Is your email blocked by Gmail? Wondering why and how can you stop it? This situation can be very frustrating, resulting in a great deal of questions and searching for answers.
No worries, though, here you will find answers to your questions. Moreover, we will teach you how to prevent such situations from occurring in the future.
We all know that Gmail is one of the biggest email providers we have. Hence, the reason why it is very popular with almost 1 billion active users. No wonder probably 40% or more of the email addresses you have on your lists are using Gmail.
Because of this, a huge drop in Gmail open rates from your contacts can be alarming. You’d probably wonder, “Did my email get through?”. Or, “Why are these things suddenly happening?”.
Usually, the simple answer to why you see fewer open rates is that Gmail started flagging or blocking your emails. I know what you’re probably thinking, “but my emails are not spam”. To you, your email is not spam, but Gmail may see your email as spam.
No one wants to face this scenario, but there is also no need to panic! For you to resolve this problem, you need to first understand why your emails are being blocked by Gmail. The purpose of this article is to help you figure out why is your email blocked by Gmail.
In order to resolve the issue, you must first determine the problem. Once you have identified the problem, take action to correct the situation.
We’ll also discuss some of the possible reasons why is your email blocked by Gmail. Not only that but we’ll also share some tips and options you can use to have better email deliverability.
Email Blocked By Gmail? Here Are Some Reasons To Why It’s Happening
Gmail commonly moves legitimate emails to the Junk folder or blocks them. However, you can take control of the email blocking regardless of the reason. To overcome email blocking challenges in the future, you will need to adjust your email program.
That’s why knowing what’s causing Gmail to block your emails is important. Once you figure out what’s causing it, you can stop it from happening again.
Here are some possible reasons:
Your Content Looks Like Spam
Google primarily filters emails with spammy-looking content.
Contextual and stylistic filters in Gmail make it easy to identify spam. Gmail filters might flag the following items as spam.
- When there are numerous promotional and sales offers in the context
- Bold text is too prevalent in the content
- Having a typo or misspelled words in the subject line
- Too much usage of large font size.
- The subject lines are written in ALL CAPS
You should also consider the links that you include in your email.
When you write an email, you usually include a link to your website. These links can generate traffic to your website, as well as direct recipients to a landing page or your blog.
As we all know, this is a normal thing to do and can really help drive traffic to our pages. But even if these links are safe, trustworthy, and from your domain, it doesn’t mean that Gmail will not label them as spam.
Keep in mind that links within an email’s body can lead to email blocking. If Google believes the link to be untrustworthy, it may mark the email as spam.
If you want to include links in your email, it is advisable to experiment with it first. You should try to add multiple links or just a single link, then see if any of them get flagged.
Afterward, try putting different links to see if a particular link might be the cause of your email being marked as spam.
Gmail’s Best Practices Aren’t Being Followed
To make sure you are following best practices, you should be aware of the many Google tools you can use. You can take a look at the spam rate metrics in Gmail’s Postmaster Tools.
Additionally, it can provide a feedback loop, reputation, and other factors that can help you determine whether you are following Gmail’s best practices. It is a useful tool that will help you solve spam filter-related problems.
Your Spam Complaint Rate Is High
The number of spam complaints you receive greatly damages your sender’s reputation. This can also affect the delivery rate of your emails.
When filtering emails, the ISP first takes your sender’s reputation into consideration. There is no reason to panic if your email is flagged as spam. Your company isn’t the only one who has experienced spam flagging.
You shouldn’t worry too much about it, it just means that you need to fix something in your email campaign. In this case, it’s not a disaster but an indication that your email program isn’t working properly. It’s important to address this issue right away.
Here are some things you can do:
- Ensure your opt-out process is working properly. There is probably some confusion about your opt-out procedure, and for some recipients, clicking the “report spam” button is easier than unsubscribing.
- If you have an exclusion list, make sure to add them to it, so you will no longer send them emails.
- Get rid of any email addresses of subscribers who sent spam complaints as soon as possible.
- Make sure your message matches what your subscribers expect. Be sure to follow your subscriber preferences.
- Receive notifications when recipients click the Spam button on your email when you subscribe to feedback loops from ISPs.
Your Email Volume Has Suddenly Changed
Gmail can block your emails if the volume of your email suddenly increases. You may appear as a spammer when your email volume drastically increases. With this Gmail will treat your emails as such.
If you want to add or increase your typical volume, it’s best that you do it gradually.
To avoid a flood of new emails, it’s best to send them over a period of time rather than all at once.
By doing so, you won’t raise any flags for sending volumes that are erratic or inconsistent. Emails originating from your IP address will not be seen as unusual by email providers.
You can also read Google’s Bulk Sender Guidelines in order to avoid delivery issues. Whenever you send emails from a new IP address, you should create a warm-up schedule.
Your Bounce Rate Is High
Another answer to your question “why is my email blocked by Gmail?” The reason may be because you have a high bounce rate.
Fixing this issue is one of the things you need to do. It is imperative that you reduce your email bounce rate.
