Does the HTML "lang" attribute affect email deliverability to Gmail?

While including the HTML `lang="es"` attribute is good for accessibility and browser rendering, it has a minimal direct impact on whether an email is flagged as spam. Gmail's algorithms rely more on behavioral and technical signals rather than just the declared language of the content.

How does list quality impact deliverability for different language segments?

List quality significantly impacts deliverability. If the acquisition methods for your Spanish-speaking subscribers were less rigorous (e.g., single opt-in without re-engagement), or if these subscribers are less engaged, it can lead to higher bounce rates, spam complaints, and overall lower sender reputation, causing emails to land in the spam folder.

Can content in Spanish itself be a spam trigger for Gmail?

Yes, content in Spanish can trigger spam filters if it contains phrases or characteristics commonly associated with spam in that language. This includes overly promotional language, suspicious link structures, or poor formatting. It's crucial to ensure your translated content is natural, relevant, and free of any elements that might appear malicious or unwanted.

How can I monitor deliverability for my Spanish emails in Gmail?

You can monitor your Spanish email deliverability using Google Postmaster Tools to track domain and IP reputation, spam rates, and delivery errors. Additionally, perform regular email deliverability tests using your Spanish templates and review engagement metrics (opens, clicks, complaints) specifically for your Spanish-speaking audience segments.

Why are my Spanish language emails being flagged as spam in Gmail? - Troubleshooting - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

Q: Why are my Spanish language emails being flagged as spam?

Gmail's spam filters do not typically block emails based solely on language. Instead, they evaluate a combination of factors, including sender reputation, content quality, subscriber engagement, and technical authentication. If your Spanish emails are flagged, it's often due to issues in one of these areas, which may be more prevalent in your Spanish-language sending streams.

Sending emails in Spanish, especially transactional ones, only to see them consistently flagged as spam in Gmail can be a frustrating experience. It’s natural to wonder if the language itself is the problem, but the reality is often more nuanced than a simple language filter.

Gmail's spam filters are highly sophisticated, evaluating hundreds of signals to determine an email's legitimacy. While content language plays a role in how these algorithms classify messages, it’s usually not the primary reason for deliverability issues. Instead, problems often stem from factors like sender reputation, list quality, and technical misconfigurations. Understanding these underlying causes is key to ensuring your Spanish emails reach the inbox.

How Gmail's spam filters analyze multilingual content

Gmail’s filtering system uses a complex array of checks to identify unwanted mail. This includes analyzing the content for typical spam characteristics, evaluating sender behavior, and verifying authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These filters aren't typically designed to block emails solely based on language.

However, inconsistencies or suspicious patterns within multilingual content can inadvertently raise red flags. For instance, if the declared language of the email (via the HTML `lang` tag) doesn't match the actual content, or if translated content contains phrases commonly associated with spam in that particular language, it could contribute to an email being flagged as a blocklist entry (or blacklist entry). It's worth noting that simply using the `lang="es"` tag will not on its own guarantee inbox placement.

While the HTML `lang` attribute is a good practice for accessibility and proper rendering, its direct impact on spam filtering is generally minimal. Here's an example of how you might set the language in your email's HTML:

HTML Language Tag Examplehtml

<html lang="es">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Su Mensaje Importante</title>
</head>
<body>
    <!-- Contenido del email en español -->
</body>
</html>

The critical role of sender reputation and audience engagement

Your sender reputation is arguably the most critical factor in email deliverability, regardless of the language you're using. If your English emails consistently reach the inbox, but your Spanish ones land in spam, it's a strong indicator that the issue lies in how your Spanish-speaking audience interacts with your mail, or how that specific segment was acquired.

Consider the methods used to build your Spanish-language mailing lists. Were the acquisition practices as rigorous as those for your English lists? Sometimes, to bolster numbers in new markets, list hygiene and consent verification might be relaxed, leading to higher rates of inactive addresses, spam complaints, or even spam traps. These issues will significantly harm your sender reputation.

Even if your Spanish emails are transactional, meaning customers explicitly opted-in, the quality of these lists can vary. Factors like how recently the customer opted in, the channel they used, and their engagement levels with your previous Spanish communications all play a role in their perceived quality by Gmail. Low engagement from a specific segment can negatively impact your overall sender score.

English list acquisition

Double opt-in: Consistent use of double opt-in across all subscription forms.
Engagement monitoring: Regular monitoring of open and click rates, and removal of inactive subscribers.
Source verification: Clear records of where each subscriber originates from.

