Gmail's spam filters are influenced by several factors, including sender reputation, authentication methods, content quality, and recipient engagement. A poor sender reputation, often resulting from shared IPs or sending unsolicited emails, is a major cause. Proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is critical to verify sender identity and prevent spoofing. Content quality also plays a role; using spam trigger words or poor formatting can lead to emails being flagged as spam. Recipient engagement, as measured by open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints, significantly impacts deliverability. Maintaining a clean and engaged email list helps to reduce spam complaints and improve sender reputation. Furthermore, Google recommends ensuring a valid reverse DNS record, keeping spam rates low (monitored via Postmaster Tools), and avoiding unwanted mail. Monitoring Enhanced Status Codes (ETR) and Non-Delivery Reports (NDR) can also provide insights into delivery problems.
10 marketer opinions
Gmail sends emails to spam due to several factors, primarily related to sender reputation, authentication, content, and engagement. A poor sender reputation, often stemming from shared IP addresses or sending unsolicited emails, is a major cause. Lack of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) makes it difficult for Gmail to verify the sender's legitimacy, increasing the likelihood of spam filtering. Spam trigger words and poor content quality also contribute. Low engagement rates, high spam complaint rates, and sending to inactive subscribers further damage deliverability. To improve inbox placement, strategies include warming up IP addresses, cleaning email lists, personalizing content, monitoring sender reputation, and following Gmail's best practices.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that using a free email address, sending emails from a dynamic IP, or not having proper authentication records can cause emails to go to spam. They advise using a professional email address and configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
12 Aug 2022 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that reasons for emails landing in spam include a poor sender reputation, spam trigger words in the content, a high spam complaint rate, and missing or incorrect authentication records.
1 Feb 2025 - Mailjet
5 expert opinions
Gmail's spam filtering can affect sent emails, and although some issues might not directly impact email marketing, factors like content, authentication, and list hygiene play a significant role. Using certain phrases or formatting can trigger spam filters. Proper authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for verifying your identity as a sender. Maintaining a clean and engaged email list helps to avoid spam complaints and protect your sender reputation, thus preventing emails from landing in spam folders.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that this is an entirely legitimate issue, just not one that affects email marketing.
26 May 2025 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains that factors in content, such as excessive use of certain phrases or formatting, can contribute to emails being flagged as spam. Focusing on delivering valuable and relevant content is key to avoiding filters.
27 Nov 2024 - Word to the Wise
5 technical articles
Gmail sends mail to spam when it detects issues with authentication, sender reputation, and content. Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for verifying email authenticity and preventing spoofing. Google recommends maintaining a valid reverse DNS record, keeping spam rates low via Postmaster Tools, and avoiding unwanted mail. DMARC allows domain owners to define how receivers should handle emails failing SPF/DKIM checks. Monitoring Enhanced Status Codes (ETR) and Non-Delivery Reports (NDR) from Microsoft can also reveal spam-related delivery issues.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft explains that specific Enhanced Status Codes (ETR) and Non-Delivery Reports (NDR) can indicate spam-related issues. Reviewing these codes helps identify reasons for delivery failures, such as blocked senders or spam filtering.
20 Dec 2022 - Microsoft Support
Technical article
Documentation from RFC-Editor details that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) uses digital signatures to allow a person taking responsibility for a message to sign it, providing message integrity and authentication.
26 Dec 2022 - RFC-Editor
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