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Why Google Workspace and Microsoft Exchange Email messages being marked as Spam when sending ?
When using Gmail, it is possible for your message to end up in the recipient's spam or junk folder, or even be held in quarantine by a third-party message security service. There are many reasons for this, including sender spoofing, mass emails, someone flagging messages as spam, using an IP address to spam, content that triggers AI spam filters, or if the domain is blacklisted.
Google and other email providers rely on shared IPs for their service. This means that several tenants occupy individual suites within a single office building. While each tenant has their own private and secure office, they share the same street address. Unfortunately, spam filters typically look at the IP address first. So, if even one other account on the same IP is sending spammy emails, it can get the entire IP on a blacklist, which negatively impacts everyone's email sending reputation.
To make matters more complex, GSuite rotates IPs, meaning that your IP address will change periodically. So, you could have a good one for a while, then a bad one, and then a good one again. However, GSuite typically does not give completely trashed IPs.
This setup makes it more likely that any blacklist issues are due to the IP address. For the domain itself to be blacklisted, it is likely that the sender has engaged in spamming or cold-emailing.
There are several factors that can trigger spam filters and cause emails to be flagged as spam, including poor IP or domain reputation, the email's content containing spam trigger words, poor HTML coding, broken links or missing images, high volume of emails sent in a short period, unsubscribed requests, and failure to authenticate the sender's email address or domain.
To avoid having your emails end up in the spam folder, it is crucial to follow email best practices, use a reputable email service provider, and ensure that your email content is relevant and valuable to the recipient.
More Reasons for Spam Classification
More Reasons for Spam Classification
Lack of Engagement: Low open rates and minimal clicks can suggest emailing providers that your content isn't interesting to recipients, potentially leading to spam classification.
Purchased Email Lists: Using bought lists often leads to high bounce rates and spam complaints as recipients don't recognize your brand or didn't opt in.
Inconsistent Sending Frequency: Sending emails sporadically can make it difficult for spam filters to build trust in your sending patterns.
Best Practices to Improve Deliverability
Warm-Up Your IP Address: For new domains/IPs, gradually increase your sending volume to build a positive reputation.
Segment Your Email List: Target email recipients with content relevant to their interests to increase engagement and reduce spam complaints.
Implement Double Opt-In: This practice ensures subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails.
Monitor Email Metrics: Track open rates, click-throughs, bounces, and spam complaints. Address any issues promptly.
Use a Preference Center: Allow users to choose the types of emails and frequency they want to receive.
Further Technical Considerations
Reverse DNS Lookup (PTR Record): Ensure your sending IP address has a corresponding PTR record for better authentication.
Feedback Loops (FBLs): Sign up for FBLs with major email providers to receive notifications when users mark your emails as spam. Analyze this data to make improvements.
Content Optimization
Personalize Your Emails: Use the recipient's name and tailor content based on their preferences.
Provide Value: Ensure your emails offer something valuable to the recipient, not just sales pitches.
Test and Monitor: A/B test different subject lines, content, and send times to determine what boosts engagement.
Additional Tips
Consider a dedicated IP address: This can be helpful for high-volume senders seeking further control over their reputation.
Explore third-party email deliverability tools: These can help diagnose and solve problems related to spam classification.
Remember: Building a strong sending reputation and ensuring your emails are wanted by recipients is a continuous process.
By addressing these points, your blog post will provide an even more thorough guide on how to prevent Google Workspace and Microsoft Exchange emails from being classified as spam and improve overall email deliverability.
Your sending IP has a bad reputation
Your email isn’t properly authenticated
Your domain has a bad reputation
Your recipients marked your emails as spam
Your recipient's email server treat your emails as spam
You're sending suspicious attachments (Some time Google / MS also block some containtent)
Your don’t keep a clean email list
Your Subject Lines Are Misleading
Your forms are being abused
You don’t have a working reply-to address set up
Your emails don’t have a plain-text version
You're using link shorteners
You use open URLs
Your content triggers spam filters
You're using sloppy HTML || You’re Not Following HTML Best Practices
You're doing Marketing messages. This type of spam peddles unsolicited or illegal products or services.
You Don’t Include an Unsubscribe Link
You’re Sending Too Many Attachments
Below Record Need to Properly Setup
Below Record Need to Properly Setup
MX Records (Mail Exchange)
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
DKIM (Domain keys Identified Mail) | DMARC is the key to improving Email Deliverability.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)
Below Record Need to Properly Setup
Below Record Need to Properly Setup
MX Records (Mail Exchange)
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
DKIM (Domain keys Identified Mail) | DMARC is the key to improving Email Deliverability.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)
More Reasons for Spam Classification
Lack of Engagement: Low open rates and minimal clicks can suggest to email providers that your content isn't interesting to recipients, potentially leading to spam classification.
Purchased Email Lists: Using bought lists often leads to high bounce rates and spam complaints as recipients don't recognize your brand or didn't opt in.
Inconsistent Sending Frequency: Sending emails sporadically can make it difficult for spam filters to build trust in your sending patterns.
Best Practices to Improve Deliverability
Warm-Up Your IP Address: For new domains/IPs, gradually increase your sending volume to build a positive reputation.
Segment Your Email List: Target email recipients with content relevant to their interests to increase engagement and reduce spam complaints.
