Key Takeaways
- Poor sender reputation is one of the main reasons emails land in spam; monitor your metrics and maintain clean lists.
- Missing authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) can cause mailbox providers to reject or flag your emails.
- Overuse of spam trigger words, ALL CAPS text, excessive punctuation, too many images with little text, suspicious links, and poor HTML coding can activate spam filters.
Your email campaign just reached 10,000 subscribers. You’re ready for responses, clicks, and conversions, but nothing happens. Your content isn’t the issue, but most of your emails never reached the inbox in the first place.
Email deliverability issues affect businesses of all sizes. Data shows that almost one in six legitimate emails never reaches the inbox. That’s more than a technical issue; it means lost revenue, a weakened sender reputation, and missed opportunities to connect with customers.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the ten most common email deliverability issues and show you exactly how to fix them.
What Is Email Deliverability?
Email deliverability is your message’s ability to land in the recipient’s inbox (not their spam folder or bounce list, but right where it’s meant to be seen).
Here’s the difference: email delivery means the receiving server accepted your message. Email deliverability means that the message actually reached the inbox. You can have 100% delivery but terrible deliverability if most of your emails end up in spam.
Sender reputation (your track record with mailbox providers), authentication (proof you’re authorized to send from your domain), and content quality (how your message is structured) are the three main factors that drive deliverability.
Mailbox providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo use sophisticated algorithms to evaluate these factors. If your emails fail their checks, they’ll be filtered out, no matter how legitimate your business communications are.
Common Email Deliverability Issues
Let’s examine the 10 most frequent problems that prevent your emails from reaching inboxes, and walk through proven solutions for each.
1. Poor sender reputation
Your sender reputation works based on a credit score system. Mailbox providers give you a score based on your sending habits, and this score will help determine whether your emails are destined for the inbox or get identified as spam.
What damages your reputation: high bounce rates, spam complaints, low engagement, sudden volume spikes, and blacklist appearances.
How to fix it:
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- Check your reputation using Google Postmaster Tools or Microsoft SNDS.
- Clean your email list and delete invalid addresses and anyone who has not opened an email in more than six months.
- Warm up new IP addresses gradually across 2–4 weeks.
- Monitor metrics daily, including open rates, bounces, and spam complaints.
- Use a dedicated IP for high-volume sending.
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2. Missing or misconfigured authentication
Email authentication protocols confirm that you’re authorized to send messages from your domain. Without them, mailbox providers can’t verify you’re legitimate.
The three essential protocols:
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- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Specifies which mail servers are authorized to send emails using your domain.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to verify that the email hasn’t been altered in transit.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Tells receiving servers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail.
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How to fix it:
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- Set up SPF records in your DNS to include all approved sending sources.
- Implement DKIM signing through your email service provider.
- Deploy DMARC starting with “p=none” to monitor, then move to “p=quarantine” or “p=reject” once confident in your setup.
- Test your configuration with an email deliverability check tool.
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PowerDMARC simplifies this process by providing unified SPF, DKIM, and DMARC management with detailed reporting and easy setup for non-technical users.
3. High spam complaint rates
When recipients mark your emails as spam, it signals mailbox providers that your content isn’t wanted.
How to fix it:
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- Use confirmed opt-in for all new subscribers.
- Make unsubscribe links easy to find and to use.
- Set clear expectations during signup about what type of content you’ll send and how often.
- Segment your list so people only receive relevant content.
- Monitor feedback loops and act on complaints immediately.
- Offer a preference center so subscribers can adjust how often they hear from you instead of opting out entirely.
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4. Content triggers spam filters
Even legitimate emails can get caught in spam if they contain signals that set off red flags. Today’s spam filters scrutinize everything from the text sent in an email to its HTML code.
What triggers filters: overuse of spam trigger words, ALL CAPS text, excessive punctuation, too many images with little text, suspicious links, and poor HTML coding.
How to fix it:
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- Balance text and images (60% text, 40% images).
- Write naturally; focus on clarity and genuine value instead of promotional hype.
- Use clean HTML and test your templates across different email clients.
- Make your “from” name clear and recognizable.
- Personalize content with recipient details to build trust.
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5. Sending from free domains
Using Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail for business communications seriously undermines your credibility and deliverability. Mailbox providers know free domains are frequently used by spammers, and since you don’t control the domain, you can’t fully implement authentication protocols.
How to fix it:
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- Purchase a custom domain for your business.
- Set up professional email hosting with a reputable provider.
- Configure authentication on your new domain.
- Use your custom domain for all business communications.
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6. Inactive or unverified email lists
Outdated, unverifiable email lists almost always include incorrect emails, typos, and spam-traps. Mailing to these addresses indicates a lack of list hygiene and hence lowers your potential to reach the actual subscribers.
How to fix it:
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- Verify your list regularly using email validation services.
- Remove hard bounces immediately.
- Introduce sunset policies for non-engaged subscribers (6-12 months of no interaction).
- Run re-engagement campaigns prior to deleting inactive users, allowing them the opportunity to opt back in.
