Why your emails end up in other people's junk folders

Common causes

Missing domain settings. Receiving email systems check whether a message really came from your domain, using records called SPF, DKIM and DMARC. If those records are missing or wrong, your email looks suspicious and is more likely to be filtered.

Sending from other services. Newsletters, invoicing systems, websites and booking tools often send email in your company’s name. If they are not included in your domain settings, their messages can fail the checks.

Message content. Messages that are only an image, have lots of links, use link shorteners, or have subject lines in capitals with many exclamation marks look like spam to filters.

Bulk sending from a normal mailbox. Sending hundreds of identical messages from Outlook can look like spam. Use a proper email marketing service for newsletters.

A compromised account. If someone else has been sending spam from one of your mailboxes, your domain’s reputation suffers.

What to do

• Ask IT to check your domain records. This fixes the most common cause.
• Tell IT about every service that sends email using your domain.
• Ask regular contacts to add you to their safe senders list.
• Keep messages simple: text, a clear subject and only the links you need.