Why Your Business Emails Go to Spam in Gmail (SPF, DKIM and DMARC Fix)

How receiving servers decide what is spam

When a message reaches Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook, the receiving server asks three things. Does this message really come from the domain it claims to be from? Has the sender behaved well in the past? Does the content look like junk? The first question is answered by three DNS records that you control.

If these records are missing or wrong, big providers treat your mail as suspicious, and spam placement is the usual result. Our guide SPF, DKIM and DMARC records explains each one in detail.

Step 1: see what is failing

Step 2: fix SPF

SPF is a single TXT record that lists the servers allowed to send for your domain. A domain should have only one SPF record. If you use several services, for example your mailbox provider and a newsletter tool, they must all be combined in that one record, because two SPF records make the check fail.

A mistake we see often is that a website move wipes the record. When you change DNS for your website, leave the TXT records alone: keep email working when your website is elsewhere. If you are not sure what your record should contain, open a ticket with your domain name and we will check it.

Step 3: turn on DKIM

DKIM adds a digital signature to every message. Your mail server signs outgoing messages with a private key, and the matching public key sits in a TXT record in your DNS so receivers can check the signature. Without it, your mail is easier to fake and easier to distrust.

On cPanel email, DKIM can be switched on from the Email Deliverability tool, which also shows whether the record in DNS matches. Make sure the record exists in the DNS zone that is actually live for your domain, which depends on your nameservers: change nameservers.

Step 4: add a DMARC record

DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receivers what to do with mail that fails. Start with a monitoring policy so nothing is blocked while you learn: a TXT record named _dmarc with a policy of p=none and an address to receive reports. After a few weeks of clean reports you can move to a stricter policy.

Gmail and Yahoo now expect authenticated mail, especially from domains that send a lot, so a missing DMARC record is one of the most common reasons business mail is treated as junk.

Sending habits that keep you in the inbox

• Send from your own domain address, not from a free address with your domain in the display name.
• Do not send bulk or marketing mail from a normal mailbox. Use a proper sending service so your everyday mail keeps a clean reputation.
• Use a real subject and a normal message. All capitals, many exclamation marks, link shorteners and heavy attachments raise spam scores.
• Keep your list clean. Emailing old or purchased lists leads to complaints, and complaints damage the domain.
• Reply thread: a message that gets a reply or is moved from spam to the inbox by the recipient teaches the filter to trust you.
• Include a clear signature with your business name, phone and address.

A full list of delivery causes is in why emails go to spam and emails going to spam or not reaching Gmail.

If your domain or server is blacklisted

Sometimes a mail server's address lands on a blocklist because of past abuse, often because a website contact form was hacked and used to send spam. Symptoms are bounce messages that mention a block, a policy or a blacklist. If you see these, scan your website for malware, change your passwords, and open a ticket so we can check the sending server and help request removal.

Quick checklist

Frequently asked questions