Why are my emails going to spam instead of inbox?

Why Are Your Emails Going to Spam Instead of Inbox? (Complete Guide + Checklist)

Email deliverability has become one of the most critical parts of digital communication—whether you are running a business, sending newsletters, promotions, or transactional emails. Yet many users wonder:

“Why are my emails going to spam instead of inbox?”

This blog post gives you a complete step-by-step guide, including Amazon SES Dedicated IP options, domain reputation, content mistakes, setup checklist, and FAQs.

Let’s dive deep.

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1. Why Emails Go To Spam: The Real Reasons

There are 15+ factors mailbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) use to decide whether your email belongs in Inbox, Promotions, or Spam.

✔ 1.1 Poor Domain Reputation

If your domain has a history of low engagement, high bounce rate, spam complaints, or new domain without warming up, emails instantly go to spam.

✔ 1.2 No Proper Email Authentication

This is the No.1 reason.

If you don’t set up:

• SPF

• DKIM

• DMARC

• BIMI (optional)

your emails are not trusted.

✔ 1.3 Shared IP Reputation Issues

Using shared SMTP or shared cloud IP?
If one user abuses, all others suffer.

✔ 1.4 Bad Email Content

Certain words, formats, links, and images activate spam filters (details below).

✔ 1.5 Sending Large Volumes Suddenly

If you send 100 one day and 50,000 the next day, ISPs treat it as suspicious—this is why IP warming is required.

✔ 1.6 Poor List Quality

Old emails, purchased lists, or invalid email address cause high bounce → spam.

✔ 1.7 Missing Unsubscribe Link

Mandatory for marketing emails.

✔ 1.8 Image-heavy Emails & Low Text Ratio

Emails that look like promotional flyers go to Promotions/Spam.

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2. Technical Checklist To Avoid Spam (Must Follow)

This is your complete checklist. If even 1–2 are missing, deliverability drops.

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✅ 2.1 Domain Authentication Setup

You MUST configure these 3 records on your domain DNS:

1. SPF Record

Authorizes your mail server.
Example:

v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all

2. DKIM Record

Digitally signs your emails to prevent tampering.

3. DMARC Policy

Tells mailbox providers what to do when SPF/DKIM fails.

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@example.com;

Later change p=none to:

• quarantine

• reject (once you are fully confident)

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✅ 2.2 Warm Up IP / Domain

If using a new domain or new IP, increase email volume slowly.

Example:

Day	Emails/Day
1	100
2	200
3	500
4	1,000
7	3,000
14	10,000

Amazon SES Dedicated IP automatically handles warm-up.

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✅ 2.3 Use a Verified Email & Domain

In Amazon SES → Verify:

• Domain

• Sending email

• TXT records

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✅ 2.4 Keep Bounce & Complaint Rate Low

Bounce rate should be < 2%
Spam complaint rate should be < 0.1%

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✅ 2.5 Add Unsubscribe & Company Details

This is mandatory for marketing campaigns.

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✅ 2.6 Send Relevant Content Only

If users don’t open your emails → reputation ↓ → spam.

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✅ 2.7 Clean Email Lists Regularly

Remove inactive or invalid addresses automatically.

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3. Amazon SES IP Options (From Screenshot Explained)

Amazon SES gives two types of dedicated IPs:

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3.1 Managed Dedicated IPs (Recommended)

✔ Benefits:

• Auto warm-up for each ISP

• Auto scale IPs

• No need to manage manually

• Stable reputation

• Better inbox placement

You just enable a Managed IP Pool.

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3.2 Standard Dedicated IPs

• Manual warm-up

• You must manage reputation

• IP scaling is your responsibility

• If you send low volume, IP reputation collapses

Great for huge senders (1M+ emails/day).

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Which should you choose?

Sender Type	Best Option
< 100k emails/day	Managed Dedicated IP
100k – 500k/day	Managed or Standard
1M+/day	Standard Dedicated IP

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4. Free vs Paid Email (Very Important)

4.1 Free Emails (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.)

• Not allowed for mass email sending

• Low trust

• Poor branding

• High chance of SPAM

• No DKIM/DMARC control

4.2 Paid Business Emails (G Suite, Zoho, Outlook Business)

• Better deliverability

• You control DNS

• SPF/DKIM/DMARC supported

• Trusted domain reputation

• Works with SES/SMTP

4.3 Marketing Email Services (SES, Mailgun, SendGrid)

• High volume

• Dedicated IP support

• Analytics, bounce handling

• API integration

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5. Email Content That Triggers Spam Filters

Avoid these:

❌ Spammy Words

• Free!!!

• Limited Time Offer

• Claim Your Gift

• Congratulations Winner

• Urgent Action Required

• Double your income

• 100% FREE

❌ Too Many Links

Especially affiliate links.

❌ All Caps Subject Lines

“CHECK THIS NOW”

❌ Large Images Only

Use text + images balanced.

❌ Attachments in bulk

Especially ZIP, EXE, PDF.

❌ Bad Formatting

Broken HTML, missing ALT text.

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6. Best Email Formatting Practices

✔ Use HTML + Text version

(Multipart emails)

✔ Add ALT text for images

✔ Maintain 60% text + 40% images

✔ Use simple and clean HTML templates

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7. Powerful Step-by-Step Process to Fix SPAM Issues

Step 1 – Verify Domain

SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup.

Step 2 – Warm Up Domain/IP

First week low volume sending.

Step 3 – Improve Email Content

Avoid spam words, add unsubscribe.

Step 4 – Clean Email List

Remove bounces, inactive users.

Step 5 – Use Managed Dedicated IP

(From your SES screen)

Step 6 – Improve Engagement

Send relevant content → opens increase → reputation increases.

Step 7 – Monitor Reputation

Use tools:

• Google Postmaster Tools

• Amazon SES reputation dashboard

• MXToolbox

Step 8 – Add BIMI (Optional but powerful)

Shows your brand logo in Gmail.

Example:

default._bimi.yourdomain.com

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8. Frequent FAQs About Email Deliverability

Q1: Can new domains send bulk emails?

Not immediately.
Warm-up is required.

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Q2: Should I use shared or dedicated IP?

Type	Good For
Shared IP	Low volume senders < 50,000/month
Managed Dedicated IP	50k – 300k/day
Standard Dedicated IP	Very high volume (1M+/day)

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Q3: Does content matter for spam?

Yes.
Spammy triggers instantly push mail to Promotions/Spam.

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Q4: Why Gmail inbox but Outlook goes to spam?

Outlook has stricter filters.
Setup DMARC + warm-up + clean content.

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Q5: Does sending too many images cause spam?

Yes, when:

• Too many images

• No ALT text

• No text body

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Q6: How long until reputation improves?

2–4 weeks with proper warm-up and clean sending.

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Q7: Are purchased email lists safe?

Never.
Guaranteed spam + blacklisting.

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Q8: Should transactional and marketing emails be separate?

Yes
Use separate:

• IP pools

• Domains/subdomains

Example:

• transactional.example.com

• marketing.example.com

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9. Conclusion

Email deliverability is not just “sending emails”; it’s a combination of:

✅ Technical setup
✅ Domain reputation
✅ Content quality
✅ Sending behaviour
✅ IP warming
✅ List hygiene

Once you follow this complete checklist and use SES dedicated IPs effectively, your emails will consistently land in the inbox.