Why do emails from a shared domain from Klaviyo go to spam for Google Workspace but not personal Gmail accounts?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 10 Jun 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
9 min read
It's a perplexing scenario many email marketers encounter: emails sent from a shared domain via a platform like Klaviyo land in the inbox for personal Gmail accounts, yet consistently go to spam for Google Workspace users. This isn't just a minor glitch, it's a significant roadblock for outreach and essential communications, particularly when you consider Google's recent push for stricter sender requirements.
The common assumption might be that personal accounts would be more sensitive to spam, especially with new rules in effect, but the reality for Google Workspace users can be quite different. It appears to be the opposite of what many anticipate, leading to confusion and frustration for those trying to maintain high deliverability.
This discrepancy isn't random. It points to fundamental differences in how Google's various mail platforms assess incoming email. While personal Gmail focuses on individual user engagement and broad spam detection, Google Workspace often employs more rigorous, enterprise-grade filtering tailored for business environments.
Understanding these underlying mechanisms is key to diagnosing and resolving such deliverability issues, ensuring your important messages reach their intended recipients, whether it's a personal inbox or a corporate Google Workspace account.
Understanding Google's filtering nuances
Google operates distinct filtering rules for personal Gmail and Google Workspace accounts. These differences are akin to the varied filtering seen between Outlook.com and Office 365, where business environments typically implement more robust and conservative filtering. This means an email that sails through a personal inbox might get flagged in a more secure corporate setting.
Google Workspace administrators often configure stricter security policies, including more aggressive spam filtering, content-based rules, and even customized blocklists (or blacklists). These settings are designed to protect organizational networks from phishing, malware, and unwanted solicitations. Personal Gmail accounts, on the other hand, prioritize user experience, often allowing more leeway for marketing and promotional content, as long as basic authentication checks pass.
This difference can lead to situations where even minor issues, such as a missing DMARC record or a shared IP with a slightly compromised reputation, can trigger a spam flag in Google Workspace, while a personal Gmail account might overlook it or apply a less severe filter. It's not necessarily about Google Workspace being "more strict" globally, but rather applying different filtering criteria tailored to business needs.
The timing of changes can also seem coincidental, as Google is continuously updating its filtering algorithms. What inboxed yesterday might go to spam today due to an unseen tweak in the system's assessment of sender legitimacy. This continuous evolution means that deliverability is a dynamic challenge, not a static one.
Personal Gmail filtering
User-centric: Leverages individual user interactions like opening, replying, and marking as not spam.
Broader tolerance: May allow more marketing or promotional content, as long as basic authentication is present.
Less strict content analysis: Filters are generally less aggressive on content compared to business accounts.
Google Workspace filtering
Enterprise-grade security: Stricter policies for corporate data protection and compliance.
Higher authentication standards: More likely to block emails that lack complete SPF, DKIM, and DMARC alignment.
Advanced content analysis: Aggressively scans for phishing, malware, and unsolicited content.
The role of email authentication
Email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are fundamental to ensuring your emails reach the inbox. They verify that an email is legitimate and hasn't been tampered with in transit. Without proper authentication, an email, regardless of its content or sender, is immediately suspicious to receiving servers. This is particularly true for Google's updated sender requirements.
The fact that Klaviyo emails from a shared domain are going to spam for Google Workspace (and not personal Gmail) when DMARC is not in place is a strong indicator of this. While platforms like Klaviyo will handle SPF and DKIM for their shared domains, the lack of DMARC means there's no policy to tell receiving mail servers what to do with unauthenticated emails.
Google Workspace often interprets the absence of DMARC, especially when combined with a shared sending domain (which can have a fluctuating reputation), as a sign of potential risk. This results in messages being filtered to spam, even if the sending volume is low or the content is benign. The new Google and Yahoo requirements explicitly state a need for a DMARC policy for bulk senders.
While there's a slow acceleration of DMARC enforcement, many organizations have already implemented stricter DMARC policies on their end, contributing to emails being filtered. This means that a properly configured DMARC record isn't just a recommendation anymore, it's becoming a prerequisite for reliable inbox placement, especially when dealing with discerning corporate inboxes.
Shared domains and reputation
Using a shared sending domain, common with many email service providers like Klaviyo, means your sender reputation is intertwined with other users sharing that same domain or IP address. If other senders on the same infrastructure engage in problematic sending habits, such as sending to outdated lists, generating high spam complaints, or getting listed on a blocklist (or blacklist), your deliverability can be negatively affected, even if your own practices are pristine.
