significantly increase the likelihood that your emails will reach the recipient's inbox.

Remember, the key to success in email marketing is to provide recipients with valuable and engaging content, comply with legal requirements, and continuously monitor and improve performance.