Email Deliverability SOS: Fix Your Inbox Placement Fast

Email deliverability isn’t just about sending emails—it’s about getting them into the inbox. If your emails are landing in spam, getting blocked, or suffering from poor engagement, your business is bleeding potential revenue. So, let’s cut through the noise and fix your deliverability issues fast.

1. Diagnose the Problem

First, identify what’s going wrong:

• Low Open Rates? You’re likely hitting the spam folder.

• High Bounce Rates? Your list hygiene or domain reputation is shot.

• Low Click Rates? Your email copy isn’t engaging, or you’re targeting the wrong audience.

• Blacklist Issues? Your domain or IP got flagged.

• Delayed Deliveries? Your ESP (Email Service Provider) might be throttling your sends.

Figure out where the problem starts—only then can you fix it.

2. Check Your Sending Infrastructure

Even the best ESP can’t save you if your setup is trash. Get your technical foundation right:

✅ Authenticate Your Emails – SPF, DKIM, and DMARC must be configured properly. Use MXToolbox to check.

✅ Monitor Your IP Reputation – Bad IP = bad deliverability. Check your IP health on:

• Talos Intelligence

• Google Postmaster

• SenderScore

✅ Verify DNS Settings – Your PTR (reverse DNS) and MX records need to be correct, or ISPs won’t trust your emails.

3. Analyze Your Sending Practices

If you send emails recklessly, ISPs will treat you like a spammer. Clean up your act:

📌 Volume Control – Sudden spikes in sending volume get flagged. Warm up new domains and IPs gradually.

📌 List Hygiene – If your email list is filled with spam traps, old addresses, or inactive users, you’ll tank your reputation. Clean it up with ZeroBounce or NeverBounce.

📌 Engagement Focus – Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo rank you based on how users interact with your emails. Remove unengaged subscribers and focus on people who actually open and click.

4. Fix Your Email Content

Your email’s design, copy, and structure can trigger spam filters. Follow these rules:

❌ Avoid Spammy Language – Overuse of words like “FREE,” “URGENT,” or “LIMITED-TIME” will get you flagged.

📸 Balance Image-to-Text Ratio – Emails with too many images and little text scream “phishing” to spam filters.

🔗 Check Your Links – If your links are blacklisted or redirecting to shady domains, you’re done. Use Blacklist Checker to verify.

⚡ Include a Plain-Text Version – A missing plain-text version is a red flag for ISPs. Always include it.

5. Check Your Reputation & Blacklists

Your sending domain or IP might be blacklisted. Check your status on:

• Spamhaus

• Barracuda Reputation

• MultiRBL

🚨 If blacklisted, request removal ASAP and fix the underlying issue before sending more emails.

6. Monitor & Test Deliverability

Want to know if your emails actually land in the inbox? Don’t guess—test!

📊 Use Seed Testing – Services like GlockApps, Mail-Tester, or Litmus will show where your emails land (Inbox, Promotions, or Spam).

🔁 A/B Test Everything – Test different subject lines, sending domains, and list segments to find what works best.

7. When to Change Your Sending Domain

If your domain is burned beyond repair, it’s time to start fresh:

1. Set up a new domain (e.g., instead of brand.com, use brandmail.com).

2. Warm it up slowly – Start with small sends and build trust over time.

3. Follow the best practices above to keep it clean.

Final Word: Deliverability is a Game of Reputation

Your inbox placement is 80% reputation, 20% strategy. If your emails suck, no amount of technical fixes will save you.

📌 Focus on sending engaging, relevant, and high-quality emails to the right audience.

📌 Respect ISP rules, clean your list, and maintain proper authentication.

📌 Test, iterate, and monitor your results—deliverability is an ongoing process.

🚀 Fix these issues today, and watch your inbox rates skyrocket.