When your emails end up in the spam folder, it can be frustrating and hinder your communication efforts. This issue affects millions of emails daily. In 2023, nearly 45.6% of all emails worldwide were identified as spam(new window) — meaning almost half of global email traffic is flagged as unwanted, making it a common problem that many email senders face.
The good news is that these problems can be resolved. In this article, we’ll explore why emails go to spam, how to improve your email deliverability, and how Proton Mail can help.
Why do my emails go to spam and how do I avoid it?
Your sender reputation heavily influences whether your emails reach the inbox, are marked as spam, or go to the spam folder directly. It’s shaped by various factors, such as:
1. Suspicious content or keywords
Spam filters are designed to catch emails that look or sound suspicious. Grammar mistakes, missing punctuation, excessive punctuation (“!!!”), all-capital letters, emojis, and certain keywords such as “free,” “win,” “urgent,” “discount,” “limited time,” or “offer” can raise red flags.
How to fix it: Use clear language in a natural, conversational tone, and avoid spammy words or phrases. For instance, instead of writing “WIN BIG NOW!!!”, try a more neutral and informative approach, like “You could be one of our lucky winners”. It’s best to focus on adding value to the recipient and avoid phrases that sound too good to be true.
2. No unsubscribe option
Email providers and anti-spam laws, such as the CAN-SPAM Act in the US and the GDPR in the EU, require senders to provide a simple opt-out option. Without it, recipients may get frustrated and report your emails as spam.
How to fix it: Always include a visible and easy-to-use unsubscribe link in every email you send. You can place it in the footer and use clear language like “Unsubscribe” or “Manage your preferences.” If possible, offer options to adjust email preferences, such as email frequency or content type, instead of completely opting out.
3. Improper email authentication
Email authentication methods such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) verify that an email is legitimately from the sender’s domain. If these authentication measures are missing or incorrectly configured, your emails may be flagged as spam because they cannot be verified as coming from a trusted source.
How to fix it: Set up proper authentication for your domain by configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Email providers will be able to confirm that your messages are legitimate and not being spoofed by someone else.
4. Misleading “From” information
The sender information in your email headers should always be clear and recognizable to the recipient. For example, if you use a generic sender name like “Marketing team” instead of your company name or a personal name like “John” without the company, recipients may not recognize it and assume it’s spam.
How to fix it: You should use a consistent and recognizable “From” name and email address that your recipients will recognize, avoid generic names, always include a sender name, check that the “From” and “Reply-to” addresses match, and ensure your emails come from the same domain as your website.
5. Too many links or attachments
Spammers often use multiple links or attachments to lead recipients to dangerous websites (phishing emails) or send large files to deliver harmful content (malware(new window)), making email providers wary of emails with excessive links or attachments.
How to fix it: Include only 1-2 key links that are important for your message, avoid links to different domains, limit the number of tracking links for monitoring clicks and opens, and avoid image-only emails with embedded links. You should also use a trusted cloud storage service like Proton Drive(new window) to share files instead of sending attachments.
6. Too many emails sent too fast
Sending too many emails at once or too quickly after a previous one can trigger spam filters, especially if you suddenly increase your sending volume. For example, if you usually send 5 emails a week but suddenly send 10 emails in one day, email providers may flag this as suspicious.
How to fix it: You should space out your email sending to avoid sudden spikes. If you need to send numerous emails, gradually increase your sending rate. For instance, if you’re trying to re-engage a large segment of inactive subscribers, start with smaller batches and keep an eye on engagement to adjust your approach.
Keep your emails out of spam with Proton Mail custom domains
If you need to improve the security and reputation of your brand, Proton Mail makes it easy to set up a custom domain like “[email protected]” instead of using a generic email address. Plus, Proton Mail supports SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication for custom domains.
Proton Mail is a secure email service that protects your messages with end-to-end encryption, so no one else can access them — not even us. Based in Switzerland, we follow some of the world’s strongest privacy laws to keep your data safe. Additionally, all Proton apps are open source and independently audited, so anyone can check our claims.
Our mission is to build an internet where privacy is the default. That’s why we’ve created an encrypted ecosystem for all your data, including email, passwords, internet connections(new window), cloud storage(new window), calendar, and digital assets.
