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Email troubleshooting

What to do when your emails go to spam

Send from a verified domain you own (SPF, DKIM and DMARC), with a sender on that domain, only to contacts who opted in, with an unsubscribe link and no volume spikes. Check authentication by opening a test email in Gmail with Show original.

Updated on

Before you start

  • You need access to a Gmail inbox for the header test.
  • Have access to Settings › Email Services and your domain's DNS panel in case you need to fix records.
Where to find it

Settings › Email Services › Dedicated Domain & IP

Step by step

1. Check domain authentication

  1. Send a test email from Elooo CRM to a Gmail inbox you can access.
  2. In Gmail, open the email, click the three dots next to Reply and choose Show original.
  3. Check that SPF, DKIM and DMARC all show PASS.
  4. If any of them fail, open Settings › Email Services › Dedicated Domain & IP, review the domain's DNS records and click Verify domain. After fixing DNS, allow up to 24 hours before testing again.
  5. If DMARC fails, check that the sender email is on the same domain as the sending domain.

2. Review the sender

  1. Don't use free addresses (@gmail.com, @hotmail.com, @yahoo.com) as the sender for campaigns: those domains reject emails sent from other platforms.
  2. Use a recognizable sender name (for example, "Sara from Bright Smile Clinic") instead of "noreply".

3. Review your contact list

  1. Only send to people who gave consent. Never use purchased lists.
  2. Remove addresses that hard bounced.
  3. Stop emailing people who haven't opened or clicked in over 90 days.
  4. Avoid role addresses like info@, admin@ or sales@ that never asked to receive emails.
  5. Protect your forms with double opt-in or reCAPTCHA to prevent fake sign-ups.

4. Review volume and content

  1. Keep a steady pace. On a new domain or one that's been idle for a while, ramp up volume gradually (warm-up).
  2. Split large lists into batches.
  3. In your content, avoid heavy promotional wording ("Free", "Act now"), ALL CAPS, lots of exclamation marks, image-only emails and link shorteners (bit.ly and similar).
  4. Use honest subject lines that match what's in the email.
  5. Always include a visible unsubscribe link.

Tips

  • For testing, send to a Gmail inbox rather than an address on your own domain: "company to company" emails often land in spam because they look spoofed.
  • Spam complaint rates above about 0.3% or bounce rates above 5% make mailbox providers filter your emails much more aggressively.
  • Google Postmaster Tools shows your domain's reputation in Gmail.

Common problems

  • "Show original" shows SPF: FAIL → Your domain's SPF record doesn't authorize the sending server. Fix it in DNS using the value shown in Email Services and verify the domain again.
  • SPF and DKIM pass, but DMARC fails → The sender's domain is different from the sending domain. Send with a sender on the same domain or, as a temporary fix, change your DMARC policy to p=none.
  • Emails to coworkers go to spam → That's common when sender and recipient are on the same domain. Ask your email admin to allow the sending server, or test with a Gmail inbox.
  • Everything is authenticated and it still goes to spam → The issue is your list or content. Send only to active contacts, lower your volume and simplify the email.

Frequently asked questions

Should I set up a new domain if my current one has a bad reputation?

It's often faster to set up a new sending subdomain (for example, news.yourbusiness.com) and warm it up with good practices than to repair a damaged domain.

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