Fixing WordPress Emails Going to Spam (in 5 steps)

Are your important WordPress emails going to spam? It's frustrating when transactional messages, WooCommerce order notifications, or your marketing campaigns end up unnoticed in the junk folder. However, there are proven ways to stop your emails from going to spam and ensure reliable email deliverability.

Why do your WordPress emails go to spam? Learn how to fix email deliverability

In this guide, we'll show you exactly why this happens and give you a simple, step-by-step method to fix your WordPress email being flagged as spam issues.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

1. How to authenticate your emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
2. Proper SMTP setup with easy-to-use plugins.
3. Choosing reliable email service providers.
4. Optimizing your email content.
5. Maintaining a healthy email list.

Let’s dive in!

Why your WordPress emails are landing in the spam folder?

When your WordPress website sends emails, it uses the default PHP mail function provided by your web host. Unfortunately, emails sent this way often end up in spam, especially if the server lacks proper authentication.

Common reasons include:

• Missing authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
• Suspicious content that triggers spam filters.
• Poor email reputation from shared hosting IP addresses.

Quick tip: Identifying the exact issue quickly is key. Next, we'll explain how to fix these problems with clear examples.

Step 1: Authenticate your WordPress emails correctly (Huge impact)

Proper email authentication greatly improves deliverability. Authentication tells providers (Gmail, Outlook) that your emails come from trusted sources.

Let’s see exactly how you can do this:

1. Set SPF Record

Example SPF record (DNS TXT entry):

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

• v=spf1: SPF protocol version.
• include:_spf.google.com: Allows Gmail’s servers to send your emails.
• ~all: Soft-fail any email not matching this rule (marked as suspicious).

You may learn more on how to set up SPF for Google.

2. Set DKIM Record

Example DKIM record (DNS TXT entry):

google._domainkey.yourdomain.com v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=YourPublicKeyHere

• google: Selector provided by your email provider (like Gmail).
• _domainkey.yourdomain.com: DKIM identification for your domain.
• p=YourPublicKeyHere: Unique public key provided by your email service.

3. Set DMARC Record

Example DMARC record (DNS TXT entry):

_dmarc.yourdomain.com v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]

• _dmarc: Prefix for the DMARC entry.
• p=none: Currently, monitor-only mode (use p=quarantine or p=reject after verifying everything works).
• rua: Address to receive DMARC reports.

Step 2: Set up SMTP plugin for reliable WordPress email sending (Huge impact)

Using the default PHP mail function leads many WordPress emails to the junk mail folder. Thankfully, using an SMTP plugin solves this quickly.

Recommended plugins for SMTP integration:

• WP Mail SMTP
• FluentSMTP

Install the plugin, choose a trusted SMTP service (Gmail, Sendinblue, Amazon SES), and configure it directly in WordPress.

Pro tip: Proper SMTP setup typically makes a huge improvement immediately. It's one of the simplest ways to ensure emails arrive in inboxes, not spam folders.

Step 3: Choose a trusted email provider (Significant impact)

Your email provider's reputation directly influences if emails reach inboxes or spam. Avoid using unreliable providers or shared hosting IPs, as these lead to delivery issues.

Choose reputable providers such as:

• Amazon SES
• SendGrid
• Google Workspace
• Sendinblue

A reliable email provider improves your domain’s reputation, ensures better inbox placement, and reduces spam flags.

Tip: Switching providers usually can have an immediate positive impact, especially if your current provider struggles with deliverability.

Step 4: Optimize your email content to avoid spam filters (Moderate impact)

Sometimes, even properly authenticated emails still go to spam because of suspicious content. Spam filters quickly flag emails containing:

• Spam-trigger words ("free," "urgent," "cash", "offer")
• Excessive images or links
• Misleading formatting or subject lines
• Too many marketing emails
• Sending different types of emails with a lot of text inside
• You're sending emails users mark as spam

Always keep your WordPress emails professional, clear, and straightforward. Carefully avoid spammy language to prevent unwanted spam flags.

Step 5: Keep your email list healthy (Moderate impact)

Your sender reputation depends significantly on your email list health. Lists with many bounced emails or spam complaints harm your reputation, causing legitimate emails to fail.

Maintain your email list by regularly:

• Removing inactive or bounced subscribers.
• Implementing opt-in subscription methods.
• Monitoring your campaigns' engagement rates.
• A clean, healthy list reduces spam reports, increases open rates, and boosts your overall email reputation.

Tip: Regular maintenance consistently improves deliverability over time, reducing chances of emails going to spam.

Bonus tips

Bonus tip 1: Fix emails sent from web hosts

Emails sent directly via your web host's default mail function often lack proper authentication. Shared IP addresses on web hosts make it easy for your emails to be mistaken as spam.

Solution: Always use dedicated SMTP providers or transactional email services instead of your host’s default option.

Bonus tip 2: Prevent your contact form emails from landing in spam folder

Contact forms are notorious for spam issues. Here’s how you fix them quickly:

• Use Google reCAPTCHA with your forms.
• Implement Honeypot techniques.
• Regularly update your form plugins.
• Use a different email address that is unknown to bots.

This ensures reliable email delivery from your contact forms.

Bonus tip 3: Test if your WordPress emails are going to spam

Regular tests help you ensure your fixes actually work:

• Use Check & Log Email or similar tools regularly.
• Act immediately on any deliverability feedback.
• Keep testing periodically to stay ahead of issues.
• Send a test email to your email addresses to check the deliverability.

Bonus tip 4: Recommended WordPress plugins to stop emails going to spam

Choosing the right WordPress plugin makes email delivery simple:

• WP Mail SMTP
• FluentSMTP
• Post SMTP

You can test and set up these plugins with your chosen SMTP provider for better email deliverability.

Summary  - why WordPress emails are going to spam

Today, you could learn what are the common reasons why email servers mark your emails as spam. Also, how to prevent your emails from going to spam (get marked as spam).

You can use five steps to make sure your emails don't land in the junk mail folder.

🔖 Quick summary – How to fix your WordPress emails going to spam:

• Authenticate emails properly (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) – Huge impact
• Configure an SMTP plugin correctly – Huge impact
• Choose a trusted email provider – Significant impact
• Optimize email content – Moderate impact
• Regularly maintain your email list – Moderate impact

Following these actionable steps ensures your important emails reliably reach your audience’s inboxes instead of the spam folder. No more lost notifications or frustrated customers - just better communication from your WordPress site.

Stay out of spam folders for email marketing and future emails using the steps above.

Sending emails from your domain and avoid emails going to the spam folder is possible.

Related Articles

Configure your WordPress email settings & Complete guide to sending email

Email is a critical part of your WordPress website—from contact form notifications to password resets. However, many WordPress users struggle with ema...

How to fix the WordPress not sending email issue: 2 steps

Email plays a crucial role on any WordPress site whether it's sending password resets, order confirmations, or form submissions. But sometimes, WordPr...

WordPress not sending password reset email & how to fix it

If you’ve encountered the issue of WordPress not sending password reset emails, you're not alone. It's a common problem that can be easily fixed. In t...

WordPress email marketing automation (free plugin guide)

Email marketing automation helps you stay connected with your users - without writing every message by hand. Whether you run a store, a membership sit...