Summary
Emails from new domains frequently land in the spam folder, even with low sending volumes, primarily because they lack an established sender reputation and a consistent sending history. Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, and email filters are inherently suspicious of new domains due to their common use by spammers. Without a proven track record, these domains appear untrustworthy, and low sending volumes do not quickly build the necessary positive history. This absence of trust leads filters to err on the side of caution, routing emails to spam. A proper domain warm-up process, involving gradual increases in sending volume to engaged recipients and correct email authentication, is crucial to overcome this initial suspicion and build the necessary sender reputation for inbox delivery.
Key findings
- Lack of Reputation: New domains inherently lack an established sender reputation or history, starting with a neutral or even slightly negative trust score with Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
- ISP Suspicion: Mailbox providers and email filters are highly suspicious of new domains, as spammers frequently exploit them to circumvent anti-spam defenses. This leads to increased scrutiny regardless of sending volume.
- Insufficient Sending History: Low sending volumes on a new domain do not quickly build the consistent sending history crucial for establishing trust. This can make the sending patterns appear like testing or single-shot spam campaigns.
- Default to Spam: Without a proven track record of sending legitimate email, filters often err on the side of caution, routing even low-volume emails from new domains directly to the spam folder by default.
- Absence of Trust: ISPs use historical data to determine trustworthiness. New domains lack this data, leading to a high likelihood of being flagged as suspicious until their legitimacy is proven through consistent, good sending behavior.
Key considerations
- Domain Warm-Up: A gradual and consistent 'warm-up' process is essential for new domains to build a positive sender reputation and demonstrate legitimate sending patterns to Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This involves slowly increasing sending volume to engaged recipients.
- Start with Engaged Users: Begin the warm-up by sending emails to highly engaged recipients, such as existing customers, to generate positive engagement signals and avoid early negative feedback.
- Email Authentication: Implementing fundamental email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly from day one is critical, as these are vital trust signals for receiving servers and can significantly impact deliverability for new domains.
- Template Irrelevance: The design or content of email templates is almost never the direct cause of emails from new domains going to spam. The issue primarily stems from the lack of sender reputation and history.
- Longer Process: It is generally harder and takes more time to establish a positive reputation for a brand new domain compared to rehabilitating an older domain that previously had deliverability issues.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
New domains often encounter deliverability issues, with their emails being sent to spam folders, even when sending at minimal volumes. The primary reason for this is the absence of an established sender reputation and a verifiable sending history. Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, view new domains with skepticism, as they are frequently exploited by malicious actors. Without a track record of sending legitimate mail, these domains lack the trust signals necessary for inbox placement, and low sending volumes do not suffice to quickly build this crucial reputation. This leads email filters to err on the side of caution, routing unproven senders' mail to spam. Implementing a strategic domain warm-up, involving a measured increase in sending volume to engaged contacts, is essential for proving legitimacy and securing inbox delivery.
Key opinions
- Reputation Deficit: New domains begin with a neutral or low trust score because they have no prior sending history, making them immediately suspicious to ISPs.
- ISP Caution: Internet Service Providers are inherently wary of new domains, often flagging them as potential spam sources due to their frequent misuse by malicious actors.
- Volume Ineffectiveness: Sending at low volumes does not quickly establish the necessary positive reputation, as it fails to provide enough consistent data for ISPs to assess legitimacy effectively.
- Spam by Default: In the absence of a proven positive sending history, mail servers often default to routing emails from new domains to the spam folder, even for minimal sends.
- Trust Gap: The lack of historical data means new domains cannot demonstrate trustworthiness, leading filters to be highly cautious until a legitimate pattern of sending is observed and trust is gradually built.
Key considerations
- Gradual Warm-up: A systematic domain and IP warm-up process is critical, involving a slow, controlled increase in sending volume to build a positive sender reputation with Internet Service Providers.
- Recipient Engagement: Prioritize sending to highly engaged subscribers during the warm-up phase to generate positive interactions and signal legitimacy to ISPs, which helps improve trust.
- Patience Required: Establishing trust and improving deliverability for new domains is a gradual process that requires patience and consistent good sending practices over time.
- Authentication Basis: Ensure all necessary email authentication protocols, such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, are correctly configured from the outset, as these are fundamental trust signals for receiving servers.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that when sending at low volume, a new domain's reputation will not improve quickly, contributing to deliverability issues.
29 Oct 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailgun explains that new domains lack a "sender reputation," which is the trust score assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Without this established trust, even low-volume sends are flagged as suspicious because the domain has no proven history of sending legitimate email.
13 Nov 2022 - Mailgun Blog
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Even with minimal sending, emails from new domains frequently end up in spam folders due to an absence of established trust and a lack of sending history. Mailbox providers are highly cautious of unknown senders and new domains, as these are often exploited by spammers to bypass filters. This inherent suspicion means that without a proper warm-up process to demonstrate legitimacy and build a positive reputation, low sending volumes paradoxically make new domains appear more suspicious, as they fail to generate sufficient positive engagement data quickly enough to counteract initial skepticism.
