Emails Going to Spam? 3 Quick Fixes to Get Back in the Inbox

🚀 TRICK #1 – Google for Your “Email Spam Score”

Ever wonder why your emails are going straight to spam—even when you’re emailing your mom?! 😩 Turns out, your domain might have been flagged as spam without you even knowing.

👉 Fix it:
1️⃣ Google “email spam score checker” and run a quick test.
2️⃣ If your domain has been marked as spam, you’ll need to warm it back up—aka send a few emails and have people mark them as “not spam.”

🔎 When I did this, it told me to remove the word “FREE” (who knew?!) and authenticate my email. Boom, problem solved.

📌 TRICK #2 – Authenticate Your Domain for Your Business Email

If you have no clue what that means, don’t worry—it’s easier than it sounds. You do this in your email marketing platform and your CRM. So I use Dubsado and after you connect an email address to this CRM, it automatically checks for a DKIM record. Often, DKIM is set up automatically by your email provider. This is what mine said which told me I was good to go:

💡 To check if you need to do this with your email provider, just Google:
“(Your Email Provider) authenticate domain for business email”

For example: “Flodesk authenticate domain” will walk you through the steps.

✨ Why this matters:
Email providers want proof that you’re a legit sender. This is especially crucial if you’re using an email marketing tool like Flodesk (super easy to do, you just go in and click a button and tell it to do it), ConvertKit, or MailChimp.

READ MORE: What’s The Best Email Service Provider for Entrepreneurs

⚡ TRICK #3 – Add Your SPF, DKIM & DMARC Records in your DNS Settings (Yes, Really)

Sounds techy, but stay with me—this is just a fancy way to tell Google you’re not a spammer and it really helps improve your email deliverability. Here’s how to do it (or watch THIS VIDEO):

Step 1: Find Your DNS Settings

Log into your domain registrar or DNS provider (e.g., Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Hostmonster, Google Domains, etc.) and navigate to the DNS settings or Manage DNS section.

Step 2: Add SPF Record

The Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record prevents spammers from sending emails on your behalf.

• If you’re using Google Workspace (Gmail) for email:
  • Add a TXT record with the following values:
    • Name/Host: @ (or your domain name)
    • Type: TXT
    • Value: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
  • Save changes.

👉 If you use another email provider (e.g., Zoho, Microsoft 365, etc.), check their SPF record instructions.

Step 3: Add DKIM Record

The DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) record adds a digital signature to your emails.

• For Google Workspace:
  1. In your Google Admin Console, go to: Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Authenticate Email.
  2. Click Generate New Record and copy the TXT record.
  3. In your DNS settings, add:
     • Name/Host: (Usually google._domainkey)
     • Type: TXT
     • Value: (Paste the DKIM key from Google)
  4. Save changes.
  5. Return to Google Admin and click Start Authentication.

Step 4: Add DMARC Record

The Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) policy helps prevent phishing and spoofing.

• Add a TXT record:
  • Name/Host: _dmarc
  • Type: TXT
  • Value: rua=mailto:rebekahreadcreative.com@rua.dmarcdkim.io; ruf=mailto:rebekahreadcreative.com@ruf.dmarcdkim.io; adkim=s; aspf=r; ri=3600; fo=0:1:d:s (I used a tool to create this like DmarcDkim.com) or this support doc shows you a value v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:postmaster@rebekahreadcreative.com, mailto:dmarc@rebekahreadcreative.com; pct=100; adkim=s; aspf=s.
  • Save changes.

📌 The p=none policy just monitors email activity. Later, you can change it to quarantine or reject to enforce stricter security.

Step 5: Verify Your Records

• Use MXToolbox to check if your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up.

Once these records are live, your business emails should have better deliverability and protection against spoofing! Let me know if you need help troubleshooting. 😊

👀 The two tools I used (and LOVED) for this:
🔹 Mail Tester → www.mail-tester.com
🔹 Mail Genius → Runs similar checks and gives tips on what to fix.

🔥 Final Takeaway:
Email deliverability is a whole thing, but you don’t need to be a tech wizard to fix it. Run these quick tests, make a few tweaks, and boom—you’re back in the inbox where you belong.

💬 Have you ever had emails land in spam? What worked for you? Drop your best tips below! 👇