Many factors can affect email deliverability, including your domain authentication, the design and content of your messages, and your sender reputation. Using the following email best practices can help your messages reach your recipient's inbox without being filtered out as spam.
This article covers situations where your emails are being delivered to spam or are not reaching some recipients. If you cannot send emails at all, please refer to the Troubleshooting Yola Mail issues article instead.
Authenticate your domain with SPF
An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record specifies which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. This helps protect your domain from unauthorized use and can improve email deliverability.
When you purchase Yola Mail, Yola automatically adds the following SPF record to your domain's DNS settings. However, if you have edited your DNS records afterward, you may have accidentally removed or changed the SPF record. If the SPF record is missing, you can add it again by following the steps in Managing DNS records for your domain.
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| TXT | yourdomain.com | v=spf1 include:_spf.hostedemail.com ~all |
When adding the record, replace yourdomain.com with your own domain name.
Write effective subject lines
A clear and relevant subject line helps recipients understand what your email is about and can improve engagement. Aim to keep your subject line concise and make sure it accurately reflects the content of your email.
Avoid the following practices, which can make your messages appear less trustworthy or contribute to spam filtering:
- Using excessive urgency or promotional language (for example, "URGENT," "BUY NOW," or "WIN")
- Writing the entire subject line in uppercase letters
- Using typos or excessive punctuation
- Overusing emojis or other special characters
- Using deceptive subject lines that do not match the email content
- Making the subject line difficult to read with excessive formatting or decorative characters
Avoid spam-like content in the email body
Email providers use automated filters to identify messages that may be unwanted or malicious. These filters can consider many factors, including the content and formatting of your message.
To reduce the likelihood of your emails being filtered as spam:
- Avoid writing entire sections in all caps.
- Avoid excessive punctuation, such as multiple exclamation marks in a row.
- Avoid using attention-grabbing formatting, such as large amounts of red text.
- Don't overuse promotional or spam-associated words and phrases, such as "free," "cheap," "100% free," or "don't wait."
- Make sure your HTML is properly formatted and does not contain errors.
- Use secure (https://) links instead of non-secure (http://) links whenever possible.
Check your domain reputation
Your domain name reputation can affect whether your emails are accepted by recipient mail servers or filtered as spam. A poor reputation can make it more difficult for your emails to reach your recipients' inboxes.
You can use tools such as MXToolbox Blocklists to check whether your domain name appears on known blocklists. Enter your domain name in the search box and click Check.
Being listed on a blocklist does not necessarily mean that your emails will always be delivered to spam, and being absent from blocklists does not guarantee inbox delivery. Blocklists are only one of many factors that email providers consider when filtering messages.
If your domain is listed and you believe this is causing email delivery issues, contact Customer Support and provide the name of the blocklist. We can review the issue and, where possible, advise you on the appropriate next steps to help resolve the listing.
We hope this guide has helped. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact Customer Support.