- Never buy email lists as they’re risky and often contain spam traps.
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7. Missing unsubscribe links
Not including a clear unsubscribe link is illegal under CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and CASL laws. Users who can’t unsubscribe will mark you as spam instead.
How to fix it:
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- Include an unsubscribe link in every marketing email.
- Make it easy to find and use plain, honest language.
- Process unsubscribes immediately (ideally in real time).
- Use one-click unsubscribe.
- Apply unsubscribes consistently across all your mailing lists.
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8. Blacklisted IP or domain
Email blacklists are databases of IP addresses and domains known for sending spam. If you’re listed, major mailbox providers may block or filter your messages before they reach inboxes.
How to fix it:
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- Check your blacklist status using MXToolbox, MultiRBL, or Spamhaus.
- Identify why you were blacklisted and fix that problem first.
- Submit delisting requests to the relevant blacklist operators.
- Improve practices to prevent being flagged again.
- Set up monitoring alerts to track your IP and domain reputation regularly.
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9. Poor sending frequency or volume spikes
Mailbox providers closely monitor sending behavior, and sudden increases in email volume trigger filters because they look like compromised accounts.
How to fix it:
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- Establish consistent sending patterns to build trust with mailbox providers.
- Warm up new IPs gradually (increase volume 20-50% daily over several weeks).
- Plan campaigns in advance and gradually increase volume beforehand.
- Distribute large campaigns over several hours or days instead of all at once.
- Monitor engagement during ramp-ups to detect issues early.
- Keep a steady baseline of activity year-round rather than going silent between seasonal campaigns.
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10. Lack of engagement
Mailbox providers can see when people open, click, delete, or ignore your emails. Poor engagement is a signal that your content isn’t valuable, and it can gradually push more of your future messages into the spam folder.
How to fix it:
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- Improve subject lines to increase open rates.
- Segment your audience for more relevant content.
- Clean your list of non-engaged subscribers.
- Send at optimal times when your audience is most likely to read and respond.
- Provide genuine value in every email; educate, inform, or help, not just promote.
- Personalize beyond first names, including behaviors or preferences.
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Tools to Help You Monitor and Improve Deliverability
It’s just a matter of having the right tools to make a massive difference in email deliverability. They provide visibility into sender reputation, authenticate a test, and discover the deliverability issues limiting your campaigns.
Below are some of the most reliable tools to monitor, test, and enhance your email performance:
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- PowerDMARC offers comprehensive email authentication with DMARC, SPF, and DKIM management, real-time threat intelligence, and one-click DNS publishing. PowerDMARC is trusted by over 10,000 customers globally and was recognized as a G2 Leader in DMARC Software Management for three consecutive quarters in 2025
- Google Postmaster Tools provides free reputation monitoring for Gmail, showing domain reputation, spam rates, and authentication status.
- Microsoft SNDS offers IP reputation data for Outlook/Hotmail senders, available for free with registration.
- Mail-Tester is a quick spam score checker that analyzes emails before sending.
- MXToolbox provides blacklist monitoring, DNS checks, and deliverability testing.
- GlockApps offers inbox placement testing across major providers.
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Preventing Future Deliverability Problems
Email deliverability is an ongoing process that depends on consistency, transparency, and audience trust. By incorporating positive habits into your daily email routine, you can stay ahead of the curve in the inbox and prevent expensive reputation problems down the road.
Build these practices into your email program:
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- Maintain consistent sending patterns. Establish a regular schedule and stick to it.
- Practice ongoing list hygiene. Validate subscribers, remove bounces, and clean inactive contacts monthly.
- Monitor metrics daily for sudden changes in open rates, bounces, or complaints.
- Authenticate everything with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
- Segment and personalize. Send relevant content to the right people.
- Test before you send using seed lists across major providers.
- Stay compliant with email marketing laws (CAN-SPAM, GDPR, CASL).
- Respect your subscribers. Process unsubscribes immediately and make preference updates simple.
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Preventive action is always easier and far less expensive than fixing deliverability issues after they occur. Regular maintenance can save weeks of recovery work later.
Wrapping Up
Email deliverability is about following best practices, respecting users, and adhering to practices that prove you aren’t a spammer. Problems like poor sender reputation, misconfigured authentication, and inactive email lists are among the most common causes of deliverability failure, and fixing them can quickly improve inbox placement.
Start with authentication. If you don’t have SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configured, that should be your top priority. Then work on list hygiene, content quality, and sending consistency.
If you’re ready to resolve deliverability issues for good, try PowerDMARC‘s comprehensive email authentication platform and start improving your inbox placement within days.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a good email deliverability rate?
Typically, a deliverability rate of 95% or higher is considered excellent. Rates below 90% indicate serious sender reputation or authentication issues needing immediate attention.
Can images or links reduce my email deliverability?
Yes, too many images relative to text can trigger spam filters. Similarly, suspicious links or too many links reduce deliverability. Aim for a 60/40 text-to-image ratio and use reputable links.
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