Why are my emails going to the promotions tab in Gmail? - Knowledge Base

Summary

Sudden spikes in Google Postmaster Tools spam rates are multifaceted, reflecting a complex interplay of factors impacting email deliverability. These include a declining sender reputation potentially leading to bulk foldering, Google's refined spam rate calculations focusing on 'active users,' which amplifies the impact of inactive subscribers, changes in sending practices, problematic content, inadequate email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), poor IP reputation, and neglecting list hygiene. Email marketers should continuously monitor their sending practices, prioritize email authentication, maintain stringent list hygiene by removing unengaged users, and ensure that their email content is not triggering spam filters.

Key findings

Reputation Decline: Spam rate spikes often signal a pre-existing decline in sender reputation, culminating in bulk foldering by Gmail.
Active User Emphasis: Google's spam rate calculation prioritizes active users, magnifying the impact of sending to inactive or unengaged recipients.
Authentication Importance: Proper email authentication through SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial to prevent sender spoofing and improve deliverability.
List Hygiene Impact: Poor list hygiene, including sending to unengaged or outdated email addresses, significantly contributes to elevated spam rates.
Content Triggers: Specific keywords, formatting issues, and suspicious links within email content can inadvertently trigger spam filters.

Key considerations

Investigate Changes: Thoroughly examine any recent modifications in sending practices, content creation, or list management to pinpoint potential causes.
Prioritize Active Users: Shift focus toward engaging active subscribers and actively removing inactive recipients to improve deliverability metrics.
Monitor Performance: Continuously monitor feedback loops, unsubscribe rates, and Google Postmaster Tools data to identify emerging issues.
Maintain List Hygiene: Implement consistent list cleaning practices, including identifying and removing unengaged or invalid email addresses.
Test and Refine Content: Utilize spam filter testing tools to assess email content and refine language, formatting, and links to minimize the risk of triggering filters.

What email marketers say

9 marketer opinions

Sudden spikes in Google Postmaster Tools spam rates can stem from various factors. These include changes in sending practices, content, or recipient lists; list hygiene issues such as sending to unengaged addresses; poor IP reputation; missing email authentication; spammy content; purchased lists; and other factors. Addressing these issues requires continuous monitoring, list cleaning, email authentication, content review, and deliverability testing.

Key opinions

List Hygiene: Sending to old or unengaged addresses is a major contributor to spam complaints. Regular list cleaning is essential.
Content Triggers: Changes in email content, including keywords, formatting, and links, can trigger spam filters.
Email Authentication: Missing or incorrect SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records can negatively impact deliverability.
IP Reputation: A poor IP reputation can lead to increased spam rates. Monitoring and improving IP reputation are crucial.
Sudden Changes: Spikes often correlate with changes in sending frequency, volume, or the introduction of new recipient segments.

Key considerations

List Segmentation: Segment lists to send relevant content to specific groups, increasing engagement.
Deliverability Testing: Regular testing helps identify and address deliverability issues before they impact your sending reputation.
Avoid Purchased Lists: Never use purchased email lists, as they lead to high bounce rates, spam complaints, and damage to sender reputation.
Monitor Feedback Loops: Actively monitor feedback loops and unsubscribe rates to identify and address issues proactively.
Review Sending Practices: Evaluate recent changes in sending frequency, volume, and recipient demographics to identify potential causes of spam rate spikes.

Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange answers that poor IP reputation can lead to deliverability issues, including increased spam rates. They recommend monitoring IP reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and working with your ESP to improve it.

24 May 2023 - StackExchange

Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that you should improve your sender reputation by consistently authenticating emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), segmenting lists to send relevant content, and regularly cleaning your email list to remove unengaged recipients.

6 Sep 2024 - Mailjet

What the experts say

5 expert opinions

Sudden spikes in Google Postmaster Tools spam rates are often indicative of underlying deliverability issues. Factors contributing to these spikes include a declining sender reputation leading to bulk foldering, changes in how Google calculates spam rates focusing on active users, which exposes issues with inactive users on your list. The spikes are also associated with shifts in sending practices, problematic content, poor list hygiene, and low user engagement. It is important to note that Google doesn't publish a hard complaint rate threshold; the metrics are about reporting and overall reputation.

Key opinions

Declining Reputation: Spam spikes are often a late indicator of a longer-term decline in sender reputation.
Active User Calculation: Google's spam rate calculation now heavily emphasizes 'active users,' highlighting deliverability issues to inactive addresses.
Lack of Threshold: Google doesn't publish a specific complaint threshold, meaning the focus should be on overall reputation rather than a specific number.
Engagement Signals: Low user engagement, such as infrequent opens and clicks, negatively impacts deliverability.
List Hygiene: Poor list hygiene and sending to unengaged users contribute to spam complaints.

Key considerations

Investigate Changes: Investigate recent changes in sending practices, content providers, and links.
Target Active Users: Focus on targeting and engaging active users and removing inactive ones from your lists.
Monitor Feedback Loops: Monitor feedback loops and investigate any changes that might cause increased complaints.
Improve List Hygiene: Implement robust list hygiene practices to remove inactive users and maintain a healthy sender reputation.
Enhance Engagement: Prioritize user engagement through relevant content and personalized communication to keep users active and reduce spam complaints.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks clarifies that Gmail doesn't publish a complaint threshold and the change is in how they are reporting data, not a change in how they internally measure reputation. The expert also mentions how people are making statements about acceptable complaint rates and that 0.3% is the rate where deliverability issues start, rather than a hard-and-fast threshold.

11 Jun 2021 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks, supported by marketer from Email Geeks, believes the Google Postmaster Tools spam rate calculation change involves 'active users,' meaning the spam rate is now calculated based on users who have actively engaged with their Gmail mailbox recently. The spike would indicate that the target contains too many inactive users.

14 Jul 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says

4 technical articles

The documentation highlights key aspects of email deliverability and security. Google defines spam rate as the percentage of user-marked spam emails divided by the total inbox deliveries, emphasizing its impact on sender reputation. SPF records are crucial for authenticating authorized mail servers, preventing 'From' address forgery. DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM, enabling senders to specify handling policies for authentication failures. Microsoft's SNDS offers data on IP addresses and associated complaints, assisting in identifying and resolving deliverability issues. These technologies are designed to work together to improve email deliverability and trust.

Key findings

Spam Rate Definition: Spam rate directly impacts sender reputation and deliverability, defined as user-reported spam divided by inbox deliveries.
SPF Authentication: SPF records authorize mail servers, preventing 'From' address spoofing.
DMARC Policy: DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM, allowing senders to specify policies for handling authentication failures.
SNDS Monitoring: Microsoft's SNDS provides data on IP address complaints, aiding in deliverability issue identification.

Key considerations

Implement SPF: Create and maintain accurate SPF records to authorize sending mail servers.
Implement DMARC: Deploy DMARC policies with appropriate handling instructions for authentication failures.
Monitor SNDS: Regularly monitor SNDS for complaint data related to your IP addresses.
Reduce Spam Rate: Actively work to reduce the spam rate by implementing email best practices like list hygiene and relevant content.
Authenticate Email: Implement comprehensive email authentication including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Technical article

Documentation from Google Support explains that the spam rate is the percentage of emails marked as spam by users, divided by the number of emails sent to the inbox. A high spam rate can negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability.

23 Jul 2023 - Google Support

Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft answers that the SNDS (Smart Network Data Services) program provides data about your sending IP address and the volume of complaints associated with it. Monitoring SNDS can help identify and address deliverability problems.

22 May 2024 - Microsoft