Implement Double Opt-In: This practice ensures subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails.
Monitor Email Metrics: Track open rates, click-throughs, bounces, and spam complaints. Address any issues promptly.
Use a Preference Center: Allow users to choose the types of emails and frequency they want to receive.
Further Technical Considerations
Reverse DNS Lookup (PTR Record): Ensure your sending IP address has a corresponding PTR record for better authentication.
Feedback Loops (FBLs): Sign up for FBLs with major email providers to receive notifications when users mark your emails as spam. Analyze this data to make improvements.
Content Optimization
Personalize Your Emails: Use the recipient's name and tailor content based on their preferences.
Provide Value: Ensure your emails offer something valuable to the recipient, not just sales pitches.
Test and Monitor: A/B test different subject lines, content, and send times to determine what boosts engagement.
Additional Tips
Consider a dedicated IP address: This can be helpful for high-volume senders seeking further control over their reputation.
Explore third-party email deliverability tools: These can help diagnose and solve problems related to spam classification.
Understanding SEM FRESH: A Layman's Guide to Keeping Your Emails Out of Spam Folders
Understanding SEM FRESH: A Layman's Guide to Keeping Your Emails Out of Spam Folders
SEM FRESH is a Right-hand Side Blacklist (RHSBL) maintained by Spam Eating Monkey (SEM), an anti-spam tool. It focuses on identifying newly registered domains that are often used for sending spam or unsolicited bulk email (UBE). Here's a breakdown of how SEM FRESH works and why it's important:
Monitoring New Domains: SEM FRESH constantly scans for newly registered domain names.
Tracking Spam Activity: It analyzes the sending patterns of these new domains, looking for characteristics such as high volume, low engagement, or content that triggers spam filters.
Adding to Blacklist: Domains engaging in suspicious behavior are added to the SEM FRESH blacklist.
Integration with Email Systems: Email providers and spam filtering tools often incorporate the SEM FRESH blacklist into their checks. Emails coming from blacklisted domains are more likely to be marked as spam.
Why SEM FRESH Matters:
Avoiding the Blacklist: If you frequently use newly registered domains for email campaigns, being listed on SEM FRESH can harm your email deliverability.
Proactive Defense: Understanding how SEM FRESH works can help you implement practices to avoid being blacklisted.
Tips to Stay Off the SEM FRESH Blacklist:
Use Aged Domains: Prefer established domains with good reputations for email marketing whenever possible.
Warm-Up New Domains: If you must use a new domain, gradually build its reputation by starting with small email batches and focusing on high engagement.
Quality Content: Ensure your emails provide value, are relevant, and comply with best practices.
Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for all your sending domains to enhance email authentication and security.
Additional Notes:
Dynamic Nature: The SEM FRESH blacklist is regularly updated, with domains being added or removed based on their behavior.
Checking Tools: Utilize resources like MXToolbox to verify if your domain is listed on SEM FRESH or other blacklists.
In summary, SEM FRESH serves as a tool to identify and block spammy behavior from newly registered domains, and understanding its workings and implications can help email marketers maintain good deliverability rates.
More
More
1. Authentication and Reputation
1. Authentication and Reputation
Authentication: Ensure that your domain has proper authentication set up, such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). This helps email providers like Gmail verify that emails coming from your domain are legitimate and not spoofed.
Sender Reputation: Your sending reputation plays a crucial role in email deliverability. If you're sending a large volume of emails and a significant portion are marked as spam or are not engaged with, it can impact your reputation negatively. Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your sender reputation.
2. Content and Engagement
2. Content and Engagement
Content Quality: Ensure your emails have relevant and engaging content. Avoid using spammy or deceptive subject lines, and make sure the body of the email provides value to the recipients.
Segmentation and Targeting: Sending relevant content to targeted segments of your audience can improve engagement rates. Use tools within apollo.io or G Suite to segment your email lists based on demographics, interests, or engagement history.
3. Compliance and Best Practices
3. Compliance and Best Practices
GDPR and CAN-SPAM Compliance: Make sure you are compliant with email marketing regulations such as GDPR (if applicable) and CAN-SPAM. Provide clear unsubscribe options and honor opt-out requests promptly.
Frequency: Sending too many emails too frequently can lead to recipients marking them as spam. Consider adjusting your email sending frequency based on engagement metrics.
4. Technical Setup
4. Technical Setup
Deliverability Testing: Use tools like GlockApps or SendGrid's email testing tools to analyze the deliverability of your emails and identify potential issues.
IP Reputation: If you're using a dedicated IP address for sending emails, monitor its reputation. Shared IP addresses can sometimes suffer from the actions of other senders.
5. Monitoring and Adjustments
5. Monitoring and Adjustments
Analytics: Regularly monitor email analytics to understand open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints. Use this data to refine your email marketing strategy.
Feedback Loops: Set up feedback loops with major email providers like Gmail to receive notifications when users mark your emails as spam. Use this feedback to clean your email list and improve engagement.
Summary
Summary
Improving email deliverability involves a combination of technical setup, content quality, compliance with regulations, and maintaining a good sender reputation. By focusing on these areas and continuously monitoring and adjusting your email marketing strategy, you can improve your email deliverability and engagement rates when sending through G Suite and apollo.io.
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