It refers to the number of Gmail addresses on your subscriber list that did not receive your email. This could be due to their email server returning your emails. Gmail may block your emails if your bounce rate exceeds 2%
Your Sender Score Is Low
Domain and IP numbers of email messages can be aggregated by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which are then centralized.
It is used to build a metric called a Sender Score. You can increase your sender score over time. Besides, you can get other information such as spam complaints, industry blacklists, etc.
This affects the deliverability of your email. When your sender score is high, an ISP is more likely to deliver your emails to Gmail users’ inboxes.
The message may, however, end up in a spam folder or be rejected if you have a low sender score. Your sender reputation is determined by a variety of factors such as:
- Your organization’s email send rate.
- How many people opted out of your email list.
- The number of opens, forwards, replies, and deletions of your messages
- You have a high email bounce rate.
- If your emails have been marked as spam by many recipients.
You Are Constantly Sending Emails To Invalid Addresses
When too many emails are sent to invalid addresses, email deliverability is compromised. You could be categorized as a spammer by Gmail. Therefore, it is crucial to keep your email lists clean.
In other words, you need to periodically check your email list. Send your email campaign only to valid and deliverable addresses. Follow these simple rules to maintain a clean email list:
- Choose a confirmed subscription method. This can be achieved by using opt-in methods. There are two types of opt-in: single opt-in and double opt-in. Your email list can be protected from incorrect and invalid email addresses when you use the correct methods to obtain them.
- Check the validity of your email list. Before launching your email campaign, make sure your list is valid and deliverable.
- Process unsubscription requests. If a customer unsubscribes, that means they changed their interests or stopped using your products.
- Be sure to remove the recipient from your list as soon as possible. A short confirmation to let them know their subscription has been canceled would be even better.
- Cleaning your email list is also possible with Email List Cleaning Services.
There Is A Problem With Your DNS Settings
DMARC, DKIM, and SPF are the three settings Gmail expects your email domain to resolve. In most cases, if your content and reputation are good, it may be your DNS settings that cause Gmail to block you.
Your Server’s IP Address Has A Bad Reputation
Gmail commonly blocks emails sent from IP addresses that are publicly blacklisted. The error can happen if your email is sent from a shared IP address with a poor reputation.
Using an IP address or domain that is suspended or blacklisted will increase bounce rates and spam complaints. This will negatively impact your open rate and brand reputation.
When you host your email with a company known for sending spam, you could end up being a victim. Even if it is quite challenging to find an email service provider with a good reputation, it is worth the effort.
Here’s How You Can Fix It:
With a better understanding of the reasons why Gmail may be blocking your emails, you can already devise a strategy to fix it. You can also try the following tips to resolve the issue.
Your Email List Should Contain Valid Email Addresses Only
Gmail blocking issues can be resolved by checking the email addresses in your email list. Verify the validity of email addresses prior to adding them to your mailing list. In this way you can avoid hard bounces.
Run an Inbox Test and Spam Filter Test Before Sending Your Campaign
You can easily test your email marketing performance by running a spam filter and an inbox placement. Your email will not only perform better but will also avoid being marked as spam. In this way, you can see how your message is delivered to internet service providers, including Gmail.
Send Consistent Volumes of Emails
Email providers prefer predictability. If possible, do not send all messages at once. Try to maintain a predictable volume and pattern of emails when spreading out your emails.
Ask Your Gmail Users or Recipients to Add Your Domain Name
Emails may be rejected if the recipient does not allow emails from the sending server’s IP address. To make sure you are automatically added to the allowed list, you can ask your subscribers to add you as a contact.
Consider Using an Autoresponder
Another effective way to stop your content from being blocked is to switch to an autoresponder like Mailvio.
With Mailvio, you can automatically send messages to people who are interested in your business. Aside from that, Mailvio – which offers a 7-day free trial – has a lot of other services you can utilize to improve your email marketing campaign.
It’s the most effective way to stay connected with your prospects and customers. Your goal is to convince them to subscribe to receive email information about your business, your products, and services.
Investing in an autoresponder is easy, it’s automatic, and you’ll get one of the best returns on your marketing investment.
Aside from that, here are the top benefits of using autoresponders:
- Results that can be measured
- Ensure better delivery of emails
- Continue marketing without adding more employees
- Maintain flawless follow-up without missing a single customer
- With little effort, you can build long-term relationships with subscribers
- Constant communication leads to repeat sales.
- You can send unlimited emails
Wrapping Up
Google has implemented strict security measures to stop spam and phishing emails. Email marketers must take steps to ensure that their messages are delivered to subscribers’ inboxes using those same security features.
To prevent having your email blocked by Gmail, use an email service provider with a good reputation. Additionally, make sure the content you’re sending is relevant to the recipient’s preferences. Be sure to follow Gmail’s best practices when sending emails.
Starting a new venture always comes with its own challenges. Email marketing is no exception. We hope you’ve gained some insightful tips from this article. On top of that, we hope you are able to resolve the technical difficulties with Gmail.
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