GoDaddy emails landing in spam are more common than you might think. Most business professionals believe that it’s because the server blocked them, or the specific recipients marked them as spam.
However, there’s a good chance that the problem runs much deeper than that, with issues like email content and reputation affecting inbox placement.
This article will offer insight into what’s holding you back and how you can promote effective email sending.
Key Overview
- GoDaddy emails going to spam are often caused by poor sender reputation, missing email authentication, and low recipient engagement.
- Verifying the SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is the first thing to do before you commit to major changes.
- Tactics like cleaning your email list, monitoring bounce rate, and avoiding spam content can keep you from landing in spam.
Common Reasons for GoDaddy Emails Going to Spam
Messages can end up in spam for a variety of reasons, including missing authentication habits and poor sending habits. It’s important to identify them first so that you can take the next steps towards improving email deliverability.
The Setup for the SPF Record Is Incorrect
If the SPF record is missing or incorrect, it’s difficult for mail servers to confirm you’re authorized to send these emails. This can also happen if you have multiple SPF records, incorrect syntax, or don’t add all the services that send emails to subscribers on your behalf.
The DKIM Keys Were Not Published
GoDaddy emails need DKIM digital signatures because they prove the email wasn’t altered in transit. If you didn’t publish that public key correctly or the signature fails validation, then providers may question the authenticity of the email.
Your IP Is Blacklisted
If your domain or sending IP appears on certain blocklists, mailbox providers may have decided to filter or reject your messages. This is common when you get multiple spam complaints, your account is compromised, or you keep sending to email addresses that are not valid.
You Have a Brand-New Domain
New domains barely have any sending reputation, if any at all. Until you establish consistent, legitimate email activity, email providers may apply stricter filtering to your messages, increasing the likelihood they land in spam.
Emails Suddenly Sent in High Volume
Email providers look for consistent sending patterns, so if you suddenly jump from 20 emails per week to hundreds or thousands, the spike may look unusual compared with your normal activity and lead to stricter filtering. Domains that gradually increase their sending volume have a better reputation with mailbox providers.
How to Check and Fix Spam Redirection
To fix the issue of GoDaddy emails being marked as spam, you’ll have to take a series of technical steps. Here are the most common strategies to diagnose and address the issue.
Send a Test Email
Before taking any other step or sending a potentially important email, you should send a test email to yourself. This will let you check if the message ends up in the spam folder, promotions tab, or your primary inbox.
A test email also offers you better visibility, as you can see right away any issues with the subject line and content configuration. This way, you can make the necessary adjustments immediately.
A good tip is to set up two test accounts. One can be with Gmail, and the other one with Yahoo. Avoid using your active emails, because that can make it more difficult for you to keep track.
Verify the DNS Authentication
Proper authentication helps mailbox providers confirm that your messages are legitimately sent from your domain, regardless of the IP setup you use. Go to your GoDaddy Domain Portfolio and make sure the settings below are configured properly:
- Sender Policy Framework (SPF). The TXT record should match your email product precisely.
- DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). GoDaddy emails need DKIM digital signatures because they help prove that the email came from your domain. The setup depends on your GoDaddy email product.
- Domain-Based Message Authentication (DMARC). Be sure to add a DMARC TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com. This tells receiving servers how to handle messages when SPF or DKIM does not align with the domain in the From address. DMARC can pass when either aligned SPF or aligned DKIM succeeds.
GoDaddy offers easy steps for users to set up these things. DNS changes can take some time to propagate, after which you can verify that authentication is working correctly.
Review and Improve Your Sender Reputation
A poor sender reputation can send even properly authenticated emails straight into spam. Most mailbox providers assess domains based on their historical sending behavior, including spam complaints, bounce rates, invalid recipients, engagement signals, and sudden changes in sending patterns.
Below are a few tips to improve your sender reputation:
- Clean your email list regularly to remove any invalid email data.
- Personalize your emails to encourage engagement.
- Use an email validation tool to ensure you’re only sending to active addresses.
Improving your sender reputation can take time, depending on your sending history and the severity of the issue, but consistent good practices can help improve inbox placement over time.
Additional Tips to Create Emails Worth Opening
Your email domain settings and outbound data can indeed influence your email deliverability, but so will the email structure. Consider these tips to adjust your emails so they don’t trigger unnecessary spam filters.
Be Careful About the Content
Technically correct emails can easily trigger spam filters if they look like an unwanted message. While spam filters no longer redirect emails just for the keywords they use, they’ll still assess an email based on the number of warning signs, such as:
- Excessive use of exclamation marks
- Too much capitalization
- Large emails that contain mostly images
- A variety of tracking links
- Poor HTML email formatting
- Suspicious attachments
Many senders use tactics to outsmart filters, but it usually backfires. It’s better to focus on emails that bring value to the reader and not just for the algorithm.
Write an Honest Subject Line
There used to be a time when companies would consistently write clickbait subject lines to hook their readers’ curiosity. The temptation to do that is still strong, but misleading subject lines can quickly frustrate recipients and increase the likelihood of spam complaints.
The FTC requires commercial email subject lines to accurately reflect the content of the message, which makes clear wording a safer choice for both compliance and sender reputation. Your subject line should give recipients an accurate idea of what they are about to open instead of promising something the email does not actually deliver.
Avoid Oversized Attachments
Large attachments increase message size and may also be subject to stricter security filtering, especially if the file type is commonly associated with malware. Instead of attaching very large files directly to the email, consider adding them to cloud storage and sending your recipients a download link.
Prevent GoDaddy Emails Going to Spam Today!
GoDaddy offers the infrastructure for sending emails, but their placement in the inbox depends on more than just the hosting provider. It’s important to improve deliverability by assessing authentication, reputation, and mail quality. Be sure to use the right resources available to strengthen email reputation over time and improve engagement.
If email deliverability has become problematic and the emails are consistently going to spam, InboxAlly can offer assistance. Book your free demo today and see how InboxAlly improves inbox placement, keeping your emails from going to spam and promoting consistent engagement!