Spanish list acquisition

Single opt-in: Potentially using single opt-in for faster list growth in new markets.
Less frequent cleanup: Infrequent removal of unengaged subscribers or high bounce rates.
Varying sources: Subscriber acquisition from diverse, potentially less reliable, sources.

Technical configurations and content best practices

Even if your primary domain has strong authentication, ensure that any subdomains or specific sending IPs used for your Spanish campaigns are equally well-configured with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. A common mistake is to overlook these details for language-specific sending streams. Gmail (and other mailbox providers like Google

Yahoo

) pay close attention to the authenticity of your messages. Learn more about email authentication protocols.

Beyond technical setup, the content itself needs scrutiny. While you’re writing in Spanish for your audience, make sure the messaging doesn't inadvertently include phrases or characteristics that spam filters might find suspicious, even if they're perfectly legitimate in context. Also, ensure that all links within your Spanish emails lead to relevant, reputable Spanish-language pages and that the root sending domain remains consistent with your English campaigns to consolidate your domain reputation.

Content best practices for Spanish emails

Cultural relevance: Ensure your Spanish content is culturally appropriate and avoids potential misunderstandings.
Avoid spam triggers: Be mindful of keywords or phrases that could be misinterpreted as spam, even when translated.
Clear calls to action: Use clear, concise language for calls to action, preventing any ambiguity.
Reputable links: Link only to trusted domains and ensure no broken or suspicious links.

Monitoring and diagnosis for multilingual email programs

To effectively troubleshoot why your Spanish emails are being flagged as spam, you need to leverage monitoring tools. Google Postmaster Tools

offers invaluable insights into your domain and IP reputation, spam rates, and delivery errors. Look for any discrepancies between your English and Spanish sending streams, particularly in spam complaint rates or domain reputation metrics.

Regularly run email deliverability tests specifically for your Spanish email templates before sending to a large audience. These tests can often highlight issues like broken links, poor HTML, or common spam triggers that might be overlooked. Pay close attention to why Gmail sends mail to spam folders in general.

Symptom	Possible cause	Troubleshooting step
High spam rate for Spanish emails in Gmail Postmaster Tools.	Poor list quality or low engagement from Spanish subscribers.	Review acquisition methods, segment engaged users, remove inactive subscribers.
Emails are reaching some inboxes, but not all.	Inconsistent authentication or content flags for certain ISPs.	Verify SPF, DKIM, DMARC for all sending IPs and check content with a spam checker.
Sudden drop in Spanish email deliverability for transactional messages.	Recent changes to sending platform or domain reputation issues.	Check recent sending volume changes and review transactional email deliverability specifically.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Always use double opt-in for all language-specific lists to confirm explicit consent.

Regularly monitor engagement metrics (opens, clicks) for your Spanish-speaking segments.

Ensure all technical authentication, like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, is correctly configured.

Test your Spanish email templates for potential spam triggers before sending large campaigns.

Common pitfalls

Relaxing list acquisition standards for non-primary language segments.

Failing to clean inactive or unengaged subscribers from Spanish lists.

Ignoring domain or IP reputation issues specific to your Spanish sending streams.

Using generic translated content without considering cultural nuances or specific spam triggers.

Expert tips

If possible, segment your Google Postmaster Tools data by language or sending stream to pinpoint issues.

Conduct A/B tests on subject lines and email content in Spanish to see what resonates best with your audience.

Pay close attention to bounce rates, complaint rates, and unsubscribe rates for your Spanish campaigns.

Continuously educate your team on best practices for international email deliverability.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says: We've noticed that Spanish language emails are increasingly being flagged as spam in Gmail, which has been a recent trend for us even after a bug fix that mislabeled some emails.

July 10, 2020 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says: Our Spanish emails are transactional, so the customer specifically opted in for Spanish content, which makes us confident about the list quality on that front.

July 13, 2020 - Email Geeks

Ensuring your Spanish emails reach the inbox

While it might seem that language itself is the problem, Gmail's spam filters are rarely that simplistic. The core of email deliverability, whether in Spanish or any other language, hinges on strong sender reputation, a clean and engaged subscriber list, and robust technical authentication.

By focusing on maintaining high list quality for your Spanish segments, ensuring consistent technical configurations, and closely monitoring your deliverability metrics, you can significantly improve the chances of your Spanish language emails reaching their intended recipients' inboxes and avoid issues like Gmail flagging messages as suspicious.