Key opinions
- Initial Reputation: New domains start with no established reputation, a neutral state that can quickly become negative in the absence of positive sending signals.
- Mailbox Provider Wariness: Mailbox providers are inherently wary of new domains because spammers frequently use them for fraudulent or deceptive campaigns, leading to immediate suspicion.
- Low Volume Perception: Low sending volumes from new domains struggle to generate sufficient positive engagement data, making them appear suspicious, resembling single-shot spam campaigns or testing.
- Automated Spam Routing: Due to the absence of established trust and a clear sending history, even legitimate low-volume emails from new domains can be automatically flagged as spam.
- Difficulty Building Trust: It is challenging for new domains to quickly build the necessary trust with mailbox providers without a proper warm-up, as spammers' tactics lead to heightened scrutiny.
Key considerations
- Warm-Up Necessity: A robust domain warm-up process is non-negotiable for new domains to overcome initial suspicion and build the positive reputation required for inbox delivery.
- Audience Selection: Initiate the warm-up by sending to your most engaged audience, such as existing customers, to immediately generate positive interaction signals.
- Domain Rehabilitation vs. New: It is often more challenging and time-consuming to establish a reputation for a brand new domain than to improve the deliverability of an older, previously used domain.
- Content Is Not the Problem: The email template design or content itself is rarely the reason for deliverability issues with new domains; the core problem lies with the sender's unproven reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that a brand new domain will inherently have a bad reputation, especially when combined with a low sending volume which can appear like testing. She clarifies that email templates are almost never the cause for mail going to spam and emphasizes that new domains will not reach the inbox without a proper warm-up process. She advises starting to warm mail to actual customers and notes that it's harder to launch a new domain than to rehabilitate an old one.
19 Apr 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that new senders, whether using new domains or IPs, initially lack a reputation. Mailbox providers are cautious and suspicious of unknown senders because spammers frequently exploit new domains and IPs to circumvent filters. This inherent suspicion means even legitimate, low-volume emails from new domains can be flagged as spam due to the absence of established trust and the associated risk of unproven senders.
24 May 2024 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
New domains, even when sending at minimal volumes, often find their emails routed to spam. This widespread issue stems from their inherent lack of an established sender reputation and a consistent sending history, factors that major email providers and security organizations, including Google, Microsoft, and Cisco Talos, heavily weigh. Their systems are designed to be suspicious of unproven domains. Furthermore, as emphasized by DMARC providers like Valimail, the absence of properly configured email authentication protocols, such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, from the outset significantly amplifies this problem, depriving new domains of essential trust signals required for inbox delivery.
Key findings
- Sender History Deficit: New domains inherently lack the consistent sending history that Google Postmaster Tools and other major email providers deem crucial for establishing a positive sender reputation.
- ISP Suspicion Amplified: Systems like Microsoft's Exchange Online Protection (EOP) and Cisco Talos Intelligence are designed to apply higher scrutiny to new domains due to their lack of established reputation, leading to increased likelihood of spam filtering.
- Reputation Scoring Factors: Leading threat intelligence, such as Cisco Talos, explicitly incorporates factors like domain age and history into their reputation scoring, making new domains appear less trustworthy by default.
- Authentication Imperative: As highlighted by DMARC providers like Valimail, new domains are highly susceptible to spam filters if fundamental email authentication protocols, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, are not correctly implemented from day one, regardless of sending volume.
Key considerations
- Establish History Gradually: Building a consistent sending history is paramount for new domains to overcome initial suspicion from major email filters and to satisfy reputation requirements.
- Prioritize Authentication: Implementing and verifying SPF, DKIM, and DMARC immediately upon domain setup is non-negotiable for new domains to establish critical trust signals with receiving servers.
- Understand Filter Logic: Recognize that major email providers like Google and Microsoft, alongside security organizations such as Cisco Talos, prioritize established sender reputation and domain history, viewing new domains as inherently risky until proven legitimate.
- Strategic Warm-Up: A strategic domain warm-up process is essential to systematically build the positive history and reputation that sophisticated filter systems require, directly addressing their skepticism towards unproven senders.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that a consistent sending history is crucial for establishing a positive sender reputation. New domains inherently lack this history, making them appear suspicious to Google's filters, which can lead to emails, even at low volumes, being flagged as spam.
27 Mar 2023 - Google Postmaster Tools
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft's Exchange Online Protection (EOP) overview indicates that their anti-spam protection relies heavily on sender reputation. New domains have no established reputation, leading to higher scrutiny and potential filtering until consistent, legitimate sending patterns are observed.
30 Mar 2025 - Microsoft 365 Defender
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