It’s the nightmare scenario for any email marketer: you spend hours crafting the perfect newsletter, only for it to vanish into the “Spam” folder.
If your WordPress contact form emails, WooCommerce notifications, or Noptin emails are being flagged as junk, it’s rarely a “random” mistake by Gmail or Outlook. Usually, it’s a sign that one of three things is broken: your identity, your delivery method, or your reputation.
Follow this checklist to get your emails back into the inbox.
1. Verify Your “Identity” (Authentication)
The #1 reason emails go to spam is that the receiving server doesn’t believe you are who you say you are. If you haven’t told the internet that your WordPress site is allowed to send email for your domain, providers will assume you’re a phisher.
You must set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These are the digital passports for your emails.
Action Step:
Follow our complete guide to email authentication to add these records to your DNS settings.
2. Use a Proper Sending Method (SMTP or API)
By default, WordPress sends emails using the wp_mail() function, which depends on your web server’s PHP mail. Many popular email providers, like Gmail, often flag these emails as suspicious because they can be easily spoofed.
To fix this, you should use a dedicated SMTP provider (like SendGrid, Mailgun, or Postmark). These providers have high-reputation sending servers specifically designed to bypass spam filters.
Action Step:
See our guide on using a WordPress SMTP plugin to switch from default mail to a professional sending service.
3. Monitor Your Sender Reputation
Deliverability is a long-term game. If people frequently mark your emails as spam, or if you are sending to “dead” email addresses that bounce, your domain reputation will drop.
To keep your reputation high:
- Enable Double Opt-in: This ensures subscribers actually want your mail.
- Include a Clear Unsubscribe Link: If users can’t find the “Unsubscribe” button, they will hit “Mark as Spam” instead.
- Remove inactive subscribers regularly.
- Suppress hard bounces immediately.
- Avoid purchasing email lists.
Reputation improves gradually through consistent, responsible sending.
4: Review Email Content
Even properly authenticated emails can land in spam if the content appears suspicious. Spam filters evaluate structure, formatting, and wording.
- Avoid excessive capitalization or repeated punctuation.
- Use a clear, honest subject line.
- Include a visible unsubscribe link in newsletters.
- Limit heavy image-only designs. If your email is just one giant image, it looks like a flyer.
Balanced formatting and clear messaging improve inbox placement.
5: Control Sending Speed
Sending a large number of emails too quickly can trigger spam filters. This is especially important for newsletters sent through Noptin.
Instead:
- Send in controlled batches.
- Gradually increase volume when warming up a new domain.
- Respect provider rate limits.
Gradual sending builds trust with email providers.
Action Step:
Set up a sending limit in Noptin to control the number of emails sent per hour or day.
Summary Checklist
If you’re still seeing emails go to spam, run through this quick list:
- Check your Spam Score: Use a tool like Mail-Tester to see exactly why you’re being flagged.
- Authenticate: Ensure SPF and DKIM are “PASSing.”
- Switch to SMTP: Don’t rely on your web host’s internal mail.
- Ask for “Whitelisting”: In your welcome email, ask subscribers to add your “From” address to their contact list.
Here’s a sample welcome email you can send to new email subscribers.
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