This shared reputation can be particularly volatile, impacting your ability to reach inboxes consistently. While some shared IPs have excellent reputations due to strict internal policies from the ESP, others can fluctuate, leading to unpredictable inbox placement. It's often the reason why emails from Klaviyo's shared IPs face Gmail deliverability issues.
A dedicated sending domain, on the other hand, gives you complete control over your sender reputation and authentication records. This isolation protects your deliverability from the actions of other senders and allows you to build a consistent, trustworthy reputation with mailbox providers. While it requires a bit more setup, the long-term benefits for inbox placement are substantial.
It's worth noting that recovering from a poor domain reputation can take time. If your domain has been negatively impacted due to shared IP issues or past sending practices, it can take weeks or even months of consistent, good sending to restore trust. This emphasizes the importance of proactive management.
Shared domain
Reputation volatility: Deliverability influenced by other users.
Limited control: You don't manage SPF, DKIM, and DMARC policies directly.
Simpler setup: Less technical configuration required to get started.
Dedicated domain
Full reputation control: Your deliverability depends only on your sending practices.
Complete authentication: Direct management of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
Increased trust: Mailbox providers view dedicated domains more favorably over time.
Key steps for improved deliverability
To improve deliverability for emails sent from a shared Klaviyo domain to Google Workspace accounts, there are several actionable steps you can take. These steps focus on strengthening your sender reputation and ensuring your emails meet the stricter standards of corporate mailboxes.
First, prioritize email authentication. While Klaviyo handles SPF and DKIM for shared domains, it is critical to implement DMARC for your sending domain, especially for platforms where you use your own brand's domain as the 'From' address. A DMARC policy tells receivers how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM, allowing you to explicitly state that unauthenticated messages should be quarantined or rejected. This helps prevent spoofing and builds trust with mailbox providers.
Consider transitioning to a dedicated sending domain if possible. This move gives you full control over your email authentication records, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Having a dedicated domain means your sending reputation is solely yours, isolating you from the potential negative impact of other users on a shared IP address. This is a best practice for serious email marketers aiming for consistent inbox placement.
Finally, monitor your deliverability closely. Utilize tools like Google Postmaster Tools to track your domain's reputation, spam rate, and authentication errors with Gmail and Google Workspace. Addressing any issues promptly, such as high spam complaint rates or blocklist (or blacklist) listings, is crucial for long-term deliverability success. Consistent healthy sending practices will help improve your domain reputation.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always implement DMARC, even with a policy of 'p=none' initially, to gain visibility into your email streams.
If using a shared domain, actively monitor your sending metrics and consider a dedicated domain for critical communications.
Regularly check your domain's reputation using Google Postmaster Tools and other monitoring services.
Common pitfalls
Assuming personal Gmail and Google Workspace have identical filtering rules.
Neglecting DMARC implementation, especially when using third-party sending services.
Underestimating the impact of shared IP reputation on your deliverability.
Expert tips
"Filtering is less aggressive than rejecting, but it still means your emails aren't reaching the inbox." (Email Geeks)
"Properly authenticating email will give you the deliverability you deserve. If you see changes, ask why." (Email Geeks)
"Sending a single email to one recipient isn't an accurate indication of overall sender reputation." (Email Geeks)
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says there are different filtering rules for Gmail and Google Workspaces, similar to the differences between Outlook and Office 365.
2024-02-05 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says filtering differences based on content have been observed between Gmail and Google Workspace for years, just as there have been between Hotmail and Office 365.
2024-02-05 - Email Geeks
Navigating Google's ecosystem
The discrepancy in email deliverability to Google Workspace versus personal Gmail accounts from Klaviyo's shared domains highlights a critical aspect of modern email marketing: the need for robust authentication and a strong, independent sender reputation. As mailbox providers continue to evolve their anti-spam measures, a one-size-fits-all approach to deliverability is no longer effective.
To ensure your emails consistently land in the inbox, especially in more discerning corporate environments, prioritize comprehensive authentication, consider a dedicated sending domain for maximum control, and actively monitor your sender metrics. These proactive steps will help you build and maintain the trust required to navigate Google's complex ecosystem and achieve superior email deliverability.
Gmail and 
Google Workspace accounts. These differences are akin to the varied filtering seen between 
Outlook.com and Office 365, where business environments typically implement more robust and conservative filtering. This means an email that sails through a personal inbox might get flagged in a more secure corporate setting.
Klaviyo will handle SPF and DKIM for their shared domains, the lack of DMARC means there's no policy to tell receiving mail servers what to do with unauthenticated emails.
Google's complex ecosystem and achieve superior email deliverability.
