Why are my business emails going to spam?

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Why are my business emails going to spam?. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Email authentication is the process of proving to receiving mail servers that an email sent from your domain is legitimate and not forged. When SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records are missing or incorrectly configured, your outgoing messages are more likely to be flagged as spam or rejected entirely by providers such as Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Log in to your domain registrar or DNS hosting control panel.
2. Locate the DNS management or zone editor section for your business domain.
3. Check for existing TXT records related to SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
4. Add or update any missing records using the values provided by your email service provider.
5. Save the changes and allow up to 48 hours for DNS propagation.
6. Send a test email to an external address to verify delivery.

Detailed Instructions

Checking SPF Records

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) tells receiving servers which mail servers are authorised to send email on behalf of your domain. An SPF record is published as a TXT record in your DNS.

1. Open your DNS control panel and select your domain.
2. Look for a TXT record that begins with v=spf1.
3. If no SPF record exists, create a new TXT record. Use the hostname @ or leave it blank, depending on your provider.
4. Enter the SPF value provided by your email host. A common example is v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all for Google Workspace, but you should use the exact value from your provider.
5. Save the record.

Only one SPF record should exist per domain. If you use multiple email services, their mechanisms must be combined into a single SPF record rather than creating separate ones.

Checking DKIM Records

DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) adds a digital signature to your outgoing emails, allowing the recipient to verify that the message was not altered in transit.

1. Log in to your email administration console (not your DNS panel) to generate a DKIM key.
2. Copy the public key and the associated DNS host name or selector provided by your email service.
3. In your DNS control panel, create a new TXT record.
4. Enter the host name (selector) and paste the public key value into the record field.
5. Save the changes.

Checking DMARC Records

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) tells receiving servers how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. It also enables reporting so you can monitor authentication failures.

1. In your DNS control panel, create a new TXT record.
2. Set the host name to _dmarc.
3. Enter a DMARC policy value. A basic starting point is v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected], replacing the email address with one you monitor.
4. Save the record.

Setting a DMARC policy of p=reject before confirming that SPF and DKIM are working correctly can cause legitimate emails to be rejected. Start with p=none and move to stricter policies only after testing.

Troubleshooting

Emails still going to spam after adding records

• Wait up to 48 hours for DNS changes to propagate globally before retesting.
• Use a free online DNS lookup tool to confirm your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are publicly visible.
• Check that there are no typos in your record values, especially extra spaces or missing quotation marks.
• Review the message headers of a received email to see authentication results from the receiving provider.

Receiving bounce-back messages (NDRs)

• Read the non-delivery report carefully. It often states whether the message was blocked due to authentication failure, sender reputation, or content filtering.
• Confirm that the recipient address is correct and that the recipient's mailbox is not full.
• If the error mentions your domain's reputation, ask the recipient to add your address to their safe senders list.

If you manage your own DNS through a third-party registrar, these changes must be made there—not within your email client or email administration console alone.

If you host with us, you don't need to do this yourself — just Open a Ticket and our Brisbane team will get it sorted.

If you have verified your DNS records and outgoing emails are still being marked as spam, you may need to investigate other delivery issues. For further assistance, Open a Ticket.

Still Having Issues?