Why Won’t My Emails Land in Their Inbox Instead of Spam?
Posted by: Tim Jarrett
It's one of the most common calls we get. A specific email never arrives. A newsletter goes out and half the replies are "I didn't get this" or "it's in my junk folder." Nothing's changed on your end, so it's easy to assume the problem is with the recipient. Usually it isn't.
Since 2024, Google and Yahoo have tightened the rules on what they'll accept into an inbox, and Microsoft has followed a similar path. The senders who haven't kept up are the ones now landing in spam, or being bounced entirely.
It's not about writing a better subject line
A lot of spam-folder advice focuses on wording: avoid certain phrases, don't overuse capital letters, that sort of thing. That's not really what decides it anymore. The bigger factor is whether your email server can prove it's actually authorised to send mail on behalf of your domain.
Three technical records do that job: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. In plain terms, SPF lists which servers are allowed to send email for your domain, DKIM adds a digital signature so the message can't be tampered with in transit, and DMARC tells receiving mail servers what to do if a message fails either check. Without all three in place and correctly matched to each other, Gmail and Yahoo increasingly reject the message outright rather than letting it through to junk.
What to check
Start with whether SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are actually set up for your domain, not just for whichever platform sends your newsletters. Each sending source, your website's contact form, your invoicing system, your email marketing tool, needs to be accounted for in those records. Then check your domain's DMARC report, if you have one configured, for anything failing alignment.
If none of that means much to you, you're not alone. It's genuinely fiddly to get right, and easy to get subtly wrong in a way that only shows up as "customers say they're not getting our emails."
How J&L Digital can help
If you're not sure whether your domain is properly configured, or you've noticed emails going missing lately, we're happy to take a look and sort it out. Get in touch with us today.
About: Tim Jarrett
Founder and Director Tim is a highly-experienced IT and technology professional. He is focused on understanding clients’ business challenges and resolving them through best-fit IT services and solutions.
