1. Check Your Email Authentication
The most common reason emails go to spam is missing or incorrect SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records. Receiving servers use these to verify that your email is legitimate.
- Check that you have a valid SPF record in your DNS. See the Managing DNS Records guide for the correct values.
- Verify your DKIM signature is active. In DirectAdmin, go to E-Mail Manager > DomainKeys and confirm DKIM is enabled.
- Consider adding a DMARC record to tell receiving servers how to handle unauthenticated mail.
Use a tool such as mail-tester.com to send a test email and get a detailed report on your authentication setup and spam score.
2. Review Your Email Content
Spam filters also analyse the content of your emails. Common triggers include:
- Excessive use of capitals or exclamation marks in the subject line.
- Words and phrases associated with spam (e.g. "free money", "act now", "guaranteed").
- A high ratio of images to text, or emails that are entirely images.
- Links to domains with a poor reputation or shortened URLs.
- Missing or broken unsubscribe links in bulk emails.
3. Check Your Sending Patterns
Sudden changes in sending volume can trigger spam filters, especially if you are on a shared IP address.
- Avoid sending large volumes of email suddenly. Build volume gradually.
- High bounce rates damage IP reputation. Keep your mailing lists clean and current.
- High spam complaint rates (when recipients mark your email as spam) are a major negative signal.
4. Ask Recipients to Whitelist You
For contacts who regularly receive your emails, ask them to:
- Mark your email as Not Spam if it arrives in their junk folder.
- Add your email address to their contacts or address book.
- Move your emails from spam to their inbox.
If the issue persists after checking all of the above, contact our support team with the full email headers from a message that was marked as spam so we can investigate further.